Well I found my 88 in junkyard about to be scrapped and paid $600




It was original red car that appeared to be painted single staged. It was heavily oxidized with clearcoat failure from previous paint showing through on the t top area and small rust bubble on the a pillar and spider cracks all over front lower bumper. Door edges and trunk have typical chips along edges.

I thought it was done had dirty white haze and felt like sandpaper even after wash, degreasing and washwax by hand.

My buddy gave me his professional DA machine, new foam pads, and I used meguiars #7 and Meguiars ultimate compound.

First I coated the car with MG#7 several times. Just rubbed it in without wiping off. I did this 2-3x times until the paint was oily to the touch. It was dripping the MG#7. I read this restores the oil to the paint.

Then I wiped off the excess and compounded the hood. I it 3x and buffed the compound out until it was no longer visible then I repeated until I got a shine.







This is new iphone 5s with auto enhance so it popped the red just a little but overall the shine is real and it looks good at 15feet. Up close it is still needs paint. the ttop trim and around window all peeling rusted etc but this saved me some time before a full paint job.

I like to but some effort into touch up paint, rattle can the spider bumpers and headlight pockets for time being. Also the side bumper guard ( I like to remove and repaint but underneath they look bad and looks like a lot of work to blend into the doors. SO any tips for glue to hold them in place then I might just tape and spray them with red.

next is to strip and repaint the rims

 

wow looks good, what are your plans

 

I want to drive it!
I did interior first replaced with new carpet, fixed rust holes with fiberglass, got all elec working (most of it) new dash, 99 seats (great shape) new stereo, painted all the interior plastic

then did exterior. I still want to fix all the rust spots and dings and plastic now in my garage. Just to get a few months out if before I decide to repaint or sell. and strip and repaint rims.


Now it is on to engine. It is lb9 305. It seems to run pretty well. idles great but simple tune up stuff. Inj seem clogged ignition bad. So I am replacing all that stuff now and I have moates to tune.


I like to get it looking good, sounding great with headers, I added a double din, and just cruise with top downs. I am happy with 305 as long as it is reliable and has some SOTP torque when I punch it and chirp some tires occasionally.

If I need major engine work because of shot valvetrain or compression I will rebuild a 355 and add a HSR. I like to add a HSR now so I can play with the tune as I get a 355 built.

 

Nice save! looks pretty straight, any mechanical problems?

 

Wow $600 and it runs ? nice find.

 

Little history. It was sitting from just 1 owner for 7years. Gas tank was shot and so was tranny shifter linkage. Starte fluid and hot wire it fired up sounded solid no knocks.

swapped in used 700r4, replaced gas tank, fuel pump, flushed fuel lines, did tune up and cleaned brake for about $1200 total. After that it ran and idle but low on power sounded off but would not stall.

bought new carpet, 99ss seats, stereo, used dashpad, and replaced interior it was COMPLETELY trashed. but power windows still wpork and it appears no leaks from t tops.

so now it looks like this and idled and drives around the block but I am still leary of it. ICM died twice already but so far so good on 3rd one.

It runs away at idle and tune shows it is lean which I think makes sense, plugs look normal to slightly lean (black brown with white tips)

I will swap out injectors since rest of fuel systems was so gunked up they have to be clogged. retune it and paint TPI and like to add headers and hopefully it is reliable weekend cruiser

I still need headliner, visors, and iroc fogs.

 

Nice job with the paint save.

 

Looks nice!!
Great job!!

 

Wow is right. That cleaned up great. That's a hell of a find and save there. Congrats!

 

Thanks. Here was before after inside.



It had seats but so trashed just a garbage pit no stereo, dash, headliner, all plastic was off, stereo gone, no steering column





came out really good and for low cost. I need to find a headliner, center armrestpad, clean up door panel and armrest and still repaint shifter plate and get ***** releathered.

I like to replace steering wheel with something nice but OEM looking any ideas for airbag or non airbag wheel?

 

I would personally go with non airbag. Wouldn't be able to use it anyway. You could check around ebay for used steering wheels or aftermarket and see what you might like. Then you could always go to the local yard to see if they have it. I'm trying to decide about mine as well.

 

Wow.
Just looking at the pictures I figured you reprinted it!

So you really just used some paint compounds to make it come back to life like that. I have an 87 with almost hazy-cloudy white blotches all over it.
I've used meguairs ultimate compound on the car and it works great. But the haze comes back after about a week and with a vengeance.

How did you get your ultimate compound to last. Was it the #7 you mentioned?

 

IMHO, I like the square body cavalier Z24 steering wheel. I was trying to find a pic of one, but I couldn't.

 

how is the paint holding up now, just like Ultra mr me said, my paint also fades back in about one week ... is your paint holding up any better?

 

Some guys luck makes me sick. LOL $600? I have about that much in 2 doors. Granted, they are perfect examples with zero rust and I'm including freight charges, but you suck. No really, I'm glad for you, awesome find. And way to save another 3g from the vultures.

 

i have one left over from my 87 z24 and one from my 89, unfortunatly both are blue

 

Thats Incredible man

 

wow

 

Red is by far the easiest color to bring back to life. I have done it many times. You can step a aggressive compound to a medium polishing compound and then wax and you will turn your faded red into a shiny red. This is assuming your clear coat hasn't fallen off lol.

Nice work to this camaro. It looks 100 times better and it was a good score price wise...nice find and nice work

 

Wow!

Reminds me of mine when I first bought it.

 

Yeah, if it's fading back after a week it's because there's no clear and you're polishing base coat.

 

Wow unreal that was gonna get scraped! Grats on saving another Iroc!

Awesome job.

Jay

 

so, color sand and clear may help it then ... it looks good when it is cleaned up, i wish it would stay that way longer though

 

i have to wonder if wd40 or some other oil would have had the same effect.my paint looks awful.

 

not sure, but i would think wd40 would make the paint soft, and more of a chance for it to come lose from the car

 

Meguairs is a pretty trustworthy name. I used their ultimate compound on my camaro. Worked really good just couldn't find a way to make it last.

 

wow

 

i would like to know what it looks like now if it was not redone after the first pics

 

If your car was originally equipped with 15" wheels, then the wheels in the link below are the factory-correct wheels for your car. 1988 was the first year for them. There was no Z28 in 1988, so Chevy offered an entry level IROC to fill the void, and it received a 15" version of the 1988+ 16" IROC wheel. All four are pictured(one pic in post #1, three pics in post #2).

I hate to mention it since you're in Florida, and these are in a junkyard in northern Los Angeles County(if they're even still there, was a few days ago), but at least you know these wheels do exist, if you didn't already know. It seems to be pretty rare, but probably the nicest 15" wheel of the generation.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/sout...eels-late.html

Nice work on the interior. The car is shaping up nicely.

 

I am just wrapping up the injector swap. I re painted upper intake and valve covers and deleted the air csi egr. I have to clean the fenders and firewall then I hope with little tuning i can drive and button up all little odds and ends and get her painted

Laboy thanks for the wheel tip. I always thought those styles were 16" only never realized they came in both 15 and 16 in the identical styles. I assumed my 15" were the prior year 87z rims option from the 15" stock flat rim

I actually like the style of my 15 rim for now. I will keep them and if I go bigger I will swap rear rear disc or 4th gen rear with new ratio and go for 17"

But that is last step first interior and running good and paint fixed

 

WOW great score and great work on the car.

 

Pic after I cleaned up the engine bay and painted the TPI and changed injectors

 

Nice score man, how is the under body, and really for 600.00 who cares with the minimal rust under the carpet!. Hey if you come a cross a twin turbo set up and forged internals grab them for me, I'll pay for your time to pull em lol Mr. Luck of the year!

 

Nice find & nice job!!!! Looks good!!!