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IROC-Z 350tpi with a T5 tranny? Will the tranny hold up?

9K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  jdebo 
#1 ·
My friend is selling this IROC-Z for 2700 (i negotiated with him) It has 4.10 gears in it as well as other mods. It was a 305 orignally with an Automatic tranny. Will the T5 last with a 350 engine with 300hp? I'm quite skeptical about it... im unsure about purchasing it

http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/2680913777.html
 
#2 ·
[quote author=jdebo link=topic=200760.msg4145952#msg4145952 date=1320953837]
My friend is selling this IROC-Z for 2700 (i negotiated with him) It has 4.10 gears in it as well as other mods. It was a 305 orignally with an Automatic tranny. Will the T5 last with a 350 engine with 300hp? I'm quite skeptical about it... im unsure about purchasing it

http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/2680913777.html
[/quote]

Hi jdebo. :wavey: Rhetorically speaking...Hold up to what?

This is only my opinion based off the for-sale listing, so take it for what it's worth (or feel free to completely ignore it :lmao:): This is a ~23 year old car, with 73,000 miles on the motor, "about 60k on the rebuild" most likely meaning many more miles than that on the car itself and trans (i.e. how many total miles on the car itself?), "3K" on the clutch, a load of street-racing parts added on etc. etc.. There is absolutely no way we can give an accurate assessment, other than educated/wild Internet guesses.

As the old saying goes, cars like this are generally "...driven hard and put away wet...". So if you decide to purchase a ~23 year old used pony-car, it may crap out the day after you purchase or you may get many miles of fun driving out of it. And while there is no way for us to tell for sure, I unfortunately have a feeling it would be closer to the former than the latter (only one of those Internet guesses).

Essentially, with any 23 year old used car, you would need to go in understanding that you are taking your chances and in the long run may need to spend much more than $2,700 to keep it running. If you have the the money (and patience) to spend then buy it. If not, might be better to pass on it. I know I would not purchase it, but I also understand that my likes/dislikes mean nothing to another person such as yourself.

Again, just this mans opinion. So whatever you decide to do, good luck. :cheers:
 
#3 ·
If its a real tremec you will be fine even with a stock trans you will be fine. 300hp is nothing i had 315 (at the crank) in my 86 trans am on the stock tranny (auto). The issue is how bad he beat the snot out of the car. Thats the real question. Also 300hp is nothing out of a 350ci (240hp stock) unless its rear wheel hp and only boost will do that. he didnt list any power adders in the add. Also word of mouth hp is usually 30hp less than stated :lol: does he have dyno results?

He already braced the car up that camaroes of that era had issues with but you need to get under the car and see if the braces are welded in or bolted on? If they are welded in good. Bolts are ok but I wouuld get them welded if you buy it.

I would pop the filler cap on the rear and check the gear oil and the trans oil for metal bits. The problem with anything race built 99% of the time its been beat like a red headed step child. Also if you are buying this car i am sure your gonna beat on it too. Sooner or later somethings gonna break. Probably sooner.

If you want a driver that looks good/lasts a long time, find yourself a car that wasn't "race built" If you want a car to beat on...........buy it! But dont be upset when something detonates. My trans am ran till 168k miles befor i sold her. but by that point she was kicking off more sensors then she was worth and she was beaten daily!!!
 
#5 ·
Well, i know this guys friend, and hes only 15 min away from me. Lots of Irocs are far away from me, mostly upstate. i live on long island. It has a synchro issue in the tranny where it cant downshift to 3rd gear but it can upshift from 2nd to 3rd. I can paint it, its not an issue. i got a guy who can give me a big discount. its a cat delete, has headers, no exhaust pipes.

it was used for drag racing for a bit. it was an orig 305 auto before it started racing. i kind of wanna downgrade to stock but still make it have some balls. would swapping the 4.10 gears for 3.73 be a pain in the ass too?
 
#6 ·
[quote author=jdebo link=topic=200760.msg4146654#msg4146654 date=1321045934]
Well, i know this guys friend, and hes only 15 min away from me. Lots of Irocs are far away from me, mostly upstate. i live on long island. It has a synchro issue in the tranny where it cant downshift to 3rd gear but it can upshift from 2nd to 3rd. I can paint it, its not an issue. i got a guy who can give me a big discount. its a cat delete, has headers, no exhaust pipes.

it was used for drag racing for a bit. it was an orig 305 auto before it started racing. i kind of wanna downgrade to stock but still make it have some balls. would swapping the 4.10 gears for 3.73 be a pain in the ass too?
[/quote]


you just said a novel. dont buy it get a stock one thats pretty and then add parts. camaro parts are a dime a dozen on the used market.
 
#9 ·
[quote author=jdebo link=topic=200760.msg4146654#msg4146654 date=1321045934]
Well, i know this guys friend, and hes only 15 min away from me. Lots of Irocs are far away from me, mostly upstate. i live on long island. It has a synchro issue in the tranny where it cant downshift to 3rd gear but it can upshift from 2nd to 3rd. I can paint it, its not an issue. i got a guy who can give me a big discount. its a cat delete, has headers, no exhaust pipes.

it was used for drag racing for a bit. it was an orig 305 auto before it started racing. i kind of wanna downgrade to stock but still make it have some balls. would swapping the 4.10 gears for 3.73 be a pain in the ass too?
[/quote]

you can get that synchro fixed cheaply...or t5's are plentiful used in good condition. gear swaps are a decent amount of work but not overly expensive to have done for a solid rear car. the gm 10 bolt was common so you should be able to find a whole 3.73 rear axle easily. swapping the rear is a piece of cake. your probably going to need to change the gear on the tail shaft of the trans so your speedo is still correct but again, thats easy.
 
#11 ·
To swap an entire differential just to change ratio is ignorant. You can get a good set of 3.73 or 3.42 gears for little money. Also, change the bearings at the same time...and fluid. You get a used differential and god knows what youve really got. Put a posi in there while your at...
 
#12 ·
Problems it has-

- cant shift into 3rd (bad synchro) t5's are notorious for breaking 3rd when put with high out put engines
- needs New battery
- needs New coolant tank
- car shakes, vibrates, makes knocking sound in rear in first gear while turning
- needs tailpipes, ( orig exhaust cut off by the differential)
- no/ac
- leaking t-tops.
- needs paint
- speedometer needs recalibration (because of installed 4.10 gears)
- door sags
- occasional backfire when driving
- new o2 sensors possibly.

$ for 2500...

bear in mind, im 20 and i commute to school. i dont have the bank account of a 35 year old haha
 
#14 ·
[quote author=biggee72 link=topic=200760.msg4150272#msg4150272 date=1321729445]
To swap an entire differential just to change ratio is ignorant. You can get a good set of 3.73 or 3.42 gears for little money. Also, change the bearings at the same time...and fluid. You get a used differential and god knows what youve really got. Put a posi in there while your at...
[/quote]

swapping an axle to change ratios is far from ignorant. gears are cheap....install costs are not. plus it would be faster to swap the axle then rebuild it with new gears. not to mention, a bad gear install will destroy gears and/or bearings and be a complete waste of money. these cars are abundant enough where you can find good used rear axles that have already been upgraded relatively inexpensively, which is why i suggested that. however, if you do decide to do the gear swap, given the age/mileage of the car, i suggest a master install kit for the rear. it will come with new bearings and seals along with the shims and paste that you will need when setting up new gears. i would go 3.73...it will make the car more fun to drive while still very driveable on the parkway.

also, being thats its an iroc-z, it should already have a limited slip in it.

[quote author=jdebo link=topic=200760.msg4150278#msg4150278 date=1321730681]
Problems it has-

- cant shift into 3rd (bad synchro) t5's are notorious for breaking 3rd when put with high out put engines
- needs New battery
- needs New coolant tank
- car shakes, vibrates, makes knocking sound in rear in first gear while turning
- needs tailpipes, ( orig exhaust cut off by the differential)
- no/ac
- leaking t-tops.
- needs paint
- speedometer needs recalibration (because of installed 4.10 gears)
- door sags
- occasional backfire when driving
- new o2 sensors possibly.

$ for 2500...

bear in mind, im 20 and i commute to school. i dont have the bank account of a 35 year old haha
[/quote]

the biggest issue there is the vibration/knocking in the rear when turning. thats the only thing that i find sketchy. everything else is minor common issues.
 
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