I have a question for you 3rd gen folks... when you go to shows like this and you're walking around looking at the different cars, what is it about a car that catches your eye the most? Is it the paint job? Or what's under the hood? Or the interior?

I'd really appreciate some input. I know my car is a plane-jane sport coupe, but I've sunk a lot of money into getting it mechanically sound and getting a decent stereo system in it. To me, paint and fabric are cosmetic in nature and low on the priority list... I'll get around to them one of these days!

Also, are you impressed more by the modifications that people make, or by the fact that a car is kept stock? I had a hard time finding replacement gauges, but I was determined to restore it to original as much as possible.

Does it matter more if a person has done the work themselves, or if they've had the work done elsewhere?

As a final question, do you consider a CB in the car to be dorky (kind of a "Smokey and the Bandit" thing?) (I get that a lot!) For those of you with CBs in their cars, where do you mount it? If any of you could post pics showing how you have it mounted, I would be grateful. Thanks!

 

Honestly - I take everything into consideration.

- It's mandatory that the car is in good shape. There shouldn't be any primer or rust (this is usually a given but thirdgens are cheap and a lot of people think their car is 'all-that' even if it has rust and primer . You should be able to use the car as a mirror if need be

- The interior should be neat and clean. No holes or cracks. Again, this is another given. BTW - I don't count the ECM laying on the passenger floor with a Wide Band O2 setup as not being neat and clean

- What has been done to the car and is it relatively tasteful? For example, I wouldn't vote for a car with a carpeted dash. It might be a nice carpet ... but C'MON - it is carpet on a dashboard - lol. Anything rednecky gets the big thumbs down in my book.

Rednecky - big 6" cowl hood serving no purpose.
Cool - big 6" cowl hood hiding a roots supercharger

- Is the car rare? I have a soft spot for rare thirdgens: 1LEs, TTAs, Firehawks, later GTAs, etc. If the car has very low miles and is in really nice original condition then that is rare to me too.

- Is the car unique? Has the owner done something interesting that you never see (yet isn't rednecky)?

- Have I met the owner? If so, does that make the car better or worse? If the owner is arrogant or mean then BLA! If they are nice and personable then YEA! If they have done their own work then they get an extra plus in my book.

For me - I like to look for the better ALL AROUND car. All show and no go isn't my style. All go and no show isn't my style either. All sound and no anything is very bla to me. If it has show and go then WOOOT! ... cool

I believe that if you want to shoot for keeping a car stock then it had better be a rare thirdgen. Keeping a plane jane sport coupe stock isn't going to get you anywhere. You want to draw attention to your car in a very positive way. Unfortunately, most people aren't going to stop to look at a stock plane jane sport coupe ... even if you have spent a lot of time keeping it stock. Some tasteful (non rednecky) mods would definitely be advised for a car like that. Stance is the first thing. A tried and true lowering package with a very sophisticated wheel/tire combo is a must. 4th gen 5-spokes like 1991 Z-28 has are always a good choice and won't cost you an arm and a leg. The 1991-1992 ground effects are also a good choice.

I wouldn't even consider mounting a CB. That borders on the 'rednecky'. Instead - consider a portable CB that you can hook up whenever you need it.

Tim

 

Tim made some great points.

I'm all about engine mods and drivetrain stuff for myself.
However, for show purposes, the car needs to be an all around thing to be a winner.

As far as CB, the worst thing is that huge antenna on the top, just looks rediculous to me. But ehh, that's just my opinion.

 

I agree with Traxion. Its a combo of everything.

What is the point of having a CB? I'm with Mark, the antenna looks out of place. Kinda makes the car look like it has a remote control.

 

oh yeah, nail on the head.

for me (unless its a TTA :hail: ) then a truly great thirdgen should be smooth, clean and idealy have 275 - 300 BHP

GFX are nice, but not essensial (bubakutz and sitting bull have proved this) i'm not a fan of jack up cars (look kinda *******) ditto tyres that stick out of the arches.

metalic paint (or better yet mica) is great, as are fourth gen seats.

If it looks like it came out of the factory that way, to someone whoe doesn't know, the look is complete!!!

I'm a long way off yet, (next two jobs will be GTA rims (black centers) and tinted windows) but its getting there.



Oh, and if a new job i'm looking for comes off, a ZZ4 motor would be nice!

 

a photoshop of the car with GTA rims. (thatks Stu at NE3G)

 

The first thing should be the way it looks, it has to get your attention. A good interior is also a plus, does it have lots of custom pieces. Last is how much is done to it to make it go fast, it doesn't have to be fast to be in a carshow.

 

simple but effective, is the way to go with interiors. my interior cost less than $100 in mods, but i had a perfect, mint interior to start with, so nothing had to be spent on repairs.

 

i personally go by the appearance of a car...i for one spend many many hours cleaning & detailing my baby...as far as the CB in a thirdgen,mine i consider a lifeline for me in case something would go wrong with my cell phone....the reason i leave my CB in my car is because it got me help when i needed it-THANK YOU TO THE TRUCKERS! i have had lots of people tell me to take it out but it is "MY" car & everyone is entitled to their own opions & i chose to leave mine in my car for the simple reason of a lifeline....

 

if you like the CB in your car leave it in there cuz it is YOUR car...i do get some negative comments about my car & yes it does hurt but it is MY car & no one elses....i think the way your car looks describes who you,the driver,is......................as for doing the work yourself or taking it elsewhere,both are good....if your trying to impress someone yeah the "doing the work yourself" could go along way but in my book id rather have a guy tell me something like ive done everything myself except for (whatever,fill in the blank)...it impresses me more to have a guy stand up & say i didnt know how to do this or that so i had a mechanic....id rather them be straight up with me rather then finding out down the road that they lied to me .........just my .02 ~cristy

 

Wow... so much to think about!

First off, the CB is removeable and the antenna is a magnet mount. I only put it in the car when I'm planning a long drive on the interstate or if I know I'm meeting a fellow CB'er.

I plan to get some body work done and get a repaint. I haven't seen anything fancy that I really liked, so I was thinking about sticking with what I have now... it's simple yet unusual. I'm open to suggestions, though.

The interior is a work in progress. I had the t-tops, visors and speaker covers re-covered, and I plan to do the seats and carpets eventually. I was planning on a grey-based color scheme, getting away from the blue that it is now. The dash has a couple of bad spots, but I've been told they can be repaired too.

The reason I insisted on getting the original gauges fixed was because the mechanics were trying to get me to mount some new gauges inside and I thought that would look tacky.

As for the stance... my car drags bottom on my road as it is. I can't imagine lowering it any more. Future plans include new springs and shocks, but that's not something that will affect its looks.

I would appreciate some suggestions regarding a tire/wheel combination. A really nice guy at the show (sorry I didn't get your name!) was explaining some of this to me. I was checking out the different rims at the show. I kind of like the five-star traditional Camaro rims, but again, I'm open to suggestions. I need some outside opinions on what would look good.

Most of you folks are pretty young (Camaros have always appealed to the younger generation!) For me to get into a twenty-year-old car that looks and feels like it did when new, well that brings back a lot of memories for me. Some day maybe you young-uns will understand!

Maybe my car will never win any shows, but that's not what matters to me. I just love driving that car!

 

I agree with pretty much everything that has been said so far, and I'll add this:
Whatever you have, however it's done, it needs to be clean, quality work. This is often difficult in my experience, and having everything fit together well with no noticeable "warts" often makes or breaks the look and function of the ride.
BTW, my car has a long way to go to get to the point I just described, but with luck, I see it happening. All it takes is time and money.

 

Not to bash anyone persoanally, but what gets me is the cars that are 2-3 different colors..primer, red, white..you know. I understand that most people are on budgets, but I see this on a lot of import (Blasphemy!!!) cars...body kits, fender work, and hoods that are black and the car is white or red. C'mon...leave it off or paint the damn thing.

CBs are a life saver. Here's an idea: You can make a quick connect harness or use a cigarette lighter-type power plug to wire it up, then unplug it and stow it away at shows so you don't get the "*******" comments. As for your question on where to mount that antenna, my old '83 Z28 had a 6-8" cellular antenna mounted in the space right behind the T-tops and it really looked good! Maybe there's an idea for you. I've thought of doing that many times...trucker talk is something you have to experience to believe. Plus, I'm originally from Arkansas so CBs are part of my "heritage" so to speak.

What gets me most: Cleanliness!! My car has crap for paint but the interior is spot clean 90% of the time, although it wasn't for the Nationals...I just didn't have time to clean it that day. I dropped my entire exhaust that morning and thrashed to get it back together. I opted to get the thing to stop and ride good before I wanted the thing to look good, that's just a matter of time.

The guy who had the '91-92 Z28 with the M6 and ROH wheels from Delaware, 3 or 4 cars up from me...now THAT was my idea of a perfect car and it looked stock to boot. I'm with Tim on this one: Unless you have a 6-71 GMC blower under the hood (like the orange car that showed up) leave the stocker hood there...it's just a much cleaner look IMO.


But as always, it's your car so do with what you wish.


Ed

 

Would that third color be blue? What, you're not into Patriotic color schemes?

Lon

 

This

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/att...postid=1375610

Theres a reason why Tim's car won best of show. Clean stock appearing, fast car. Cant get much better than that. Oh it has some rarity value to it cause well low miles and they didn't make very many 350 90 IROC's

Kat

 

I have just now car the car mechanically sound and running like a top. I have spent quiet a bit of money on the gm goodwrench motor, tranny, and the rims.

For a 19 year old with a job making 6.50$ and hour I think im doing good.

Now that the engine is straight and I have the cash Im going cosmetic. 3'' cervini cowl and high rise spoiler are in order. And paint in the very very near future. I have buddies in autobody so I can get it painted for the cost of paint

Next I plan on interior. If anyone looked inside my car at the meet you can see it isnt to great. The headliner was tore on the edges (took it out after the meet) and my driver seat is toast.

all I plan for the interior is a new gauge plate with white face autometer guages, b&m megashifter, new headliner, and 4h gen seats.

I like cars that look fairly stock on the outsides. A decent hood and rims really set our cars off IMO. My car is in OK shape for a 2000$ 88 SC but it really looked like crap with the stock grey 15'' wheels. Slap on some TT IIs and it looks like a different car.

The CB attenna has to go. It looks to "rednecky" as tim likes to call it. I say keep a 3rd gen clean, throw some gfx and a small cowl and paint it. thats all it needs.

 

I think that what catches my eye is the stance of the car. I don't like the nose up back down look. Lowered a bit with the rear just a little higher than the front, thats what I like.

 

Like these.

 

I like the rims on his car. Does anyone else think that style would look good on mine?

 

The rims on my car are the stock '88-'90 IROC rims. In your situation I would consider going with aftermarket. My car has the clean 'sleeper' approach right now. Looks clean and stock on the outside. But, open the hood and holy ****

For your car you should seriously consider some aftermarket rims ... instead of the stockers like I have. Stock rims wouldn't fit the theme of your car. You already have a non-stock paintjob.

Tim

 

You're a guy (I think!) Have you ever had a lady try on some new item of clothing and say "How does this look on me?" Well, I'm about as out of my league with choosing a wheel/tire combo as most guys are at answering that question!

I was looking at www.icwracing.com and there's so many to choose from! I need some opinions from folks who know these cars and know what looks good on them... with links or pics please... so I can narrow down what to choose from. I really appreciate the input!

 

You want to choose something that ...

- never goes out-of-style
- isn't too flashy or importy
- is classic but still cutting edge

Good choices are ...
The Ronal thirdgen rims
The 5 spoke 17" satin 4thgen rims

Something along those lines would look great. But, this is really a matter of opinion. Look around on the internet, find some pictures, and then post links to those pics. We'll tell ya whether they are good or not

Tim

 

torque thrust IIs from American Racing are the way to go.

They have been around FOREVER and still look good

 

Torque thrust II's are on my shortlist as well (no. 1 being GTA rims) but over here TT II's are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

Wow, I made an inquiry at icwracing and this was their response:

Were sorry, but if you were looking at the wheels on the ICW Racing website there are no wheels available to fit your '83 Camaro.....all those wheels are made for front wheel drive vehicles or vehicles that require a front wheel drive fitment (high positive offset).....thanks for your inquiry......

This certainly is a learning experience.

Now, I've been looking at the TTII's:

http://www.americanracing.com/wheels...oy,%20polished

Two questions: why go with an offset rim? and what size would you guys recommend? I understand most 3rd gens run 16" rims but how wide?

I remember years ago it was a big deal to have slightly wider tires on the back than on the front, like 8" on the back tires and 7" on the front. What do you guys think?

 

I won't comment much on the offset rims, they're just not for me.
I like the look of my stock 16" rims on my RS. I believe they're 8 inches wide, not totally sure. I'm also starting to appreciate the look of the 17"x9.5" size wheels, for example. The only questions I have about those are: In the real world with potholes, construction zones, etc., how durable are the 17" wheels with the reduced sidewall height that goes along with the increased wheel diameter? And how much more prone to blowout are the tires that go with them for the same reasons? I realize the idea is to avoid the situation, but that's not always possible.
Regarding the different tire sizes, I think that can be done, but I would keep the sizes pretty close, don't much care for the "Big and Little" look on these cars. I personally tend to keep tire sizes the same, especially the more I tend to drive the car, and as my tire choice becomes more expensive, I like being able to rotate them.
I hope I have helped more than confused you, these are merely my opinions and concerns - take them as you will.

 

Draglites will never go out of style...
Especially 16" or 17"

 

I'm not familiar with those... could you post a link to a pic or a site? Thanks!

p.s. Never mind... is this what you're talking about? What size?

http://www.streetrodstuff.com/Products/938/

 

OMG!! I couldn't resist! Too funny!

 

familiar with those... could you post a link to a pic or a site? Thanks! [/QUOTE]

www.weldracing.com/StreetStrip.html [QUOTE]

Here ya go,Yes those are it and here is the home.
To people who (don't) know they look like a old chrome modular.

To people who know anything they know what they are about.

But also if you car is not fast or not going to be fast then I would not put them on.

 

Thanks for the link!

How fast is fast? My car's got a new crate 350 in it. Edelbrock Performer Intake, Edelbrock 4 bbl, headers, 5-speed manual trans, straight pipes. It runs like a dream and it will get up and GO!

I've considered GFX, a fancy hood and spoiler, but there's something I keep coming back to with this car... and that's the simplicity and beauty of the clean lines. No fancy frills. Folks who have ridden in it have been very impressed with how it handles, too. But that's not something that people will notice at a car show!

 

In my opinion I hate to see a 15 second car with them on! Sound like you have a decent combo.
Meaning I would not like them to become like a harley has become.

Also in my opinion I love simple straight cars,I would trade my GTA body for an equally clean formula anyday because I love the simple clean. Even though my car looks clean to everybody,I see everything that nobody does.

 

My 89 Iroc is bone stock as far as performance. Interior and exterior are 99% bone stock, but have been restored...actually I'm not 100% done, still need a few nickel and dime things! I can't park it in a public spot without someone saying how nice it is. I can't tell you how many people tell me that it's nice to see a stock looking car. Some of the guys here truly have gone the distance and created modified cars of beauty. CustomX, Okfoz, Redraif, ...the list is too long to get all of you! Unfortunately, I think too many people rush out to buy the new "in" parts. It's almost gone full circle. The stock looking cars are now the unique cars, and the thousands of cars that have all been "modified", now are just another car with wheels and tires.

And on a side note. I think Tim's car may be my favorite. Stock/sleeper look, with all the go. The only thing I'd do differently is to leave the long tube TPI set-up. I know it doesn't flow that well, but to me it's part of the car that is essential to it's personality.

...trust me, that's a compliment.

 

I forgot to make my point

The point is, that modified is good, and so is stock, but you gotta do what YOU like. Okfoz's interior...D A M N. CustomX...same thing. No one can acuse them of jumping on the bandwagon....although I think they may be driving the 4th gen console bandwagon. They are trendsetters. What's that they say about the ultimate form of flatery? If you see something you like, do it, but don't do it because it's the in thing to do. Follow your gut. If you like the CB...leave it. Ok, don't leave the CB, that's gotta go(J/K), but other than that do what you like!!!

...and also, no naked lady sihouette antennas, and no chrome fenders. There's a 91 Z in town with all that!!!

 

John,

Man...I'm sorry, I thought you had the 4th gen console. I guess I was wrong...but you still deserve credit for that interior.

 

that is the amazing thing about john's interior, it indeed looks like something that should have been offered for 1987.