Hey guys and gals! I'm new to the Camaro world and these forums, so allow me to introduce myself if I may. I am 16 years old, live in Thousand Oaks, CA and recently bought an '84 Camaro 5 speed 2.8L RS (or so I believe, emblem has been removed from the rear bumper). I was actually ripped off buying the car, long story but it could be a lot worse (PM me if you are curious about the whole story, I'd be happy to explain). I bought the car on 1/20/11 for $1400 and am about $2200 into it sofar. It failed smog right after I bought it (thought it was smogged but found out the previous owner stole the registration sticker, made a fake registration card and smog certificate) but as I said could be a lot worse. At least the car wasn't stolen. I have replaced the following- catalytic converter, all the vacuum lines, distributor cap, ignition module, rear main seal, fixed exhaust leak, tested compression, rebuilt carb, replaced radiator hoses and some interior and exterior parts. The carb cruise adjustment screw is seized, so I need a new carb for it. I have a used one en route to me from a guy on craigslist in Arizona (thank you Google) that I bought for $50 bucks shipped, also including a new air cleaner assembly, decellerator valve (which I was also missing) and a brand new AC Delco heat insulator gasket. Not to shabby for 50 bucks eh?! Also put new tires, brake pads, calipers and got the rotors resurfaced. Needs a dent pulled from the driver side front fender, new front and rear bumpers (they are kind of screwed up), door lock cylinders, hatch and hood lifters, radio, headliner (t-tops style) and I think that'll do it for now. Also if someone could tell me how to get the overhead interior light to turn on, that would be awesome... I can't find a switch to save my life...

So I think that's it for now, thanks everyone for accepting me into your community!

Here is a pic of the beast:

 

welcome to the forum
and nice car u got there

valentin

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

 

Damn, Thats alot of little issues you got there.Looks great on the outside though.

ls the DMV going after the PO for falsifying the paperwork?

Check out www.sc3g.org for local events & other stuff.

Welcome to TGO btw.

 

Good looking car there - and T-tops to boot. Nice to see another one resurrected and saved from the crusher. Maybe down the road you could consider swapping a fuel-injected motor into it. I had lots of problems with my carb'd '84 and got a TPI system - never looked back.

 

Hey guys,

@84 1LE- Yeah, it's not pretty but it looks like it is... I don't think they will, I haven't reported him but I think his name and address were false anyways, so there's not much I can do.

@Mr.84TransAmer- Yup, I'm glad I got my hands on one. Until I started driving this thing, I never saw one around town, now I've seen at least 8 of them. Maybe I am an inspiration? Who knows... TPI does sound promising, I may just go that route if this f----- doesn't pass smog after the new carb goes in (which should be here tomorrow)... What was the total cost for the conversion?

@Everyone- here are some recent (today) pics of it











Doesn't look as pretty in high res, now does it?

 

A couple more...

 

Kudos to the work you've done. You're pretty savvy for a 16 year old... much more advanced than I was. Keep working on it and have fun.

 

Hey bro welcome to the site. Looks good still no matter what u say everybody starts in a similar situation but whats nice is that its a decent project car u will eventually make it look better as time passes. I go by Tony by the way. I dont think u mentioned ur name did u?

 

You could probably switch over to TPI for under 2 grand if you can find a decent motor. I might have a V8 with Tuned Port Injection system available. Along with that you'd need an engine harness and all the odds & ends that go with it.

 

I dig your enthusiasm.

Good work so far. Even if it doensn't make the most financial sense, you're really learning a lot throughout this process. I'll bet that, many years from now, you'll have fond memories of this car.

 

Hey everyone! Sorry for the slow follow-up here...

@90firebird- Thank you!

@LBRS- Thanks! My name's Ian if I forgot to mention, sorry!

@Mr.84TransAmer- Unfortunately $2000 is a bit out of my price range at this time, I might be moving to Oregon this summer, so it will be a lot easier to pass smog, hopefully. I'd love to throw a V8 in it, I'm assuming you have a 305 right?

@roc-e- Thanks! I know it won't make financial sense, especially to my girlfriend This is a huge learning curve for me, I've done a few big projects before, but nothing nearly as big as this without my dad's help, so it should be interesting... Let's hope I have fond memories...