Operation Blue

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My first impression of the car was that it was an extremely tired Camaro. Its body panels however were in very nice shape with little to no rust or major dents and the paint was decent. Visually, the car looked good but had a lot of flaws and a lot of broken and missing parts. It nonetheless boasted an accident-free Carfax report and was equipped with the ultimate IROC package 3 and the desirable G92 performance option.

The tires were mismatched and worn and several of the wheels were damaged (curb rash) and their clear coat finish was peeling off. More importantly, the car wasn't necessarily road worthy due to a malfunctioning brake system. While driving the car, I noticed that it would pull hard to one side when braking. After examining the issue, excessive brake dust was visible on the front driver side wheel indicating an obvious brake system issue at that location.  

The car showed signs of repaint that were obvious such as the improper placement of the “IROC-Z” door decals, the lower body pinstripes that had been applied upside down and several chips in the paint, revealing old paint underneath.

As mentioned earlier, the car had a lot of broken and missing parts. The front license plate bracket was missing, the left fog light was broken, and the passenger side door lock cylinder had been wallowed out. The driver side low-beam headlamp was also problematic. 

The rear hatch glass had the holes near the top where a high mount brake lamp would have been located. The holes had been filled with silicone to keep the elements out. The glass had obviously been donated by a 1986 F-body vehicle, which were equipped with the high mount brake lamp. Another issue was that the automatic trunk pull down motor was locked up and inoperable and the hatch would not open.  

Both removable glass panels were in good shape with the exception of the passenger side panel which had a crack in the plastic and was in need of repair. They both however were original to the car, and had the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etched into them. At the time, these glass panels were susceptible to theft and as a way to combat the issue, dealerships offered this etching service at hefty $300.00. 

Inside, the smell of the 80's was strong and the 30 plus year old 105 thousand mile OEM upholstery was showing it age. Stains and tears were everywhere including worn leather components and broken or missing plastic accessories.

Both front seats were stained, and the driver seat was torn at the bolster. The cigarette lighter was missing, the odometer was inoperable, and as with most of these cars, the factory stereo and speakers were long gone.   

The rear bucket seats were badly stained and needed to be replaced. The rear backrest fabric was torn at the top due to excessive sun damage and needed to be replaced.  

The plastic rear headliner trim panel, rear cargo light switch and hatch latch brushes, coat hangers, hatch glass strut covers, and a driver side headrest seat belt guide bracket were all either broken or missing. 

Like the 105 thousand mile worn upholstery, the seatbelt support plastics also showed their age. They were broken, and the red seat belt release buttons were faded, worn and brittle. Additionally, the HVAC dash vents were all loose and would not stay in their affixed position. 

Like the rest of the interior, the carpets were not in any better condition and were extremely worn and torn in high use areas, and the original floormats like a lot of other parts and accessories were long gone.

This Camaro was originally equipped with the 5.0-liter (305-cu.in.) engine, known as the LB9 option. I was fortunate that prior to my ownership, the anemic engine had been tossed in the dumpster and replaced by its big brother, the L98 5.7-liter (350-cu.in.) V8 engine. The only drawback was that the conversion was not properly completed, and all the LB9 electronics had been left behind causing the larger engine to run poorly. 

The air conditioning system was inoperable, and the engine was missing numerous parts. It was littered with miscellaneous aftermarket equipment such as the aftermarket air conditioning compressor and high and low pressure hose assembly shown in the image.

The exterior lights were extremely dim, the volt gage was faulty and none of the interior curtesy lights would function. Fortunately, the seller disclosed the issue of a parasitic drawl that would drain the battery within a couple of days. After doing a little research and  troubleshooting, I found that the accessories (ACC) fuse was blown, and the cigarette lighter to be the culprit behind both the parasitic drawl and blown fuse.

Several spark plug wire retainers were broken or missing and a lot of the rubber parts such as vacuum hoses and grommets were dry rotted which obviously caused vacuum leaks in random areas. The windshield washer pump was inoperable, and the fan belts were worn. 

Once the car was mechanically sound, I started to drive it and found that the throttle body shaft had a considerable amount of play or slack in the throttle shaft. This caused a substantial amount of vacuum loss resulting in an erratic idle and other related issues. I also found that the throttle position sensor and idle air control valve were also defective. 

I’m a firm believer in originality. Since I’ve had the car, I've been able to successfully locate many great OEM, period correct components to replace all the aftermarket equipment that had been installed on the car. 

Since owning the car, I have put a lot of time, money, and effort into it to get it into the condition that it’s in today. This Camaro IROC-Z maintains its original iconic stock appearance, and although nowhere near perfect, it is garage kept and used only during the summer as a fun weekend car and when driving to car shows and cruises and some distance in good weather. 

Safety first! I rebuilt the entire brake system to include replacing all brake lines and hoses, front brake pads, rotors, calipers and wheel bearings. I then ordered a set of used undamaged OEM wheels that I stripped, repainted, and wrapped in new rubber before rebuilding both rear J65 Delco Moraine calipers and replacing the rear brake pads and rotors. I also addressed the ride quality by replacing the struts, shocks, bushings, and end links.  

After using a clay bar to remove foreign particles from the existing paint, I buffed and polished the entire car and corrected any small imperfections in the paint. I also corrected the more obvious decal issue, by replacing both door decals. 

After doing a little research, I located an OEM license plate bracket (not pictured) and an OEM fog light to replace the broken assembly. I restored both fog light assembles and installed them on the car. I then corrected all other lighting issues followed by polishing and removing the haze from the front signal light lenses. 

I located and purchased the proper OEM rear hatch glass equipped with the rear defrost. Before installing the rear glass, I refinished the metal trim and glass. I then installed a new trunk pull down motor and nylon guides, followed by replacing the hood and rear hatch struts. 

I repaired a break in the plastic of the passenger side removable glass panel and refinished both. 

The interior was refreshed with new carpets and floormats, and new OEM seat upholstery constructed by Lethal Interiors, of Milton Florida and installed by Luis' Upholstery, of Snyder, Texas. The upholstery was constructed with the period correct, factory original OEM stock cloth used in 1987. 

I installed the plastic rear headliner trim panel, rear cargo light switch and hatch latch brushes, coat hangers, hatch glass strut covers, and side headrest seat belt guide brackets. I also replaced the door plastics which were both broken. I installed the plastic rear headliner trim panel, rear cargo light switch and hatch latch brushes, coat hangers, hatch glass strut covers, and side headrest seat belt guide brackets. I also replaced the torn console lid and installed a security cover.  

I replaced both broken front seat belt support plastics and all four of the worn red seat belt release buttons. I also installed a set of new HCAV dash vent friction pads. 

I installed new dove gray carpet and floor mats and during that time, I took note that other than a little surface rust on some of the fasteners, the car had absolutely zero rust on the floor pan. 

After cleaning and lubricating the door mechanisms, I installed new genuine GM regulator motors, lock actuators and all lock cylinders. I then repaired the upholstery, replaced the broken top plastic trim and the dry rotted door gaskets.   

In addition to the modern R134a refrigerant upgrade, I had the stock UX1 Delco stereo, (Radio, AM-FM Stereo, Cassette, Clock, S/S, Equalizer) upgraded with an auxiliary jack, but later had an internal Bluetooth module installed for wireless capabilities. 

I repaired several electrical issues under the hood and moved on to properly completing the L98 5.7-liter (350-cu.in.) V8 engine conversion. I removed all the old LB9 5.0-liter (305-cu.in.) engine electronics that had been left behind during the conversion and installed new larger 24lb fuel injectors, a knock sensor, ESC Module, ECM and PROM. During this time, I rebuilt the fuel rail and replaced the fuel pressure regulator and EGR valve. Once the engine was mechanically sound, I cleaned and detailed the engine bay. 

After replacing the high and low pressure hose assembly and charging the air conditioning system, I found that it would not cool properly and the compressor would randomly lock up. I replaced all the system components, with the exception of the evaporator core and upgraded the system to the modern R134a refrigerant. The system now operates flawlessly and cools extremely well. 

I diagnosed the parasitic drawl and found the cigarette lighter to be the culprit. After correcting that issue, I installed a new battery and an ACDelco alternator. I then located and repaired a vacuum leak at a “T” connection fitting underneath the throttle body. 

I had diagnosed the issue of an erratic idle and replaced the throttle position sensor, idle air control valve and installed a spare 1987 (period correct) throttle body unit that I had rebuilt. I also replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, spark plug wire retainers, distributor cap, distributor rotor, ignition coil, positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve, PCV grommet and hose, air filters, windshield washer pump and all of the fan belts. 

I had the Borg-Warner HD 7.75-inch four pinion rear end with a limited-slip differential rebuilt.  The Australian built rear end is one of the components of the G92 performance option. In addition, I had the stock 3.23 gears upgraded with a 3.73 gear ratio. 

I had the exhaust system checked and found that the exhaust or catback pipe and exhaust tail pipe were both affixed incorrectly to the muffler. The catback was affixed to the muffler outlet and the exhaust tail pipe was attached to the muffler inlet, resulting in the awful tone. I had a new cat back pipe and stock muffler installed.