Ok, here's the deal, I have a 1986 z28, the body is in bad shape, messed up fenders, bumper covers etc. t tops leak, no headliner panel, the list goes on. There is a guy who wants to trade me his 84 Z, the body on his is in better shape, its not t tops, and it has a 305 w/carb and a th350 tranny. Mine has a 350 TPI and a stock 700r4 tranny, I have flowmasters on mine his has edelbrock exhaust. The interior is rough in mine and his seems to be ok. Now, my main reasons for considering the trade. I do not have the money for body work, paint jobs, interior work etc. Now my question to you all is, should I trade this guy my Z for his? All input is appreciated.

it's hard to give advice on that one because it depends on your desires/priorities, which you haven't shared. What's your goal with your f-body? to make it fast, beautiful, all original restoration, modified, or something else? Does the 84 Z28 have a very good paintjob, or would it need paint too just with less body work? does your car have rust on parts that aren't bolted on, like the floor pan and quarter panels?

Well my goal in the long term is to make a 3rd gen beautiful again, but im joining the Marine Corps this summer, and when I come back I do not want to have to do a LOAD of work, the paint job on his seems good enough. I just believe it will cost less for me to resto his.

Depends on "beautiful" The Carbed 305 w/ a TH350 would be a huge turn off to me. You're drivetrain is far superior. Based on that alone I wouldn't trade. However, if you are ok with the carbed 305 w/ a th350 and you think it will cost less to make beautiful, then it probably make sense. Also, who knows how much hacking they did to install that engine/tranny. Also, do you like the 82-84 body style as much as the 85-90, or do you not care?

id say no...id take the 350 if it had just the drivers seat over the 305...just my 2cents

it would be alot cheaper to change a motor than redo a body and paint .. let along knowing it was a rust bucket under the paint.. and yours needs interior.. so i would look at the bigger picture ...not worry about engine

if you're doing a complete renovation at some point, the most important aspect of the car is the condition of the unibody. Do you know for certain the condition of your quarter panels, wheel wells, floor boards, strut towers? Have you taken your interior apart to see under the carpet and see what the top of the rear wheel wells look like?