1987 IROC Camaro Pro-Touring Build

[garage_engineer]

Originally Posted by gofastwclass

My opinion - stick to the budget and original plan which for me typically means fix what you have. Have some fun and upgrade as needed or finances allow.

If you are on a budget I would seriously consider your goals and make sure buying the replacement cross member or control arms is actually buying a planned and affordable performance upgrade. A good way to kill a budget and possibly project momentum is to start the "while I'm here I'll upgrade..." game. Ask the manufacturer(s) if the new parts are pretty stock replacements, are they lighter or do they actually improve performance in the manner you desire (drag racing vs. cornering), etc?

Just something to ponder. Remember disassembly is the easy part, good luck on the choice and project.

Good advice, thanks for the insight. It's definitely tempting to fall into the "while I'm at it" trap, but I'm also trying to be smart and replace things that are easier to get at while the engine is out. I'm going to make a few calls and go from there. Thanks again for the tips!

[ZMAN1969]

Nice build I HATE pulling the engine on my third gen and did it several times
I would think and A/M K-member would cut a bit of weight and add more room I'd do it - you are there
I'd suggest subframe connectors, they really do stiffen these cars up I didnt think it'd make much difference but boy did it

[WSSix]

If the aftermarket k-members don't offer better geometry, then stick with your factory one. The weight savings alone are not worth it. Your car is no where near that level of performance at this time. You'll be better served by buying better tires or upgrading the brakes with the money you would have spent on the k-member.

[qnitro]

Im watching this one, seems like a good ride

[garage_engineer]

I don't have a very exciting update this time around as I'm still working through removing everything from the engine bay, but here goes:

One of the biggest pains in the rear was getting the brake booster off the firewall. The 4 nuts holding the booster to the firewall are way up high underneath the dash and a royal pain to get to! For some reason, I'm always hesitant to take extra pieces off in order to get to a hard-to-reach fastener... I'll sit there and struggle with wrenches, ratchets, extensions and u-joints and in the end it usually ends up being faster just to bite the bullet and take off the couple other parts in the way. Anyone else do this too?

I ended up dropping the steering column in this case to get at 2 of the nuts and out she came. My master cylinder had some nasty residue on the bottom from some old fluid. I had flushed in some fresh DOT4 before my last track event but mustn't have done a good job cleaning it out. I want a firmer pedal, so I will doing some research to see which master cylinder will make sense to increase my pedal firmness.


Here are some other random parts I've been taking off and labeling: AC dryer, power steering "cooler", cruise control module and a few other hoses and lines. Slowly but surely getting there.


That's where I stand for right now. I'm shooting to have the engine bay cleaned out by this weekend so I can get started with the cleanup and prep for paint. Lots of work ahead of me too with cleaning up the wiring harness, painting the engine and lots of other odds and ends. I'm trying to keep the momentum up doing just a little bit every couple of days and chipping away at it little bit little. Gotta enjoy the journey!

[SSLance]

You know how to eat an elephant right? One bite at a time...

The best part is when it comes time to put all those clean and rehabbed parts back together.

[Gscherer78ta]

Originally Posted by SSLance

The best part is when it comes time to put all those clean and rehabbed parts back together.

I believe the best part is when all those new parts are together and everything works like it should! I have yet to get that result the first time everything goes together.

Great Thread and keep up the good work!