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Hey, all. I've decided to call this a "build" thread, but I don't know that that's really what it'll be. I'm not going to heavily modify this car at all, so it'll be more about getting it back to the way it was. My first memory of a Camaro really impacting me is of a second gen in the late '70s. I really liked it, and my family was all GM all the time, so it was easy. When the third gens came out in '82, I was in love. I thought it was the baddest car on the road. It was this generation that was out when I turned 16, and every time I saw one, I drooled. I couldn't get one back then, but I swore if I ever did, I would keep it as close to original as possible since I never got to own one back in the day. That is why I do not want to modify it or take it too far from stock.
So, at the end of March I was blessed to be able to purchase a 1986 Z28. The Zs and up (IROCs) were always my favorites, so I swore that's what I would get if I ever got one. It didn't have to have the 350 (although it would've been nice), but I wanted fog lights, A/C, and T-tops. I got all three. The car is in good shape overall, but there are some places in the paint that need to be addressed, and some originality issues that need to be taken care of.
What I'll do is take pics before and and after of the job we most recently tackled.
So today involved two jobs: getting a Camaro steering wheel installed, and replacing the 85 MPH speedo with a 145 MPH speedo. The steering wheel that came in the car is out of a Monte Carlo SS, I've been told, and it had to go. In addition, it didn't have a center cap, and my son said that made the interior look "ratchet", lol. Here's a pic of what was in it:
Before I go any further, I just want to apologize. I'm doing this from my iPhone, and it's giving me a hard time posting pics, like one at a time. So, here is the "after". I know some of you are thinking, "What's the big deal, that's how it's s'posed to look." When you've driven the car knowing the steering wheel was wrong, trust me - it's a big deal once it's right:
Job #2 as I said was swapping speedos. As far as I am concerned, no Z28 should ever be saddled with an 85 MPH speedometer. It just looks WRONG, lol. So we swapped that out today, too. Before:
After.
By the way, my brother, who's a little more mechanically inclined than I, had a bear of a time reconnecting the speedo cable. There was only about a quarter-inch of play, making reattachment very difficult. Anyone else ever have that problem, or is that just how it is?
OK, so it’s been six years since I’ve posted in this thread. I’ve been driving and enjoying the Z, but it’s starting to need some maintenance. The shocks all the way around were bad, I could tell (the car would bounce like an old man’s Buick if you hit a bump), so I decided to replace the springs all the way around as well. The car also sat lower than original, due to worn shocks and what I think were springs designed for a lower ride height. Got the front springs off and discovered that they had literally cracked down at the A-arm. At any rate, I’m very pleased with the stance and how it all turned out. Not sure what project will be next. Before After Before After Before After
Last edited by FinallyGotMyZ; 06-09-2019 at 08:51 PM.
Reason: Typo
Thank you, I am very appreciative. It's a twenty-footer, lol. Part of it is me being picky, but it's got stuff that needs to be addressed. All in due time.
Love the stock look. I regret not going in the stock direction sometimes. Don’t change a thing about it
I can’t put my finger on why, but I love the stock look, too. I appreciate these cars being lowered, but that’s not for me personally. And trust me, I won’t change a thing, lol
06-08-2013, 07:57 PM
