Hey guys,


First time poster, I love Camaros and I'm on the market for my second one (traded my 4th gen years back). I really want to get into a early 70s some day, but for now my budget wont allow and my restoration experience is low. I figured I could get into a decent third gen and spend a year or two fixing it up before I make the 5k+ investment into a 70s Camaro that will likely need much more help.




Specifically, I was wondering what you guys think about this Camaro I found locally that I'm considering buying.




Here are a few pics along with the posters description:















I took it for a test drive and it was in good running condition, brakes worked, suspension seemed okay, tires were like new, dash and interior was treated well. Had 3" exhaust and performer intake with 4bbl. Paint seemed decent and I didn't see any rust or body rot.


Under the hood I noticed a fair bit of oil around/leaking from valve covers, oil itself looked good, you could see some oil grime buildup on the engine block from what I'm assuming is the leak from the valve covers...?


It's not a stock 350 and since the intake was on it I wasn't able to pull a suffix to match that 350, it seemed to have a fair bit of power, enough to spin the wheels but nothing breathtaking.


I asked his absolute lowest price and he said 2k. What do you guys think for that price?

 

to me, if it is rust free, runs and drives good and you didnt want to take it back to factory, 2k is not that bad of a price, but i would check everywhere for rust, and take about 16 $100 bills and stick in his face, worst thing he can do is say no.

 

Regarding my comment about the cars power, one thing I really want to do is turn my (future) Camaro into a road warrior/ fast!

How much money are we talking to get to 300-350 HP?

Hes trying to tell me its at 300 HP but I doubt that.

This will be my first time diving into a SBC

 

"New all terrain tires with warranty."

All Terrain's? On a Camaro? Don't know why anyone would put them on a car, maybe he means all seasons, but either way, doesn't sound like the proper tires for a sporty car. Some good quality Summer Performance tires will be a big improvement over A/T's or No-Seasons.

As far as the horsepower goes, 300+ can be found for pretty cheap, you could probably do it without removing the motor from the car and just replacing the top end (cam shaft, heads, intake) and find all the power your looking for.

 

a good cam and headers matched to the intake already on the car, should get you close to the hp you are looking for ... but i would look for the numbers on the block to make sure it is a 350, my little L03 will spin the wheels

http://www.chevy-camaro.com/chevy-casting-numbers.shtm

http://www.thedirtforum.com/castings.htm

 

Mr. Barlow8869 has given you some very important advice , PLEASE heed it !

The last gent who asked the "should I buy this" question was looking at a car that was showing a couple of small rust spots around the strut towers . I specifically told him "check every INCH of that car , and make darned sure you see ALL of it's possible rust/rot areas . The guy went , saw shiny paint , and bought the car without ever giving consideration to what I had said . Yeppers , you guessed it ! Car turned out to be a total rot box and the guy ended up buying what was essentially a parts car . Now , I realize , there is no rust showing in any of the pictures you have shown , but it is upon you alone to make sure the bottom is truly as rust free as the top . And the only way is gonna be to get under every inch of the bottom and visually check it out . Our beloved Third Gens are now 25 years old , A LOT can happen in that time , rust wise , and only your good two eyes are standing between you and any possible rust uglies .

 

When I was asking $2200 for my car, I was offered $1500-$1700 cash. I wouldn't take it for anything less than $1900. I never sold it, and just fixed it up. That looks like a good camaro for the price.

 

Never hurts to ask tho.

 

Advice taken, any spots I should specifically look at? I'm im Idaho with 6 inches of snow on the ground so knowing what to look at helps me out a lot. I don't have the ability to take the car from him and do a 2 hour look ever on the car, basically meeting at a gas station to look it over again tomorrow.

Also, as a newbie to the engine world, with some research and a few guides are the upgrades mentioned before fairly basic? And what type of investment am I looking at for something like that?

I just want to get a good picture of what I'm getting myself into before making the decision. I definently want to go fast and have fun learning how to work on cars as I go so those are my main goals with this purchase.

 

Floors , Subframes , the strut towers , the spare tire area in the passenger's side trunk , the trunk itself , basically the whole bottom of the car needs just a quick look to see if anything looks scary . Too bad ya couldn't get it on a lift for even 5 minutes , cause if it was on a lift , 5 minutes is all it would take to give it a good look over underneath .

 

look at the floor pans, and the spare tire well, the finder wells, sub-frames, ect ... and i would think you can get 350 hp with not much troubles for well under $1000 if it is for sure a 350 (you may have to buy some used parts though) people here are always selling good parts that will get you that hp ... my first 3rd gen had about 350 hp and was tons of fun on the street

 

Thanks guys, I'll be sure to look I to all that. In the meantime, what are some good by ons to start checking out?

 

I bet that engine was not rebuilt 30,000 miles ago.
Looks like a junkyard swap.

 

Also curious how the edelbrock carb passes visual emissions.

 

What is visible emissions? If it's what I'm assuming I didn't notice a lot of exhaust...

Also, it may be worth noting that I'm in Idaho and I register my cars in a county the has no emissions what so ever so it's not really a concern to have the vehicle pass any of that. From what I read this might be an advantage in getting more power as I wont have certain standards to maintain.

As far as the engine, I'm not sure and have no proof if/when it was rebuilt. Haw many miles should one aim to get on these before a rebuild is needed assuming the worst?

I just thought it was logical to accept that if someone took the time to put on performance parts that it wasn't a stretch that they did a rebuild in the process.

 

Many states have a visual inspection to verify the emissions equipment are intact.
An aftermaket part requires a C.a.R.B. Number to prove it performs as stock and doesn't effect emissions.

Swapping a used engine and dressing it up with an intake and shiny valve covers is common practice in the shadetree/ car flipping world.

Easy way to prove it's a rebuild, ask for receipts.

 

Check for rot first - then buy it; before someone else does.


P.S. I LOVE that Sandstone interior ! It's Soooo uncommone to see that color/style in good shape.

 

Agree w/John....check for rust around underside sill areas and spare tire.

-Don't agree with the sandstone thing though...

 

Ok so let us know...Did you get it?

 

I'm kind of working him to try and get the best deal. He started at 29 went to 23 and says he wont take less than 2k. I'm hoping if I drag it out and he doesn't get a ton of bites hell go down more.

I will for sure do a thorough look over again for rot, I asked him to come by and look at it again today. It's been very snow and cold here so I'm banking on that to limit the market for this car at least for a few days while I milk it and try to get as much info as I can from all you guys

I would say at this point I'm already pretty intent on getting it and have already been shopping for parts (not bought yet).

I guess I just didn't have a good value gauge on these cars so I wanted to ask you guys if you think its a GOOD deal, a FAIR deal, or BAD deal.

I'll never forget when my brother bought a 97 Cadillac thinking it was a steal at 5k just to find out the market for those cars was nil and they could be had for 1 or 2k less! I think the paint and wheels got the best of him

In any event, I appreciate all the advice, I don't plan on being the guy who pops in posts 5 times and is never to be heard from again, especially if I get this car, I plan on being around often!

 

Got the VIN today too, should I run carfax?

 

IMO, unless you're buying some exotic or rare car….which this ain't...never buy believing it's a good investment because in general, they're not. It really goes downhill when you modify.

You'd better modify it for what YOU want, because you'll be lucky to get even half back on all the go-fast chrome parts you install on it. Just watch a Mecum auto auction and see what a lot of those prior show cars sell for. Most times they sell for way less…a fraction of what it costs to build.

All that being said, a running, drivable car with little to no rust for 2K is a fair deal I think. Your strategy of waiting it out might bring the price down further - worth doing if you're fairly confident there's no others interested….if there is, it could backfire….just sayin! Either way, good luck! :-)

 

And BTW….if you do get this car, get rid of that "triangle of death" sitting on top of that carb….or hope it never backfires fuel into that sponge element. They burn nicely…that's more than just my opinion….

 

hey thanks for the response! I do want to clarify, I'm not really worried about re-sale value at all, I'm getting into this exactly like you said, because I love cars and enjoy the excitement of taking something and transforming it into my own.

With that being said, at the end of the day I meant can these specific third gen cars in equal or better condition be found easily and often for a lesser price.



Thanks!

 

BTW, I really dig your Camaro man!

 

Hey Thx!

FYI, I bought mine as a total basket case for 500 bucks about 10 years ago…paint was shot, engine was not running (locked up)…had 4 flats and sat in a driveway uncovered for 7 years…I paid too much to be honest….looking back, I wished I had started out with a better example, even if I had to pay more. Would have took a bunch less work to get it where it is now.

But it was/is an original "HO" car…about the only thing going for it when I got it.

So looking at the one above….better deal than I got….if there's no hidden rust like others have said. Rust is a hassle to repair the right way, and if it's in the wrong place you have a parts car.

I think you're in a decent price range…if you found one any lower in equal shape (from what I see) I'd be surprised.

 

your car is a similar year than the one im looking at..same body right?

What kind of HP are you pushing?

any trophy wins on the street?

 

Oh and what type of cleaner system would fit? It's a stock flat hood...

 

Confuzed1

Surprised to find you on here. Found a photo of your car on google images a while back and took it to the paint store to get my paint mixed. I remember reading that your color was DuPont pepper gray metallic but it turned out darker than the pic of your car looked so he took some black out. Looked good in mix cup but after paint was on car and dry the black he took out made the green stand out more and gave car a greenish tint Then the guy I had paint it did **** pour body work that stands out a mile away. Check my profile album to see how it turned out.

Not put back together cause I want a better paint job. Waisted $1500 on paint and supplies and he thought he was still getting the other $1500 for labor even after car turned out like that. NOT

Anyway a low profile 10'' air cleaner should work under there. I see a spacer under the carb so that will make it harder to fit. Get one at auto zone or advance auto parts to try. In case it don't work take it back.

 

14" drop base with a 3" tall filter will fit

 

+1 ( good call )

I've currently got an 86Z with a 14x3" air cleaner ( 1" drop base IIRC ) sitting on top of an Edelbrock 650 with a 1" adapter mounted to a Weiand 8004 Intake. The top of the air cleaner JUST touches the hood when closed.

 

Something else you can check is under the carpet in the truck area, above where the gas tank sits. If they cut into it to access the fuel pump I would avoid it.... Unless it was done right!

I have two with the "easy access" cut. One was a complete HACK job.... The other was done semi-right.

Either way if its cut up & you done right you can play it up like its a big deal & bring the price down some more.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...cess-hole.html

That link shows some pics of it done right. You;ll know if it was done wrong if its there...

BTW the price is pretty freak'n good. In Houston its hard to find one for 2k thats running....

 

Another good call !


Jeff,..... There's just something about that interior ! I don't like ANY of the "sandstone" interior patterns much. It's JUST that 84 (only) Sandstone Custom Cloth that catches my eye. When that set-up is clean and in V-good shape it really stands out. Soooo much 'brighter' than everything else you seen in these cars & the black 'tiger stripe' patter adds great contrast to the seat bolsters and door panels.

 

Yes, identical bodies on the Z28's from 82-84. I'm not pushing anything outrageous....I dynoed it a while back with 2 pounds of boost and got 390 RWHP and 495 TQ. I pushing 6 pounds with bigger carb and exhaust, so I might be doin a bit better nowadays.

The car is just a toy...my official response is that I don't street race....

Either JEGS or Summit sells a Mr. Gasket air cleaner called a "Low Rider"....it fits Holleys and Demons real nice....it's pretty much what Johnny Blaze is talking about. It's a 14" and allows a 3" thick element. Edelbrocks are tougher to find a air cleaner for that will fit under a stock hood.

You shouldn't have an issue with any access hole above the tank, since that mostly applies to TBI and TPI cars with electric fuel pumps...ours are the old reliable mechanical type.

krisner89: I can relate to what you went through....it's hard to find anyone that knows how to paint, and even harder to find someone that cares about your car as much as you do. After I got mine back from the paint shop, I found missing door sills, wiper blades, and all my ground FX were only being held on by 1 or 2 bolts! They even lost a few pieces that were removed when it was painted...I wasn't happy. They blew up my engine too....but that's another long story...

From your pics, looks like a nice ride to me! Was it originally a sport coupe?