I'm thinking 1989 is the oldest 3rd gen I should look for. The LB9 5 speed cars had 220hp. The power actually dropped in 1990, but I get the dash upgrade if I get a 1990+. What are the significant changes I should keep in mind when looking for these cars? The dash change is good because I get a 6 digit odo, but the less power is kinda crappy opinions, thoughts, experiences?

 

It comes down to style, I suppose. If you are looking for the latest electronic engine packages, and you want to stick to the very modifiable #7730 speed density ECM, then you will want to stick to 1990 through 1992. That will enable you to upgrade all kinds of stuff and tune for it with just a laptop, a customized chip, and some software from Craig Moates. You'll also be assured of having 28 spline axles which means you can use all kinds of fourth-gen goodies on the axle like aftermarket limited slip differential carriers. You also will have the bigger rear brakes, which is a plus.

 

Thanks for the response...another thing I'd like to ask in addition to my first post is the brakes in these cars suck for autox. Hard braking causes major fade and they're not all that good to begin with. Will a pad change make a significant difference in these cars? It seemed too on my 87 but I was only 17 and things seem more impressive at that age then they are when you're older and re evaluate things.

 

If you are worried about brakes, consider getting 98+ fourth gen brakes. Putting LS1 brakes on third gens isn't all that hard and supposedly is a significant improvement. Don't take my word for it though, ask someone who has done it for themselves.

 

The brakes on thirdgens stock are sad.

They're the same exact caliper as my dads '02 4 banger s10.


What's your goal with the car?

 

Good daily driver, but something I can slowly turn into a real good machine

 

Exactly!

 

Those are signifcantly better, what would be involved for a 1LE swap?

 

Well...what do U want? I bought a '89 RS with a 2.8 liter motor...I was satisfied....Yeah right?? I re-did everything!! Think about it. You have a Muscle Car...one of the best ever made!! Well then why not modify it the way you want it to perform....that means your gonna change the power,motor,tranny,suspension,wheels and tires.....so.....get what you want that is in great shape..and have a JOY fixing it the way you prefer!!!!!!

 

Thats my plan the WC T5's are pretty strong transmissions and should handle the 327 drop in, although eventually a 6 speed would be wanted.

 

Hold on there!

The 10.5 inch stock brakes are plenty good enough for autocross! You need only buy the right pad and rotor is all. If your brakes SUCK it is probably because you have old rubber lines to the calipers that need changing out. In addition, the brake fluid is supposed to be changed once every 24 months. If you arent doing that, then you are introducing a hygroscopic substance with water in it tht will slowly eat out your steel lines and rubber hoses.

That said, the stock third-gen brakes are LIGHT DUTY parts that work for the street, drag race, and autocross. They wont fade in autocross where you are only tapping them to set the car for the corner. It's in road course work that you will run into brake troubles. It's there that you need the better brakes. An autocross run only lasts 40 to 60 seconds on average with speeds that rarely exceed 45 MPH. There just isnt enough time to push the limits in brake performance. Heck, autocross tires barely get time to heat up in the race. It's why road race compounds dont work very well in autocrossing. They cannot get heat in them quick enough.

If you dont do road courses, spend your money on the remaining parts of the suspension before addressing the front brakes (except to change out the pads. fluid, and hoses.)

 

I dont know anyone that changes their brake fluid every 24 months on any vehicle. In fact i've never heard of that. But I will say on my 3rd gen the steel lines did disentigrate, I had to have them all replaced, it was my first real car and I didnt' know what the hell was going on.

So when I buy a car the first thing to do is change the brake fluid along with the oil.

 

I do.

I started doing it after having brake lines fail when the car was seven years old, and again when it was 14 years old. After that I started changing it every 24 months. The car is now 21 years old and everything looks fine.

I've still got to do my minivan this fall, come to think of it!

 

So is it that way on every vehicle?

 

My rubber hoses failed on both sides. The brake fluid was this really nasty looking light brown color. I wouldn't doubt thats the culprit.