I'm new to the whole camaro scene and was told this was a good starter year, what are the main issue with this car? I've also been told the 305 w/TPI is garbage, should I be thinking 350 upgrade?

 

Not a bad year to start with for sure,theres not much difference in the 85-90 cars,the 91-92's had higher HP 350 TPI's though.

The TPI intake manifold itself sucks,it doesnt move any air passed 5,000-5,500 RPM's b/c of the long runner design...it just looks cool.

From a performance stand point an LT1 intake or Holley Stealth Ram is a worthwhile upgrade if you want to keep fuel injection or you could always put a carb on it as long as you dont have to deal w/ emissions.

The rear end in all third gens is a 7.5" and is weak as hell.

 

main issue,, id say the week 10bolt rear, 305tpi garbage HAAA right. thats what im driving and ive got headers and gears and im running a 14.9 1/4 with a 1.9 60ft thats right 1.9 60ft. these cars are so much fun and you can make the 305 tpi into such a bad little motor its crazy.. but now watch below me as the next 6 post,s bad mouth it. oh one more point last year at english down i beat up on a 87 trans am with A 350 tpi THATS RIGHT 350 TPI there awesome motors just dont have much of a following because theresmaller

 

english town sorry i misspelled that

 

The 1986 IROC is a nice car. So is the 305 TPI. They used to do well on the autocross until the LT1's came onto the scene in 1993.

As for the 1986 IROC, that is a crossover year. It is still a flat-tappet cam, but the block is a one piece rear main seal design. Unfortunately GM dropped the duration and lift from the 1985 specifications for 1986 so it loses a few horsepower from 1985.

For now, I suggest no engine modifications. Instead, concentrate on the handling: You most likely need to give the suspension a good going-over. Centerlink, idler arm, inner and outer tie rod ends, lower ball joints, and possibly struts all most likely need attention. Also, look at adjusting the power steering gear's preload to remove some of the slop in the system. Once you have rebuilt the front end, replace all rubber brake hoses and completely flush the brake fluid with fresh stuff. I suggest Earl's Hyperflex hoses. Order direct from Earl's Indy and you will get them faster with less S&H fees.

Then, put in some Hawk HPS brake pads into those calipers.

Once you have serviced your brakes and gotten the suspension back up to snuff, you will truly start having fun with the car: I suggest you break in those new brakes and suspension with a local low-speed autocross event. It'll be terrific fun and you will most likely fall in love with the ease at which the car moves around the race course.

Drive it a season like that, then save up about a thousand bucks for your first round of engine mods, which will consist of a new torque converter, cam, lifters and valvesprings.

 

i am the original owner of one, problems? lets see . the t- roofs leaked from day one, all the major parts dont last longer than 3 years,there was always a problem with something.the cars were very poorly made to say the least. they are hot looking and thats why i still have it i guess.never had a problem with the engine,still runs strong its 305 4brl.

 

It sounds like maybe you got a lemon. I've seen plenty of '86 Z28s that ran with minimal problems. About the only real issue I know of seemed to be premature wear of the front suspension, plus a recall of those pesky iron J65 rear disc brakes.

 

not all third gens came with the 10 bolt, some got the 9 bolt wich was far supirior to the 10. the 9 bolt was started in 85 and ran till 89 but some 90s got them as GM was depleating their stock.
dunno bout some but im having a blast with my 10.41 comp TPI 305. suprises the mess out of alot of folks and runs comfortably on 93.
WS6transam has seen,heard and ridden in mine at the national F body event a month ago.

 

QuickenChicken's car is a great autocross car. Plus his is a lot more comfortable to ride in than mine on the street. (Mine's a little "edgy", especially off-idle) Do a few suspension improvements and the 305 cars are plenty capable of making you grin.