Ok so I traded my 2000 ford Ranger for my 1984 z28, my girlfriend called me stupid childish and immature because of my new toy...er well old toy lol but thats not the point, the point is that my third gen is in excellent condition inside and outside for the most part...a few very minor rust spots on the hood and body and then theres the drivers side door that was the victim of a t-bone accident whilst in the hands of the original owner....other than those things the 305 v8 is still intact and the body is dent free besides the drivers door/quarter panel area and the interior just needs swept out and maybe sprayed with some air freshener.....and so now im posting pics and starting on my adventure of body restoration and engine modifications, and this my friends is where I will post my progress and accept any suggestions as to getting the most bang for my buck and the most Horsepower from my 305...i would like to put a bigger v8 in it but that will be a much later project...... So this is the before section of my post: More Photos at: http://photobucket.com/ThirdGen

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I hope the Ford Exploder was trashed and didn't run, because the car pictured is not a Z28. It's a base model Sport Coupe. It looks like it will need a lot of work to get it back to looking fresh. After all that's done, the car still won't have any value as it's a base model car. I'd build it up into either a Z28 clone or an IROC-Z clone with a big engine and all custom throughout.

Good Luck with it and I hope you weren't sold on it being a Z28

the vin# says its a z28 and that's the vin# on the title and on the door and in the window

The "P" in the VIN states that it's a Sport Coupe or a Z28. The only other option would be an "S" and that is for a Berlinetta.

Can you get the Ranger back?

Wow dude, just wow..........

If there was ever a candidate to rip up and modify, this is it........

Maybe your girlfriend was right....

Wow this guy is really getting roasted. I admit that I wouldn't have traded my 2000+ vehicle for that camaro but to each his own. My question: is this his daily driver?

to answer the question no this is not my DD...the 06 pontiac g6 in the background is my DD although i have been driving this one back and forth to autozone and out to the country roads to white smoke the tires because they are old and i figure before i get new ones i might as well have fun layin rubber lol....an my girlfriend loves it now because I let her burn out in it and i let her drive when we went to autozone for her ford escorts clutch and new shift knob

oh and the ranger needed a new clutch, transmission and some valve work because my brother is an idiot and somehow it jumped time and bent a valve

so what all would you guys say is wrong with it just by lookin at the pics? and i mean obviously the drivers door/quarter panel are in bad shape but what else?

and Im askin because im not a gearhead per say, but i do know what im doing when it comes to stuff like rebuilding and tearing down a car im just not as fast as a true gearhead, like ive stated before this is my first project car i'll be doing alone

I think you're getting a rough ride because the car is kind of beat...and not worth much cash. HOWEVER...it should make a great project car to modify. Build up a stout 350, add some chassis components, some slick wheels/tires, and a nice paint job you've got a decent stret machine.
Or you could go totally dragstrip with it too, big inch motor, beefy driveline and some kick ars tires...boom 12 second ride.

Fixing the drivers side rash will be the best change you can make. Fix it up, bash it...enjoy it.

I say make a IROC or Z28 clone. At least you allready have the correct hood for that.

dude id drop my gf if she called me stupid childish and immature..

im sorry...but i think shes right......

i have junked 2 different f-body firebirds that were in far better shape

that car is border line unsalvageable

cost to fix everything vs buying a really nice camaro

sorry to be bad news guy

toyota h8r i was def wrong.. sorry when i posted that the pics werent showing up. my comp was bein a piece. but after i seen the shape of that camaro.. woooow. you gotta lot of work to do man. id say buy another car (doner car) and start taring down and replacing parts. or keep the donor car and junk that one

Replace the door, and rear quarter on the drivers to fix the damage, get some Iroc or Z28 body pieces, even RS pieces would look good. Ditch the LG4 for a 383 stroker (if going 350 whats an extra 33 CI?) Hook it up to a T56 and give it a nice paint job. Maybe 17 inch ZR1 wheels and at least bigger WS6 style swaybars while you are at it as well....

It's a good project car, fix the body up and enjoy it! There are alot of pix on line to go through and decide on the mods that you want, and will enjoy the most. Just because a car isn't a Z28 or IROC doesn't mean it's not worth fixing up and having some fun with!!!!!!! Lotsa Luck.....

Your money would be better spend getting a Camaro in far better condition. You could easily dump $2000 in that car and not see much improvement, or spend $2000 on a nice one.

Ive got to agree with everyone else here...You are going to spend a small fortune rebuilding that car. You would be way better off buying a car that is more desirable (Z28 or IROC) or doesnt need quite as much work.

Hey there nabor im in bradley ... and well yea it needs some work but hey thats where all projects start bought mine for 1000.00 non running and well its come a long way. maybe we can trade some work between our two cars Me personaly I would go custom fix up the body work on the motor or put in a crate motor look around cardomain and other sites for ideas.

oh boy. I won't repeat what others said, but you did ask what else looks to be wrong with it... so I'll address that question. It looks to me like the passenger side rear quarter panel has serious rust bubbles behind the rear wheel, possibly covered with some spray paint or primer. In fact, both of your rocker panels and the area above the rear wheels appear to have painted-over rust.

You HAVE to assess the condition of the floor boards, the condition of the metal under that paint in the areas mentioned, and all other hidden areas of the unibody before you even THINK about fixing the damage on the drivers side. It looks like a very rough body with serious collision damage, rust and lousy paint. You can get a solid shell for less than $1000 easy, so it's hard to justify putting the required work into that body.

let the motor go for a while, build it for handling, that what ima do when i buy a camaro.

ok so everybody seems to be voting for customization and since it isnt an iroc or a z28 and has no "collectors" value, I have decided to co ahead and customize...

I will continually post updates on this thread as i delve deeper into my project, and i will post pics regularly.

I am going to need some help along the way finding parts and pieces, and i would like to know where everyone finds their stuff whether its from junkyards, online, or anywhere else all help is appreciated

Thanks in advanced

i know about the rust spots...the frame is pretty solid, I had a guy at the local body shop check it out today while i was at work, he says its just those surface spots on the wheels and quarter panels he was worried about....the rust that is painted over was done by me I have some rust converter in my paint cabinet and it makes rust into black primer, its supposed to bubble like that so you can sand it down before you paint....and i might end up cutting those spots out anyway and doing some bondo work for now because its cheaper than buying all new quarter panels and stuff, and it is still snowing and salty here so the paint was to get some protection on those spots to prevent further damage from being done

Put together a list of things u want to do to it and then decide if its even worth it man. I say go out and find a clean straight body IROC and drop some money into that and dont waste your time on this one. The body work alone is going to be costly! Luck bro with whatever u decide.

I know everyone is kind of bashing your purchase since it needs more work than most on this board would start with but if you plan to customize it you should be a good bodyman by the time your done! However, if it were me I would stick a 350 in it with some spray and junkyard 4.10s with decent trans and call it a day. High 11 second beater would be cool! Just my Good Luck!

Right on. Spend your dollars on everything else, then swap it over when you find a decent shell.

Here's an example of a project I would be all over. IROC, 5.7 litre, $900 (plus $700 in shipping if you chose to ship the car)...needs new interior and a hood and most cars in the Pacific NW hve no rust because we dont get snow!! NO salt on the roads!! You could customize this car too but at least you have a good foundation with which to start and you will be into this car alot less in the end...Just food for thought.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/1041369497.html

Here is something different...

1. Leave the body like it is and sink money into a wicked engine.

2. Beef up the suspension.


It would be cool to have a junky looking sleeper that mop up the floor with punks that pull up to you at a light.

sorry i havent updated in awhile everybody but ive been busy doing some pricing and ordering in the [ast couple days....ok so ive officially started ordering parts for the interior and i have also ordered a set of t-tops to convert my hardtop...i also have an edlebrock carbeurator and a B&M shift kit on the way....BMR Fabrication Xtreme Anti-Roll Bars, Hotchkis Sport Suspension Lowering Coil Springs, and a set of Shorty, ceramic coated, Hooker Comp. Headers will be in the works soon, along with new doors and quarter panels on both sides, im also lookin to widen the rear wheel wells to accomodate a set of 2inch wider tires, but i cant decide on a brand of tires...any suggestions???? as soon as all my parts get here i'll post pics and start the deconstructing in order to do the reconstructing

glad to see your ready for this project! cant wait to see progress. ill be watching.

You also want to add TTops to this car? Not a good idea. You will spend more money and time than this project will ever return.

I agree. Not to say that alot of what we spend on our cars are about recouping our investment BUT with all the other money that needs to be spent getting this car straight and running well why spend the money on T-Tops right now?

How much have you spent so far? You havent even begun tackling the body or paint! I would really recommend you look around and see if you can find a better car to begin your project with...

Look at something like this: You could probably pick this up for $700 and have it shipped to your door for another $700--$1400 is less than you will pay to put T-Tops on your car and this car has potential.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1047318017.html

so far ive only dished out about $463 and some change on the carb, ttops, shift kit, and i just placed an order for my hooker headers and they set me back another $239 and some change so all together about $700 bucks is in the mail, and i know you guys are saying its not gonna be worth anything near what i put into it, but i dont really care this is going to be my car and i plan on keeping it for awhile, and i look at it this way and some might say its corny but these cars are dissappearing more and more, so why not try and save the ones we can, and keep an american tradition alive, i've already seen the posts about GM dropping pontiac and i know that GM is struggling so that makes this one all the more special to me because 10 maybe 20 years down the road when all the cars on the street are over-powered can openers, i want to be able to look back at mine and say i remember a time when cars were simple and fast....and i want to be able to take pride in knowing that i saved this base model camaro from the jaws of the crusher....

Probably not a 350 iroc. It has sidebolt valvecovers that the original 86 motor would have..and 350s were not available in 86 (well 50 were but lets not go there). Hope someone doesnt get hosed on that car.

As for your car, as others have said, make a list of what you want done to it. Then figure out what it will cost. Once you have that number...double it. Everything on cars costs more than you will think it will. Just the territory for the most part. If that end number scares you, i would do a few minor things to the car and turn around and sell it and find a more usable candidate.

Steve, its most likely not a stock 350 but an engine someone installed more recently.

Ok, Ill shut up! LOL! I do see your logic and cars arent always about dollars and cents and there is value in saving a car from the dead. Good luck with your project!

I say fix it up. I love projects........however converting to t-tops should be at the bottom of the priority list. Good luck

Is converting to T-Tops in a home garage even do-able? God Speed to you in your project and I wish you all the luck, but do you have the skills to pull that off and not take a shower everytime you drive your car in the rain?

There is a guy on here that cut his whole hardtop off, and welded on a t-top section including the a pillars. His avatar pic is of his car with no roof lol. Brace it really good and measure a thousand times...it can be done.

i wont be doing the welding or measuring for the t-tops because i dont trust myself when it comes to stuff like that and because im only a beginner when it comes to welding, and stuff like that is way beyond me lol so i am paying a buddy to do it for me when i get the body work done....I might convert it into a hard-top convertible with t-top sections, idk i havent decided yet but t-tops are definitley going on my car.....i am going to cu my back seat out and and replace the bench with two bucket seats or cut the middle part of the bench out because i would like to put a custom fiberglass sub-box as an extension on my center console to the rear where i'll mount the amps on both seat backs...but that will be wayyyyyy later in my project probably a few years before i even work out all the bugs in that plan lol....but i am still undecided on a brand of wide tires and a rim size...should i go smaller than the stock 14" or should i go bigger when i get the wider tires?.....Suggestions?

I have some ocean front property in Arazona I'd like to sell you!

NEVER cut on your roof......especialy if you dont know what your doing.And if you pay some one to do it you bette trust the Heck out of them............and using used parts to do so.....odds are its gonna leak. Stick with a hard top

It doesnt make any sense to put money into that Camaro when you want a T-top car anyway.

Find a factory T-top Camaro and swap the IROC hood and whatever else is good. Dont waste your money on that shell.

its his car. its his shell. its his project. dont tell him NOT to do something. if he wanted to turn it into a 4 door dont tell him NOT to do it. ANYTHING could be done. me and my father put a 78 Camaro front end under a 39 DeSoto. plenty of people told us it couldnt be done. we had to cut 2 inches out of the crossmember but we sure as hell did it. 20,000 miles later and 2 trips to florida and it still rides beautifully.

dont let ANYBODY tell you not to do it or it cant be done. because it can be done.

Anyone telling him this looks like a good project is not being honest and maybe sarcastic. Look at this Camaro, a better 3rd gen could be found for less than the T-top mods. Anything can be done, I think he should know sometimes its not worth it.

If you swapped the subframe to get a better front suspension and brakes, now that is a project worth the effort on a 39 DeSoto, apples to oranges.

If you look at the top of this thread, there is a poll where he is asking for opinions on what he should do with this car. I believe the information has been provided and based on modifications that he is presenting, people are providing more suggestions and opinions.

i think that poll needs another category...."fix it with whatever used parts i can find". thats certainly what i would do anyways....