Hi guys,

My first post here; I found the forum when it became apparent that I would inherit my Dad's Z-28. He bought it new, and back in the day he (foolishly) would let me borrow it- luckily I'm still alive as I had just gotten my license around that time! Anyway, it has sat for many years now, but should not be too hard to get running again.
I want to keep it somewhat stock, but I'd like to make the exhaust slightly obnoxiously loud- not sure how to go about that but I'll worry about that later...
Thanks for having me on the forums!

 

Hi Bubba,,,, Sorry about your dads passing !!! take good care of that car in (his memory).... Welcome to Third Gen !!

 

sorry to hear bout your dad!!
and welcome

 

Welcome to the board. Sorry to here your dad passed..... I lost mine when I was 32.

The Z28 looks like the paint might be in pretty good shape... it's good in was inside.

 

Sorry about your dad bro. Your car looks like its in good condition..just needs a bath and I'm sure she'll shine again! As far as a muffler goes for loud sound... go with a Flowmaster. They're not too expensive and the sound is pretty obnoxious!

 

Sorry about your dad. The car looks like a jewel in the rough. How many miles? 5 speed or auto?

 

Welcome aboard! Sorry about your dad. Post some more pics when you dig it out and give her a bath.

 

5-speed. Here's an interior shot- steering wheel is messed up because it was off, as the steering column had to be fixed from when it was stolen back around '88.
Actually, it looks like 32,500 mi. when I zoomed in on the pic. I am certain the odometer rolled over once though.

 

Sorry about your father. Take your time and do the car right. No need to hurry. Take care of it and you can pass it along to the next generation. I had an 83 back in the day. Just got one back a few months ago..

 

Condolences on your father- My 84Z has the same color scheme. I'll look forward to seeing the "after" pics, but it looks to be in great shape as it sits.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your father. His '83 Z28 is a good starting point. It's hard to find a clean mostly stock '82-'84 Z28 anymore. My dad had a brown '84 Z28. That's when I got in to thirdgens. I remember when I was a kid how that car sounded and how it looked. I really wish he would have held on to that car. Keep us update on how the restoration work goes.

 

Sorry about your loss. Take your time with the resto, make a list and do a little at a time. That way it doesn't kill the wallet or your enthusiasm, I put a Dynomax turbo exhaust, not hi performance by any means, but has a nice low rumble.

 

Sorry to hear about your dad. I lost my dad 24 years ago when I was 19. I wish he had left me a car like this to remember him by. Take good care of it. Its a nice Z28. Like someone said earlier. The 82-84 Z28s are getting hard to find.

 

Very sorry for your loss, but what a cool tribute to him, to spruce up the old Z. Good luck, looking forward to the progress.

 

Thanks for all the condolences folks. I will keep posting as things come along.

 

Like all the others have said, sorry to hear about your Dad passing.

That car is exactly the same color, same interior as mine had originally when I first got it! Even down to the Shadow rear louvers! I have those hanging in my garage now. I'd almost bet it's optioned identical too…

Looks like Sandstone grey interior that should clean up real nice! Save it if you can, because finding seats in that color with what appears to be little wear…well - you'll have a difficult time finding them..if at all. 82-84 parts are getting hard to find in general.

I'm guessing it's an HO car, so you'll have the exhaust with the 4 bolt flanges and Corvette monolyic (sp) convertor…which is most likely bad so I would ditch it in favor of a more modern higher flow convertor or a test pipe depending on your emissions.

When I ran my HO motor, I ran the Edelbrock TES headers attached to a Hooker 3" cat-back exhaust. But - your stock exhaust is still better than what was installed in the factory LG4's as is…the HO exhaust was bigger in diameter and better flowing.

EDIT: On second look at your pics, maybe it's not an HO version as I don't see the "5.0 Litre HO" decals on the ground FX or on the dash….so a good exhaust will help wake it up!

 

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Car looks good, little tlc and she should shine right up.

 

Just a few more now that I have all the crap off it. The inside should clean up nicely, and I found no evidence of mouse damage.

 

...and yet a few more of some parts he bought but never installed.

 

Looks like it will clean up real nice..... keep us posted.

 

Sorry to hear about your dad's passing and welcome to TGO. Looks like a nice '83 that needs some TLCs to be road worthy again. A 5-speed, t-top car as well, which makes it a fun driver in my book. Great that your dad kept the car and that you have an opportunity to bring it back and maybe relive some memories.

You'll find a lot of great people here to help out. Good luck and definitely keep us updated on your progress (with pictures!).

 

Hello, Bubba, Condolences on your fathers passing.Nice to see another early 3rd gen on the forum.Welcome to TGO.
Dont mod it too much, you cant return it to stock later on.

 

Sorry about your dad, I lost my mom when I was 22.

Car looks to be pretty clean/solid under the dirt, post some pics when you give it a bath and clean the interior up so we can see what you have to start with. Should be a pretty easy restoration I would think.

 

UPDATE!! Finally. With the help of my cuz and Uncle, we cleared space to pull the Z out... started up somewhat easily, with a few sprays of carb cleaner. The clutch plates were a bit stuck, so at first couldn't shift into gear, but eventually loosened up. She starts and runs OK, but a little rough. There is a miss, though it could just be bad gas. I aim to get fresh gas in and get it on the road as soon as I can- I think the car just needs to be run! Also, power steering pump is bad and needs new belts, but those shouldn't be too bad. PS pump on rockauto is like 25 bucks!
Enjoy the pics... we gave her a quick wash... no rust but a bit of body work may be needed. Possibly will shoot clearcoat, or paint black?
Let me know what you think!

 

The car looks great. The paint seems to be in good shape... spend some time with some rubbing compound/polishing compound/wax, and I'll bet she'll shine right up. Original paint is hard to come by; I urge you to give that a shot before thinking about repainting it...

 

Yeah, save the paint.Its in nice original shape, good work.

 

I finally got this baby up to my house and on the road!

A few minor issues- it had a PS leak so I replaced the PO pump and gear box.

When first starting, it will run a few seconds then die... restart and it happens a couple more times...or bog down until given some throttle... after a few minutes, engine will idle OK. I think there is still some bad gas in the tank. Also yesterday it was "dieseling" when shut down, until I went out for a good long ride, then she shut down quickly. Today I had dieseling again- even though the engine was warmed up. I have to figure this out as I know it's bad for the engine.

In the next few days I will replace plugs, wires, oil, coolant.

Also, oddly, when I use the turn signal the wipers go on momentarily. I know the steering column was replaced not long ago, as the old one was broken when the car was stolen years ago.

That's all I have for now.. we spent most of today cleaning, vacuuming, etc. Will get 'er looking (and running) good again!

 

That cleaned up really well!

Sorry about your Dad, I lost mine 11 months ago. My advice would be to keep it as original as you can including the paint. There are no apologies necessary for an original paint car - the dings, dents, rubs & chips can be worn with pride.

 

My thoughts, exactly!