“3rd-Generation Camaros & Firebirds”
By the time Chevy retired the 2nd-generation F-body twins (Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird) in 1981, they’d been in service since 1970. 12 models years is an eternity in the car business and the 2nd generation was well past long-in-the-tooth. Technology had moved considerably since the 1960s when the 2nd-gen cars were designed. And government-mandated fuel economy standards were becoming more demanding every year. The F-bodies had gotten bloated over the years and the playing field had also changed. Ford launched its new 3rd-generation Mustang on the Fox-body platform in 1979, and gone were the easy pickings provided by the Pintobased Mustang II that came before it. The new Fox Mustang handled well and was light enough to be fast even with the crappy engines back then. It was time for a change.
Even before the new Mustang launched, Chevy saw it coming and by 1977 work had begun on the next F-body. Even though there would be no commonality between the 2nd-gen’s F-body platform and that of the 3rd-gen it was decided they would name the new platform the F-body. By 1979 full-size clay models were being sculpted and hardcore engineering began. Wind tunnel and durability testing commenced in 1980. The result of all the wind tunnel work was a move away from the long-hood/short-deck look of the 2nd-generation to more of a wedge-shaped, aerodynamic profile. Production began in August 1981 at the Norwood, Ohio and Van Nuys, California plants and the first 1982 Camaros and Firebirds were delivered in September 1981.
The new cars were smaller overall. Where the prior two generations had 108-inch wheelbases, the 3rd-gen’s was 101”. Weight was down too, by nearly 500 pounds. This improved performance, handling, braking and most importantly fuel economy. Important to the government, anyway. The new shape netted dramatic improvements in the drag coefficient, dropping from .48 to .37 Cd, again benefitting fuel economy. This was a true fully monocoqued unibody and it was not only lighter but much stiffer than before, designed by computer and made of high-strength steel. The suspension was all new front and back. Gone were the old leaf springs replaced by a novel coil spring setup with two trailing arms, a pan hard rod and a torque arm mounted to the transmission. Gone too was the old recirculating ball steering box replaced by modern rack-and-pinion.
The sharp, angular lines and large flat surfaces were a complete departure from previous Camaros and Firebirds and was brilliantly executed. They were handsome cars when they came out and they still turn heads today. When it came to the exterior, the two sisters shared only the roof, windows, doors and windshield in common, everything else was unique to each car. Chevy opted for four rectangular seal beams tucked into coves in the nose. Pontiac elected to go with hideaway headlights very much like the Corvette’s, a first for the Firebird. Each had their own wheels. Of course under the skin most of it was the same. And for the first time, when it came to engines there was no differentiation between brands, both the Chevy Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird would have Chevy engines. It just wasn’t cost effective to produce two completely separate engine families to do the same job and compete against one another. It was a smart move. The Pontiac V8 engine family was getting long in the tooth anyway, in service since 1955.
The base Camaro and Firebird came standard with, believe it or not a horrible old 4- cylinder known as “The Iron Duke” wheezing out 90 hp from 1982-1986. It was followed by the almost as awful little 2.8-liter OHV V6 making 135 hp. It was an underpowered, grumbly little thing that was punched out to 3.1 liters in 1991. Of course all we care about are V8s. The generation started out in 1982 with two V8 choices. The LG4 was a 305 ci 4-barrel with 145 hp and the top engine was the L69, a 305 with “CrossFire Injection” making 165 hp. The latter was used on the Corvette, but with a 350 (5.7). It was essentially two throttle body injectors (TBI) on a cross-ram manifold. They looked awesome but didn’t make much power and were prone to drivability issues.
In 1985 Tuned Port Injection (TPI) arrived and it transformed the lowly 305. Horsepower jumped to 215 hp, drivability and most important to the corporate suits, fuel economy improved. TPI too was a great-looking system that made the engine look futuristic with its ‘bundle of snakes’ intake runners. At this point one could order any Camaro or Firebird of their choice with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. In 1987, for the first time a version of the 5.7 (350 ci) with TPI became available. These were almost a Corvette engine. The ‘Vette’s engine had aluminum heads and these had iron heads, but otherwise they were pretty close and made comparable power…if you ordered the right package.
The Achilles heal of the 3rd-gen F-bodies is that they’re so low to the ground that there isn’t a lot of room for exhaust plumbing. That’s why there was never a true dual exhaust system on any 3rd-gen F-body. They were all 2-into-1-into 2 setups. The two sides joined in a “Y” next to the rear of the engine on the passenger side, then they went through a cat next to the tranny, then a single pipe snaked its way down the driveshaft tunnel and over the rear axle, to a sideways muffler behind the axle. One pipe went in one side and two pipes came out, one on each side, that exited the back corners of the car. It was a restrictive system to say the least and it choked off the power. In standard form this rendered the 5.7 to making 230 hp. However, if you checked off the G92 package on the order sheet, you got a dual-cat exhaust system that still followed the same 2-into-1-into-2 path but flowed much better. With it, the 5.7 made 245 hp, the exact same output as the Corvette that year.
GM didn’t have a 5-speed manual transmission in their system that could handle the torque of the 5.7, so it was automatic-only. If you wanted a 5-speed you had to opt for the 5.0. At this point, there were two 305’s (5.0-liter), the LG4 with 4-barrel carb and making 150 hp and the LB9 with TPI making 215 hp. Then there was the L98 5.7 TPI making up to 245hp. This was the last year for carburetors. Starting in 1988 everything was fuel injected. TPI stayed the same on both the 5.0 and 5.7, but the carbureted base V8 was replaced by the LB8, a 5.0 with TBI (Throttle Body Injection) making 170 hp.
The Z/28 was the Camaro’s high-performance package right from the start and the Trans Am was Firebird’s. Both came with the same engine and transmission choices, and TPI V8s were only available on these models. Everything else got a V6 or the TBI 305.
The Z/28 package included a TBI 305 as standard (but had the option to go with TPI on a 5.0 or, from 1987 on, a 5.7), heavy duty suspension, bigger brakes, rear spoiler, special hood with faux louvered scoops, sport gauges, emblems, stripes, etc. The Trans Am was mechanically almost identical with some subtle difference in suspension and steering tuning. Chevy called their handling package 1LE and Pontiac called theirs WS6. As a general rule Pontiac lived up to its corporate position, one notch above Chevrolet. Their interiors were nicer, with richer fabrics and carpeting, with soft plastic shift knobs instead of hard plastic on the Chevy. The Firebird’s ashtray glided open on dampers while the Camaro ashtray snapped open like it was going to break off in your hand. The Firebird enjoyed the extravagance of hideaway headlights. Can you imagine how much that must have cost? Just to one-up Chevy?
In 1985 the Z/28 was selected to be the standard car for the IROC racing series. The International Race of Champions pits top drivers against one another in identical cars so that it becomes a battle of pure skill. So, Chevy made IROC-Zs an option on top of the 1985 and 1986 Z/28s. It added 16-inch IROC wheels, special suspension bits and IROC-Z graphics to the already well-equipped Z/28. So, during these two years you could order a Z/28 that was not an IROC. Or you could go with the Z/28 IROC-Zs and had both Z-28 emblems and IROC-Z decals on the doors. Starting in 1987, the Z/28 name was dropped and there were only IROC-Zs. 1987 was also the first year for the 5.7 and the first year for the convertible. There hadn’t been a convertible since 1969. The IROC series switched cars in 1990 and started using Dodge Daytonas so the IROC-Z went away and the Z/28 returned in 1991 and 1992.
Also in 1985, Pontiac launched their own special model. The GTA was intended to be a high-end luxo model of the Trans Am, sort of like the GTX was to the Road Runner. It came standard with the 5.7 TPI and had a premium interior with rich fabrics and leather in all the right places. The seats were fully articulated. They continued the GTA through the end of the 3rd-generation in 1992.
Airbags came in 1990, but only for the driver. Passenger-side bags would have to wait until Gen 4. In 1991 both sisters got a facelift. The Camaro’s consisted of a new ground effects apron with bigger front air dam and faux brake cooling scoops in front of each wheel. This was on all ’91-92 Camaros, not just Z/28s. IROCs had always gotten their own 16” IROC rims, but those were gone now. In their place was the 16” 25th Anniversary rim, to commemorate 25 years of Camaros. Technically that would have been 1992 only, but the ’91 got the wheels. All 1992 Camaros were called 25th Anniversary Editions, however there was an optional appearance package called the Heritage Package that included, among other things the new 16” 25th Anniversary wheels. However, they’d already been released in ’91 across the entire Camaro line, which now consisted of the RS and the Z/28.
Also in 1991, the Trans Am got an all new nose and a new look. It was sort of a love-itor- hate-it affair. I personally didn’t think it improved the looks. It was sort of snarky. Sales started out pretty strong in the first half of the 3rd-generation, averaging over 195,000 Camaros per year and 105,000 Firebirds. But by 1992 that number had fallen to 70,712 Camaros and 27,567 Firebirds.
The 4th-generation was right around the corner but wouldn’t offer much relief. The world was changing and the market that drove this segment just wasn’t there anymore, not like it once was, at least. The Baby Boomers who had been the core of their market in the beginning had grown older and more affluent, and were raising families. Minivans and SUVs gained in popularity during these years, and the F-bodies paid the price.
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