I am finally at the point that I am parking my car for the winter and starting my restoration project.

The objectives:

1. Interior swap to gray
2. Headers and cat-back
3. Install power locks, windows, and security system
4. POR-15 entire bottom of the car
5. Add body kit form an 89 Z28
6. Sound deadener (RAAMmat if I can find where to buy it)
7. Transmission replacement (used with new B&M shift kit)
8. Pull the engine to clean it up and replace some parts
9. New door weatherstripping
10. New paint - probably red with black heritage stripes

I know this won't compare to Neil's build, mainly because I lack money, but thought it would be nice to post the progress for anyone doing similar things.

I am still pretty new with this stuff, so you'll have to bear with me through all the stupid questions and such. I appreciate any advice you guys have from where to get things cheap to what I could do why I have the car apart.

 

Here is some advice if you have jy's in your area. Go pull parts like mad and sell, sell, sell. I just bought an 89 RS and redid the interior completly for $35, the $35 I spent was from parting cars and I made $500 so I was able to buy what I needed.

 

Thats a great idea! I hadn't even thought of doing that. There is a junk yard just down the street from my house that I can probably get some stuff from. Thanks for the advice .

Here are some pictures of the car I am dealing with and what I have done so far (a few months ago before I got stuck due to time/money problems).

 

And some of the interior work. I found some small rust holes in the floor pan and patched them up with a wire wheel and some bondo then put clear POR-15 down on the floor pan (thanks to the advice of thirdgen members!)

 

Did you put the POR-15 right over the paint?

 

I ran a wire wheel over the paint first to rough it up and take off any lose paint.

 

http://www.raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi

There's the link for Raammat. Rick is awesome to deal with.

 

Thanks, thats exactly what I was looking for. Looks like I can only afford one roll. I'll have to see what I can do with it.

 

I finally got the car in the garage and started working on it. I was going to swap the window regulators and put in the lock actuators until I found that the GM dealer gave me pop rivets and not 1/4'' peel rivets. You would think that the dealer could get it right . I am going to head over to the dealer tomorrow and see if I can get the correct rivets. I believe that I will also be needing a larger rivet gun too

My security system came today and I am planning to install most of it when I put the power locks in to make keyless entry integration easier. The keyless entry is probably one of the things I am most excited about since I never had a car with that option before (owned this and a 1987 Crown Victoria so far).

Does anyone happen to have a GM part number for the plastic seal that goes over the door (just behind the door panels) or know of a place that sells them? The previous owner of the car apparently did something with the doors so this is the second time the plastic shield has been torn off so it is pretty much useless now.

 

do what i did, go to home depot and buy a roll of the clear plastic(vapour barrier) trace and cut.

 

True, just use a piece of good mil plastic. Since you are installing a keyless entry, shave the door locks

 

Thats a good idea and I'll definitely be doing that since its simple to find and probably much cheaper

I did consider putting in the 90s style door handles but I decided against it because I don't have the experience to weld thin sheet metal without it waving at me when I am done.

I am going to keep the locks for the same reason and I also want to have a backup way to get in just in case my keyless entry remote dies or there is some other malfunction.

Thanks for the good ideas

 

The back up way is entry through the hatch, it just looks cleaner

 

I finally have some progress to post about. I got the hood off and started taking the engine apart. So far I just have the radiator out, but its a start. The radiator seems to be in good shape, but its going to need some sanding and fresh paint. After a good look around the engine, I decided that I am going to need some new fuel lines (bad corrosion) and transmission cooling lines (because I twisted one of them ).

Glad to see that my dual fans are in good shape. I am looking into setting up a manual override system for the fans like the one talked about in this tech article: https://www.thirdgen.org/electric_co..._spec_mod_dual, just have to figure out where to get the Hayden 3647.

 

I finally had a good amount of time to work on the car today, and I am starting to get some hope of getting it done by April again . I got the headliner out and noticed just how bad of shape it really is. I could never figure out why when I had the t-tops out, my white shirts would always get yellow particles all over them . I managed to get my y pipe and catalytic converter off as well. The previous owner left me a nice little present of backyard mechanics in the form of a bent up end of the y-pipe.

I also decided on the LED that I wan to put in my center vents and think it will come out nicely.

I almost got the transmission unbolted from the engine, but I am stuck on the last two bolts. I took the four lower ones out, but I can't for the life of me figure out how I am going to get to the top two. Does anyone have some tips on how to do this (other than cutting the floor pan apart and tearing them out. Just something I felt like doing)?

 

I always start with the top 2 bolts but here is how its done. First you may want to put 2 of the bolts back in the trans first.Place a floor jack under the tail housing and the unbolt the trans cross member and lower the trans down some. It will give you acess to the top 2 bolts. You will have to either try and get them from the top or use a very LONG extension and a swivel to get them from the bottom.

 

That is an approach I had not thought of, sounds like it could work . I think I am going to have to try and get it from the bottom. I can't figure out how I could get them from the top since the engine is in the way. I'll give it a shot tonight. Thanks for the info

 

I finally got the transmission to engine bolts out and the motor mounts apart. Found a few nice surprises while I was at it. It looks like the RH motor mount was very close to breaking which would have been a bad thing . I also think that I found the problem with my electrical system. The wire going from the distributor to the (for lack of knowing its real name) box that ups the amperage/voltage was extremely corroded and when I popped it off the distributor, dust went everywhere. Then I was unplugging all the connectors for the sensors on the under side of the engine and came to one that is attached to some kind sensor that is in the engine block on the right hand side. When I went to grab the connector, the wire just broke right off.

I should have some pictures of the removed engine within the next week if I can figure out where to hook the hoist up to the back of the engine .

 

you could always hook up a chain to where the exhaust manifold or header bolts used to be.

 

That sounds like a good idea. I have not taken the exhaust manifolds off yet though. I didn't think they had to come out but if thats the only place to hook up a chain, out they go

 

you could also use the bolts where the intake used to be also. I would probably use that first. There is also a place on the passenger side in the back where the ground is hooked to the engine. I have used that spot also.

 

I managed to get the motor out with a little help and a lot of time. It went fairly smoothly, but it took quite a while to get the billions of wires out.

The engine bay is pretty clean with very little rust. The engine is going to need some repainting and a good cleaning. Is there a way to tell if the engine is a 5.0 or a 5.7? Would it be written on it somewhere? I am slightly concerned because it looked like it said "5 0 L G" on the back of the engine and I think it may mean 5.0 Liter. The car is supposed to have a 5.7 swap from an 87 IROC according to the previous owner. I basically bought the car because it had a 350, and if it doesn't, I will be quite disappointed. I have to find out for sure so I can sleep good again .

 

With your engine on the stand, Look right under passenger side head and you should see the block numbers. It should have a 5.0 on it. If it doesn't, look for the block numbers and let us know what they are.

 

I had a look for some more numbers and only saw a 5 on the back of the engine on the driver side just above where the transmission bolts to the engine. I attached an image of what it says. I am pretty sure it says 5.0, just without the ".". I also checked under the passenger head and saw "627" stamped on the side of the block.

My car world just got flipped upside down. All those times thinking my camaro had something special and it didn't . In a way I am happy it didn't have a 350 because my uncle has one that he is willing to give me. I am hoping to get the engine from him and swap the intake manifold with my TPI setup. With the 350, the car will be even faster than I had hoped

 

yup thats a 5.0

 

Yeah, I kinda figured . I am feeling a bit depressed about that. I am going to have to shift some priorities around because I just can't put that engine back in knowing its only a 305.

I guess I will have to look into getting a long block 350 or something similar but this is going to cause some major budget problems since I don't even have the money for heads . Looks like a new rear end upgrade and headers are out.

 

I got the car up on jack stands and broke out the wire brush. After about 45 minutes under the car getting pelted in the face with rust particles and sparks, I managed to get most of the rust off of the forward floor pan. I am hoping to get the rest of it done this week so I can get started on with the POR-15.

I had a look around for crate engines and found that Murray's has them for sale for $1,500 - $1,900. You can pick the type of heads, pistons, cam, crank, and a few other things that I forget at the moment. Looks like it might be a good deal to grab one of their long blocks and put my TPI intake manifold on it.

 

is your car a sport coupe?

 

I wish my car had as much rust as yours. Your floorpans look brand new compared to mine.

 

Yeah, its a 1987 Sport Coupe. I am planning to put the body kit from an 89 RS on it which I know a lot of people say not to because sport coups are more rare, but I just like the look more.

The rust is very minimal because the car has been stored every winter. The only places it really has rust is in the corner where the driver's feet are, the RH 1/4 panel, and a descent amount near the rear bumper underneath.

 

I have an 87 SC and I am doing the same thing you are. I blew the 305 just before paint so I built a 350 for it. I am also going to 91-92 GFX. The front fenders can be modified to accept the chin spoiler as well as the rear quarter panels. More troublesome are the wholes in doors and the rocker supports. What I have done with the rockers is I found a 92 maro in the junkyard and took the rocker supports off with a spot weld drill bit. Then I Drilled wholes in the rocker and inserted/epoxied in blind nuts. They are like rivets with threads through the center. This allowed me to bolt up the rocker supports where they were needed. Lastly, I assume that you have figured out that you need new front/rear bumper covers as well. If you go used make sure to prep them well. Many of the parts that I have gotten have been spider webbed. I have over 1000 hours of sanding in my car already, and it is still not painted. Good prep work makes for a good paint job. By the way, does your car have a carb?

 

I got all my body kit parts and front/rear bumpers off of a 1989 Camaro RS so its all used. The paint on the front nose cone is in pretty bad shape and is flaking off. The rear bumper has some deep scratches in it and someone apparently started sanding it.

Thanks a lot for the info about the rocker supports. I am really dreading that project. I am not sure how I am going to get it lined up correctly or secured. I hadn't thought about using rivet style mounting and was going to have my uncle weld them on (assuming I can get a 220 line in my garage ).

The engine that was in the car was 5.0 L TPI, so it didn't have a carburetor.

 

His Car is TPI so... No... It doesnt have a carb.

 

Quote!
The car is supposed to have a 5.7 swap from an 87 IROC according to the previous owner. I basically bought the car because it had a 350, and if it doesn't, I will be quite disappointed.

END Quote!

Join the club dude, my 84 Z28 Had a "350" Original engine, with "More" power than his 305 TBI. That "350" was POWERLESS ROD KNOCKING P.O.S. 305...

Whatever, even if it happened to be a 350, it still ahd a Wicked Rod knock.
Im 1/2 restoring the whole car, in process of removing engine, need some money for the engine I want. Good luck to you, im sure I WILL need it.

In the end. What do you expect for 600 Bucks?

Also shouldve questions why it came with a spare water pump, but thats another story.

 

I finally have some updates to post! I finally got the rear end, fuel tank, brake lines, and fuel lines off of the car. I already put the first coat of POR-15 on the forward part of the car's underside (after about 5 hours of prep work with Marine Clean and Metal Ready) and now have access to the rest of the floor pan to get the rest done.

Everything is pretty much not rusted except for the brake and fuel lines which have some pretty bad rust on them. I am hoping to get the POR-15 work done this week and pick up an air compressor and D/A sander and get the sanding started over the weekend.

 

When you get the undeside POR-15ed take some pics of. I curious as to how its going to look.

 

Alright, I'll get some pics posted when I get it done (hopefully this week). I have a few pictures on my other computer that I will post later. The POR-15 has a glossy finish, so you get a lot of reflection from the flash that mess up the true look of it.

 

Alright, here are some pictures of the first coat of POR-15. It looks like there are a lot of places that it didn't stick to, but most of that is just angles that the flash reflected off of. It was just a quick coat (at 11:30 after work and 3 hours of prep work so I was getting a bit tired) and it looks like I may have missed a few spots when I wiped off the Metal Ready.

Sorry for the massive images, I didn't get a chance to resize them

 

Looking good so far!!

 

Thanks! I am hoping to get the second coat on tomorrow, but the weather isn't making it easy since Metal Ready works best in 70+ degrees. All I have is a semi good heater that gets it to 60ish

 

Looks like you need a new quarter panel, check the other one also. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this ... You can get them from year one www.yearone.com they are $88.00 each and basically striaght forward to install or you can take it to a body shop and spend a couple thousand its an absolute must before you do any body work or painting to your car. Quarter panels are usually the first thing a restorer look at on a car. The rest of the car looks real good, I can't wait to start on my car

 

Well, I am probably just going to patch the rust on the quarter panels rather than replacing them. There is barely any rust on them, the rust in the pictures is mainly just surface rust where the paint chipped off. There are a few indents from the rust getting a little deeper, but nothing to bad. Its all still hard and doesn't chip so I think I can save them

I pulled the cruise control unit off of the parts car I have today. Looks like its in good shape, just needs some sanding and paint. Someone already pulled the cruise control unit out from under the dash, so I still need one of those. Now I just have to figure out how the computer gets the vehicle speed for the cruise.

 

Can't you see those huge rust holes? You definatly need a replacement or you could bend your own sheet metal and try to get it to work but it would be just as easy to get a new quarter panel and replace it in the same or even less time. Or you could hack job it and just cover it up, grind off the paint and leave those wholes. I'm not being an *** but you really do need a new q-panel its only $88.0 0 so why not?? alot of body guys would consider that a major rust problem.

 

I am hoping to avoid getting new ones mainly because I am looking at not having enough money to buy what I need to finish the car already, so $88x2 is a little pricey at the moment . I'll get some close ups of the rust and post them so you can get a better idea of how much rust there is. None of the rust is all the way through the metal so thats why I think it can be saved.

I'll post the pics in a little while, maybe you can let me know if it still looks bad close up . Hopefully it won't

 

Alright, here are some close pictures of the quarter panel rust. The first picture is the deepest rust there is. The second one is the other rust patch on the LR quarter. The last picture is the LH quarter. What do you guys think? Keep or replace?

 

Well your driver side looks salvagable the passenger side still has a hole in it.. I dont think you can just sand a hole paint it and it will go away. Don't do a hack restoration job man you got a nice car, Take your time and do it right. Theres no such thing as a "budget" restoration theres a hack way and there is a good way of doing it theres no inbetween. I'm an apprentace collision tech and trust me its cheap and not hard to do, if you can't spend a day and a couple hundred dollars then you might want to re-think your "restoration" and save up for a few months to do it right.
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Even if it is surface rust, if you grind that surface rust off the metal will be super thin in those spots and a bird sh*tting on that sport could probably dent it. Sand off that rust on the drivers side get a $100 q-panel skin rent a welder for $50 or borrow one, get some body filler, buy a DA sander for $30 a block sander and a body file and youll be well on your way and I bet you could do it in a weekend for under $300 dollars.

 

I finally got some good time in with my wire brush and bondo-glass. I got the heater/ac box off and started repairing the gaping hole in the firewall (last picture shows main hole). I spent about two hours wire brushing the rust and paint off the front wheel wells in preparation of POR-15 tomorrow.

I also patched up the holes in the rear wheel wells with some bondo-glass (filler with fiberglass), pictures on that repair to come.

 

I still think you should keep it a non gfx car.....Thats crazy about the engine, if its not a 5.7 I wonder why they would do the whole TPI swap to it.

 

I hope you're joking

 

Well, I just like the look of the cars with the ground effects on them a lot more than without. I was also quite confused as to why they went through the trouble of an engine swap and didn't put a 350 in. My only guess is that they thought it was a 350 and never bothered to check.

I had a guy that runs a junk yard tell me he had a 350 out of an IROC so I had a look at it and sure enough, 305. It helps when people know what engine they have.

I was talking about some holes that are in the wheel well shield up against the actual frame/body of the car. However, I did throw some on the rusted quarter panel to see what it would do. Seems to hold on very well and is very hard. I pulled on it and tapped it with a hammer and it didn't budge. I may go with that kind of fix.