Well, I picked up another project. It's a 79k mile, 1983 Z28 that's been sitting inside an old garage, under a cover since 1997. I bought it from its 80 year old couple who bought in in 1987 with 20k miles.

This is going to be a REALLY nice car, once I get it all cleaned up, new tires, and checked out and ready for the road. Ive had it running on carb cleaner, but i need to drop the fuel tank and get all of the NASTY, 28 year old gas cleaned out of the fuel system.

I'll post updates when I get a chance to start playing with it! It's filthy, but is going to clean up GREAT!

 

Congrats on the score! It doesn't look really dirty in the pics, but I suppose it probably is dustier in person. A real time capsule! What color is it? and what color is the interior? You're right, it should clean up real nice!

 

Congrats! Nice find. I love that color combination.

 

Nice score - looks really clean and original

 

Thanks! The car is Dark Brown Metallic, with brown interior. I'm really anxious to get it all detailed, buffed, etc. There's a few little dings that my PDR guy is going to take care of tomorrow. Unfortunately, a mouse chewed on the back edge of the passenger side door panel, so I'm on the hunt for a replacement. Other than that, it doesn't need much. Everything works, lights, turn signals, radio, etc. Gonna make a nice little cruiser!

 

Good to see you posting again.

Good luck with the new project!

 

Thanks! When I bought it, the guys wife told me that it was HER car. She said she was driving an Oldsmobile that had a diesel engine, and it was so slow that she was always scared to pull out on the highway with it because if there was a car coming that was even in sight, theyd be on her butt immediately because the diesel had no power at all. So she told her husband that she wanted a brown car that had some get up and go when she pulled out onto the highway, so her husband bought her this Z28.

 

Thanks man! Yeah I haven't posted much for a while. The body shop that I worked at closed last July, and I opened my own custom paint shop. And since then, I've been busier than a one legged man in an *** kicking contest

 

That's very ambitious; I wish you the best going forward.




I remember that engine, one of the worst GM ever produced. Not only was it a slug with no power, but it was also fraught with reliability issues because it was "designed" by modifying the existing 350 Olds gas engine to run as a diesel. No idea what GM engineers were thinking by doing this; or maybe just that they weren't thinking at all.

 

Congrats! Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up! You always do right by these cars!

 

Thanks man! Things have been going great! Im swamped with work, and even painted a Harley for SEMA back in October, so that was pretty cool.

And im currently painting my old blue, 86 IROC that i sold 3 years ago. It was the car that only had 19k miles on it. Its currently sitting on all Detroit Speed suspension, Baer brakes, 9 inch rear end, and getting a blown LT4 with a Lingenfelter kit, 10 speed transmission, and Speedline wheels. I havent posted anything about the project because i believe the owner is a member here, and i thought id let him post about it when the car is finished.

 

Thanks!

 

That's great that you're so busy; I hope it keeps up for you.



IMO, the best engine GM ever built.

 

She got a buff job and wax. What a difference! It also got a new fuel tank and sending unit, and fires right up and runs great. I'm still going to have the carb gone through. I'm still on the hunt for a door panel if anyone has a brown passenger side with power windows

 

Looks great! You do amazing work.

 

The car cleaned up nice.

 

Hey Dagwood, good to see another project! Car looks great. I recently bought a blue 86 Z28, but I looked at an earlier Z very similar to this one. I'll be honest, of ALL the colors, I just.... I just don't love this color! -and I love the retro colors like browns, greens and yellows, ....but THIS brown. Ugh. I dunno. End of the day, it's a sharp car, as all your cars end up being! Always fun to watch your progress.

 

Looks great, my neighbor had a Berlinetta in that color. Never saw it run, then one day it was gone. Wish I would have said something but I wasn't really doing third gen stuff at that time.

 

Nice score.

 

Great looking car! I like the early thirdgen camaros and the carbed ones are much simpler to work on in my opinion.

 

Picked up some wheels today. Definite attitude change. I like the "period correct" look of them I have the "straight" Centerline spinners coming for them

 

Kinda hard to make brown look tough.
But a huge improvement over what you brought home.

 

I kinda like the brown. I would definitely take it over my pink/faded red car.

 

I like the straight spinners a LOT more....

 

Sweet car!!
Legal levels of window tint would really set that color off nicely....

 

Yep; they're definitely that. I recall many cars back in the day with those wheels.

 

Thanks! And I agree!

 

I love the brown on brown, nice car

 

That color combo is AMAZING!