So, the sad day has come when the work that needs to be done to get my beloved 1991 Z28 running has exceeded my mechanical ability. The long list of problems has gotten to great for my schedule to deal with.

1. The fuel tank filler neck was cut by the PO for some reason, so the whole tank needs to be replaced
2. The rear end is acting funny (clicks and locks up in reverse), so I'm assuming it needs to be rebuilt. I figured while it was being done, I might as well have the shop put in 3.42 gears in the rear, because muscle car
3. The engine.

The engine is the big one. As it last sat, the remaining 4 injectors needed to be replaced. I got halfway done with it, then gave up because I couldn't figure out how to finish. So, with that, my options are pay the labor to replace the remaining injectors (I have the parts), and then pay more to replace all the cracked vacuum lines on the engine, and still have a somewhat sad stock 305, OR buy a Corvette 350 off of ebay for ~$1,500 and then the labor to swap that over, which would fix both of those problems, along with an additional benefit of horsepower.

Does anyone have any idea what all this work would cost, and any good shops in central Florida that would be willing to do this as a long-term pay-as-you-go project?

 

It's still cheaper to buy a well sorted out car than to rebuild/restore that one.

 

I just had the gas tank on my '86 Iroc replaced due to a rust leak at the filler neck. They quoted me $180 for the tank. To get at the tank you have to take out part of the cat-back exhaust. You're looking at a few hours of labor there. If the fuel pump and sending unit have never been replaced, may want to consider doing that as well since you have to remove the tank for those too.

Your other two issues I don't have much to suggest. For the rear end you could look into making it a posi if it isn't already. For the engine, go which ever direction you ultimately want to go in. It's going to take a while a cost a lot regardless so put up with the labor pains now vs. later.

PurelyPMd makes a valid point on the cost to buy a different car. In 2015 I compared the cost to restore the Iroc I had at the time to a different Iroc I had found on Craigslist. Turned out that buying the other Iroc was going to be at least $5,000 cheaper in the end--not to mention the "restoration" was going to take months vs. instantly being done.

Call around to a few different places. Explain what needs to be done, ask for estimates on each repair, and don't forget to ask what a labor hour costs. Then hit the forums or Craigslist and see if you can find a 91 Z18 comparable to what you have/want and compare the price to the mechanic's quotes. Keep in mind if you get a different Z28 you can sell or part out your current one to help cover the costs.

 

Totally agree! Found this out the hard way. Start with a good car.

 

Always true.


But sometimes the rough ones follow us home and we have to relearn that.

 

The "fixers" make fun drivers.
As long as you don't think you'll be building a world of wheels show car on a beer budget, it'll be fun.

 

As a shop owner (in Oregon mind), and third gen owner, here is what I would quote:

1. This job sucks, and it does somewhat depend on the condition of your car as to how well it comes apart and goes together - especially the exhaust. Therefore I would HIGHLY recommend a new pickup/sending unit assembly and high volume fuel pump. I would quote the job at $600 parts - that's new tank, new pickup/sending unit assembly, new 255LPH pump, tank strap foam tape, shop supplies, etc, and $400 labor (4 hours). So about $1000 give or take with all new parts. It's just not worth it to screw around with used pumps, pickups, etc when these are relatively cheap compared to the difficulty of the job.

2. Harder to quote without seeing how badly damaged things are, what type of brakes you have, etc. I would likely suggest a complete used assembly that already has the gears you want. Going to be cheaper for sure. I would say likely around 3-4 hours to swap the axle, refresh/bleed brakes, change fluid, etc plus the price of a used axle assembly. I would expect maybe in the $850 to $950 range said and done. Highly depends on what you find for a used axle though. You could spend that much on gears, carriers, bearings, seals, etc even before labor on a "rebuild/upgrade".

3. On the contrary to what you might thing, putting the TPI back together is not really that bad. But we have to consider that you already have been in that kitchen. I would guess no more than 4-6 hours plus whatever gaskets and seals it needs. Probably the cheapest of the 3 items but again I'm not looking into the belly of the beast either so maybe you screwed it up much worse than I'm thinking. So take this as a wild guess.

If the car is nice - spending $3k or so getting it sorted out doesn't seem unreasonable considering what they are going for now and their current rate of appreciation.

GD

 

I wouldn't say swapping the fuel tank and rear end is above anyone's ability. its pretty straight forward and would be a great time to learn. pull the rear end completely out since its junk now and you'll have tons of room to wrestle the gas tank down. Buy a haynes or Chilton book and get a couple steps done each day after work.

I definitely agree with GeneralDisorder on replacing the fuel pump instead of using the old one, its not a job you want to do twice.

The TPI injectors can be a pain but they're not impossible.

The real question is, is your car actually worth the work or would you be better off buying one in better condition?