hi,
as some of you might know,my 3rd gen had a mishap about a year ago now,and completely burned,i have been pondering it,and wanted to get some straight answer's on this,now i know ill have more money in it,than whats it's worth to "other people",however it's worth a great deal to me,best car my mom ever had,and she never really had much to show for all her years of working but this car,and now she is going through some heart problems,but anyways,it would mean the world to me,and her to have it back....i still have the car,"whats left,i also have a 86 z28 "parts car",most of it's there,now here's my question,

i've heard after something has burnt,the metal wont be very good to paint,here is what im thinking,possibly rebuilding it,cutting the top off the 86,both had t-tops....by new quarter panels,and floor pan's,i have a good power hatch in the 86,and i also have a good iroc hood,i have a brand new drivers fender,would need a passenger fender,and nose piece,i also have the rear bumber cover in good condition,like i said my parts car is still mostly there,all wiring is there,if i could do all this body work,i could just simply pull everything off the 86 and put it into my 84,and by a 350 tpi motor,or lt1 with a 6 speed,i have already did the 6 speed swap once,and the 84 still has a good limited slip posi rear,"373",anyways, would this work???or once it has been hot might as well give it up?i would love to have her back,but at the same time,i dont want to **** money in the air,if im going to get nothing done,but paint it ever 3 months,because the metal isnt any good anymore,im not going to do it,so what do you guys think i should consider in this,and can it be done??i dont think it will be all that bad,being that most of the outer panels will be brand new,or good factory parts,i also have good power door;s,let me know what you think.thanks alot.
phil

 

i'm not a metalurgist...actually i'm not even sure i can spell that right (did i?), but metal + intense heat = weak deformed metal. With our cars being subframe cars, and so much stress being put on the center section thats comprised entirely of thin steel, i would never feel the least bit safe driving a burnt car. As far as actual cost effectiveness...in my area of the US, you'd spend more replacing wires and hoses or carpet and seats or whatever than you would if you bought the highest price 3rdgen in the classifieds. I personally don't think it's worth your effort.

 

I agree. Without knowing where the fire was and what was damaged, the steel was probably weakened and probably warped due to the heat. To rebuild the car "right" you would have to strip the car to the bare metal, replace any sections that were affected by the fire and straighten out the rest.

Unless you have to do a rebuilt for your shop class or really enjoy building a car from the bare chassis up, it is easier to get a new car.

 

hi,
thanks for responding,the fire started at the engine,and burnt to the back,fuel line busted by the carb,and the car back fired at the precise time,and uncontrollable, we tried rags,to smoother and everything,gas kept squirting out,and it wasnt good,but anyway,i have a picture of it,not sure how to post it on here though

 

forgot to add,again this car mean alot to me,and the hard work would not be no problem,i love working on and rebuilding car's,if i can do it,and do it right,and not worry about the car falling apart 10000 miles later,i would like to attempt to rebuild her,the fire did flex the top body panel,i would take care of the by cutting,and welding the top of the 86 z,and flexed some of the other panels in the quarters,but again i would brand new panels for that as well,only thing i guess i would need to worry about would be the rocker panel area,and door jams,so what do you think about the pic,is it as bad as you thought???thanks. for your guys help.

 

It can be done if you really want to devote the time and money..but it just isn't worth it after seeing that pic.That thing burned pretty damn bad man.I can only imagine how bad everything is warped..the body is the least of my concerns.Save yourself alot of time and money and find another '84 Z and redo it as close as you remember this one.You will save alot of money in the long run as you won't have to buy all new harnesses,dash..actually the whole interior from the looks of it...on top of many many other small parts you won't think of till you get to that point in the build.Sentimental memories are hard to let go of..but there comes a time when you really need to leave it to memories.I have lost a few great cars along the way over the years..I wish I had them back..but it just wasn't worth fixing them versus starting with a better car.Not trying to sound like a ***** or anything like that..just hate to see you waste alot of time and money on a car that is not worth it.

 

I hate to say it Phil but, the body/chassis appears to be a total loss. The biggest problem is that you appear to have had a pretty good blaze going. If the FD came and put it out, you have now quenched the metal hardening it and making it more brittle to severe stress. Instead of having thing gradually fatigue loose (like spot welds) they will now snap.
I can sympathize with you but, it's not really the car that did anything, it's the memories you associate to the car. If you were to start with even a junkyard car that is sound, you would be at a much better base starting point to do a rebuild. If you built it to be just like the old one, only the VIN would be the difference.
Just my opinion though..

 

Is that a "Monster car" infront of the Camaro shell? I'm trying to convince myself someone did not take a Chrysler "K-car" and put big wheels on it.

Oh thye humanity.....

 

id say its a toldle loss

 

Is your car burnt that bad!?!? If it is, I would recommend salvaging anything you can and getting another one. I can understand sentimentality twords your car. I really do. But there is a point where you have to look at the damage and look at what's involved. Not only the cost but the time.

If the metal has been burnt that badly there is no telling how structually sound the car actually is. I would get another one and salvage everything I can.

 

WOW that thing is deep fried! I would say its not worth it. Bury it and say goodbye. It would take ALOT of work and for a fraction of the cost you could have something to build into what you wanted that one to be. I can understand your feelings towards it but man that is one hell of an undertaking! Sorry for the loss of a great car.

 

hi,
thanks alot for you guys input,the car did,and still does mean alot to me,it taught me alot of things,and was the first car i really tried to "make better" bigger engine,and better tranny,so it wasnt a total lose,i was working at sears,and was getting many hours,so i really shouldnt have been doing what i was doing to begin with,however at the time,that was my only means of transportation,and the 305 was getting to be shot....but anyways,it looks like it would not be worth it,so i think i might just try my luck with the 86,i have a 88 gt mustang in process right now,"i know,i know,but it's not for me,it's for my girlfriend,"i think for her first drive,im going to pop "the question"but anyways,it should be mostly done withing a few more months,and i could start with the 86,

as for anything left,not much at all,a couple wheels,i think the one groundeffect was still good,i had a $250 pioneer cd player in it,2 infinity kappa perfect sub's,kappa 600 watt amp,and a gold necklace my mom gave me for my birthday,so i lost alot more than the car itself,but it was by far the most lost....

and also the lebaron was jacked up,i was putting in a new gas tank,our garage was full at the time with other projects.lol
trust me i wouldnt put money into something like that....lol

well again thanks alot guys,i guess its time to let her go,and keep the memories.....

 

Dude it sayz u live in cumberland, is that RI

I live in Pawtucket, I wanna see that car lol
Sorry bout ur ride, later

 

If you have the time and money any car is rebuildable.
Look at this thing, the thing is wrecked, and I mean wrecked, but someone paint $16,000 for it, and is probably going to put in the time and the money to rebuild it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2463882906
Then again, thats a very rare car, and its when its all said and done he will probabably be able to sell it for what he paid to restore it, your camaro on the otherhand is a differant story.
If it means THAT much to you, and you have the time, money, and skill why not rebuild it. Get a couple parts cars, tear it down, and just replace everything (which is going to be most things) that arn't good anymore.

 

Whoever buys that car will likely buy a rust-free Roadrunner and re-tag it with the Superbird numbers & bolt the wing & nose on it.

PIMPINPHIL: you must really love that car to consider fixing it-- or even to hang onto it for a year after a fire that severe. Yes, it's true that anything CAN be saved, but you will spend $20,000 or more to save it. And when you're done, the blue book value will still be $3,000. Junk it and move on with your life.

 

I doubt thats all he would do. I would imagine he would atleast rebuild that motor, and put it in to keep it numbers matching. And the nose wasn't included with the car. There is still alot more he needs to aquire to turn a road runner into a super bird than just that car. Its basically the same situation this guy is in, by the time its done very little of the original will be left, but it will technically be the same car.
I would agree with moving on, but if he is that attached to it I doubt it would cost $20,000 if he is doing the work himself. Just alot of time, maybie 8 or 9,000, still not worth it from a financial standpoint though.

Wow I just noticed, reserve not met.

 

I bought my first car (well, first one ever registered lol), an 84 Z28. It was a parts car, and EVERYTHING was wrong with it, but I rebuilt it despite what everyone else told me (parents, girlfriend, etc... you know what I mean!).

I ended up changing the whole interior from brown vinyl (yuk!) to black, all plastics and carpets and seats. I then swapped a Monte SS HO 305, a WC 5 speed, and a 3:23 posi rear into it. I put new heads on it, Edelbrock carb/RPM intake, chrome everything, new gas tank/fuel lines, 1981 Monte LS rims (definately different!), etc. etc. I put $4000 into that car, only to be rear ended while stopped for a school bus letting kids off. The car was bent so bad that the back tires rubbed the 1/4's. As much work as I had done to it, and all the memories I had (first engine swap, first everything!), I couldn't fix it. I sold it as a parts car to someone here in Mass.


So, I remember it by pictures and memories. It did mean a lot to me, but sometimes you just gotta let go. (I'm kindy teary now )

 

That was crappy. Im so affraid that will happen to my baby after I get her out of the shop. It happened the LAST time it was in the shop. Wife wrecked it one week to the day I got it out.

 

i know what your going through. i hit a pole with my 1st car. towed it home and vowed to fix it. i kept buying fbody after fbody because of the bodywork involved for the fix. it was a v6 bodystyle with the carbed 305 no power options...nothing special. so it sat for 4 years and finally i said what the hell. now im 14k into it and it doesnt show on the outside at all. still not even done with it! maybe this summer ill have it set. lol the 350 swap turned ito a rebuilt HO 350 with a supercharger. then ofcorse i had to do the whole chassy to support the engines power... its worth it though, cars from sothern california and its spotless

 

as much as the car mean to you.. I would say bye bye to it.. it looks like the fire was hot.. it might have converted some of the HSS steel to mild steel.. not safe any more.. plus it would be more work than it's worth.. I'm sure you coulkd find another that would make you just as happy..

 

Take a look at the piece of crap in my signature. That is almost $14,000 you are looking at- and I didn't start with a burned car. Add a professional paint job and rims/tires and I'd be at $20,000.

I know what you're thinking, and I don't believe it either. Except I totaled the receipts up so unfortunately it is true. Remember the rule of thumb with cars: figure what you think it will cost and triple it.

 

I know, my Iroc (see www) has $11k into it. And it doesn't even move right now!

 

Man, I feel your pain, honestly I do. Looking at things logically it just doesn't make sense in financial terms to restore the car. Either from a money or time point of view. Others will rightly advise you buy another thirdgen and make it into a replica of your cremated one. However, I understand what you are going through, and say that you should go for it if you think it will make you happy. Just realise that everything on that sucker will need replaced. Can you do the body work yourself? Do you have a good shop nearby that can assess the frame for you? Have you considered buying a mint thirdgen to use as a "parts car", i.e. to be used for each and every part!

Best of luck to you! Be sure to post the resto pics if you ever get this up and running!