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Hey guys i was hoping i could get some advice/ info from you guys on a camaro i'm looking at. I'm looking at a 83 Z28. Here's what the guy has listed in the posting about the car:
355 carbed. (not sure when rebuild was).
T5 5 speed
Odometer says 12k, assuming 112k miles.
Body panels are all in great shape as well as the floors.
Paint is in good shape.
Tires have more than enough left.
Blue interior/prior owner put replacement carpet in but did not do hatch area.... Faded blue.
Plastics are in decent enough shape for a 32 year old car.
Put Sunfire seats in because the seats that were in it and were "made" to fit. These fit nice.
Dashpad is in great shape, no cracks and the corners are still good.
All electronics work.
Replaced radiator this fall and will be replacing starter soon..... Starter was getting heat soaked this October causing very slow cranking when hot.
From all the pictures he put up the exterior and interior all look to be in great shape. He's asking $4650 obo. I'm just curious if there's anything i should be looking for or ask about the car when i go to look at it, or if from the info he provided should i have any concerns?
Its my car. Under the floors are surprisingly clean. I will leave the thread because I don't want to see the criticism................ Its not perfect, but its in dang good shape for a northern car. You can use my jack. When I took the rear panels off, rear quarters look fairly new.
-Find out what happened to the original 305 and if the t5 has ever been rebuilt.
-Look in the spare tire compartment and behind the glove box, check for rust there.
-Ask about the rear spoiler as the one that is on there is not stock, was the whole rear hatch replaced or did somebody fill the original spoiler holes in with body filler? etc.
-Take the t-tops out and look around (and under, as much as can be allowed) the weather stripping for rust.
-Another place rust can form is behind the ground effects on the bottom of the door, look for bubbles (found a hole in my door when I took mine off).
I'm partial to '83s, so if it's all good then ****** that one up!
For 4500 thats not bad.... These cars are getting harder to find so if you want it... ****** it. then its your baby to do what you want with it. Defiantly ask about any spare/extra parts he might have. the one thing that stands out to me is the rear spoiler and when the owner posted, he took the plastic panels off, the rear quarters looked fairly new?? like they were replaced? Regardless, you are buying a 30 plus year old car. Just like in life, if you look for problems, you will find them. as long as the body isnt rotted out and the motor sounds good and trans shifts fine, I think it is a good car for the price. (I spent almost twice that on just my paint job) oh and please dont drive it in the winter......(fellow MN resident) cant stand wen i see that..good luck and be sure to let us know if you pull the trigger!
just gunna add my .02 I live in central Illinois and that's a $10,000 car ez that car looks beautiful compared to whats around here, if I had the money id buy it in a heart beat, mines an 82 and this thing is way better looking than mine, hope you get it im sure youll be pleased, plus these cars are getting harder to find as 5sp
The car is only worth what someone will pay for it. It looks like it's in nice shape! I wouldn't care less what happened to the original 305 unless it was a HO car and you really want to rebuild it back to original.
Thanks for all the advice guys!! I have one other question though, the car does not have A/C. He said the previous owner took it out when he put the 355 in it. How hard would it be to put an ac system in it again?
Thanks for all the advice guys!! I have one other question though, the car does not have A/C. He said the previous owner took it out when he put the 355 in it. How hard would it be to put an ac system in it again?
Not hard at all. You simply find the parts (compressor, brackets, hoses, etc etc), bolt it up, recharge it, and you're good to go.
If you should decide to buy, I would ask if he reused the original trans or not behind that 355. If he did, it's the older non-WC and the torque rating is lower than the newer 87-up T-5's.
Should be OK if you dont plan to add any more power to it, and shift normally. If you do plan to race it or add more power you may want to consider an upgrade to a 87-up T5, a T56 or a Tremec. Just mentioning this in case you want to use as a bargaining chip on lowering the price a bit. Looks like it's been taken care of nicely!
You don't hear people say they want AC back much unless they're in Texas....or some other hot area.
If you should decide to buy, I would ask if he reused the original trans or not behind that 355. If he did, it's the older non-WC and the torque rating is lower than the newer 87-up T-5's.
Should be OK if you dont plan to add any more power to it, and shift normally. If you do plan to race it or add more power you may want to consider an upgrade to a 87-up T5, a T56 or a Tremec. Just mentioning this in case you want to use as a bargaining chip on lowering the price a bit. Looks like it's been taken care of nicely!
You don't hear people say they want AC back much unless they're in Texas....or some other hot area.
Yeah i went to look at the car the other day. It is the older T5 behind the 355 and he said the same as you did, as long as i drive it normally it should be fine. It looks just as good as the pictures though! It needs different rear end gears because the ones that in there now are fairly low like 2.72 he was thinking. I was thinking of swapping them out for 3.73's? However a buddy of mine said i should go with 3.55 if the tires are 16" because of something with the rpms at highway speed? Can you guys confirm that?
Yeah i went to look at the car the other day. It is the older T5 behind the 355 and he said the same as you did, as long as i drive it normally it should be fine. It looks just as good as the pictures though! It needs different rear end gears because the ones that in there now are fairly low like 2.72 he was thinking. I was thinking of swapping them out for 3.73's? However a buddy of mine said i should go with 3.55 if the tires are 16" because of something with the rpms at highway speed? Can you guys confirm that?
If it's got 2.73's in it then you'd have to swap out the entire carrier to do a gear swap. I would bet that it has at least 3.23's. 3.73's won't be terrible on the street since you have the 5 speed, overdrive helps. 16" vs 15" doesn't really have much to do with anything, it's all about the total diameter (i.e. a 26" tire vs a 28" tire, etc).
If it's got 2.73's in it then you'd have to swap out the entire carrier to do a gear swap. I would bet that it has at least 3.23's. 3.73's won't be terrible on the street since you have the 5 speed, overdrive helps. 16" vs 15" doesn't really have much to do with anything, it's all about the total diameter (i.e. a 26" tire vs a 28" tire, etc).
Yeah i meant wheel instead of tire there haha. And what would swapping out the entire carrier all involve?
Yeah i meant wheel instead of tire there haha. And what would swapping out the entire carrier all involve?
Haha. Basically gutting the rear end. But you can find complete 3 series rears for anywhere from 100 to 250 used. That's the route I'd recommend if it truly does have the 2.73's.
Haha. Basically gutting the rear end. But you can find complete 3 series rears for anywhere from 100 to 250 used. That's the route I'd recommend if it truly does have the 2.73's.
So how do you check for sure what rear end gears it has?
Since you have a jack with you (for checking out the underside of the car) just jack up under the pumpkin and see how many driveshaft revolutions for one complete turn of the rear wheels.
Ok, cool! I'll have to look around for those. By the way where do you find the rpo codes for that?
Either on the build sheet (which the guy may or may not have) or on a sticker on the underside of the center console lid.
Originally Posted by RamIt
Since you have a jack with you (for checking out the underside of the car) just jack up under the pumpkin and see how many driveshaft revolutions for one complete turn of the rear wheels.
Thanks for the tips guys! Well i pulled the trigger now i am now the proud owner of a 83 Z28 Camaro.
Now the question is where is the best place to get parts for these cars? I already found ricks camaros and hawks third gen parts. Any other sites that i should know of?
Thanks for the tips guys! Well i pulled the trigger now i am now the proud owner of a 83 Z28 Camaro.
Now the question is where is the best place to get parts for these cars? I already found ricks camaros and hawks third gen parts. Any other sites that i should know of?
No matter where you get parts from for every 3 good stories you hear there will also be 1 bad one. Don't limit yourself to just one or two places. Some of the best stuff comes from swap meets and junkyards. You can even find some good deals on eBay from time to time.
Now, for aftermarket parts you can pretty much shop anywhere.
It needs different rear end gears because the ones that in there now are fairly low like 2.72 he was thinking. I was thinking of swapping them out for 3.73's? However a buddy of mine said i should go with 3.55 if the tires are 16" because of something with the rpms at highway speed? Can you guys confirm that? 
