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History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
They've got it mostly right, it's a $500 car. Put a nice $5000 paint job on it, it'd be a $4500 car. Between being a TBI RS and having destroyed paint, it's essentially worthless for resale.
Bad thing is about rust.. It usually grows like a cancer. They may tell you surface rust but its almost ALWAYS worst than it looks or what they tell you.
Wow surprised the FL climate has not totally rusted this thing through! Nice mold in the GFX scoops. One owner, clean underneath, low miles, running and not bad looking engine and interior.
I would buy it cheap, clean it up, slap a $1200 Diamond Paint job and enjoy the hell out of this car. I agree with drew that the resale may not be there but if someone is looking for a 3rd gen this looks to be a great project driver. One you could enjoy and not worry about.
Other than the ttops, that's definitely a fun-lacking Camaro. But look at those FLOORS! The cars that are 10k around me don't even have floors like that. Someone save that car and get a damn LS in it.
Patina only works on 80s cars if they're mechanically legit, preferably somewhat fast. A stock L03 automatic car looking like that just makes you a hillbilly. But if it sounds good and can carry it's own weight well, well then it's a different story IMO. I'm probably one of the only ones on the forum with a car as described. I just finished roughing out the tune last night. TBI350, T5, 3.23 gear. Its every bit as fast as an L98 car if not a bit faster. It sounds good, sits good and goes good, gotta have those areas covered in order to earn the right to look crummy.
You're not going to scuff and repaint that car and have it last though... That's classic 90's GM paint delamination. It's been left long enough peeled to the factory e-coat that it's started to rust through that... If you scuff and sand it, you'll just have the fresh paint peeling off when the OE paint it's stuck to lets go.
That's a full 60 grit on a grinder strip to steel and start over paint job. Given that it's baked, those LEXAN ttops are going to crack the first time you look at them funny. Figure on hundreds in weatherstripping, $600 in tires, and all the other joys of a 30 year old car that's been rotting in the Miami sun... That there is a labor of love, and ain't no one got the love for a TBI RS.
Patina only works on 80s cars if they're mechanically legit, preferably somewhat fast. A stock L03 automatic car looking like that just makes you a hillbilly. But if it sounds good and can carry it's own weight well, well then it's a different story IMO. I'm probably one of the only ones on the forum with a car as described. I just finished roughing out the tune last night. TBI350, T5, 3.23 gear. Its every bit as fast as an L98 car if not a bit faster. It sounds good, sits good and goes good, gotta have those areas covered in order to earn the right to look crummy.
1MeanZ has a point that very few people seem to get. A basket case open header mystery 350 floor lacking 83 Camaro that's been spray bombed black and has an IROC sticker is NOT mean. It's wife-beaty.
1.) Great starting point for a nice build. LS-whatever, T56, suspension, paint, etc. The car is a very solid starting point and you're not paying extra money for the IROC or GTA stuff when it's all going to be swapped out anyway.
2.) Swap the TBI for a 4bbl, big lopey cam, cheap headers, glass pack with side dump exhaust. Take off the T-Tops, and enjoy being awesome. About 10 years ago a couple of buddies and I did this with a beat to hell, rusted out 84' Recaro T/A. We had more fun with that car than the nice cars I have owned since.
1. Pull the seats out (or any other good interior bits), clean them up, and put them in climate controlled storage.
2. Get an artist to paint a faded, weathered looking race car number on the doors. Put electrical tape X's over the headlights. Make it look like a worn out amateur race car.
3. Swap in a built L98/T56.
4. Recaro seats, console delete similar to the DSE-Z Camaro, Momo wheel, 4 point cage inside.
5. Align the body panels but don't restore anything.
6. Biggest brakes I can fit under black 17" Hawks GTA wheels.
Bad thing is about rust.. It usually grows like a cancer. They may tell you surface rust but its almost ALWAYS worst than it looks or what they tell you.
yes that is true and if anyone is interested in that car u better look real good for rust.thirdgens from the coast line rust in the firewall and places that have seam sealer sometimes it's hard to see unless u look good.don't ask me how i know this lol.
BTW, if the camera didn't have flash trickery, I'd bet that paint would look mint!
It never will. I think for at least the next 10 years it will be randomly inserted into threads. But really that car is mint! Nobody buffed that claybar off and the guy who took the pic clearly did not know how to use the flash on this camera phone.
It never will. I think for at least the next 10 years it will be randomly inserted into threads. But really that car is mint! Nobody buffed that claybar off and the guy who took the pic clearly did not know how to use the flash on this camera phone.
If it was cheap enough just buy it and drive it. Make sure to park next to every cart in the parking lot, and squeeze into every tight spot. Fling my door open to whatever car is next to me, and not have a care in the world
If it was cheap enough just buy it and drive it. Make sure to park next to every cart in the parking lot, and squeeze into every tight spot. Fling my door open to whatever car is next to me, and not have a care in the world
If it were a stick shift id pay $1500 and drive it Saw it on Craigslist a moment ago for $5500!!!! Pipedreamers
That is all it's worth in nice shape! Pull a 3rd gen from under the shade tree and you can afford a vacation on the French Riviera! I have seen the brochure.
A guy that goes to shows around here has an old restored VW bug that has a nice thick, shiny clear job on top of the old, rust stained body panels. Mint interior, mint chrome all over the car, chrome wheels..
Its a cool idea.. If it were a 5-speed it would be fun to drive with the TBI motor at least, and those floors do look good underneath..
A guy that goes to shows around here has an old restored VW bug that has a nice thick, shiny clear job on top of the old, rust stained body panels. Mint interior, mint chrome all over the car, chrome wheels..
Its a cool idea.. If it were a 5-speed it would be fun to drive with the TBI motor at least, and those floors do look good underneath..
Cool idea, but not the right car or price..
It's a cool look if you can pull it off. But like you said, it'd have to be a 5 speed and it's already too expensive.
Sold for $3,550.00. Not too shabby for an RS. My first thirdgen was a 91 hardtop RS, same color. I loved that car. Bought it for $4,500 in 2001 with 171,000 miles on it. Sold it for $4,500 in 2003 with 192,000 miles on it. It still had paint though. I bet it's long gone. Looks like the values are still about the same 15 years later!
Those Myspace Duck-face glamour shots sucked in some goober... Make that decay look like 'patina' the fools will come running with their loose cash. Three weeks from now the new owner will be sick of friends and family asking incredulously why he bought a car with no paint, he'll get a few body shop estimates, and it'll be back on Ebay or rolled behind some "good friend of mine is gonna paint it between other jobs" shop for a few years until the rust is rusted thru, then the title will be lost and someone will junk it...
Interesting how the bidders have so little feedback... Almost like three of the bidders on both listings arent real. Then you look at the bidders with some feedback, and you notice how the same users are bidding now as a month ago... Seems like if you throw out the suspicious bidders, there are only a couple bidders on either listing, and they don't seem very serious about buying the car.
It's too bad for anyone who might really be interested, because the bids aren't honest. The fix is in.
I simply assume folks on eBay are being honest......
That was probably mostly true 10-15 years ago, but in that time since---as in just about everything else connected to the internet---scammers, spammers, hucksters, charlatans, ganefs, liars, and outright thieves have taken over. The old saw, "CAVEAT EMPTOR,", has never been more relevant than it is today.
