there is a 1982 indy pace car for sale near me. it will need all the decals a engine and trans, wheels....not sure about the interior...tail lights and a nose( thats all i know it needs by looking at a few pictures of it.) the guy wants 395$ he has been tryiing to sell for over a year and i have been looking at it since he first posted it...should i go ahead and buy her?

 

It all depends on what your up for. If its a solid car then the price is not that bad for a rolling chassis in my opinion. Also a pace car is fairly rare. If it has its original interior, that was a conteur interior upholstered specifically for the pace cars. If your up for a full restoration go look at it. But (and i mean this in the nicest way possible) if you have to ask if you should buy it...are you sure ur up for that much work?

 

It looks like a lost cause. Most of the pace car specific parts aren't available, so if they're missing or damaged you're out of luck. The price doesn't seem too bad, but a Camaro or Firebird that doesn't drive under it's own power is usually worthless. Also keep in mind that even if it were complete and in restored condition it might not be worth any more then any other 1982 Z28, and you have to ask yourself if you think it's worth it.

 

I don't want to discourage you. I'd like to see people start buying cars like this and restoring them. It'd be fun to watch a restoration on here for a change. If you have the resources and don't mind a challenge, it'd be neat. Maybe the time is coming for cars like this to be restored.

 

I don't think it would be worth it. Too many specific parts for pace car are missing (engine & tranny). Sure you could find a 305 easy and probably cross fire injection for a few hundred but how is body/interior? Cost might add up quick if you have to redo interior. I saw a pace car for sale around me for a few grand so there are some out there.

Even though I love thirdgens, just not big on pace cars. I cringe every time I see a 4thgen or corvette pace car with their goofy color schemes and logos.

See if he will take $250 cash and you could park it somewhere for a long time. Then collect parts over time. If not, you could come back next year and offer $250 again

 

I really do hope their time is coming and soon. I saw a near mint low mileage 85 iroc in the junkyard CFC'd not too long ago. That car really didnt need much if any attention. It had not a spec of rust and was a nice color combo. Its really a shame that someone had to CFC it to get the 4500.

To the OP i didnt mean to discourage you either. It is a cool car and pace cars are not the every day camaro by a long shot. If its still got an intact interior that is the main thing that counts. Engine and tranny are just ordinary motors for camaros and since it wont be original anymore anyways why not spice it up a bit with a 350? If you do buy it just make sure to look it over very carefully. Im always leery of cars that have sat for sale for a very long time like that. There might be a very good reason why its still for sale in other words (accident/rust...?)

 

thank you everyone for your input. i am extremely up for restorimg this car (and keeping everyone updated along the way) but the main reason i want the car is to make sure another great piece of american history doesnt dissapear..i dont want someone else buying it and changing it into something its not..i have a crossfire 305 sitting in the garage and i am fully ready to take on whatever challenges i will have to face to restore her. once again thanks to everyone for your input i am gonna go look at the car and hopefully bring her home. i will keep you all posted

 

All things Pace Car specific are available today. The seat fabric is available, also. The only thing you won't find is the embroidered headrest. If you know anybody that embroiders, I bet you can get the measurements and colors and have it done prior to an upholstery shop stitching the headrest together. Just an FYI, the 82 pace car hasn't caught on as a "valuable" thirdgen. They are worth about the same as a regular clean 82 Z28. They just have a cool look to them. I wouldn't spend thousands to restore a car this far gone to be uber accurate bevause you may not recoup the costs later. Since it is a pace car, I would restore to look like one, if that's what you want, but build it up mechanically to be what you want.

 

Scott do you know where that fabric is availible? Is it one of the links that i already have down in the camaro conteur thread? If not id like to add it in to help others out.

To the OP, awesome! Keep us updated on the car and if you get it or not. I do agree with Scott that since there will be no gains from going all original you might as well restore it back to pace car looks and do what you want in the power departement.

 

SMS Auto Fabrics from Oregon.

 

Ok cool. They are on the list already. Thanks.