cherryred89

I've had several Camaros over the years, if I wrote about every one I'd take up too much of this post, so I'll start at the most recent. after a long time without a Camaro, I wanted to have another. I worked for a computer manufacturing company, well the company was not keeping their promises with us, so the union sued them and the union won! Every employee got a setlement of $10,000, I started looking for my Camaro. I wanted a T-Top car but bought a 1985 IROC with a hard top for $1500 dollars. A year went by, I had not put a dime into it because we got laid off from the company I was working for. After a month I got a job at a auto parts store, and right down the street from the store I spotted a 91 Camaro Convertible, so I walked in and asked how much for it. Lo and behold the guy who owned it was a good customer of the store, and he told me he wanted 3 grand for it. But since I treated him well everytime he was in the store, he would led me have it for $2600!! I plopped down 500 bucks for him to hold it. The next day I was contemplating how I was going to get the rest of the money for it. A guy walked into the store and wanted to know some info on my 85. I told him it was for sale and i wanted $3700 for it. He said he would be back, I didnt think he would. After an hour he came in with the $3700 I had asked for and he wanted it!! I called my wife and told her to bring the title right away. He gave me the money right there and off he drove. When I got off work I went to get the convertible, the bill of sale was done, and I took it home to see what it needed. It needed a top for sure and a tranny mount, but the rest of it was in great shape. I put a top on it for $700 and when I got it out of the shop, I had it sitting in the driveway, and someone knocks on the door. This guy said he wanted the car and I told him it was not for sale. As I thought about it, I always wanted a T-Top car as I said before. I called the guy and asked him if he could find me a camaro with T-Tops, he said he had one!!! I went to see it, it was a 89 camaro with a brand new red paint job on it !! I told him I wanted it but knowing what I could get for my convertible didn't add up to what he had to offer. I told him in addition to the car, I wanted 2 grand on top and I wanted him to change the wheels he went into his office and came back with a check for $2000!! and asked me when could he pick the car up. I told him right away, he had the wheels changed and I was on my way with my new find. The next day he came with a trailer, and picked up the convertible he did not register the 89 so I am the official 2nd owner of a 89 camaro RS with 59,000 original miles on it. Come to find out the guy I sold the convertible to is a camaro and firebird collector. He now has 13 to his stable, but I got what I wanted.

TA

iTrader: (1)

My first 3rd gen was an '87 Z-28 bought at auction, TPI 305 700r4. I got it for a song, but it was pretty beat and full of bondo, crack pipe and scale in the console, the whole deal. However, it ran very strong and was a ball to drive. I loved that car.

So, I bought a '97 Z and sold the '87 to a friend. Hmm. I decided that I liked the '87 design better as a daily driver. Bought an '88 Trans Am for $300.00 and put a fendoor on it and painted it. However it was a Throttle body 305, and accellerated like grass growing. Unloaded that, and found a rough GTA for $2000 in the local paper, and negotiated him down to $1,400. With a tune up, a few adjustments and a little TLC, it has run 14.65 bone stock. Interior is now finished and exterior is next. I am happy with this one, it's a keeper.

Troy
So Cal

levi

I bought my first 3rd Gen when I just got out of high school for $850. It was a 1983 Z-28 with the cross-fire injection. Very rusty but is now a great parts car.

Next I bought a 1983 camaro convertible. It was in the local trading post. I took a friend to look at it. It didn't run but was in decent shape and only had 80,000 miles on it. Bought it for $1500. Took it home got it running and has become a real reliable car.

The last one I found on accident. I wasn't even in the market but my wife showed me a thrift sale ad with a 1986 IROC in it. I saw no harm in taking a look he wanted $1500. Went and the car wasn't in too bad of shape but he couldn't prove it ran. The place was only 2 miles from my house. So I waited a week and drove past again and it was still their so I stoped in and talked to the man again. He was selling the car because his step-son bought the car but wasn't making the payments. Gave the man a $150 dollars more than what was owed on it which was $900. Took it home and put a battery in it just to see if the engine rolled over and to my suprise it fired right up. And the car also still had paint on the floor pans and trunk pan.

I am happy with all the camaros I have owned. Would recomend one to anyone thinking about buying one.

Axe

Let's try this again! My work computer deleted my post twice already...

In '87 my brother was injured at work when a large machine fell on him. After enduring a divorce and fighting with Worker's Comp for the next two years he finally recieved a settlement.

So now it's summer '89 and he's looking for something to rival the Chevelle and Nova I had at the time. I talked him into not buying an old muscle car since he wasn't able to work on it daily. He decided on a new Camaro. He had all the RPO codes and wanted to get a 1LE, but didn't want to wait for it. IF he had recieved the 1LE it would have been the only one ordered for the '90 production year... DOH!!!

He found a new IROC on a local lot with everything he wanted... 350 TPI, Auto, T-Tops, Air, Power Windows, etc and bought it. He loved the IROC and took great care of it.

In Jan '04 he developed Bi-Lateral Pnuemonia and since he lived alone it went undetected until it was too late. I had just talked to him 3 days before but he was already cold when I found him. He has 2 daughters, but since my parents paid for the funeral they agreed to let me handle his belongings and sell anything I can to recoup some of his expenses. He had enough things to keep me busy for a few months.

So now his IROC is still sitting in the driveway with 41,000 miles on it. They are letting me buy it for $3,000. They offered it to me for free just for doing all the work I'm doing but it didn't feel right.

I need another car like another hole in my head, but I can't find a way to let it go. So I plan on moving it to my house and finishing up the work he was doing on it. I'll probably keep it forever like my Chevelle. I just need to build a garage for it now. Axe

Cars I currently own:
'94 GMC Suburban
'90 Ford Probe
'89 Chevy 3/4 Ton P/U
'81 ElCamino
'71 Monte Carlo
'70 SS 396 Chevelle
'72 Malibu (parts car)
16' Flat bed Trailer

Cars he left:
'89 IROC 350 TPI
'85 Chevy Astro Van
'79 Olds Custom Cruiser Wagon

RicksRedNomad

I found my car here in the classified section, I was originally looking for a t-top Iroc and this car caught my eye. Last time i had a Camaro was in 1999 and it was a low mileage 2 owner 87 Iroc, I sold it because i had too many project's going on. Back in early jan of this year i had a F@&D Exploder up for sale and a guy call's me up and wanted to trade me a 89 Iroc t-top for it, We agreed on the trade but he claimed he had too wait on the title to come back in his name. After jerking me around for about 3 week's he decide's he don't want to trade. Well as you all know after driving his Iroc i had the fever to have one again and started searching, I found a nice t-top Iroc and this vert both here in the classified's and it was a tough choice to make. After doing some research with the help of several member's here i went with the 87 LT Vert and just picked it up yesterday, My daughter has a 1991 lebaron Vert and i got in the habit of liking to drive that is also a reason for choosing the vert over the t-top. The vert is in shop now being checked out as far as what will be needed to make it roadworthy and that's my story!!!!!!!!!!!!!

red88fmroula

hmm ive loved 3rd an 1st gens ever since i can remeber dont really know why. i became a member of lvfbody.com's forum was on there maybe a month when one of the guys coworkers was sellin a 1988 formula 350 700r4 tranny power windows locks no t tops. 120000 miles 4 500 bought it next day with 100 down well the guy turned out to be really kewl an is sellin it to me 4 300 so only 100 left. runs strong needs alot of body work an interior. i cant wait for her to be back to her prime eventually ima do a frame up rebuild so she brand new. oh yeah i bought this car when i was 16 ill be 17 in 2 weeks

Njspeed

I traded my 96 3.8 liter a4 camaro for my 84 z28. This is my 3rd F-body and its by far its my favorite. First f-body was a 93 3.4 liter Firebird

Axe

Bill is older than dirt!!! Haha! (old friend)

Actually I turned 43 in January so where does that leave me?

I guess just a Metal Head for life that now has a Third Gen F-Body.

Axe

Axe

I had a '68 Camaro Rag top that needed everything for a while back when I had a shop about 9 years ago. I also had an '80 Camaro for a while around the same time.

This '89 will be my first "nice" one.

Axe

Axe

Sorry! Stupid work computer wouldn't go... or possibly operator error.


Axe

cougar20th

my first 3rdgen i bought in 98. it was a 85 berlinetta 305 auto. car needed alot of bodywork but was mechanically excellent. bought it as a winter beater. gradually did alot of work including ws6 suspeion, wheels, steering box and stuff from a 89 formula 350. doors from said formula. did the bodywork and painted it. got tired of it so i sold it to a friend 2 or 3 months after painting it in jan 02. this is it right after paint.
http://www.3rdgen.org/bb/attachment....&postid=223331

fast forward a couple years. last september got talking to someone at a shop i was having do work on my 89 tbird sc. well ended up getting a 88 iroc convertable 305tpi auto for nothing. just in the right place at teh right time. he just needed it moved. so i towed it home put a computer and imtermediate pipe in it and alls good. this is the vert after cleaning it all i did was use a cleaner wax.
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/att...postid=1672892

okfoz

Cant beat a free deal with a dead cat or a stick...

John

1bad91Z

iTrader: (1)

I wanted a 1991 - 1992 Z-28 ever since they 1st came out. The big-*** rear spoiler and raised hood blisters combined with the newer style ground effects and freshened interior just really sets the car off compared to the IROC's IMO. However, I couldn't afford a second car for the longest time until early 1999. For the better part of the year, I searched auto-trader's, local car lots, newspapers, etc.. etc.. in the Houston and surrounding areas for a 91 or 92 Z-28 for under 5,000 bucks. Finally, driving down a local highway one day in late November, I saw 2 black 91 Z-28's (1 each at different used car lots). The first one I looked at was a low option 305 TPI w/auto, but it had custom wheels and apparently alot of bondo under the somewhat fresh paint. (I skipped on that one). The second one was a fully loaded TPI 350 w/auto . It had ALL options exept T-tops and leather (the car is a hartop with a cloth interior). It had a couple dings (nothing major) and the factory paint was in semi-bad shape, the motor leaked oil, it had exhuast leaks, slipping tranny, needed headliner, and other misc. stuff. But, the body was straight, carfax report came up clean, and it was a fully loaded Z ! I picked it up for a very reasonable price and have been working on it ever since (when free time and money is available). Here is what she looks like today, she's come a LONG way!!

89TA383M5

I bought another damb F-body.
I have been wanting to sell my everday car which is a very clean 90 4 cylander Mustang to get a V8 Chevy. I was going to get a 93 Silverado 2 wheel drive 350ci throttlebody from my new job before I started there so I could get a trailer for my Trans Am but after a couple of weeks I concluded I didnt have the money yet and wasnt really looking. My friend and I were driving and he said he wanted to take a look at a car that has been for sale for a year. He wanted it as a beater since he always has owned newer Mustangs and is a Ford guy. We stopped at the house at like 9pm. There is was. A very dirty black 92 Camaro RS 25th Anivesary edition with 104K. It didnt have any for sale signs in it but just as we were about to leave the guy pulled in his driveway so we asked about it. The front and back bumpers are faded bad and the front ground effect was broken on the sides of the front bumper. The rest of the paint is faded bad also. The rims are faded to pink. Passanger side window doesnt work. Radio doesnt work with chopped up wiring and no front speakers. Interior was dirty but not torn. Thing has sat for 2 years but doesnt have any visible rust. It needed work and decided I should buy it since my friend was just going to buy it and beat the crap out of it. So I talked him down to $2,250 with. Thing was dirty as hell. Cleaned it inside and out. Got the new ground effect for it. Ording a bunch of cosmetic things for it and going to start fixing it up. I love having 2 F-body's. One as my weekend/track car and one has a everyday car.

jaredjames

I saved up all my money over a summer from workin a McD's and found an 82 berlinetta 305 and bought if for 900 from a salvage yard. and I definitely got my 900 out of it. it was fun to drive and now I'm restoring it and I can't wait to be able to sit in it again and run it.

SWcamarodude04

When i turned 16 i got a 95 s10 4x4 pickup, the 4.3 5 speed, great truck, but a few months later i spun out on the freeway and totaled it, my parents kept the insurance money and i went the majority of my junior year with no car, which sucked, so the summer after my senior year i had enough saved up and i started looking for a new car, i always loved camaros and my dad told me that his cousin would sell me his, 3500 bucks for a mint condition 1985 z28 5 speed, with only 58,000 original miles!! ohhh i love this car

FastBack

I have always been a huge firebird fan. but what i really wanted was a thridgen camaro, the IROC's were so sweet, i wanted one bad. but one day i was driving past one of the car shops in town and there was a blue 91' Firebird Formula sitting there. $4,500, the car was immaculate! i knew the guy and he asked if i wanted to take it for a drive, hell yeah i did! i popped out the t-tops and crusied around for a while. next week i picked it up. 305 TPI, with a 700R4 unfortunatly but no the less i got my formula. my mom had a yellow 72' Firebird Formula so it kinda runs in the family.

brent4a

I was looking for a Formula in 1991,and found one in the newspaper. It said 1990 firebird,V8,5 Speed,TTops. I called,since the dealer was 60mi away,and asked if it was a formula. He went out and looked,and said it was. The advertisement in the paper said it was $6900.00,and had 35K miles on it. I went and looked at it and signed the papers that night. The next day ,the dealership called and said they made a mistake. It was suposed to be listed for $9600.00. I said sorry for your loss and I have had the car since !!

f-crazy

iTrader: (-1)

did anyone actually read all of these?....i read like 2 pages and i couldnt read anymore lol...

I bought mine from my uncle who was the original owner....
He is a truck driver whoes route is from detroit to LA...on his way back to LA he stopped in indiana and saw it sitting right in front of the lot...A 91 GTA with the 5L 5Spd (G92 car) t-tops bright red, downright sexy....so he buys it on the spot and takes it back to cali with him...in 96 he brings it back to MI were he doesnt drive it much but on the hiway...It sits for about a year and a half and He stops making payments on it....He gets a notice that the bank is gonna repo it so he hides the car at a friends house....about a week later i get a call..."Hey rob i was wondering if you wanted to buy my car" "i said "the 442 or the GTA"...i would of bought either one but i got mine for cheap...he owed 4,400 on it but didnt make 3 payments so i got it for 3,000...it had 56,000 on it when i got it and nows its around 85,000....and i would say 60,000 of those are hiway miles...

okfoz

Yes I have read all of these, I just keep up with it...

John

dj's B4C

Have 4 92 Camaros'. All bought off of ebay!

Don 91RS

I was looking for a car a couple years ago and read the articles in Chevy High Performance, "My Generation". I decided to buy a Camaro as they were cheap, plenty of aftermarket parts, and my friends all had Mustangs.
I found a '91 Camaro RS in the classifieds and bought it the same day. That car was totaled Dec 1, 2003 when I was hit by a Blazer.
I started looking for another car. I bought a '91 Trans Am that my brother had w/ no title. Between waiting for the title and finding more and more problems with the car I decided to by a third car.
I had been watching the classifieds for awhile and everytime I was interested in something it was sold. So, I got the classifieds the day they came out and found an '84 Camaro that was a new listing. It had its' problems, but with two donor/part cars they were not an issue. So, we settled on $500 and I drove it home.

87'z28gpse

Bought My 87' z28 from some kid for $100 bucks. Had a blown 305 interior was shot, little rusty but what do you expect for $100 bucks. Story is, my buddy at my auto shop class was asking people if they wanted to buy a camaro for $250 being that I was the only GM person is a see of mustang freaks he ended up asking me, I guess it was his friends car. So I called the kid up and me and my dad went to look at it, didn't seem to bad. He restores cars and told me I shouldn't buy it because the quarters and drivers side rocker panel/floorboard was shot. He thought it was too much work, I agreed with him. But I wanted a project so I bought it anyway. The kid needed money but I knew the car wasn't worth $250 so I offered him $100 and to my suprise he said I could have it. So thats my story of my $100 buck 87' Z28.

85berlinetta2.8

ebay lost the auction, didnt meet reserve but was high bidder

bought from old lady(owner)'s son was full of beanie babies and stunk like perfume
40,000 miles on it tho
2500 canadian and i took it

spazdout

My boss owned it before i did, and since his job gave him a car he had no use for the T/A, so it sat at our office for like 1-2 yrs. Until i finally inquired about him selling it. He let it go for 3 grand and it had 77,000 miles on it, and its been going strong ever since. I'll probably have this car as a collectors car for the rest of my life.

nick418

i bought my 1991 Z28 350 TPI around in 2001 from some old lady. I guess her son when he was in college (around 1990) He bought the Z at the Dealership with all options with the 350 (G92) And one around in 1992 he was playing football at a game and got paralyzed for life.. So it sat in there garage for over 10 yrs(with only 9k org miles) and then my dad always gave this car oil changes in the early 90s (owns a shop and its his customer) he prob just gave two oil changes lol, anyways the parents wanted to sell it cuz they were in there 80s and the son was in the hospital cuz they couldnt take care of him, so they wanted to sell THE Z and i fell in love with it and then bought it! thats the end:lala:

85silverz28

Bought my 85 z in 99. A buddy of mine called me up askin if i knew of anyone lookin for a camaro. He told me he was lookin to get rid of it quick. Told me $400.00. Wasn;t lookin for a car but i went and looked at it anyways. Bought it on the spot. Was to clean to pass up. Only 48k miles. been in storage for about 15 years, but sat outside for a year and a half before i got it. No motor or trans. But original tune port car, w/ t-tops and air. Had all the bolt on external engine parts including the tuneport . In the process of restoring/modifing it now.

camarors8992

accually my dad found my car sitting in a lot with no passenger window when he was digging a basement. I was only 13 for about a month when i paid $150 for it. The car sat for 3 years because the last owner run into the back end of his friends jeep and he took it to a body shop for repair and never showed up to get it. when i got the car the hood was crinkled no pass. fender no front end. It did not run, interior had plants growing up the seats the back seats were filled with water...it was in rough shape....now after alot of work with the front end, changing the plugs a million times because the would foul out from trying to start it, i did alot of cleaning in the interior, ive had to replace many parts. its a 92 camaro RS with the heritage package but the hood is just plain white because i had to replace the old crinckled hood. The car runs good just has a popping noise if you hold the RPMs around 3000 i now have about $600 into it and im now 14 i would put pictures but i guess there all too big..but you can IM me on my AIM s.n. Camarors8992 if you want to see pictures of it now

camarors8992

i forgot to include the fact that it had 103k miles on it and there was no rust at all it has the power hatch, power windows, power locks, C/C , 3.1 V6 , it had the lexan ttops but the drivers side was cracked so i bought glass, the kid who had it before must of liked to paint because he painted the A pillars and the other trim for the ttop and he had the door panels covered in the ugly fabric which not until 2 days ago i didnt know that they just were recovered but thats after i bought new ones...ive been looking in the local classifieds and found a 350 4 bolt main for $150 which i would like to buy rebuild the motor and build it up a little and then drop it in my car cause the 3.1 is pretty weak

ringo234

My neighbor's wife let my wife know that they were selling there 89 Camaro RS 305 TBI for $300.00.

The body was straight but the interior was shot. It needed front struts and strut mounts.

Well I decided to go ahead and buy it for $300.00 and replaced the seats with some electric black leather ones I found on E-bay. They came out of a 2002 Trans AM and bolted right up. I replaced the Struts and Mounts. It rides 1000 times better now.

I have a lot more I'd like to do but will have to wait for more funds.
I now have about $2000 in this car.

Andy

KeenEddie

We moved into a new place in 1992. Walt, the guy next door, had this 1989 Formula 350. I never paid much attention until I was old enough to start becoming interested in cars. from about 14 yrs. old and on, he'd let me hang around and help him work on it whenever he needed something to be done. I never thought he'd keep the car long enough for me to aquire it one day. But when Walt called and said he had just bought a 2001 Vette, he offered to sell me the Formula. I couldnt pass that up. He was the original owner, so along with the car I got all the reciepts, manuals, window stickers and everything else he had stowed away in a folder for car things. The 1989 Pontiac catalog is even in there, and my Formula looks remarkably like the one in the catalog. Though I have a power antenna, and the huge "Formula 350" decals on the doors have long been removed.
Ive had her for almost three years now, its currently got 132,000 miles on it and is running as good as new. Never had much problem with it, minus your required VATS trouble (now bypassed) and the infamous "Spinning top" disease on my drivers side headlight.

kin's87GTA

When is was 15, about 4 years ago, I started looking at cars, and decided I either wanted a mid 80's Monte SS, a Third/Fourth Gen camaro, or a big *** Chevy truck. Turns out mom got the best of us, and I ended up with a front-wheel drive, v6 94 Grand Am GT with airbags. For the best couple of years I have been looking slowly for another car. I started looking at fourth gens, but realized they'd be too expensive. It turns out that I like the thirdgen's more, so i started looking for thirdgen's on and off a year ago. Yadda yadda, A son of a guy my dad work's with was selling their 87 GTA. The dad owned it for awhile, then let his daughter drive it for a year (BIG MISTAKE). She went about ruining the interior, rims, and some very minor body damage. 2000 later and it's been in my garage for a month, and I've already tore the interior apart and am restoring it, as well as cleaning and polishing up the engine compartment. I love the car and can't wait to get it out on the street after I get it done next summer (money is slowing me down)
Rock on, fellas.

Matt

copperhead110

I bought my blue 88 camaro new in 1988.
I wanted the white one on the show room floor, but it got sold before a salesman came over to help my father and I.

We ended up buying the blue one. It is a plain jane camaro. Its options are T-Tops, ground effects, AC, and V8. Not sure if an LO3 is an option for that year or not.

It was my daily driver until 1999 when it would end up with zero oil pressure on hot days in TX. Hot = 100+. It sat for 2 years until my father rebuilt the motor in it. It now is back with me in Seattle.

Its been in Kansas City, St Louis, Dallas, and now the Seattle area.

Since I have a 99 ws6 Trans AM (the camaro's replacement in 99) and a 98 sentra, the camaro didn't see the road much.

Now it has a new job. Its going to be my hobby to fix it up and see what it does at the strip. 16.6@81 MPH with no mods.

The WS6 is the weekend cruiser. The sentra is my 35 MPG city daily comuter now. The camaro is the weekend warrior.

Thanks for listening.

greatdday

Drove by her everyday for almost a year-She was up on blocks in a old barn in New Diana TX.I finally got the nerve to pull up and ask if she was for sale. Well that was 12 yrs ago!!I bought her 1984 Trans Am 15 yr.Anniversary all original!!!For The price of one good night on the town!!$ 250.00!!!!!!She wasn't running but everything was there!!

1982Crossfire

Back in 1990 or so when I was a punk hot rodder I ended up blowing my race decked 12 second 400 powered '79 Z28 in a late night drag race. Put in a 2bbl Chevelle motor and sold it off since I was a dim witted hot head. My pops encouraged me to purchase this nice, clean '82 Z28 from a guy next town over for $5,000. Had 40,000 miles, original owner who babied it, was his pride and joy.

Ended up with a Z28, Crossfire motor, decked out interior and 4 wheel disc brakes.

Changed me from a hot rodder to a stereo guru. I couldn't justify going old school hot rod on such a nice comfy ride. Only performance mods were 50 series tires on custom wheels, comp cam and a hypertech chip. I did have it painted arctic white all over with the hood scoops accented in black. Ended up dumping over $10,000 in audio equipment. Won lots of IASCA events summer of '92 then I went to school leaving it behind.

I would drive it every time I visited home for the next few years, then it went in deep storage. Been tucked away in a storage building since summer of 1994, around 10 full years now. 80,000 miles, and so clean you could eat off the engine or any other part. Mainly due to me using it for audio comps it was always cleaned top to bottom.

Went back and took the cover off a few months back, man I am upset with myself for letting it sit! Hasn't started for 10 years or anything, just sat there.

Trying to decide whether it is worth my time doing all the odds and ends to get it fired up again or just part with it. Just joined the site so I can read up on enthusiasts of these cars, maybe get my juices flowing again to get her back on the road.

camarors8992

dont part with the car youll regret it later... my car sat for 3 we just drained the fuel and put in a new filter, cleaned the injectors, put in new fluids and there ya go you could do all that in a day

okfoz

In my opinion, IF you dont need the $$ then keep it, heck its not like a horse that you need to feed every day, collecting dust covered in a safe stable environment should let it last for a long time... Starting it once in a while helps with the engine seals tho... BTW, put that 400 in there

John

Firechick

Why is this topic giving me de'juv?

jflovely

Well in 1992 a friend of mine had this 1982 Z28 T-Top, he was getting married and needed some cash, the Z was in mechanically rough condition, motor knocking, brakes shot, trans slipping, windshield cracked, basically just a shell (with no rust) even the interior was rough. I gave him $1000.00 for the heap and towed it home, he never knew that I always wanted that car, now it was mine. It sat in my fathers garrage from Sept 1992 until July 2003, had squirrels living in it when I pulled it out in 2003, during that time I had rebuilt the motor, trans and had purchased many other new components for my restoration project. The car is not quite done yet but is well on the way, the only thing left to do is the complete color change to black, which I am going to do myself (just bought the gear for painting and am setting up a paint booth in my own garrage, I love a challenge spray black on my first paint job, wish me luck). I look foward to next summer when I have the car completed and ready for the spring car show in my local area, many have joked that hell would freeze over before I finished the Camaro (especially the mopar guys, one in particular with a 1972 Duster 340 4 banger which I intend to bury on the strip), can't wait to see the look on thier faces when I pull in. Thanks for letting me share this story with you and I hope all you guys and gals have had as much enjoyment in reading my story as I have had reading yours.

flyitlikustolit

this is a cool story, i think.

I've always been a fan of T/A's and firebirds since i was little. for a long time i wanted a 97 T/A WS6. way out of my prices range as a college freshman in '01. I drove honda's and S10's in high school and my first 2 years in college. a year ago, i sold my S10, and wanted a jeep. the deal for the CJ7 i had found fell through, and my dad suggested a project car. I found a 68 stingray with a ZZ4 in it, t-tops, with all the parts there.... you just had to assemble it. he also had a ****load of extra stuff to trade for cash or better parts. $3200. due to insurance, and me not thinking about it too long, i passed on it.

My dad found a 72 MGB. we bought it for $2500, and it's still in the same condition as when we pulled it in the garage (with a rope) a year ago. I still grit my teeth when i walk by it... one day I'll turn it into a drag car just to spite us all.

about the same time, I came into contact with an old friend from high scool again. I wasn't looking for an f-body, let alone a 3rd gen. I was completely ignorant about them, in fact. it wasn't until i joined this site that i learned all the crap i know now.

he had this 82 T/A that needed work, namely a flywheel and a starter. he wanted me to help him put them both in. I finallly got around to it 2 months later, and he and i started to fix it. he told me hes was trying to get it running so he could sell it. he said he wanted $500. I told him I'd buy it for $500. interior was pretty ragged, t-tops and all the weather stripping leaked, the light motors didn't work, and to top it off, we figured out the motor was locked up. come to find out later someone had put sand in the cylinders. he looked me in the eye, and said "I couldn't GIVE her away when i thought she ran. here you go." he handed me a bill of sale and got the title to me, which had only been signed once by the original owner, 2 weeks later. I toted her home on a u-haul trailer 2 weeks later, a week before christmas.

flash to a year later, 8/2/04. I'm the second "legal" owner of my bad black bird, and her name is Angel...... for now..... (my budy's ex fiance). I put in all the mods you see here in my sig, and stilll have many more to go, including paint and interior. she's a bad sumbich, and I love the feeling of gettting sideways in a car I built using the two hands i'm typing to you with. it's probably one of my greatest accomplishments to say i built a car myself... and now i drive it to work, cursing the gas mileage everyday. she's rough, but she's paid for, she's unique, she's fun, she's fast......

but the best thing is, she's mine.

Barry85Iroc

Carburated 5-speed (From the factory) Special ordered from A.J. Foyt Chevrolet in 1984 by me. One of 2497 made.
Guess a little more info would be helpful. I bought it and drove it as a "company car" (outside sales) for a year and a half. put 48K on it. Had to drive it occationally off and on for about 10 years. Then in 1991, it got parked till about 3 years ago, when I started buiding a motor for it, and it's a long way from done, but it runs (good)!!! Next addition...............100HP NO2

oldschoolmech

87 Irocz 5.7 HT needed some computer work and sensors. But all original not a scratch on it 100k the guy wanted 2grnd but he told me the flyer was in the store for a year so i showed up with 1200 and drove it home hehe.

BRobinson

I got my 82 coupe from a friend of my mom's. She just decided to sell it, and i was 18 at the time and tired of driving my mom's beat up LeBaron station wagon. The lady told me that she'd had it in the shop to have the a tune-up three years before and it had started leaking oil after that and she didn't want to mess with it. For $700 I got brand new front brakes, new headliner installed like two months before it had started leaking oil from somewhere, and new brake shoes. Put in a new battery and some oil, and it started right up. Turns out the oil leak she didn't want to mess with was some idiot who had tightened down the oil filter ALL THE WAY. The gasket was squished out.

A year later almost to the day, it was running just fine, then a deep sounding "DING!" and it started sounding lopey, like one cylinder was acting funny, then a minute later "CRACK" and a nasty scraping noise, then it died, and wouldn't even turn over, the starter just made a grinding noise. Pulled the engine eight months ago to drop in a rebuilt 305, and two weeks ago got around to pulling off the oil pan of the 2.8. Somehow the cylinder wall had cracked through clear to the water passage and sheared INTO the cylinder, tore the rings all to hell, and caught the piston in the top of the cylinder, pulling the wrist pin apart, and digging the rod into the block. Glad that didn't happen on the highway....

Anyone ever hear of a 2.8L doing this?

my82roc

iTrader: (101)

Funny story how I got my 82 Camaro.The car was put together by my then roomate mike back in about 1989.He got married and moved out and I really didnt see him much after that.In 2002 I just happened to see the same camaro for sale and when i called the number it turned out to be mike who still had the car after all that time.He was moving to hawaii and so i ended up buying it from him for $1000.I found my 1988 Camaro Sport Coupe 305 TBI 700r4 T Top in the classified section from this website.The guy was the original owner and the car has a super clean interior and runs great for the $900 I paid.I found my 1986 Iroc 305 TPI 700r4 T Top on another car website classified section

Andrew H

Is this the longest thread ever?!

I've always wanted a black TransAm since Knightrider...

LHD American cars being fairly rare in the UK, I was searching for months looking for a black TransAm... (I'd decided it had to be black!) Eventually I found one, a black 1990 GTA with around 60,000 miles... I didn't get that in the end as it was literally double the cost of the 1987 Formula that I have now, also black (not quite as good but worth the saving) -but with all what I've had to repair on this car I'm thinking I should've gone with the GTA!!

My car was originally a company car in 1987 belonging to Labatts Ontario Breweries in Ontario, Canada... (according to the original warranty form)

I have no idea who owned it after that or even how many owners, probably 1 or 2 owners before it came to the UK from Niagra Falls (it's last registered location). It was shipped to the UK in 1994 where the previous owner bought it at a car show...

I bought it in 2000 but drove about 1000 miles the first year he had it and stored it ever since until he was about to emigrate himself to Canada...

It's a fully optioned Formula (though the VIN number doesn't match up with a formula for some reason, but every single item is formula or optional extras on top of std equipment.

I've made few changes except a few MSD products and conversion to digital dash. When I got the car it rattled like an old cart.... (and the doors slammed really badly) -I tightened nearly every screw and bolt and used foam in between metal sheets inside the doors to improve the sound of the door slam (silly maybe but sounds way better!) I also tinted the orange part of the indicators... this improves the rear look no end on the firebird, almost as good as the transam (but ideal here as we have to use amber turn signals out back)

that's the story... though it does always seem to have something wrong with it one way or another... but I keep paying out to fix it!

The cool thing about driving this car in the UK, it turns more heads than if you were driving a porshe or Ferrari.... in fact, I've seen many exotic sports car drivers screwing their heads off (it's uniqueness here is one of hte coolest things)

Picture attached...

Maverick_82

This past summer I graduated from High School and up until then my car (and i use MY CAR very loosly) was an '89 Grand Am, with a manuel transmission. I could manage the car somewhat, but starting out going uphill was impossible for me. The gas mileage was probably in the high thirties! But with college coming up I needed a car i wasn't panicing while I drove it. My dad knew a guy from work, him and his family was big into racing. His daughter who was my age raced. Of coarse her racing career ends short when she flies off the track into a creek then flips the car RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER MOM. The family was getting ready to move to the Carolines, but the dad had a '82 Trans Am that had its 305 replaced with a corvette's 350, and they couldn't figure out how to replace some of the pollution controls so it wouldn't be legal there. It sat for two years in his back yard, A T-TOP!! So it needed some work. He asked $1800, my dad talked him down to $1500. IT WAS THEN OURS!!! It still has its pollution controls out, it runs rich, and a couple of quarter size bubles are showing up near the driver's side tail end, BUT SHE'S MINE, AND I'LL NEVER GET RID OF HER!!!

camarors8992

does THE T-TOP (ahah that sounds wierd) still fit in the hatch of the car..how do you store it in the car

Chris Etemadi

Kind of a story for me. I live in Oklahoma City and I came across thirdgen.org about 2 months before the national gathering happend at Thunder Valley in 99. I wanted to go out there but I was only 14 and I had no ride. But i started my job that same day (July 21st) and December 8th 99 I bought my 91 Z for $2600. Been in love ever since. My first car, my last car.

meeklay812

It was a half day of my junior year in high school because of exams, and me and a couple buddies were on our way to get somethin eat....On the corner of a busy intersection i saw her sittin there with a for sale sign. It was love at first sight...called the seller and asked how much. Bought it right there and it has been great ever since (uh oh, here comes a jinx).

meeklay812

It was a half day of my junior year in high school because of exams, and me and a couple buddies were on our way to get somethin eat....On the corner of a busy intersection i saw her sittin there with a for sale sign. It was love at first sight...called the seller and asked how much. Bought it right there and it has been great ever since (uh oh, here comes a jinx).