I just got the z28 today, im tryin to get pics but no digital cam, lemme try to list some problems

interior:
no radio or headunit
no speakers
seats are kinda broken
clutch is loose and jiggly
e brake dont work
no glovebox? lol
just dirty interior

exterior:
both doors work just kinda sticky and hard to close
needs a paint job bad, what color should i do?
needs tires, the back ones dont hold air
it needs hood hinges, right now it just has latches

engine:
ok lemme get started

it has aluminum headers? stock or aftermarket?
a friend of mine said it had an aftermarket radiator which is held in place by bailing wire.
the battery is missing the cables, idk if their hidden or gone yet
a bunch of wires are not connected
a few things are loose on the engine idk what they're called
no engine coolant
needs oil and antifreeze and a coolants

oh and it has no exhaust.


where to start boys? i only have 700 to do the rebuild and get it running, if it cant be done for less that 1000 idk what ill do. but where should i start?

im buying a haynes manual tomorrow.

oh and the guy i bought it from said it needs a headgasket and a fuel pump lol.

 

take it back to the man you bought it from and tell him he should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of you . get your money back there are running camaros out there for a thousand to fifteen hundred dollars ,jimmy

 

seriously? i made a thread before about getting it, i bought it for $400. everyone said to buy it? what the heck? there no hope to fix it?

 

You can fix it for under a grand if you have the tools and know-how. Can't forget about time.

 

but where should i start ?

 

LOL, you never said it had no exhaust, battery cables, radiator hold down, battery cables, etc!!!! The exhaust alone could cost you over 700 if the cat-converter is missing. You should post up in the southwest region. There are some members in the region who will just give you some of the parts you need. You really need to post pics. As far as a glove box, you have two!!! One underneath your right elbow and one in the left rear of the car.

 

Battery cables would be a good place to start.
Verify this guys claim that it needs headgaskets and a fuel pump by running the tests that can be found on this site and in your brand spanking new Haynes manual.
Pics of the loose parts would be helpful for us.
Pics of the disconnected wires would also help us immensely.

The more info you can give us the better help we can give you.

 

nope one cable was just hidden, i found it and i guess my brother tried to start it and it tried to turn over but wouldnt but idk. and im going to buy my haynes manual and spark plug socket attachment now... ill be back.

 

k i hooked up the battery just now, and it tried to turn over, but didnt, so i tried again and it started but shortly died after about 3 seconds. but it sounded so freakin mean lol, and there was a strong smell of gas inside the car too? and will someone please tell me where the damn plugs are? a picture or something? cmon guys.

 

That haynes manual will show you. Really! The distributor is on the back of the engine with a bunch of thick wires coming out of the top of it. follow these wires to the side of the motor. There will be 4 on each side of the motor. Pull these thick wires off and there is the plug.

 

Wow, well lets see best place to start...

Maintenance Safety Driveability Performance <---> looks.

Before ya dive in head first, read that haynes manual. I don't mean that to sound mean. The more you know about the general assembly of the car, the easier this will be.

Second before firing that bad boy up what is the state of the gas oil coolant system electrical etc. Might literally be playing with fire or doing unintended damage by cranking it up after sitting for any extended period of time.

Go over the car front to back with a fine tooth comb inspecting for anything such as leaking fuel lines coolant spraying water in the oil. Depending on the condition of the fuel system you might consider running it out of a 5gallon container until the system can be sorted out.

As for the cost of repair, find out where the local salvage yards are.
And a good machine shop.

Gaskets are usually plentiful and cheap through parts houses. www.summitracing.com will beat 'most' parts houses in price for major items.

Mine was in very similar shape when I got it. The motor would run but the rings were shot. It didn't take long to run it into the ground and open it up for a rebuild. The interior was pretty much toast the electrical as well. I spent the first 6 months just getting the drive train suspension and brakes in good working order before I really got it out on the road. By that time I had read the repair manual cover to cover 3 times and had a decent understanding of engines to begin with. It's been 10 years now and it is coming along nicely.. I keep the manual handy for specs but the assembly and disassembly is second nature.

A head gasket is probably something you want to jump on and fix before you actually run it. If it is blown or in bad shape you could risk the bottom end to water in the oil or even worse water in the cylinders. A bent rod or spun bearing can happen in the blink of an eye and you just made life a whole lot harder.

When you take care of those head gaskets find out what its gonna cost to have the heads checked out. If the head gaskets are gone depending on the heads they may need resurfacing if they have been overheated a time or two. If the heads are warped they may be salvagable but you will then be looking at cost to refurbish vs cost to replace.

Exhaust is the easy part and not a high priority until the engine is in running order.

Bottom line start with some reading and a decent tool set. Buying wrenches and sockets individually will break your budget before that car ever sees it. A GOOD set of 3/8 deepwell 6point sockets 6 point shallow sockets. A 1/2in impact shallow socket set for some of the ugly work. A 24"x1/2 breakover. A ft/lbs flange style torque wrench big flat dial not the clicky kind. And a good set of metric and sae boxend wrenches. A full bitset(flat phillips torx/star allen) and driver.

That arsenal will dissasseble and reassemble just about everything on a thirdgen minus a few specialty tools.

That entire list would probably cost 200-250.
However at this stage a good full set of sockets with ratchet and extensions and the wrench sets are the best place to start.

Autozone is my personal favorite, been using their 40 piece duralast set for a good 4years now never had a problem with it and the sockets have held up to their fair share of abuse. Other brands such of craftsman and snap on are outstanding as well. You don't want to be out of commission to a broken hand if that socket or ratchet decide no mas.

These items by themselves will run about $140+tax and give ya a good head start. But when it comes time for the heads the torque wrench impact sockets and breaker bar will be critical. Plus a short 1/2in extension to give ya a little reach.

Just take it slow know the job inside and out and you will be far better off in the end.

 

X2 on the ratchet and Torx bits. If you are wanting to take the TPI setup apart you are going to need the torx bits (T-25 and T-30 mostly) A good set of tools is the foundation for a job done right.

 

they dont have a haynes manual at autozone, they are ordering that and my fuel pump for me, it will be here thursday.

 

Cool! The haynes manual will answer a lot of your questions. Including the head gasket issue.

 

Sounds like you got your car from a real piece of work

 

if the car started and ran for a few seconds, chances are you don't need a fuel pump.. at least not right away.

the first thing you should be checking is to see if the engine has an oil and coolant, as you said in your first post these two things were needed.

 

ya it did start for about 2 or 3 seconds, rumbled a few times nd died, but it has oil just a little low, and it needs coolant though, good that be from keeping it started?

 

Sounds like you're on the right track. This is probably gonna end up bein one long restoration thread. Gonna love to see how it comes out. . Before and after pics would be alot of fun for when you've finished.

 

ill give it a try thanks, but my exhaust wont cost that much, for now it cuts off after the cats i think, and i dont need emissions on new mexico anyway so im going to put cherry bombs and straight pipe it out the end or side. i would like to do duals but idk how.