first, i do not know if i am even using this right. i am not sure if i am in the right place to ask questions. well i am going to ask them anyway and if i am in the wrong place, can someone point me to the right place?

i am 19, and my cousin bought me a 1992 camaro rally sport convertible for graduation. it is a 305, throttle body. the people he bought it from say that it has an aftermarket chip.

first thing's first, im ignorant when it comes to cars. i haven't the slightest clue. i changed a set of plugs for the first time; i changed a fuel filter for the first time; i changed the idol air control valve for the first time; i changed the air filter for the first time; i have only done a tune up twice in my entire life, so please understand my knowledge is limited to say the least.

1) i am currently attempting to find a new top for it. the canvas was cut when someone attempted to steal the stereo from the man who owned it before me. it leaks BAD. i know i want to replace the seals, cables, weather stripping, canvas (obviously), headliner, and change the plastic to glass. any suggestions on where to go?

2) i was driving yesterday and a jacked up dodge rode over a piece of wood (i think. i did not get to really see it well) and the object hit my car. now there is a crack in my ground effects...i think that is what it is called.

3) it needs a paint job. i am completely, and utterly lost on this subject.

4) my rims. the guy we bought it from said that they were red (my car is red), and had oxidized; however, i disagree. the rims look like they were painted pink. i want to buy new rims (they are starting to bubble and peel), where is the best place to go?

5) she is idoling kind of high. at first, she was idoling at 2500 rpms from the moment i turned the key. i replaced the idol air control valve and now the idoling has gone down to 1750 rpms. what is the normal idol? how can i get the idoling down? tps? fpr?

6) would an aftermarket chip cause my check engine light to come on? the light has came on from the day i got it but i have not had an ounce of trouble. the previous owner said it was the aftermarket chip. is this true?

ok. my car is actually in really great shape. the interior has only 1 small rip in the driver seat and such a tiny crack in the dash that it is barely visible. other than that, it is in incredible condition.

the car only has 130,000 miles on it and had been garage kept. she runs beautifully. once i am able to get these things out of the way, i would like to buy a crate motor for it. i want to restore it to its max potential. any and every comment is appreciated.

i apologize for the lack of knowledge, but i am attempting to learn.

thanks

 

Start by looking on the Convertible sub-forum. Seriously, that's where you'll find people who have experience working with the in's and out's of the convertibles.

The Body forum. The plastic GFX and bumpers on these cars are sinfully easy to fix. Consult with your local auto body supply store. They can sell you a two part 3M product to perform the repair. It's easy to work with and affordable.

Again, you might find info if you search, but chances are good that you'd be better served to have the work done for you. Body work is EXPENSIVE.

Believe it or not they were red originally. They always fade to pink because most people don't consider that the clearcoat on the wheels needs to be waxed regularly. You can search and find threads on refinishing the stock wheels, or you look for a used set in better condition. Generally any set of used wheels is going to be rough, they're all 20 years old now.

Try the Tech / General Engine forum, or the TBI forum.

Probably not. All you need is a paperclip to put the computer into service mode to display the codes. Do a search and you'll find threads explaining exactly how to run the codes, and then you can either look up the codes in a service manual or search for the codes on here.

If you haven't noticed, I recommend searching often. That's because most problems aren't unique to one car. If it's happening to your car, it's happened to someone elses already.

Have fun with it!

 

Thank you. I am not what one would call computer savvy, but I am attempting to learn. My searching skills are - rusty, and that is being nice.