Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

[Mega]

[Mega]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

I felt all "Pat Benatar ish" just looking at it!

[Mega]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

[Mega]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

Ah..........back in the day...........when females made an effort with their hair/wear/make up etc.................

[kescwi]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

In 1985 I was a teen driving a '72 Datsun 240Z, still the greatest car I have ever owned, could not have cared less about any Camaro and was still pissed my grandmother had sold my uncles garaged '67 Austin Healey 3000 Mark III out from under me.

Still, I'll give you, a cool find, but still a Camaro.

[santafe2]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

In 1985 I was a teen driving a '72 Datsun 240Z, still the greatest car I have ever owned, could not have cared less about any Camaro and was still pissed my grandmother had sold my uncles garaged '67 Austin Healey 3000 Mark III out from under me.

Still, I'll give you, a cool find, but still a Camaro.

Oh oh. Another car guy here. I put a 327 Chevy engine with a Muncie trans in a 240Z in 1978. I may have ruined it by some estimates but in my opinion I took a great looking Japanese car with an awful drive train and made it fun to drive...American style.

[GRG55]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

Oh oh. Another car guy here. I put a 327 Chevy engine with a Muncie trans in a 240Z in 1978. I may have ruined it by some estimates but in my opinion I took a great looking Japanese car with an awful drive train and made it fun to drive...American style.

My gymkhana racer was a 1972 240Z. Absolutely nothing wrong with the drivetrain (or suspension) that parts from BRE, FAR & Datsun's USA based competition department along with a bunch of wrench time over and under the car couldn't fix. Bob Sharp, John Morton, Walter Maas and a few other drivers including Paul Newman proved that in spades smoking the Porches year after year in SCCA-C and IMSA GT/U.

The much to be admired Chevy small block conversion was not uncommon, but the one and only time I drove one back in the early 1970s the car was too nose heavy and understeered like a rhino with bad knees.

BTW, 1972 was the first production year for the Z that Datsun fixed the rear vibration problem at high speed by lengthening the driveshaft and moving the differential back so the two halfshafts were perpendicular to the car centerline. And a set of Pirelli CN36s was mandatory to be competitive.

[santafe2]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

My gymkhana racer was a 1972 240Z. Absolutely nothing wrong with the drivetrain (or suspension) that parts from BRE, FAR & Datsun's USA based competition department along with a bunch of wrench time over and under the car couldn't fix. Bob Sharp, John Morton, Walter Maas and a few other drivers including Paul Newman proved that in spades smoking the Porches year after year in SCCA-C and IMSA GT/U.

The much to be admired Chevy small block conversion was not uncommon, but the one and only time I drove one back in the early 1970s the car was too nose heavy and understeered like a rhino with bad knees.

BTW, 1972 was the first production year for the Z that Datsun fixed the rear vibration problem at high speed by lengthening the driveshaft and moving the differential back so the two halfshafts were perpendicular to the car centerline. And a set of Pirelli CN36s was mandatory to be competitive.

Other than a GM drive train and suspension beefed up, there wasn't much else to it. This car was intended to go straight and fast. There was little indication on the outside that anything had changed. A few years before that a few of my friends dropped a small block and drive train on a custom chassis in the middle of a T1 VW bus. It was a lot more fun to build than it was to drive and absolutely terrifying to be in the passenger seat.

[GRG55]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

Other than a GM drive train and suspension beefed up, there wasn't much else to it. This car was intended to go straight and fast. There was little indication on the outside that anything had changed. A few years before that a few of my friends dropped a small block and drive train on a custom chassis in the middle of a T1 VW bus. It was a lot more fun to build than it was to drive and absolutely terrifying to be in the passenger seat.

Back in the late 70s I had a friend with a mostly rusted out AMC Gremlin. He put a Rajay turbocharger and some other engine bits into that thing, did nothing to the exterior except remove the hubcaps and install some blackwall polyglas tires on the steel rims, then used it as a stealth stoplight racer. Kids in waxed up shiny 10 year old Camaros, 'Stangs and 'Cudas would try to take him on. What a hoot. It actually was a pretty stable platform to race, but like your small block 'Z' only in a straight line. If I recall correctly the weak point was the 2 universal joints in the driveshaft...I think he kept alternating blowing them out and eventually retired the car when he got tired of replacing them.

[santafe2]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

Back in the late 70s I had a friend with a mostly rusted out AMC Gremlin. He put a Rajay turbocharger and some other engine bits into that thing, did nothing to the exterior except remove the hubcaps and install some blackwall polyglas tires on the steel rims, then used it as a stealth stoplight racer. Kids in waxed up shiny 10 year old Camaros, 'Stangs and 'Cudas would try to take him on. What a hoot. It actually was a pretty stable platform to race, but like your small block 'Z' only in a straight line. If I recall correctly the weak point was the 2 universal joints in the driveshaft...I think he kept alternating blowing them out and eventually retired the car when he got tired of replacing them.

And yet we live to tell the tale... I once owned a '62 Chevy Impala SS with a two piece drive shaft. It wasn't running when I bought it. A friend of mine's parents had it sitting in the back yard. It had a small block and it was the first engine I'd rebuilt for drag racing. As often as not, I'd blow out the carrier bearings in the first 100 feet and either glide or grind to a stop. You can buy heavy duty bearings now but then it was trip after trip to the junk yard. Here in Northern New Mexico, these cars are very popular. The guys lower them, put a beautiful paint job on them and just cruise. I've come to understand they have the right idea. It's the reason I just keep my '66 Chevelle maintained well as it was originally delivered and won't put it on an Art Morrison chassis with oversized disc brakes. I'd rather just cruise around with my wife on a summer weekend than try to modernize an old piece of iron that's really perfect as it is.

[GRG55]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

And yet we live to tell the tale... I once owned a '62 Chevy Impala SS with a two piece drive shaft. It wasn't running when I bought it. A friend of mine's parents had it sitting in the back yard. It had a small block and it was the first engine I'd rebuilt for drag racing. As often as not, I'd blow out the carrier bearings in the first 100 feet and either glide or grind to a stop. You can buy heavy duty bearings now but then it was trip after trip to the junk yard. Here in Northern New Mexico, these cars are very popular. The guys lower them, put a beautiful paint job on them and just cruise. I've come to understand they have the right idea. It's the reason I just keep my '66 Chevelle maintained well as it was originally delivered and won't put it on an Art Morrison chassis with oversized disc brakes. I'd rather just cruise around with my wife on a summer weekend than try to modernize an old piece of iron that's really perfect as it is.

Think of it as the original VrrrrZOOM reality experience - nothing virtual about it.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

My gymkhana racer was a 1972 240Z. Absolutely nothing wrong with the drivetrain (or suspension) that parts from BRE, FAR & Datsun's USA based competition department along with a bunch of wrench time over and under the car couldn't fix. Bob Sharp, John Morton, Walter Maas and a few other drivers including Paul Newman proved that in spades smoking the Porches year after year in SCCA-C and IMSA GT/U.

The much to be admired Chevy small block conversion was not uncommon, but the one and only time I drove one back in the early 1970s the car was too nose heavy and understeered like a rhino with bad knees.

BTW, 1972 was the first production year for the Z that Datsun fixed the rear vibration problem at high speed by lengthening the driveshaft and moving the differential back so the two halfshafts were perpendicular to the car centerline. And a set of Pirelli CN36s was mandatory to be competitive.

Agreed on small block 240Z.

Sadly, too much of a nose heavy thing as it's a great concept. Just too much weight up front.

Checy Vega's remotored with small blocks were ugly as sin but twice as fast at the drag strip.

Mazda MX5 Miata's with Ford 302's and beefed up chassis/roll cage to reduce flex were really interesting.

Like a modern incarnations of the original. Not the Shelby Cobra, but the Sunbeam Tiger.

I had a Camaro convertible a LONG time ago with some anger under the hood. Ran into a skinny tired Sunbeam Tiger at a light. The Tiger smoked them and went like a scalded cat. I had to work HARD to catch him.

Everyone in the car was a proper US muscle car petrol head. We were all impressed.

What a great bit of little known history. The granddaddy sleeper sports car in my experience.

[shiny!]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

And yet we live to tell the tale... I once owned a '62 Chevy Impala SS with a two piece drive shaft. It wasn't running when I bought it. A friend of mine's parents had it sitting in the back yard. It had a small block and it was the first engine I'd rebuilt for drag racing. As often as not, I'd blow out the carrier bearings in the first 100 feet and either glide or grind to a stop. You can buy heavy duty bearings now but then it was trip after trip to the junk yard. Here in Northern New Mexico, these cars are very popular. The guys lower them, put a beautiful paint job on them and just cruise. I've come to understand they have the right idea. It's the reason I just keep my '66 Chevelle maintained well as it was originally delivered and won't put it on an Art Morrison chassis with oversized disc brakes. I'd rather just cruise around with my wife on a summer weekend than try to modernize an old piece of iron that's really perfect as it is.

Do you know why they have speed bumps on each end of Espanola? To keep the low riders in!

Sorry. Mean joke. But hey, I lived there. The low rider capitol of the world.

[santafe2]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

Do you know why they have speed bumps on each end of Espanola? To keep the low riders in!

Sorry. Mean joke. But hey, I lived there. The low rider capitol of the world.

It's fun to drive the Chevelle up to grab lunch on a Saturday at Dandy Burger. No town appreciates early to mid 60s Chevy's more than Espanola.

[shiny!]

Re: Brand new 1985 IROC !!!!!!!!!!

It's fun to drive the Chevelle up to grab lunch on a Saturday at Dandy Burger. No town appreciates early to mid 60s Chevy's more than Espanola.

Dandy Burger, dang! I'd forgotten about them. Wish you could send me a stuffed sopapilla from Joann's.

Sorry for all you guys who haven't enjoyed the automotive and culinary delights of Espanola, NM.