Well I got another 3rd gen about 6 months ago from another member, its an 88 formula not pretty but was only 1500 bucks.

I am planning to hopefully restore it to its former glory but wanted to know how I should go about doing this? I hear to many projects that are sold due to lack of motivation. the car overall seams alright needs a drivers floor pan I know for sure but the interior is in good shape and body is decent.

I want to make it the factory blue again but the engine bay is already been rapainted black, whats the biggest mistake people do during this process how should I go about this task? I know I would like a car that looks like it rolled from the factory but want to do something like a built 383 with a different manuals trans and a better than tbi fuel injection.

I know with any project figure out what I want but its the execution that I would like to know more about, tips and how to keep the project interesting? Are there any good books on restoration I should read to get an idea how to do most of the stuff? I need to learn how to paint and weld (did a few short welding classes in high school)



A few pics of what im getting into

 

hey ive got a question for ya. how did you get the rear wheels to stick out like that. it looks so much better than the way they are sucked in from the factory. are you runnin a 4th gen rear or spacers? by the way awsome starting point for a great car.
matt

 

yeah its a rear from a 96 camaro with the disk a pic with my almost stock 92


I guess Im gonna start out by taking the interior out and fix the back half of the body and suspension first.

 

Looks like a GREAT base platform to start with!

If it were me and I had the money, I'd literally gut the car. I mean remove EVERYTHING including chassis & body wiring. Then, I'd flatbed it to get painted and rebuild from there. The whole point is if you do everything properly, the paint and wiring will last another 20 years. Then, you can choose what do for the engine. Rip everything apart and put a nice $1500 - $2000 paint job on there and you'll LOVE IT! I know I would, but I'z po! Grrr...Cost of living is so much lower in the midwest...

 

now this will be my first big project, how hard is the wiring? I kindof know the deal with engine harness's with some experience with a truck im doing but how hard is the chassis? I figured I would gut everything but the harness, I have a sandblaster and my dad has painted a few cars before and turned out great. But would like to do MOST of the work myself and help from my dad (he's been a mechanic for 30 years)

Im not worried about the engine as of anytime soon I just have to fix the oil pump and use a carb untill I have the rest of the car fixed, then dump money into engine and tranny.

What are some books on restoration thats worth the price? I just dont want to get something thats over my head, doesnt seam like many topics on getting started on your project on this site so just wanted to get a few pointers.