Hi, I'm new to the forum.... only owned my Camaro 1 month. I have an '86 Z28 with 305/TPI & auto trans. The car was stolen from our driveway on Christmas night & recovered 4 days later. It had been pretty much trashed but they left the motor & trans but took the computer. I paid $4K for the car & was only carrying liability insurance. Couldn't afford full coverage, I'm still in HS. Does anyone know what computer I would need to get this motor running? I want to start it & make sure they (the thieves) didn't trash the motor...... maybe some of the cash can be recovered if they didn't. Anyway, any input would be greatly appreciated & if you happen to have an extra computer that would work in my car for a decent price, please let me know. Thank you, Dan
I'm attaching a before & after pic of my car..... just makes me sick...

 

 

Sorry about your luck dude, that really sucks that people can stoop so low to ruin your dream, theyll get theirs. But onto your?, I have a TPI swap guide that says you need a computer with the I.D. # 1227165. looks like this computer was used from 1986 thru 1989. Im sure if you find a TPI euipped car from these years youll be ok . Just make sure if you get a computer from a 350 car , youll need a prom chip for a 305 motor. Try third gen resource for a used computer, and if you need a chip try PCMforless.com . Ive got an 86 Z28 im putting an LT1 into and have looking around for computer info myself. good luck, if you find those scum *****,run em over!!!!

 

Run those bastards over multiple times, be sure you get the legs, then the arms, then squish them, and do it in the 'maro. Just a thought..... That really sucks. I have to agree with STU86ZLT1, try getting one from hawks, or a boneyard, if you know what your looking for. Also try cheking the PROM pages... i dont know if that will help, but i am sorry to hear that

 

wow they STRIPPED it

try a junkyard, that would probably be the cheapest

do you have any friends, or know anyone with a thirdgen tha has the same engine ?? maybe you can take theirs out to try your car ?

well i guess the positive outlook to the car now would be you have a good base for a sick project car

what color was the interior, and what else didi they take, maybe if they will be stupid enough to post the parts forsale on ebay, or even on here. look around for the parts forsale locally, in the paper, in a want ad, or online, see if you can find them.

 

double post...

 

I would hold on to that car, You might be discouraged, but it might be better to at least try to find those parts...or a parts car.

the same thing happened to me, my car wasn't stripped though. Mostly vandalized needlesely, they should have at least took the new engine, the posi rear, ect..

I say your car is not that bad, it's got four wheels, drivetrain intact? You are off to a much better start than I was.

I would have sold you my interior for about $150 and a door for $25 ect.. if you hang around long enough, you will find some good deals right here on TGO. Check E-bay too, I think you can have you ride back yogether for under $1000. well under $1000, if you get the essentials done first and worry about the plush later.

The determining factor will be the motor. Is it still good? Check your oil, full? coolant? ok, if that's good, then get yourself a COMPRESION TESTER ($15 at harbor frieght tools) maybee $45 for a craftsmen, good to have anyways, you can also 'borrow' one from Autozone, free with full price deposit.

get a battery, so you can crank the motor, undo one spark plug at a time and verify compression.

DO NOT CRANK the motor until you can turn it with a breaker bar or 1/2 ratchet (on the crank bolt, with battery disconnected for safety) crank the motor in 5 sec intervals (until gauge stabilizes)

allow the starter to cool 15 sec (probably more while you are changing cylinders anyways)

are all of your cylinders even and within spec? follow the instructions in you hayne's or chilton's manual when doing comp testing. also, drain the fuel just to be safe, hand pump with hose, also available at harbor frieght or rent/borrow one.

Don't spend another dime until you verify your engine is good. is the tranny fluid burn't...is it real bad burnt? is it all there?

if you do part out your car, don't undo the drive train until you have a chance to demonstrate it to potential buyers, or atleast make a vidio of you moving the car backwards and forwards a few feet, good sound quality and 'lightly' reving the motor.

oh, and start the car, 'follow the thieves footsteps' stick a small prybar in those teeth (closest to yourself) and push that bar forward, that is like turning the key to START and lettting it back to RUN. or just undo the switch and push the button with your hand. The column is rebuildable so don't get discouraged with that. I think you can get back in the game with little expense, and in your own driveway. Get yourself a nice toolbox, a $225 Craftsmen mechanic's toolset and get to work. Read the first two posts in Electronics forum.

A good parts car would be your best bet, sometimes you can find one for $200-$300, maybee $50 if the seller doesn't know any better.

Here's my baby right before it's final dimise....Don't let another Thirdgen go out like that!

OK I don't have the .jpg avail right now, but you get the point. just spend the few hundred to get your car back together enough to drive it. Then spend the extra $350 on a good starter disable system.

I got my car back with three wheels, no carb and cut cables and wires around the carb, totally screwed up. Your car has simply had parts removed as far as i can see, so it's very salvagable.
My next alarm will consist of a pager, a Lousville sluger (hard pine) and a good A&B defense attorney.

 

this was my beast, after theft, and this was it's good side!

The front, which I fixed once before, was bent up all over again, the car looks like it was purposley driven into guard-rails. The hatch was pryed open, or attempted to be, the wing was broken off. The front rim opn the other side is a spare, The interior was intact mostly, but the car was filled with trash and water.

 

one more thing: it gets much easier with the tool set I mentioned earlier and a 3/8" keyless chuck 12-18 volt cordless drill. You can get some cheap bits for it or just get the 1/4" hex drive-1/4,3/8,1/2" driver bits and you can use most of what comes with the tool set. You can even drive the big screws with the 1/2" drive bit as long as you aren't trying to break them loose or torque them down. This will save you tons of time while stripping/replacing parts. Depending on what you want to spend or what you have available, $50-$150 will get you a fairly decent drill, I use one a 12v that I spent $13 on at Harbor Frieght, it's no 18v DeWalt, but it turns screws and drills holes.

It sucks that you might not have seen the pieces of the nose before, but you can undo one at the junkyard and see that it's not nearly as bad as it looks. There are a few brace pieces and other odds and ends, but you might be able to find a whole front clip and bolt it on. A deep 10mm socket, extensions and swivel piece is your best friend here. worst case scenario.....just strap it up with zip-ties!.....j/k