Hey all, tomorrow im going down to look at a few Camaros I saw an ad for at a dealership. They supposedly have a few 82 Z28s for sale for not much money. I dont know anything about them, as the ad is very unspecific. All I know is their rather cheap, hehe.

Anyways, I dont know alot about Fbodies, so here are my questions.

-What are some common trouble areas in these cars?

-How reliable are the engines? It will be my daily driver/project car, so I need something that will run at least decently to get me work.

-Specifically, what engine does the 82 Z28 have? Im guessing a 350, but im sure they came in many flavours throughout the years.

-What does 700R4 mean? Is that an engine specification? Sorry for the lame question, I've never even owned a chevy

-How large of an aftermarket for these cars? Im not planning to build a drag car, but I want something that sounds good and has power.. im sick of driving 4 bangers

That being said, if I get one, heres my plan for the car:

A 300ish horsepower street machine that looks sharp and is reliable. Something that is easy to work on and very modifiable.

Sorry I cant provide more details about the cars im looking at.. I will look at them tomorrow and then I will know more.

Please help me make an informed decision. I'll be trading my current daily driver, which is a hell of alot more reliable than any used camaro I could get. Call me crazy, but like I said, im tired of economy sedans

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the huge post.

 

the aftermarket for these cars is HUGE. an '82 would have a 305 with either a carb or crossfire injection (read: anemic). 350s didnt come out til '87. Look here for tech info: https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/techdb.shtml

700r4 is a transmission type, also known as a 4L60. it's an automatic with four speeds including overdrive. these are a weakness in the car and somtimes need a rebuild after 100k miles or so.

you'll be hard pressed to get 300hp out of a 305, especially if you can't have it not running while you do work. what i would do is get a 350 and build it up while you drive around with the 305 and then swap the 350 in after it's done, you could potentially do this over a weekend and not have to walk to work hehe.

 

SBC is a pretty reliable motor in general. Just depends on how the car was maintained...

Huge aftermarket...if you want it you can get it for these cars and for cheap.

Train is right unless the motor has been swapped already it has a 305 hopefully with carb and not crossfire fuel injection (yuck)

If you dont need this car to drive everyday you could make it a beast very easily....

you sure the car has a 700r4??? i thought pre 86ish cars came with 200r4s??

 

common problems with the F bodies are cooling systems, usually due to neglect. The early versions of the 700R4 auto and T5 manual are notably weak, but can be great if taken care of and rebuilt right. What part of the country are you in? Is rust an issue? fbodies tend to start rusting out along the rear quarters and lower door sills, also check the a pillars for cancer spots. Other typical problems I've noted is they tend to need some front end work, usually an idler arm and bushings. t-tops like to leak, so check that. As always 90% of the problems with any used car are likely due to neglect and stupidity/laziness on the part of the previous owner. With proper maintenence the SBC is one hell of durable motor, and the 60* v6 is damn good too!

IIRC though, the 82's did not come with 700R4 I think they came with the 200C which IMO is a slushbox and I think they had the Muncie 4spd rather than the T5...I think its 83 or 84 when you start seeing T5 and 700R4 trannies.

Almost forgot, another bad place for rust is the battery shelf!

 

That's what I thought, well maybe at least '84 and earlier.

Anways, what are your goals with this car, speed or styling?

If you want speed off the bat and no motor swap don't get the '82, 350s weren't available till '87.

305/5spd comb TPI induction were quick cars too. If I had to do over again, I wouldn't have bought a 305 car, unless I planned on swapping motors, I'm all about speed.

Take your time and don't rush into it, the car you want will be out there.

Just reread your post, doh. If you want 300ish HP, plan on getting a 350 into that car, it can be done with a 305, but will be so much easier with a 350.

 

Hey all, thanks for the replies.

"you sure the car has a 700r4??? i thought pre 86ish cars came with 200r4s?? "

Thats what the ad said. Like I mentioned before, I dont know alot about Camaros, but I trust you guys over some crummy dealership.

I still have yet to look at them, because I cant get ahold of the dealership at their number. I would just drive down there, but im unsure of where it is.

Besides, if they are autos, I think I will just look further, because I had my heart set on a 5 speed. Maybe I will look at them anyways. Whats the word on doing a 5 speed conversion?

Oh, I live in Oklahoma, so rust is a moderate problem on most older cars.

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

well the 5 speed conversion is pretty much a bolt in process..but as I said earlier if you are generating any kind of serious hp/torque numbers the stock B-W T5 is kinda weak, they can be built to handle it, but at that point you may as well go with a 4th gen T-56 or a Tremec. A little more work, and quite a bit more money.

Like Mark said, What is your initial goal? Performance? Reliability? If this is a gonna be your daily driver you need to consider that...even the V6 cars can be a blast to drive, just ask the guys on the V6 board Almost all the 3rd gens are pretty reliable when taken car of, some of the motor/tranny combos were just a little on the gutless side from the factory.

As far as being a future project car, you can do so much with these cars in terms of power trains and suspension, its pretty much a question of how deep are your pockets

 

My main goals are reasonable performance, and style.

I dont race, nor do I plan on it, I just like these cars for their styling, and I want that extra oomph to pass cars on I-235. Hehe.

 

well if racing isnt your thing a tuned up mildly modded 305 can pull respectable numbers and be very reliable. Style, now is all a personal thing but you got a jump on it by buying a Camaro in the first place

 

Your price range is gonna play a big role in this too prolly.

If I were you, I'd find a 305 TPI/5spd combo with G92 option, these cars can run mid-highish 14s, and should have the pep you're lookin for.

 

The pre 84 1/2 700R4's were the weakest of the 700's and ues a different converter than the later ones (different splines).
If the 82 is a Z28 then it should have the oh-so-powerful 165hp 305 carbed engine, or the slightly rarer cross fire injected engine (ick)

 

Camaro's never came with the th-200r4 transmission, never, ever!! Only the th200c and the th-700r4.

 

Okay, heres the skinny.

I got ahold of the dealership, and it turns out they dont have any 3rd gen camaros, BUT, they do have an 84 Firebird, with a 305 auto.

What are the differences between the pontiac motor and the chevy motor? What transmission code is the 84 firebird?

They say it has 120k miles, rebuilt motor, fresh tranny, and new paint. Hopefully I get to go see it today. If I like it, I may settle with an automatic, and start saving like crazy for a 5 speed swap.

 

"If the 82 is a Z28 then it should have the oh-so-powerful 165hp 305 carbed engine"

Thats 30 more horespower than my dodge stratus, and looks a hell of a lot better, so it works for me

 

84 chicken with an auto? My guess, that is if it is close to stock form is an LG4 (305, 4bbl carb, bout 160ish HP) and the early 700R4 4spd auto.

There is no difference between camaros and firebirds as far as engine blocks, they both use SBC's. POntiac stopped using their own V8 in the fbodies in 81, 3rd gens all got chevys for V8

the only problem that seems to crop up in the firebirds that the camaros dont have is those pop-up headlight motors keep breaking

if you stick with the 305, you should be able to get a rebuilt T5 to put behind it that will be reliable and not overly expensive

 

There was no "Pontiac" engine in that year, all the F body's got the Chevy engines (V8's that is) The transmission will be a 700R4, but I don't know which (>'84 1/2 or< '84 1/2)

 

Ah.. thanks..

sorry if my questions are idiotic, their coming from a Ford/Dodge guy

 

Well, I told the guy about my car, and he said he was interested in trading, so im about to go clean my car up to make it more presentable, and head down there to check it our for myself.

I'll let you know, and thanks again for the input. :hail:

 

That bird will have the LG4 motor, possibly the worst V8 in a 3rd GEn, and expect low low 16s stock.

 

Like I said before, performance isnt my main concern. If running as slow as a 4 banger irks me enough, i'll dump some money into a new motor or mods for my current motor.

Anyways, im really headed out there now. Hehe.

 

The mods in sig sure woke up my little "LG4 motor, possibly the worst V8 in a 3rd GEn". Not many NA 4-bangers that keep up with it...

 

You have to admit, in stock form just horrible, "not many NA 4 bangers can keep up", for G0D sakes I would hope not.


those are some good times you got there, what gears are in the car??

 

And as many of us have caught on, most of that weork could be considered "bolt-on", in that the bottom end would never have to be touched if it were in good condition, so the engine would remain in the car for the entire process (except for the oil pump & baffles, which I presume wasn't an elective thing).

Through that, it is easy to see the potential of some well-thought-out weekend projects on an otherwise "lame" 305 LG4 package. Incidentally, that "lame" LG4 would put many 305TPIs and 350TPIs to shame, mine included.

 

I wouldnt' go as far as saying many 350 TPIs now.

then again, if you mean by hanging with them, then yeah. But still, I would never buy a 305 car now that I've learned some about these cars.

Unless, I planned to swap it out, that way you at least have the car already setup for a V8.

 

Okay, heres the news.

Its white, with brand new paint, cowl induction hood. No rust that I could find on the car, but some shoddy work on the paint under the doors. The interior was OK, it could use a new dash panel, and the floors/seats need to be scrubbed thuroughly, but other than that its functional.

Turns out the car has a newly built 350 with a 350 turbo trans.. muahaha. It sounds MEAN, and it only has stock pipes.

I defenetly want this car. The guy looked over my car and may want my car + 500. I dont have 500 on me so it all depends on if I can finance the rest or not, so i'll let you know.

 

Oh, and no idea what fuel delivery system, though. I forgot to check

Oh yes, and one last thing.. the guy never mentioned it, but by listening to it, theres no way in hell the cam can be stock.

 

I-235? Are you from Iowa? If so, it's great to see another Iowan on the boards. Good luck with the car. The 350 should give you plenty of oomph.

 

Nope, Oklahoma City.. sorry

 

you may want to check the casting number on the block to make sure it's really a 350 and not a 305. I believe it's stamped on the back by where the bellhousing bolts on. post it here and someone can tell you what it is. or it could be easy and will say '5.7L' like mine does. check it over REALLY well because acquiring someone else's project can sometimes be a nightmare if they didnt' know what they were doing. make sure you drive it around and really get on it, listen for noises and such. let it idle for 15min to make sure it doesn't start to overheat on you. does it have posi? if not then all that power is just gonna go to waste when you can't hook up. but other than that great find!

oh and also try to get any information on the mods done to the engine so you know what's in there, like cam, heads, etc. maybe the dealer will give you the number of the previous owner?

 

Yup, like he said, don't buy it thinking you have a 350 until you get the casting #s. You believe how many times that trick has been pulled..

Again, check the #s.

 

just go for it , and enjoy you only live once ps save some money for lots of petrol ,oh and a set of new tyres(ur bound to fry the rears!) or maybe that was just me