Navy has decided to send me back to the pacific northwest and I figure with the start of a new tour I need a new toy. I've always wanted a 3rd gen camaro and figure why not now? So the search starts... With any project phase 1 is always research so I've started looking around this website and forming a plan. I know what should be fixed first (ie fix whats broke/worn to get it back to stock then subframe connectors suspension brakes) only 2 questions left for crowd. First is do these cars have any known failure items that should be looked for prior to buying the car? best example I can come up with is E36 BMWs are known to develop stress cracks around where the subframe connects to the body. Anything like this on these camaros? This like any other car purchase will be met with the typical digging threw it looking for "mods gone wrong" evidence of an any structural repairs panel repaints bondo work etc... 2 It seems that the year/options i'm looking for are hard to find together. Any advice on where to look for a t-top TPI V-8 with a manual in a 91 or 92 (92 prefered) camaro? color Z28 or RS isn't too important but the basic options are. Thanks for all the help and wealth of information amassed here.

Welcome to the PNW!

There isn't anything that really goes wrong with Thirdgens like cracking. If you want check to make sure there aren't cracks around the steering box, however I have never seen that personally happen. Turn on the heater and check for a coolant puddle on the floor and check to see if the heater core has been bypassed as they are a pain to replace, but not very expensive to replace yourself. Also, the rear hatch pulldown motors are known it break. Just pop the hatch and see if the motor goes up and down. They aren't super cheap normally (rebuilt unit is 399), but they are available. The better the shape the center console is in the better for you, those parts can be harder to find in good shape.

T-Top, TPI, Manual in 91/92 is only a Z28 (basically, there are the B4C Police Cars what had TPI in a RS, but t-tops would be extremely uncommon). Reason it is rare is because the 350 couldn't get t-tops in 90-92 or a 5-speed (ever), so it had to be a 305 optioned with the 5 speed and t-tops (both are options).

Yeah I'm slowly finding out the little pieces to these cars. I just found the article on the T-5 tranny tonight. Seems odd to me in practice the T-5 has only given me issue twice once was a busted shift linkage and caused by a poor driver trying to slam gears. The other was in an abused fox body mustang and it lost its syncros. The 700R4 has given me more reasons to distrust it then the T-5. Maybe its just stock 700R4s in truck applications. Do the T-tops weaken the car that much?

The T-top issue was a weight thing. They do weaken the car and they aren't inherintly strong bodies anyway. The hard tops develop cracks where the roof line meets the B pilars in the door frame. Though that is bad design by GM because it is a 90 degree angle. Anyway, the T-5s are generally weak transmissions compared to what the 700R4 can be. However, I prefer the T-5 by FAR to a 700R4. T-56 swaps aren't that expensive.

Everyone has said the 700R4 can be a good transmission no one has shown me a good one yet. Either way I think I'll just put a T-56 tranny on my junk yard crawl list. I'd feel alittle weird having a sports car with only 2 pedals. Besides the 93 thru 96 4th gen Camaros seem to going cheaper then the 3rd gens on craigslist ayway.

Good luck finding a T56 in a junk yard All I have seen they want way too much for.

You need to find the right builder for a 700R4. The PNW had a guy, Ellis Groo, who builds 700/4L60s that back 800+ HP cars. However, I totally agree with you on the automatic vs manual debate, it's just too bad that with Thirdgens the clear winner in reliability and strength is the 700R4.

Find a rust free car!!!!! Man, if you don't have to start the build battling a bunch of rotted out sheet metal and structure you'll be many hours and $$$$$ ahead!!!!! When I'm done with my '82 I want to build another one done up as a removable hardtop car (ala old Vettes style)-----I'm going to go to searching for it around Tucson and Pheonix and other dry climates!!!! I got really lucky on the one I have now, no serious rust issues. Having to fix up some kind of rust monster is guaranteed to put you in a situation that you'll never get your money back out of the project!!!!! I've seen a lot of guys also who become terribly disillusioned and give up on a project because they saved a lot of $$$$$ on the buy and settled for a rusted car..... Starting with a good clean solid rust free car will put you 6 months and thousands of dollars in parts and labor ahead!!!!!

Used car parts aren't normally a problem. Where ever theres cars theres people who beat em down and sell em cheap. Some times its easier to find an abused ride for parts then it is to find a wrecking yard donor. I think a 4th gen parts car could be nice. Give me a LT1 motor to build up and a transmission to boot. Sell the rest off on CG what ever doesn't sell i'll drag to the wrecking yard. Would sell it here but I'm sure I saw a note saying only 3rd gen stuff here. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Agreed on the rust bucket. I hate dealing with rot. From the time I spent up there in the PNW before (2000 to 2004) the cars seemed relatively rot free for the most part. A few rust buckets but over all less care was required to keep them rust free. Alot of rain but not alot of salt or road way deicing chemicals. Now in Maine you can't keep the body on a car. 4 or 5 years and its rusted threw. Motors all over the place but nothing in the way of bodys.

I agree that finding rust free cars in WA is rather easy. Since we don't salt the roads we just don't have the horrible body rot issues that the East does. Of all my cars only one has rust issues and that is an 82 that appears of sat in the weather a lot unprotected.

As far as selling 4th gen parts here, if it fits on a Thirdgem you can sell it. There are lots of parts that do so I would suggest an Ad that says I have this that fits, if you are interested in another other parts let me know type thing. But you won't find too many buyers of 4th gen parts here anyway.

True about the abused rides. I watch Craigslist for deals but very rarely do they come up with a T-56. The LT1 isn't a plus for me, if I going to build something besides a Gen I SBC it would be a LS series. For the general trouble they are to put into a Thirdgen I don't find them worth it I would like a good set of seats from a 4th gen, though...

Well being as that I've never built an on-road car there are things that are going to be different. Off road rig building does have me in the mind set of "what can this become" mind set. Which a healthy imagination helps reguardless of what your building. I never said I wanted a LT1 I merely implied that a never rebuilt SBC isn't a bad thing to have laying around. I learned the hard way that if you can't drive your project your more likely to loose intrest. If I can sell the top end of the motor / wiring to pay for upgrades for my car or even get an all things considered cheap upgrade to the car I'm building I'm ok with doing the work. If I was taking cars apart for a cash profit I would feel bad. I feel bad cutting up a car or throwing away perfectly usable parts. However helping other people avoid wrecking yard prices for the random odds and ends of a car I don't mind at all. The greatest thing about car lovers is that as long as you don't bring up who's car is faster you generally have an easy going creative and helpful crowd. I agree with your LS comment. If your going to spend the time and money doing a major upgrade go all out. Top of the line or put your money away. My plan is for a 3rd gen "toy" with a 5th gen SS safely hidden in the garage away from all the dangers of the world that would make me cry if they got a hold of my SS. Well that and when I was a 16 year old kid dreaming about his first car I found a 88 Camaro within my price range. Then my father stated that he didn't want me to have a V8