This is what is on the advert.

1989 Camaro IROC-Z
8 5.7 Liter 350ci TPI
700-R4 Automatic Trans
Positraction rear
4 wheel disc brakes
T-Tops
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Power Door Locks
Tilt Wheel
Cruise Control
83,xxx miles

Runs and shifts strong - very fast. needs minor body work and paint. needs interior work (dash cracked, seat and carpet, needs headliner, NO water

He's asking 1500 for it.

Body is definitely left to be desired! Needs a paint job and some work with the interior. Though I'm definitely not looking to spend a fortune on a paint job so I want to prepare it myself and bring her to maaco.

















How should I go about prepping her? I'm very new to restoring but I love the look of this car, or more, the potential look of her.

I'm thinking gloss black, with the vents a nice red. Or red with black vents.

I'm up for all suggestions!

Thanks,

Ky

 

Ok come on...15 views...I know at least one of you wanted to say something!!!

So start talking!!!

 

Looks like a solid car, Id do black and red stripes i love that look and if i wasnt selling mine id do that. For 1500 bucks id say its worth it just find a ncie headline, dash pad, and seats and itl be pretty lol

 

Shoot yeah jump on it... Its a solid start to a project and with a little work and time you could have it looking slick

 

Haha thanks, yeah I'm definitely going to get it. My dad is going to cosign a loan with me so I can get her and get a paint job for her.

If I can pick it up next wednesday that would be great, If that happens then my friend and I can sand her down friday and patch her up where we need too, then bring her to maaco saturday. I know I won't get the best paint job there, but I don't mind right now.

 

Sounds good man keep us updated

 

Quick question.

How should I go about getting rid of all the paint. I think it was stripped before and then the previous owner tried to prime it. Should the primer be fairly easy to sand off?

I don't know if I really want to deal with chemical stripping.

So if I sand it, would it be possible to sand by hand?

 

Boy they sure F'd the paint up on that, overspray everywhere. But if it's a factory 350 then you might have a good project. It looks like it was blue originally. I'd return it to the factory color so that you match the engine bay and door jams. But I wouldn't put the factory stripes back on (just personal preference). Add new emblems. And I'd strip the hood louvers of the primer, back to black. I'd keep the interior restored stock except for a stereo system and I'd put 4th gen seats in it.

Good luck and have fun. It looks like a nice money pit.

 

Well I was thinking about taking the engine out and restoring her, then painting her and the bay/under the hood.

I hate the stock color.

 

Looks like a good solid car. I would keep it the factory blue. As long as you prep the car good Macco paint looks ok. Its all in the prep work. I have had them shoot a few cars for me that I did all the prep work and for $ 300 bucks they looked great. Good luck with it. Post up some pics when you get her done.

 

Haha, I guess a lot of you guys like the factory blue.

For some reason I don't like the color

Can someone give me some good instructions on prepping her before I take her to maaco?

Edit--

Oh and just did a VIN number check on her and she checks out. approximated 4 owners but no accidents or damage. Did not find anything negative on her!

Oh and I tallied up the costs.

$1000-1500 for the car
$300-400 for the paint job
$100- Dash Pad
$100-200 Headliner
$250 2 front seats
$220 Carpet
$200--Other stuff I haven't found yet!

Lowest Price-$1970

Highest Price- $2870

So I will probably plan on spending somewhere between those two.

Notice this does not include any performance upgrades. I'm waiting till summer to do that :P

Oh and I looked up the blue book value and it was around 2300-2500

 

bump

 

bump again.

Come on now...some advice?

Like how I should start out. Even if it's just a site with directions that would be awesome

 

Looks pretty solid i would make sure it mechanically sound before i got it painted. Pretty cheap mine had 69,000 on it and i picked it up for 2500 not including all the money and work ive put into it. So it looks like your getting a good deal on it

 

haha thanks.

yours looks sweet!

I don't have a garage to keep her in so I want her to be protected from rust as soon as possible. I'll definitely be test driving her and will only be driving her on the weekends. I plan on taking the engine out during the summer and re-doing the bay.

I just need to know how I should start sanding the car.

 

this is what i would do first:
clean out the car inside and out. scrub out everything underneath, in the engine, interior, and so on. check all your fluids and make sure everything mechanically is in good order. check the tires and brakes, replace as needed. change the oil, clean/replace plugs , wires, cap, etc. check all the bulbs, wiper motor, power door and window motors, and so on. check all wiring. check radiator.

align the doors, hood and hatch if needed.

clean up the overspray on the lenses, lights,glass and wheels. then polish them up. get some various grades of sandpaper and clean the body, using fresh primer where needed. at this time the car will look clean and fresh.

its important to make sure its running and reliable first. a good cleaning will give you an idea what nneds fixed or replaced. what does a new paint job do when you find out the car wont run?

alot of it looks like it needs cleaned. ive restored many parts by cleaning, polishing and or repainting. after its cleaned up you will see the difference. take your time with this. save what you can on the car.

worry about performance stuff later. i would wait to paint it in the springtime.

 

Thanks for the advice!

The problem is that, if the car looks shitty (that means no paint) then my mom will refuse to let me leave it at her house. I'm in college and I can't have cars up there my first year.

And i don't really have time to fix up the engine right now. It's so cold that I can't ride my motorcycle anymore So i need to be able to drive the iroc.

So once spring time comes around, I'll be able to ride my motorcycle again and that's when I will be able to work on the engine.

I won't be driving her heavily at all over the winter (I only get home on the weekends), and once I get the paint job I will have a car cover for her.

 

Cool. Pick it up and get it all prepped. Who says a Primer black car looks bad if it is done right? That is what I would do until you get it painted. And the miles aren't that high either. Sounds like a solid platform and for $1500, I would snag it asap.

 

haha thanks.

As for priming it. Would I do that with a rattle can?

I don't have any professional painting stuff. It seems that rattle can priming it would take FOREVER.

Ok, I have officially decided on a color. I'm going with Gunmetal Grey. I love this color!! Not to mention it's unique!

Also, who makes the gunmetal grey? Or what is the closest color to it. Does dupont carry it?

 

Yeah, I would use flat black rattle can, maybe a semi-gloss. If done properly I think it looks awsome. here is a pic of a flat black firebird...

 

sweet!

That would work for a little bit!

How many can's do you think I would have to go through?

 

looks like good project!! just take your time and clean it well and prep it but like others have said id wait till spring to paint her but thats just me. you can sand it by hand but its a pain in the *** ask me how i know lol. when i did my 82 i went to walmart and bought a case of flat black paint was like 15-20 cans i cant remember but anyway i used most of them on the car but i did no prep i plan to strip the car later but the original red paint was faded and looked pink so i just cleaned it very well with a dish soap solution and then sprayed it but i would not do that if you plan to put a nice paint job on it. anyway let us know what you decide and im not far from you. planing on a f-body cruise this spring on skyline drive hit me up. good luck

 

haha, don't be hoggin up skyline drive and slowing down the motorcycles

I still think I'm going to get it painted when I finish prepping her.

I saw the thread where someone mentioned shadow gray metallic. and that is a SHARP color. I hope to have her all the way painted by winter break so I have a car to drive around and be proud of. Over winter break I will be working on the inside, and maybe some of the engine components.

What are some things that would be good to replace on the engine without having to lift her out. I think I already have to replace one part I can't remember what he said though, but you don't need to remove the engine to replace it though.

so that means either new carpet, or I can buy carpet paint and just paint the carpet dark grey or black, replace the seats with either 4th gen seats or aftermarket seats, new headliner, dash pad, new steering wheel?.

I'm going to wait for anything REALLY expensive till I take apart the engine and clean it all up and put it back together in the summer. I might replace the transmission too if that starts to act up at all.

Why do you guys want me to wait till Spring to get a paint job?

 

Ok, I have to agree with several people about the paint job. Dont worry about people looking down on you because of a bad paint job, they will look down at you for driving a third gen Camaro anyway. Also, you will find you put way over 2500.00 into it, its a 25 yo money pit. Any car that age is, no one ever sold a nice good running car, think why you sold cars in the past. You proably prayed it would make it out the driveway when the new owners brought it. You also gave you and your friend one day to prep, GOOD LUCK. Take it to the Jeff Davis MAACO.

 

Thanks for the encouraging words.

Why do you say that people would look down on you for driving a third gen Camaro?

Yes I will probably end up putting more than 2500 into it. But not in 1 year. I'm fine with upgrading it over time. As long as it runs now, I'm fine.

I think the third gen camaro's are sick looking. A lot better than how mustangs looked back then.

So please, explain why people would look down on people driving a third gen camaro.

btw, it will be 20 years old...not 25. And maybe I was wrong on the prepping time? No need to be a smart *** about it.

 

you're actually in a great position to give this a shot....

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/b...job/index.html

hot rod magazine painted a car with rustoleum and a ROLLER for under $100 and it came out spectacular (as far as i can tell from pics). The ones online don't do it justice, see if you can get a copy of the mag for better pics.

just to warn you though, it would take A LOT of work since wet sanding that many times would be a PITA.

post massive amounts of pics if you give it a go....and good luck with the car!

 

FWIW, I would taqke my existing funds and put them under the hood and fenderwells.

Replace belts, hoses, fluids, filters, wires, plugs, oil, and fluids etc. Look for a new set of tires.

You could have a freshly painted Camaro sitting on the back of a tow truck if you are not careful. I think from looking at the leaves on the hood and around the car it has been neglected for some time.

budgetting 500 for the parts to do it yourself would save you some money.

And nothing makes you feel better about pressing the gas than knowing that you are not going to blow a hose on a radiator, or snap a 15+ year old belt on an alternator at 11pm with a date next to you.

How old are those tires? Blowing one will do some serious damage and make that new paint look a little bad too.

I know you want her 'pretty' right away, but use your limited funds wisely Grasshopper.

When was the last time that brake fluid was changed? Dunno? They tend to absorb water and I would be willing to bet it is the original fluid (at least part of it is original). Fuel filter? Air Filters? Transmission fluid is probably original as well.

TRG

 

Thanks Red Goat!

Would all those replacements require the engine to be taken out? I'd like to avoid taking out the engine till summer or late spring.

I think I'm starting to see the light here a bit. If I can cough up enough money, I could probably do the paint job and the maintenance work.

I also left out in the add that he said the it has a 7/09 and that it has "good tires"

I'm probably going to need to know the exact things that need to be replaced.

I was talking to my friend and he said to start bidding at 800, but don't go past 1200. If I can pull off getting it below 1200 then I will be set to buy those items.

So what exact items should I get to tune her up?


Thanks for the site phishman!

 

None of the items that I listed require that you lift the engine.

Although I would recommend you spend more time under the hood with her and relax about the paint for a while.

If you have never painted a vehicle before, or repaired any body work... then you are really biting off more than you can chew.

TRG

 

I cant tell from the pics how bad the body is.It looks like there is a hole in the quarter panel!Make sure you go over the car again before you buy.Did you look under the car for rust?The fact that the previous owner primed the car would make me weary.Did he use an etch primer?Also just because you found that there werent any accident reports on the car doesnt mean that there werent dents that the guy repaired himself....and judging by the primer job it doesnt seem like he really knows what he is doing.Take a magnet with ya!LOL.
It seems like you really want to put a nice paint job on the car.Do you plan on leaving the jambs blue?
Prep is important but the quality of the paint matters too.Maaco., as far as I know, does inexpensive paint jobs because you get what you pay for.You may pay them to paint your car and then need them to repaint it in 2 years when it gets dull or rust appears.I belive that Maaco uses single stage.They will not take anything apart either, which could lead to the paint peeling off.If you want a nice paint job maybe just skip the carpet and seats for a while.
Im not trying to rain on your parade as I can tell you are excited about the car.Just trying to help so that your dream doesnt turn into a nightmare.Good luck with her!

 

also another thing if you want to pull the motor in the spring and the cafr is freshly painted id be afraid of scratches and oil/grease getting all over the new paint. it can be done but if its your first time it will not go easy trust me.

 

I guess I'll call it quits then.

I'll try to find a car that does not need as much work put into her.

 

I disagree with people looking down on third gen camaros. I drive mine in a pretty nice neighbor hood I live in and they stare at it all day long. I even have gotten people in awe by showing it had a 5 speed.

 

well i wouldnt say that if the car is mechanicly sound and could be a good driver id jump on it. good tune up change filters fluids ect. clean the car up and then go from there. i bought my 82 for $500 with a blown up 350 i yanked it out and put in a mildly built 305 i already had and total including wheels tires and brakes and initial cost of car i have 1500 in it. i drive it to work frequently and play in it quite often i wouldnt ban the idea yet...

 

Nah don't call it quits yet, I just picked up my second third gen about a week ago so I could have a car again. Its a 92 RS with Primer and cracked paint everywhere with 154,xxx. I was a little intimidated at first since this would be my only means of transportation and I am on limited funds but as long as you keep your patience and scan all over the forums you will get all the answers you need and more. As a newbie here I can completly atest to this guys knowing their crap. Just get it and ask around thats the only way to get somewhere.

 

 

I wouldn't call it quits yet. Come on.

Ok- so you decide against the camaro??? what else you gonna get? and how much can you afford? Sure, get a cheap economical Honda or such, and then look back someday and think, "man, I shoulda got that Camaro- it woulda of been so much more fun. . ."

You say the car runs and shifts strong- an IROC for $1,500. That's not bad at all. At least it runs. . . more than can be said for a lot of IROC's out there. Doesn't look all dented up either. You only live once. I say go for it.

I agree with TheRedGoat- that you should focus on mechanical and looks like the tires need replacing. I'm suprised no one else said this- look at the electronics. Make sure it all checks out. Wires, relays and such.

I think you might find, that after you get it home, and give it a damn good cleaning- I mean clean, vacuum, wipe, wash, scrub 'till your friggin' arms fall off- you might find yourself holding off on a paintjob for a while. The good thing with it looking like it does in its current state, people won't screw with it in a parking lot someplace. I can say that from personal experience!!! My roomates like-new SUV got broken into with my Camaro parked next it- but they left my car completely alone. Guess they thought my 18 year-old RS was too much a p.o.s to be bothered with.

Why do people look down on thirdgens. . . because, for damn reason- they've been stereotyped as poor, white trailorpark trash, ******* ******-mobiles. . . least that's what I heard.

Ugh, my fingers hurt. . . hope it helps. . .

Seriously, just get the car- If you don't like it. . . Sell it.

 

Personally, I would pass on the car. For 1500, and for a guy will a limited number of funds, this looks like a potential money pit. For a first car, he could spend the same on a mid 90s Honda.

If he is patient, there are better deals to be had for not alot more money.

As for the respect, these cars get alot of style points. But, they were derided in the car industry for "all Show- No Go" not long after they hit the market.

Smog restrictions, smaller engines (than the 60s and 70s) and priced right for teens in the 80s to get mommy and daddy (Biff and Buffy) to purchase for them.

Most of those teen buyers were not the same as the previous generations of gearheads. Case in point, change out the stereo was the first priority for most in the 80s. Rich kids bought them first, and when they moved on the 'trailer trash' kids picked them up for a song.

To the original poster: How much do you plan to spend on this car? Paint, interior, new tires, engine maintenance (not a motor swap), etc. ??

3000.00? 4000.00? 5000.00?

Set this car as your goal, and save ALL the money up front. You are too young to be in debt over a money pit. Save your money, look around, pay cash.


www.tvcc.edu/faculty/ballen/front.jpg

4000.00 Cash (Craig's List)
1100.00 in ALOT of under the hood maintenance (oil, filters, belts, plugs, hoses, transmission fluid .. name it, I had it changed <-- ALL preventative Maint. NO performance parts, add-ons)
200.00 to register it
75.00 to add it to my insurance

So my total cost of purchase was under 5400.00 for my toy.

Be realistic. Be patient. Be smart.

These are 20 year old vehicles. You better expect them to have thier quirks and for maintenance to have been a low priority to the previous owner

TRG

 

I'd say go for it aswell, and believe me, I know what its like to try and get a car and do everything you want done to it right away.. it doesn't happen.. and if you rush things, it usually ends up coming out wrong.. so just take your time with it and take everything one step at a time..

it seems like the main purpose of this car is to take you from one place to another am I wrong? then you should focus on making sure the car can do that well first instead of trying to make it pretty..

I think it looks like a good project.. and theres nothing wrong with a project.. just know that it takes time.. save up and do it all right.. like others have said.. make sure it is mechanically sound first.

It looks like a good deal to me.. if your mom has a problem with it sitting cuz of the way it looks.. get a car cover and cover it when it doesnt move.. that way it doesnt look trashy or whatever..

I'd go for it man.. nobody is tyring to put you down or keep you from getting it.. they just don't want you to make the right choices.. learn from others mistakes.. because believe me.. I'm sure more than one of us has invested money in stuff for our cars that should have been invested more wisely.

 

so saying the "M" word and the "R" word are about as bad as saying the "F" word around here. . .lol