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I have always had a lot of admiration for people that can restore and save a car. It is not a skill I have. Let's show some of those rags to riches stories.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
88 iroc tpi 5 speed. It was an aquiantence of mines parts car. I found out he wanted to scrap it after he took out the 5 speed swap for another car by a Facebook post. Made him an offer and took it home. Sold it to a friend of mine who's fixing it up to be a driver
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
84 z28, 70k miles 5 speed.
Oer was a friend of a friend and moved from ct to fl. Car was left behind and she tried to sell it before bringing it down to Florida to part out. Title was lost and she didn't want to deal with the process of getting another. It'll be fixed up and be my new daily soon enough
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
92 firebird
I needed a car to dd after high school so I found this on Craigslist. For it for $550. Needed some work and rust repair it nothing to I bad. It's been going find for the last 5 years. The person who looked at the car the day before me was a friend who parted out third gens. He was going to buy it to part out but the guy wouldn't come down to $500
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
The first f-body I bought was a 1984 Trans Am in 2001. A friend of mine owned it. The car ran but had front end damage from an accident. He had all the parts to fix it though. He didn't have the time or motivation for the project so he was going to junk it but I bought it for $50. I ended up restoring it, but I was always chasing issues from previous owners so I sold it in 2008. Here's the before and after pics. The before pictures were after I installed the repair parts that came with the car. It actually looked worse before that picture.
I have another project 1984 Trans Am I'm working on now but this car wasn't saved from the grave.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by QwkTrip
Now if I can just convince people at work that they don't need a high level manager to schedule a potluck.
But it is handy when they do...
Should be an interesting thread. Might even post my own heap seeing as it was on death row before I scooped it up. Funny thing is, besides the IROC rims I've added (and a cowl hood), it looks the same from the outside as it did the day I towed it home. Hardly a transformation. Now under the shiny bits is a different story.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
My car had some pretty bad rot spots when I bought it. Both the bottom of the rear quarters were gone and both front floor pans had some extensive rot. I cut all that out and patched it. Replaced the transmission since it blew a month into owning it. Freshened up the engine. And did a complete interior change.
The paint on mine when I bought it was a sun beat dark blue with silver gfxs with many dents and a cracked up bumper. Now the body is all straight but the primer I sprayed it with is worn and needs to be restripped.
It kills me that I didn't take pictures before i started working on it (especially the interior because it was moldy and disgusting) Took this the day I bought it. Can only see the beat clear coat in this pic The disgusting engine bay before I touched it. Covered in layers of dust and shoddy work After I did the body work and primed it. The primer is shot now but looked good back then The trans I put in it The engine all detailed a couple years ago. Looks bad now since it's half apart getting new fuel injectors Drivers side floor pan before Passenger side floor pan before Interior swap from moldy worn out grey to red and black B&m shifter on a firebird center console
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
I have bought too many "back from the grave" 3rd gens to list them all here lol! So I go with my current build, a '87 black IROC.
If you look through my build thread (link is in my sig.) you'll see that this hasn't and won't be a fast build. I mostly save up money over the colder months and buy parts, and then install and do most of my work in the warmer months. I've been tinkering around on this car for around 3 years and hope to have it running this spring.
However I said the same thing last spring and due to some family stuff it didn't happen. So now that my mother has moved out of my place and into her 55+ community I should be able to get some decent work done on my baby.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
I pulled mine from some guys back yard a little over 10 years ago.
The PO was about to scrap it just before he found a sucker like me.
He poured some gas in the TBI and the other guy jumped the starter and it ran for a few seconds.
I really had no clue about Third. Gen. Camaros, or that Chevy even made a 5.0 V-8. I counted eight plug wires and gave the guy $500.00 for it.
There is some controversy as to the original badging of the car.
It was a total Frankenstein even had a Berlinetta Nose, a Z-28 Hood, and RS taillights.
Without any paperwork/RPO Codes to go by , in the end I badged it an IROC-Z.
Right or wrong, I built it in the image I had imaged from the beginning.
My way.
And I will be Buried in it.
Here's a few things it needed, most from Pick N Pull.
It needed paint , new tires ,a fuel pump ,water pump , power steering unit ,new steering column/ VATS module ,intake manifold gasket, front windshield ,new front bumper cover and lower valance, new rear hatch and motor, new tail lights ,some of the interior including front seats,head liner ,door skins. ,center consul ,etc., etc.
I have also replaced almost every exterior engine component including all sensors and senders.. Runs like a champ now.
These photos are a little bit older and the first is just before I finally found 4th Gen Seats for it. (Pick N Pull)
Blood, sweat and tiers, I replaced almost all of it my self.
Not to bad for a guys first build ever.
I'm pulling out the photos and the links in this post because it could be a violation on the "March 2017" COTM Nomination thread.
I am putting three photos in post #21 of this thread with before and after paint though.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; 10-09-2017 at 07:32 PM.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
A year ago I bought my first car, a 1985 Pontiac Trans Am WS6, with a 305 and a 5 speed. First test drive and we ran from the cops, and I was sold. Ended up needing a steering column, basically new floors, the carpet and back seats removed due to mice nests, an aftermarket alarm system that didn't work, leaky t tops and windows, bad door hinges and overall Maine rust and neglect from sitting in a field for 10 years. Still runs rough sometimes but my cammed 350 is gonna wake it up quite a bit. I love it and have learned an incredible amount about cars. Especially about what $2500 buys youXD. I'll post pictures in a bit.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by dmccain
That H.O. came out great! Good job. I've always liked the earlier third gen Camaros.
Thanks. It has been a lot of fun. My daughter went cross country skiing with with a group of college students couple weeks ago. When the Subaru they were riding in got stuck in snow, she took over the how to install chains while the four football players watched. She's not afraid to jump in and figure things out.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by skinny z
Need pictures of the rough stuff Ron.
People want to know...
If I could I would. Nothing makes me happier than posting my car on this site.
You have to understand I was new to fixing cars and did not even know this site existed for at least a year into the build.
I did not start documenting until I made the "Prep to Paint" thread.
Even those photos were taken with a Disposable Camera and transferred to a disk to get them on my PC.
I finally bought a Digital Camera and I was off and running as you can see in most of my posts.
What a minute, I found these.
Its a few months before replacing the front cover, hatch, tail lights and hood and ready for paint. Replaced the wheels also with the AR-23's.
I believe that's a "82 to 84" Z-28 Hood.
A "82 to 84" Berlinetta bumper cover
a set of who knows RS tail lights.
A set of ? wheels that started out "Red" in color before I removed it all.
Anyway that's all I have found so far.
Here's a funny part. I actual thought I could put a front lower valance on that bumper cover.
The hatch I found to replace the cracked one is a "short wing" off a "88" sport coupe.
The window of opportunity to have my car painted was running out quickly.Some times you just have to use what you have, and that is what I did with the short wing. I have grown to love it now.
Most of that is buffed out rattle can.
The car was not what I would call trust worthy at this point. A lot of parts to still be replaced and it took a lot of hunting to find some of the bugs.
The bottom photo is my car a few years after paint and is running like a champ at this point.
I found 4th Gen. Seats for it a little later.
If these photos are not good enough, let me know.
I will keep digging through my boxes for you .........
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; 02-18-2017 at 12:21 AM.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Cool thread. Kudos!
I have a 1988 IROC, L98, hardtop in medium orange metallic. I happened to come across it on craigslist about 7 years ago. The guy owned a junkyard and was tired of looking at the car and was about to crush it. When I bought it the body was in rough shape but had no rust. The interior condition was typical. The engine had been rebuilt at some point but it did not run when I bough it. Some of the wiring was hacked up and there was an alarm and a poorly-installed "stereo" system in it. I could see the potential and all of the parts were there so I bought it. It sat for a while in my garage until I had time to mess with it. I redid the top end of the engine, repaired the wiring harness and got it all back together and running good. Then I started working on the body and ran out of time so I sold the car about 2 years ago to someone in Pennsylvania. They intended to finish the car and sell it, so I told them to let me know when it was completed. Last October I received a message that it was finished so I went up to look at it and I ended up buying the car back. The other owner finished the body work, installed a low-milage original interior, restored the original wheels and put new tires on. I have spent the last few months restoring the engine compartment and rebuilding the suspension. The car is 99% finished now and is a great car to cruise in.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by Ron U.S.M.C.
If I could I would. Nothing makes me happier than posting my car on this site.
If these photos are not good enough, let me know.
I will keep digging through my boxes for you .........
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by QwkTrip
Great job on that!
Thanks QwkTrip! It means a lot to me to get this kind of compliment from a member of your standing.
I've been referencing your threads a lot lately for my current LS swap project.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
My story is similar to thtanner. I was looking for a Camaro to restore and viewed one Camaro but it wasn't what I was looking for. The owner remarked that he knew a guy who had an abandoned Camaro convertible with no engine, transmission, exterior wiring harness or engine harness or title. This Camaro had it's fate all but sealed. Ran the VIN with the police and it came back clean so I took the Camaro home. Everything on the car has been redone, modified or completely changed. Not quite done yet but here are some pics, build thread is in the sig.
Before:
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
I found some photos I thought I had lost on the "E" Drive of my PC. That makes me very happy.
Here's the 4th Gen Seats ($30.00 each) at Pick N Pull and the Console Cover ($10.00) I found the same week.
The seats laid face down and slid into the back of the Camaro with the rear seats folded down. The hatch even closed.
That's a lot of scrubbing......
The Door skins and handle/components were a nice score except there were large holes in the vinyl where the clips were so I used push pins in there place. Looks OK for now.
My last Column froze on me at the Dentist office. Key would not turn and you could see metal shavings through a crack in the cover.
Usually I would use a "Flatbed" but the car was stuck in park.
We towed it from the rear using a front tire dolly. The nose only rubbed once.
Anyway, I found "one" Camaro there and it was an "89". The exterior was ravaged so I did not expect much.
I opened the door and stuck my head in and there in front of me was a tilt column in excellent condition, with a shiny new set of keys hanging from it.
The PO had bypassed VATS and I recently had mine removed at the E-PROM level so that was perfect. $70.00 later it was mine
I don't no how many columns any of you have replaced but pulling two and installing one in the same day is a real pain in the you know what.......
It was obvious the PO had put some LOVE into the car because of some details that had been added but it had been "T" boned beyond repair. It looked pretty bad. Hope he's OK.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; 02-28-2017 at 03:27 AM.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by Ron U.S.M.C.
I found some photos I thought I had lost on the "E" Drive of my PC.
I like it when stuff like that happens.
Keep posting if you find more.
Once I get to see what a mess other people started out with, maybe I'll post my own.
"Saved from the grave" is relative but clearly, the cars on these pages weren't destined for the local used car lot.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
I also have a thread on here but I thought I'd share my current project! The temperatures for December 2015 were still pretty warm so I decided to continue driving my 88' Formula till we finally got some snow. It had recently rained for days non stop and flooded a lot of areas. While driving I went around a puddle that cars had been splashing. It was just cold enough that night to create black ice. After I went around that puddle the car started to get sideways and I went off the road into a pole. I have a frame machine in my garage so this project wasn't too bad of a task! It will be rolling again here soon
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
I don't have a lot to contribute.
My 88 still looks the same, (well probably alittle worse) then it did when I rescued it. It was some HS kids v6 car that had been badly swapped to a 5.7. I have done a lot of suspension work to it along with a few other odds and ends. Hopefully paint is on the 5 year plan. I'll try and remember to put up pics at that point.
But until then, this is all I can say Ive saved from the grave. Well, I have given it more life before I send it to the grave. 84 Z28 Bought it years ago to fix up. At the time it had more rust then I had money, so I went a different direction. 2015 I resurrected it.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Old Radiator with new "Murray" replacement and finally replacing some brake components including Booster and eventually "Master-cylinder".
A nasty warp on the old rotor.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Originally Posted by Dialed_In
Cool thread. Kudos!
I have a 1988 IROC, L98, hardtop in medium orange metallic. I happened to come across it on craigslist about 7 years ago. The guy owned a junkyard and was tired of looking at the car and was about to crush it. When I bought it the body was in rough shape but had no rust. The interior condition was typical. The engine had been rebuilt at some point but it did not run when I bough it. Some of the wiring was hacked up and there was an alarm and a poorly-installed "stereo" system in it. I could see the potential and all of the parts were there so I bought it. It sat for a while in my garage until I had time to mess with it. I redid the top end of the engine, repaired the wiring harness and got it all back together and running good. Then I started working on the body and ran out of time so I sold the car about 2 years ago to someone in Pennsylvania. They intended to finish the car and sell it, so I told them to let me know when it was completed. Last October I received a message that it was finished so I went up to look at it and I ended up buying the car back. The other owner finished the body work, installed a low-milage original interior, restored the original wheels and put new tires on. I have spent the last few months restoring the engine compartment and rebuilding the suspension. The car is 99% finished now and is a great car to cruise in.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
I picked this one up out near Erie PA a couple years ago - restoration project by a local body shop that had stalled & they just wanted to get out of. Went to my paint guy, seats went to my interior guy, fixed/finished a bunch of other items here at home and then it went to a new owner in Massachusetts.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Here's mine, haven't restored but plans to in the future. She sat in a field for 10 years. New suspension bushings, fuel pump replacement, cleaned tank and replaced injectors and I drive it every day. I was 8 when the GTA came out and wanted a black one then. I can't look out at my driveway 30 years later without cracking a smile.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Here's mine, attached the thread. I can't really say I saved mine from the grave because the member here I got her from wasn't going to let her die that death, but with a traveling job and other projects she was just laying idle. Picked the car up as shown in the pics in thread for $250 delivered from about 35mins away. Good deal for me and he knew she was finally going to get what we both felt she deserved! So here's a link, it's still in progress so I hope this counts!
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/members-camaros/741657-resurrection-84-z28.html
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Love this thread. Here is my 91s story. 2 Tornados came through Springfield, IL back in 05 and did tons of damage. A guy I worked with told me about a Firebird his Friend had that he was going to scrap because his garage was destroyed in the storm. $225 later (what he had paid to have the water pump changed) I brought the car home. 12 years later and I am still always changing stuff but here is a before and after.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
This is a great thread... I think I have a pretty competitive one for this thread!
Had been searching for my first car, 1988 Sport Coupe that I had bought new. Searched and searched on and off for about 10 years... Finally found it in the junkyard by luck a couple of years ago.
Fully rebuilt by my son, a great friend and myself to better than new.
Re: Cars SAVED from the GRAVE -- share your story!
Loving this thread and after getting my 87 GTA I have come down with a bad case of third gen but. I bought a 88 Trans Am Ttop parts car (complete) and Got my eye on another GTA currently in a grave. I think it's a 88 because of the dimpled wheels. It's a hard top and I'm hoping it's a 5.7. I'm going Monday to see if I can rescue it and I will have a black GTA and a white one.
02-12-2017, 12:54 PM
