STL1994

hey, i plan on selling my 89 Z28, and getting a 1982-1984 Z28 with t-tops and restoring it nicely.

are the interiors in these cars usually torn apart to pieces? where should i look for rust spots on the body? where are any other problem areas i should check besides the motor or drivetrain? because im just gonna drop an edelbrock fuel injected 355 in there anyway

Jims83TA

Whats up. I am 16, and my parents just bought me my first car. It is a 1983 Trans am. It has 350 4 bolt mains. The problems with ones w/t-tops is leaks. Try to make sure the t-tops dont leak. Also when i bought the car, the headliner was in bad shape. The dash was in perfect condition. The seats are in bad condition.

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

My 82 Z28 had some problems, bad engine for starters. Problems that I found were:

passenger side T-top leaked and left some rust inside where the 6x9 mount.
Rust in the middle of the T-tops and at the back edge.
Rust where the back hatch adjustment stops hit.
Very bad paint (silver) and rust in the spots where it had flaked off.
Faded charcoal interior.
Headliner? what's that? gone.
Sun rotted rear seatback.
Drivers seat in shreds with a metal bit poking out that ruined a couple pair of shorts.
Window weather stripping dried up and broken.
Dashpad, ick.
Rear interior parts really beat up. (lots of fun in the back by old owner? hehe)
Rearend is bad.. makes a nice whine when letting off the gas.

For a 1000 bucks, I guess it wasn't too bad cause I was able to drive it home. 1200+ bucks later on the engine, she was on the road. 780 bucks, got me a no ripping pants seats. 500 bucks on paint got me a nice looking paintjob only cause I painted myself I'm glad I got the car, it's been a blast driving it. eek sorry for the long post.

Z-83

I bought an '83 Z28 with 87,000 miles on it a couple months ago and it is in great shape. It has been well taken care of, the interior is really nice, except for the dash pad(I'll probably end up getting a cover) and the plastic moulding on the drivers door(which I replaced very easily). The only thing that had been replaced was the headliner. As for rust and other problems, don't know, it doesn't have any. Of course, I've seen some that had the sh-t beat out of them. I guess you just have to look around to find the good ones.

Jims83TA

I agree. My parents bought my 1983 Trans am. The body is in great shape, besides the wrap around aero spoiler being cracked. It has a small dent in the driver-side door. The pain seems to be in good condition, besides minor cracks and chips. Nothing really wrong with it. The engine is in great condition. The previous owner swapped the 305 with a 350 4 bolt main engine. It has a Lunati cam and a shift kit. For the most part my car is great. It looks great, especially compared to other '83's that i have seen. The interior was the only thing that needs to be replaced. The rug, headliner, and seats arent that nice. The dash and dash pad still look brand new. Just check out what you buy. Make sure you know what you are getting in to when you buy your car. Some cars can seem like a good deal, but once you get it home realize that you just made a big mistake. Good luck.

Spyder

Well, if you plan on restoring one I have one that I would be willing to sell. 1982 Z-28, T-tops. Tops don't leak, motor and tranny good. Good rubber. Driver door hinge needs some TLC. Otherwise body just went through some derusting. Interior is good. Some problems here and there but not bad at all.

--spyder--

gmanuel

I live in SALT county. I can tell you were all the rust is.
both rocker panels, floor pans, metal under rear seat, metal were the rear seat belt bolts to is rusted away, fire wall is rusted thru., of course the rear quarter panels are rusted, as well as both doors, the front kick panels, in behind them they are rusted out, the front inner fenders are rusted, as are the rear inner fenders need replacement. I have no rust on the roof. I plan to rebuild my 82 z28 as a retirement project. Must of the sheet metal panels can be bought. The rest I will have to anufacture. Should be fun.

Jza

Be sure to look under the spare tire and down in the hatch well. Those are two bad places as they collect water.
I find 84 is probably the best year for interior durability. I've seen so many with pristine armrests, dash pads, and seats, even if they're out in a junkyard.
Take a tape measure and check for squareness (unless you get embarrased easily and don't like to be seen whipping out the ruler..hehe). Anything past squareness and rust can be reasonably fixed.

STL1994

whoa whoa whoa, u want me to measure the car? dam i never heard of that. sure ill do it, but is it possible for there to be a difference in measurements?

let me go get the tape measure.

Demon Z28

Word of warning to anyone with an 83 F-Body with a T5... DON'T EVER BREAK YOUR BELLHOUSING!!! the 83 T5 sits at a 17 degree (I believe, somewhere around that) angle, the 82's don't have this prob since they never had 5 speeds, and 84+ don't have a problem since they're all the same bellhousings for V8/Manual combo.

The reason I give this warning is because the 83's had a one year shot with the bellhousings before GM swapped the style... so this makes the bellhousings rare as hell and almost irreplacable... there are no aftermarket bellhousings made for the 83... so the only thing you can do is get it welded if its cracked, or hunt down a replacement for a long time if its completely shattered... Bellhousings are hard to break but if you bottom out enough or do something to twist it...it'll crack and you'll be in a world of hurt

I'm speaking from experience on this one... I'm restoring an 83 Z28... so take that advice for what you will... thats basically the ONLY non-interchangable part on 3rdgens thats of any importance... most interior parts, even the dash if you decide to do the entire thing... fenders, nose, etc... all will work... but the bellhousing...well... I gave fair warning... it took me quite awhile to find one let alone a spare just in case, heh...

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