Hey you guys, a while back I posted on here about a v6 camaro I was given because it had been abandoned due to its damage. I decided to go ahead and repair it to teach my kids how to weld and get their hands dirty on their first project. We pulled it back close to its original shape and cut out the radiator core support. There was also a donor car that, fortunatly for me, had a new radiator core support in it that had been welded in poorly, so it was easy to remove. We welded the new one in and found a new front end since the doner car was an 86. The car needed a new alternator and a new fuel pump but now drives great. I know the car has sat at this shop over 5 years and had been sitting a long time before it got there. The tires have flat spots you can feel. I was swapping on some 16 inch z28 wheels but got a couple of rears and can't find fronts, but I think once I get the dings smoothed out it will be ready to paint up. Has been a blast to get my kids up and going on the work. The 10 year old has been excited from the get go. My 14 year old wasn't too thrilled at first. He said these cars are ugly, but now that he has talked to all of his friends that are trying to get cars and he knows how to do body work, he has gained a whole new appriciation.

 

great job man its always nice to see a car saved whats next for the project after paint? hopefully your gonna show your kids how to do a v8 swap lol wish my dad did something like this for me when i was 14

 

Thanks. I have not decided whether or not to make this car my commuter or not. I believe there are only 8000 miles on this car, but that means it has been sitting for a very long time. The rear transmission seal and the strut seals started leaking as soon as I got it going. I thought it was 108,000 of course, but the pedal rubber looks unworn, the windows roll up and down tight and smooth. the door hinges have no slop in them, none. All of these things could have been replaced, but the only wear I can find on the car seems to be from sitting. My other thought is to get it cleaned up and sell it for money to work on my 65 vw bus project. This is the one my 14 year old really wants, but he grew up making cross country trips in it. I need to make up my mind soon. If I am going to keep it I need to find the other two z28 rims, but used tires on the 15s seems like it will be cheaper if I am going to sell it. My problem is that I can't find front 16" rims to match the rears I have. I asked on the suspension board if there was any way to install rear wheels on the front if I used spacers that match the offset difference. The part the kids really like is getting to drive the car on the lot. Every time we need to move it around in the shop I let them drive it where it needs to go.

 

These are the wheels I am trying to find fronts for.

 

any new updates ? cant let your thread die

 

Thanks.

Sorry I havent posted in a while. The car is still being worked on, but not much of the progress is really photo worthy at the moment. I got the car registered, inspected, insured. I have been driving it. Now I am getting to do all of the fun work you get when a car has been sitting for more than a decade. Pretty much every rubber part has been failing one at a time. The rear wheel cylinders, air lines, rear trans seal, AC seal, AC control unit. The tires looked great. No cracks, full tread, but you could feel the flat spot on the bottom every time it went around. I put the 15s on it for the moment with some used tires my buddy had laying around, but they are a little too low of profile to look good. I am still looking for some 16" front Z28 wheels. I have had a bunch of bulbs go out. The mass air flow was throwing a code so I grabbed one off the parts car. Right now I have a check engine light I am working on that comes on. It is showing as low voltage to the fuel pump. If I turn the key on and off a few times it goes away. I think this probably means the fuel pump relay. I need to grab that and a few other parts from the parts car next time I go out there. I think the next big visual thing will be getting the body slicked down and painted. I need to repair the front spoiler and the rear bumper skin as well. I am still trying to decide whether or not to paint the whole car maroon or to leave it two tone maroon and grey, the way it is.

 

the rims you seak are very commen. I find them at swap meets and such. Look on ebay, them things you almost cant give away.

If cant find that, give me a pm. I know a website you can search on for them.

 

I have been told the 91-92 model 16" rims are pretty rare. What are the sites?I have found some on e-bay but they are over 100 a rim. I know that is still not a lot, but adds up.

 

I personally have 2 sets. A friend just sold his that had some, and I have seen 6 sets at the swapmeets. They are fairly commen in this area :shrugs:

Sending pm

 

Found the fronts this weekend. I just need to get tires. I did have some set backs though. My horn fuse keeps going out and last time I drove the radio doesn't turn on anymore, so I think that fuse is gone too. Got to figure out where my short is coming from. Those are some of the most annoying diagnosis. I changed out the rear wheel cylinders (they were leaking) , but the back end still locks up the first couple times I try to brake with any force. I am thinking I may need to check out the proportioning valve, but I will probably pull the drums again first to make sure I didn't buy a defective wheel cylinder since it is acting just like a wet brake shoe. locks up for about two good brakes and then works normally. The rear suspension feels solid, like there is no suspension travel. I saw that the rear longitudinal bar had a little bit of a tweak to it like someone had caught it with a jack lifting it at one time, but doesn't look too bad. Might be the shocks are frozen up or something. Also it has developed a pretty good miss. I haven't gotten a chance to pull codes again and see if something new has developed. All of it slows down the cosmetic stuff, but I can't say I didn't expect it from a car that has sat so long.