I previously owned an 84 Z28 that was pretty beat up. It ran okay I suppose and would still move pretty good w/the tranny would catch. LOL

Well I eventually traded that car for an econo car and while I still love my car, I want another camaro.

Down the street from me a guy is selling a 3rd gen Z28 with a manual transmission for $1500. Says it runs firm. Theres some rust here and there, being an ohio car, thats understandable. I have really wanted to rebuild a car and this seems like a good oppurtunity. So I have some questions.

My friend has a 95Z28. If I were to get this 3rd gen, rebuild the engine with upgraded parts, what kinda of power can I expect and would it compare to his 95 its terms of HP/TORQUE.

I dont know ALOT about engines, but I know enough to get started. Like how they work, what the parts are and how the operate together. I know about what the cams do, cranks, rod, pistons and etc. I have never done this kind of thing before but I want to try. The really hard stuff would need to be done by a shop if I have it done. Does the engine really need to be blueprinted and etc or is that just a nice of getting a few extra HP out of it?

Also would it be worth it rebuild the 305 or just find a 350 and redo it? I dont want to buy a crate motor, cause I want the experience.

K thanks for listening.

 

Thats the mind-set i had when buying my last two cars. i wanted somethign that needed some work so i could learn, but nothing that wasnt going to be driveable for 5 years. My advice.. and its just that, advice, is to get something that runs well and isnt constantly breaking down, and as it needs repairs, then do it. if the engine gives out down the road, worry about replacing it then. The problem you run into when doing something like i did, or you want to do, is that at first you dont notice all the problems that need to be addressed. and when your looking at cars you might be interested in(like the one down the street), you see little thigns that are wrong.. ie the doors sag, the tranny slips a bit, theres some electrical problems, the radio half works, there's some mystery leak.. on and on. after you buy the car, you (this is all what happened to me) realize that yea, it is fun fixing it and learning, but at the same time you get frustrated because it seems all your work is in vain. Now, this is the case, unless you are one of those people who just likes to rebuild cars and doesnt care to enjoy driving them that much. To answer your other question, your goign to be very hardpressed to have it come close to the 95.. your not starting off with a good platform, and your at more of a disadvantage because you have alot of work to do just to catch up and have a reliable car.. **you cannot have lots of hp and expect to drive it unless the car is mechanically stable** i know this, trust me so.. with that in mind, i strongly suggest you save up a little bit and, which would help you out more, buy a little newer one with a better engine(350 which started in 87) and one that you can depend on to get you down the road in back. just my 2c

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• 83 Z28-- not a pretty site to look at, 200k miles and im sure it was treated like a rental car every day of its sad life(before i got it).. sold, thank the lord
• 74 Z28-- 383/400, green on black. pretty clean. FOR SALE!!!

 

Thanks very much for the advice. I was pretty sure it would take ALOT to get the power levels of the 95. I really that car but being as how Im already in a car loan I Dont wanna go buy one.

Which is my other thing. I already have a daily driver civic (yes I like imports too). Its a 97 with 60k on it and I'll have it for a long time so I dont really need to worry about how reliable the 3rd gen is off the bat.

As far as you saying to start with a newer more reliable 3rd gen, possibly. I would like the 350 which is obvioulsy gonna have more power and be easier to get more power out of. But money is an issue. So do I get the older car for cheaper and possibly have to put more into it, or get a newer one and have to do less.

Well for me I think it would be to get the older one, since the whole reason is to learn some stuff, rebuild the car and engine, and just have fun. If I just went out and bought one to my liking, Im sure it would be a blast to drive and tinker with when things went wrong, but it wouldnt be as cool as rebuilding one I think.

So I guess I just answered my question and I will probably get this one. I will at least take your advice and go test it out to see if I can notice and slips in the tranny, electrical problems and etc.

Thanks for the reply.

 

Yea test the car out and see what you think.
Chevys/Pontiacs are very reliable if taken care of properly. The engine in my truck had over 300,000 miles on it when I pulled it and it still ran strong, in its life it only had the carb rebuilt 4 times and some gaskets replaced those were the only problems. tells you how reliable chevys are if there mantained. You probably will not like the power compared to your friends car unless you slap a 350 in it. I would recomend since money is a factor purchasing a car that only needs body/interior work or engine/transmition work not all of the above. It will make life easyer if you only need to fix 1 thing right off the bat.
GL
SSC