Yup, my '89 GTA is the same way

 

Car looks great!!

 

Have started some of the under carriage clean up. As I said before I do believe that the previous owner lived on a gravel road, since the underside is rather dirty.



Would LOVE to find a NOS set of GM bumpstops with the funny orange/red color like you see here . . sadly these are all dried out and crumbling. I've found the cream white ones and black take offs, but not these. Also its pretty neat to still find the original tags and markings on the springs and axle assembly.



Bringing the axle and sway bar back to "bare" steel is going to be a long road . . .









First layers of filth washed off . . coming out pretty good! Original muffler cleaned up really nice.



Our vicious guard dog "Bowtie" guarding the Camaro . . he loves to hang outside with us.



Not the most "comfortable" working environment, but you have to make do . . .



The original tail pipe and tip needed some more love . .



Interesting that at the tip it looks like a layer of metal has eroded away.



A weird "glob" was melted on the PS tail pipe. Thankfully it eventually came off with a bunch of persuasion.



This is just the beginning of clean up, I plan to address more of the rust on the exhaust (maybe Charlie will do if for me?) as well as the axle . . but one must take small steps.

 

Haha! We'll have an exhaust restoration party! Where are the Scotch Brite pads and laquer thinner?

 

Evaporust

https://www.evaporust.com/evapo-rust...5XKRoCSOPw_wcB

 

Was neat to pull the brakes apart this weekend and find what I assume are OEM pads . . . funky with the dusting of blue paint across the back of the pad before the metal backing plate was installed, and all the GM lettering is legible after I cleaned off the brake dust build up.





Wound up taking the front sway bar off, since the end link bushings were badly cracked, and a couple were missing . . . oddly in my impatience did not take any photos . . . interesting that the front bushes are blue poly, the metal washers were plain steel but the tube was yellow . . . The sway bar bushings were also badly distorted but was lucky to secure a replacement pair on eBay. The body mounts were bare steel, so going to give them a soak in Iron-X and see what the results are . .

 

Completed the sway bar bushing clean up and replacement. The Iron X did a fantastic job soaking over night and removed every spec of rust from the brackets . . they looked AMAZING coming out of the fluid . . but, as soon as air and or water (required to rinse) touched them they flash rusted . . .





I cleaned the end link washers, bolts and sleeve at the same time . . . in the above picture the four cleaner washers have been rubbed down with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I then gave everything a quick coat of clear . .



The sleeves were yellow from the factory, so those got a fresh coat of paint.



The factory F41 bushings were blue poly, the best match I've acquired so far are from Mevotech.



Here are all of the finished parts before install.





Was super happy to secure original GM replacement F41 sway bar bushings from eBay.





Factory decal remains on the sway bar . .



And the end result . . . pretty happy with the finished look . . . but am still on the hunt for better colored endlink bushings . . looks like MOOG might have something.

 

Our factory air cleaner is in super nice shape, not a spec of rust on it . . but there are a couple of careless mechanic nics and scratches on it . . . not enough damage to attempt fixing but did send me on a journey to see if I could restore an old air box . . This is what I started with:



And the end result! . . Time to move onto the body section of it.

 

I use moog blue bushings on my 91-2 cars. They are Not poly but close and seem to last longer.

 

Back to the weatherstripping...Did you glob up the sealant under the bar like it was from the factory? many people think the globbing was from a sloppy repair. It wasn't. You need to glob it where the screw holes are in the front and rear. Also, you need some windshield rope caulk to seal the stripping where the roof meets the A pillar to bridge that gap. Lastly, the windshield rope caulk is great for filling in the gap at the front and rear of the ttop bar. If these areas are not sealed properly, water WILL get in and damage the car.

Also, now that you're spending so much time detailing every nook and cranny, take that car out and drive it when it might look like rain!!! I hear from people all the time that my car never comes out if there are clouds in the sky. The reason for that is the amount of time in detailing to this level, is erased in five minutes of rain driving. Welcome to the cloudless day driving club.

 

In regards to driving it in the rain (with ALL the undercarriage detailing done) when I was working for PONTIAC, using a high pressure hose did do a pretty good job of simulating what path the water would take when driving at high speed. You just can't take a water hose and let the water gently flow out. And LAST but NOT least, there are those of us (****) who will never take the car out IF there is the slightest chance of rain. Wiping a cars finish off is one thing, but the damage some road dirt or mud would do to the undercarriage would take weeks to redo and ANY untreated raw metal would develop surface rust in a minute!

 

That 5 minutes will take 2 weeks to clean up. I get annoyed when people say: "What's the matter, afraid your car is going to melt?"

 

There is definitely a place for 'sunny day' cars, preserved originals. It takes hours to detail at this level. My car cannot be preserved but will have to be restored. These photos of clean low mile help make for accurate restorations which is where I will be. Detail on gentlemen!

 

My wife asked Scott Settlemire, years ago, why GM manufactures cars that can't get wet. She just doesn't understand!!!

 

Ahh the melting car syndrome . . . LOL . . know the feeling all too well, BUT thankfully my wife is more of a Camaro nut than I am so she encourages my behaviors . . LOL

Scott, yes I have a lot more work to do in regards to the t-top weather stripping, most important step to me right not is getting all the parts to fit back together . . sealing it is in the future.

A baby repair done . . the plastic film on the heat riser tube was de-laminating . . a little RTV and good as new . .

 

This sickness. It must. Continue. (in my best William Shatner voice)

 

My 92 rs doesnt have gm on the t top bag either. Original bag.

 

This past weekend finished up the under carriage clean up.

Here's the PS front rocker, along with the bent metal work from a careless mechanic lifting the car.



Below, I have most of the metal bent back into shape, only thing I am not 100% sure on is the sharp hump that I have left . . . metal might have stretched . .



The finished results . . The ONLY paint work done was some brush touch up on any raw metal, this is not re-sprayed . . . it turned out that clean!

 

Really neat to find the OEM fuel filter, I do need to re secure the decal though!

 

Some before pics of the underside:







And the end results of the work . . still have some details I want to address, but for the first go around pretty happy. I know the day I hit a puddle I am going to cry crocodile tears!



Again, nothing got spray painted . . . only painting I did was some brush touch ups on some scarred edges.







There are still some under carriage issues I want to address but time is escaping me for this years show season, so tackle them as time allows. The waxy under coat on the K-Member needs some detailing.



Full detail on the brake calipers and rotors . . . the dust cap rust cleaned off with Iron-X, and I clear coated . . . the rotor was touched up with POR15 manifold grey . . . calipers done up with Dupli-color matte black & silver.

 

That is the newer oilpan, you should have powdered metal rods and lightweight LT1 type pistons in there.

 

Just great reading to see this transformation. One thing you might want to replace are the exhaust clamps around the cat converter or muffler system. Putting some high temp clear on a new set will really look better than the original rusty factory units. I don't think that they would have had any special markings either.

 

Sorry been amiss on updates . . . wound up messing up my Achielles a few weeks ago, waiting for Dr. update tomorrow, so being hobbled really stops the progress . .

Throw in leaving for nearly a week for our annual trip to Georgia, and being abandoned by a friend who I thought would help me through to get this car ready for Camaro Nationals . .

Still waiting for the last parts to be delivered . . which hopefully will be here by 6/7/16.

I had the deteriorating headliner recovered by Riggs Brothers in Villa Park, they did OK, but the end result is not usable IMHO . . so if ANYONE has a lead for a top notch upholstery company in the metro Chicagoland area please let me know.

My fingers a toes are crossed that the unit I bought from Stock Interiors is acceptable. I think I will find out on Saturday . .

Hopefully going slow I can get a little something done this weekend.

Cheers!

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Andy. Get better soon. I'm still looking for an upholsterer I can be happy with, too. What else is left to do on the car?

 

Thanks Charlie . . . been diagnosed with Achilles Tendonitis . . . just have to take things easy and do my physical therapy to make it better . . . buh . .

The headliner arrived on Saturday, the rest of the parts today.



Sadly the original headliner was badly deteriorated from age, smoking and leaky t-tops . . . I have not given up hope trying to save the original, just trying to make do . . This unit is from StockInteriors.com and fairly nicely made. For a simple replacement used in a car to enjoy it is fine, for a OEM restoration, not so much, but for now it will do.



This is the only progress pic that we got, but as you can see the fabric is cut WAY to close to the edge and the rough edges will be visible with the t-tops off. The ABS base does not have the same thickness as the stock headliner, so the wrapped edges turn out a bit "crisp" in lieu of soft folds. Scariest part is cutting all the holes in it.

Remaining task list to complete before going to Nationals has been shortened due to my injury . . but I need to get the rear wheels and tires up from the basement and re-installed, the intake manifold paint touched up and the full front end of the car reinstalled . . . I sure hope I can get er done!

 

Was able to take care of painting the intake manifold yesterday. With the nicer temperatures and my ankle not feeling too bad.

Before:



Was able to get rid of the nasty rusty universal replacement water pump and secure a very nice used unit from a member here on TGO.



Also got my hands on the OEM spring clamps for the upper and lower radiator hoses. Replaced a few hoses with new AC-Delco pre bent units I found from RockAuto.

Still need to re-install some of the wire harness and vacuum lines . . some final details to address and hopefully call the engine done for its first major show in a few weeks time.

 

You sir, are my hero. I was this **** with detailing my 92 GTA when I bought her but after only a year of ownership, I lost my job and had to start daily driving her. Been all down hill since then

Amazing how much surface rust there was on parts underneath for such low mileage, but wow, the rest looks great!

Your car is absolutely freakin gorgeous and you have my sincere admiration for your dedication and attention to detail! I am subscribing to this thread because I'll tell you what, the amount if inspiration I have felt reading it is incalculable!

Alex

 

For sure! Watching Andy's thread makes you want to up your game!

 

Small correction on your end links - the factory originals were a gold cadmium plating, and the bushings were the correct blue Poly - Jegs has the best price on these complete Moog K6630 assembly @ $9.87 each. Jegs part number is 719-K6630.

 

On the headliner, I have one of those that I got from Hawks almost 15 yrs ago. It looks like yours. (probably the same supplier) The foam on mine was the same as the factory thickness, which is thin. The sharper edge of the abs changes the way it rolls over the edge and makes it look wrong. Also, on the cuts around the curves for the ttops, the factory headliners used a colored material to lay over the back side of those curved areas that were cut short. It wasn't headliner material but strips of colored cloth, wish I would have saved that area for proper duplication in the future.

 

I got my ABS mousefur covered from Rockauto for $118 bucks plus shipping.
The domelight hole/sunvisor holes were precut in the plastic as well as the
slits for the shoulder belts and retractor covers.
I had to cut out the mousfur covering the holes (using a X cut and taping
back the excess material). Simple enough tho.
I think Acme made the liner according to the install instructions.




dome light hole cut and finished

 

I wish I could find 100% confirmation on the finish of the endlink metal parts . . from various photos I've found scouring this site and the internet, I'm 100% sure on this:

Front and rear the tube is yellow . .
Front the bushings are blue poly . .

As for the following I am at the mercy of experts to educated me:

Rear bushing color for a F41 equipped car (mine are black rubber and appear 100% stock)
Finish of the metal washers and nut - all pictures I've found are very rusty, including my stock units. I have found NOS replacement bolts and nuts and they appear to be nature grey metal . .

Always appreciate any feedback I can get!

 

Andy, if it helps, I'll get some shots of my two '89s later.

 

Made some slow progress this weekend, getting down to the last days before we are off to Maryland for Camaro Nationals . . . the car is not going to be as done as I would like . .

Finished some little details like putting back the anti-theft system decals that I had paid dearly for . .



Got the original wheels and tires put back on, as well as the side markers all cleaned up and put back in.



Please excuse the dust, hard to keep up on that with the car just sitting there . . LOL. Also changed the oil to full synthetic, and the oil filter is now black to look factory correct . . . sorry forgot pics . .

Also got the interior nearly there . . located some NOS GM seat belt repair kits, that come pre-cut to slip over the belt, and a little reinforcing receiver that goes between the head rest and the cut loop. So the seats are as close to factory correct as I can get them.





This has to be one of the hardest interiors to photopraph, at different angles and lighting the materials change colors and really look like they do not match, but in person it is all the same color!

Back hatch is all back together too.





Headliner turned out OK, but needs perfecting . . that will be a project for another day.

 

Looking great! Where did you have to go for the anti-theft decals? I bought 3 sets just a couple years ago from a GM dealership using the original GM P/N. The first 2 sets I got had tiny scratches in the white, the 3rd set I received was near perfect. I've yet to apply mine though. I think they were only like $10 a pair or something.

Alex

 

I found the anti-theft sticker backing under my original carpet back in the day.

 

Ok raise of hands, who's cleaned the INSIDE of the over flow tank? LOL.

I fabricated a bendable wand to get to the nooks and crannies . .




The grunge in the corners did not photograph all that well, but I can tell.



Need to pick up some more coolant and top up the tank.

 

I have! I've used Simple Green, but someone here mentioned using Liquid Plumber Gel.


OMG, Andy!!! Get a Delco battery for goodness sake!

 

I have heard denture cleaner works very well on the overflow tank

 

Great read, you are doing some solid work here.

"Annual trip to Georgia" - Do you go to the Fbody Gathering on Memorial Day Weekend?

 

LOL, yes Charlie the car needs a battery upgrade, but that is what it came with . . .

Thank you, and yes been going to GA for the F-Body Gathering since 2004.

We brought our 2000 SS Convertible this year.

 

Reached a milestone today. I think I can say the engine bay is back together 99% . . did some touch ups last night and a little detailing to the underside of the hood, the hinges, here and there. I'd love to say it is final, but there is most likely something lurking somewhere in there . . but for now pretty happy to have more parts on the car, than inside the house.

The engine bay when I got the car was in really nice shape, this is what I started with:



Thankfully virtually all the correct parts were there, but the few that were missing certainly provided their challenges to source, but Marco is close to being back to factory stock/original.





Oh, as Charlie reminded me, I do have a "Delco Freedom" battery to go in place of the old DieHard . . .

Hope to get the front bumper assembly back on tonight . .

 

If you could that would be awesome . . . be neat to see what you have for comparison sake . . I did find on eBay someone selling the nut and bolt set parts #10018984 and #15571396:



The color/finish above matches the finish of my hardware once I got the rust off, so not sure if the hardware is suppose to be a grey zinc / galvanized look or the gold cadmium like stated before . . . I am very confident on the yellow painted tube, since I have found a couple pictures of 1992 Camaros finished that way.





But in both of these examples the hardware is fully rusted . . .

I found them on a whim on eBay . . . have never seen this style up for sale since. The base radio cars got the two line "vehicle anti-theft" decal, where the cars with the optional radios got the three line text "vehicle and radio anti-theft" decal.

I'm pretty sure I paid a lot more than $10.00 . . but one will pay stupid money for the correct restoration part.

 

It is looking outstanding!
The only things I see that need a quick fix are, the battery?, hose to heater core(has the flush kit installed), upper rad hose and clamps plus the water pump has the wrong housing.
Interesting that I have never noticed the yellow paint on the sway bar link tubes. (learned my 1st new thing for the day!)

 

I'm sure we have crossed paths many times then. I've had my current car there most years since G8, but spectated a few years before that. Car was in pieces this year, but we have a pretty big group of TGO guys that always come. Who do you usually park with? HO? I'm hoping your Z03 is making the rounds next year? It's looking amazing.

 

Did you consider getting NEW muffler and cat CLAMPS. The ones on the cat still look quite rusty!

 

Polo your engine bay is amazing! After looking at yours mine just looks so dingy and I thought I had it cleaned up pretty good.

 

You got most of the issues in the bay, I replaced:

Upper and Lower Radiator Hoses w/ AC Delco,
Spring Clamps on the Upper and Lower Radiator Hoses,
One Heater Hose to get rid of the flush kit,
Restored a take off H2O pump,
AC Delco Air Cleaner Element,
AC Delco Breather Element,
AC Delco Serpentine Belt,
Painted the front end cover and intake
Lots of cleaning!

Yes need to address the battery . .

I set up at the bottom of the hill, where Chevy and the vendors used to be, my tent(s) are where Scott Settlemire holds court. . . . I remember your car! The LS swap is looking great, bummer that the wiring fought you to get is running in time for the event, but cool that you brought it in!.

I had hoped to address a lot of issues with clamps and what not, but injuring myself slowed down the progress . . will have to move back to that when I'm better. Hoping to be able to remove them and soak them as I did with this clamp:



Thanks!

 

Gotcha, I will have to track you down and hopefully this car next year! Finally got mine started about a week ago, so with almost a year to prep for the next one I should be good by then. I'm about to toss most of the little stuff from my swap so if you think of anything you might need let me know.

 

My black '89 hardtop:



My white '89 convertible: