My '84 Z/28 had been sitting in a shed for as long as I have been alive. (20-something years). After the common sbc engine swap, it runs and drives. If YOU were to look at a Camaro after sitting for a long time, what are some things that would be on YOUR checklist before you would call it a daily driver?

 

In my case - EVERYTHING! But brakes, tires, and AC (live in Texas so that is a must).

 

starts every f-in time w/o intervention. never over heats no matter what. brakes, brakes, brakes. all signals and lights work. pretty much safety and never leaves you stranded or get you pulled over by the men in blue.

 

So my 87 v6 was mostly original when I bought it. I went in blind, didn’t even do a tune up (what can I say, huge noob moment) and I’ve had to replace a bunch of stuff. Sounds like you already took care of engine related stuff like the plugs, and any emissions stuff (if you kept it). So what I I recommend checking:
1. Every part of the brake system (especially wheel cylinders if you have drums, I had a bad one for a long time and never knew)
2. Steering linkage. Check for play. See if the tilt steering is loose if applicable. Changing out my steering linkage made a world of difference in my driving experience. Check out the ball joints too.
3. Tires. Good tread, etc. the GM alignment specs for these cars SUCK, there’s a lot of good threads on them.
4. Push on the shocks/struts and see how much resistance they have. If they’re leaking obviously replace them.
5. Change all the fluids within reason. This is a great way to check up on the health of the rear end and transmission.
6. make sure the radiator petco- er, drain plug- is tightened all the way, look for any cracks in the plastic tanks if it’s an oem style rad.
7. check all the rubber body seals for leaks. Cry if there are any, because aftermarket weatherstripping sucks.
8. Check up on how well the rear hatch pulldown works (if applicable).
9. Check idle speed and timing if you think there’s something up (high idle, etc)
10. Check the TPS adjustment if applicable
11. If you wanna get really into it, check the evap system if you have it. Gas cap too. I wouldn’t worry about it if you don’t have a problem.
12. Quick detailer + rag, so it looks pretty

That’s some of the stuff I’ve had to mess with on mine, off the top of my head. Seems like you’re already ahead of me though. Hope you enjoy daily driving a third gen! I know I do

 

It's a driver when you're brave enough to drive it to your job. You can sort out problems and refine things continuously from then on.

Personally I don't consider an old Camaro to be a "daily driver". It's a hobby car now. Drive it, have fun. But have a real daily driver for real life.

 

Deep pockets, drove mine for four days straight and probably would have had to fill up on day five. I can go almost two weeks in my '23.

 

Beyond all of the regular maintenance stuff, really only two major general areas;

Make sure ALL moving parts have no excessive play (proper tolerances)

And

Make sure EVERY single piece of rubber (seals, bushings, tires, brake hoses, etc) are brand new

I did the above two items in a couple year long restoration of my car about 15 years ago, and have driven Orangebird as my daily ride ever since.

Summer, Winter, as long as the goddamned car eating salt ain't on the roads, it's the only car I drive

 

Especially the coolant hoses (including heater hoses), they get weak with age. You sure don't want one of those blowing out while sitting in traffic. The days of just running around the corner to get another one are gone, most parts stores don't stock the correct ones anymore.

Also observe the radiator fan motor(s) when they start up. When the bearings in mine started wearing out it started making a slight squealing noise when it would start up.

 

Alotta really good answers in here.

Legal. Gotta have all the lights and whatever all else you'll get pulled over for even if you're not violating "traffic" laws.

Safety - not only for those INSIDE the car, but also EVERYONE ELSE - is critical. No sense trying to put a land mine on the road for whoever to step on. BRAKES are yyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuujjjjjjjjjjjjeee here, as are tires. Beginners in our hobby often seem to concentrate their attention on how to make it go faster, but forget that there are also times it needs to go slower or make a turn. The one leads to FUN, the other leads to SURVIVAL. Choose wisely.

Then, reliability. Gotta be able to start every time, not need random mechanical interventions, etc. etc. etc. The electrical system of old cars is PARTICULARLY a liability in this aspect, as is the cooling system. I think of this as the "girlfriend wife daughter and grandmother" test. If those people (not necessarily all female, or young or old, or any such absolutes, only using those as a stereotype for those who aren't experienced hot-rodders or the like and wouldn't the least bit enjoy the adventure of conquering it), who aren't necessarily prepared to deal with sudden catastrophe, can successfully USE the car, like go to the grocery store or a doctor's appointment or something, and get there on time and then back before it spoils, then it might pass this test. Making sure everything that needs lube - oil, trans fluid, rear end grease, chassis lube, and so on - is lubed, is also in this category. So are leeeeeeeeks. The car HAS TO retain its fluids over some reasonable period of use without requiring replenishment. Something like, if you can shut the hood and one of those others can use the car for 1000 miles or something WITHOUT opening it (you decide what the criteria is), it's OK. Operative concept is, WITHOUT OPENING THE HOOD. Gotta be able to simply drive the car and not have to constantly jack with it.

Then, rubber & plastic. EVERY piece of the car made of one of those materials deteriorates FAST in some circumstances. Some of those parts, esp in the suspension and things like gaskets and wiring, just ... die ... with age. Metal parts that wear, like ball joints, probably go in the safety category, as well as control arm bushings or that sort of thing, that can cause catastrophic failures.

Last, comfort, and "nice". A/C, seats that aren't ripped, minimum amount of BO smell, quiet exhaust, no (or at least minimal) rainwater leeeeks, clean windows, stuff like that.

It goes without saying that things like too much cam, too much gear (like people would put 4.56s in sedans back in the day), leeeeeeky exhaust or VERY loud mufflers, fuel consumption in gallons per mile instead of mpg, and other possibly "race" oriented characteristics, can't be too egregious.

Finally, can it get to work in the morning EVERY morning. I can't tell you how many cars I've known that could get back home from work at night SOMEHOW, butt somehow couldn't make it in in the morning, even the very next morning after sitting in the driveway overnight. Can't have that.

 

Brakes! Check all the lines, both hard and flexible. I had a hard line rust out in a 6 year old truck years ago. It made itself known 300 miles from home in the middle of winter. Wanna know what makes someone's butthole pucker up fast? No brakes when you're trying to stop from 50.

check the brakes well!!!!

 

And be ready to replace electrical connectors, I've replaced at least half of mine. They're either brittle and crumbling, or full of dirt and old grease. I don't like butt joints, so I soldered all of mine and used heat shrink.

I just noticed today I still need to replace the ones for my fan switch and knock sensor. The heat from the manifolds destroys those.