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New Thread Name: Building an 85 Z28 from the Ground Up
Originally Posted by drknow90rs_ss@y
I hate that kind of garbage. Gives such a terrible reputation to themselves when they conduct business that way. Hopefully things go better for you.
DR.K.
The part I failed to mention because I was so upset over what happened, was how I know they didn't bleed the brake lines. Not only because of the spongy feeling when pressing on the brakes but, the driver side front caliper bleeder screw is so tight that even using a lubricating agent and a propane torch I still could not break it free. And looking at the passenger side bleeder screw no tool markings on it at all, it was still covered with rust and brake dust. So that's how I really knew that they did not bleed the brake lines after replacing them. It was actually two lines that they supposedly replaced, but looking at the lines they did a shity job at bending them. I'll have to take a picture of what the job that they did looks like.
Again I'll say I'm glad I know a lot of things about repairing vehicles. Because if I didn't know, they were going to get more money out of me. It also makes me question if they really did change the shocks on this truck. And not only that but I see a broken leaf spring on the right rear, and they sure as hell didn't tell me about that.
Last edited by DontBlnkBadWolf; 08-01-2022 at 12:19 AM.
Reason: stupid speech to text not understanding my English
The part I failed to mention because I was so upset over what happened, was how I know they didn't bleed the brake lines. Not only because of the spongy feeling when pressing on the brakes but, the driver side front caliper bleeder screw is so tight that even using a lubricating agent and a propane torch I still could not break it free. And looking at the passenger side bleeder screw no tool markings on it at all, it was still covered with rust and brake dust. So that's how I really knew that they did not bleed the brake lines after replacing them. It was actually two lines that they supposedly replaced, but looking at the lines they did a shity job at bending them. I'll have to take a picture of what the job that they did looks like.
Again I'll say I'm glad I know a lot of things about repairing vehicles. Because if I didn't know, they were going to get more money out of me. It also makes me question if they really did change the shocks on this truck. And not only that but I see a broken leaf spring on the right rear, and they sure as hell didn't tell me about that.
Dang! Hate it when my dd sucks up all my disposable cash! Sounds like you need to hit up a local salvage yard. Pick up some"new" calipers that don't have frozen bleed screws. Did you get an itemized receipt that says they bled the brakes? If so, I would contact corporate and show them pics of your frozen bleed screws as proof that they couldn't have bled your brakes. I can't believe, that in this day and age when social media and Yelp exist, that they would ever treat a customer this way! F'ing crazy!
DR.K.
Not only did they screw you over, but they left themselves open to a big liability lawsuit. In this day and age, if a shop touches a vehicle, they own it...
Dang! Hate it when my dd sucks up all my disposable cash! Sounds like you need to hit up a local salvage yard. Pick up some"new" calipers that don't have frozen bleed screws. Did you get an itemized receipt that says they bled the brakes? If so, I would contact corporate and show them pics of your frozen bleed screws as proof that they couldn't have bled your brakes. I can't believe, that in this day and age when social media and Yelp exist, that they would ever treat a customer this way! F'ing crazy!
DR.K.
Actually, last year I bought a full set of 4 Cross Drilled/Slotted roters and calipers/pads. I was being lazy last year and never did the replacement, BOT **** up made me get off my *** and do it. It stopped me dead with the fronts. I ended up going to Belle Tires and they put on the new front set, even though I was told by the Manager that they don't put on items brought in by the customers. But he didn't like what BOT did to me and wants me as a return customer. So, front set put on, I had them do a line flush as a FU to BOT, lol and it cost $232 and it was all done around 90 minutes. So, yeah, they have me as a return customer because they were fast. I was expecting to not get the truck back until today.
No progress has been done on my car for almost 2 weeks now, I've been cleaning out the garage and moving things out to the storage barn. But looking at the storage barn, it needed cleaning out. So that means I have to clean out 2 different places in order to get my car in the garage. I should be ready to move the car inside by next week. This weekend is trips to the dump and power washing the **** out of the garage. The things we do for the love of a car, I actually do more for the car than I do for the wife,lol.
No
The things we do for the love of a car, I actually do more for the car than I do for the wife,lol.
Oh, believe me: My Wife has noticed this disturbing trend for many years. She rarely brings it up though. (Unless it gets totally out of control, which it sometimes does) Great wife! I'm lucky that way. The only rule she has ever imposed on me, is that if her daily driver needs any attention, I am to drop whatever car thing I am doing to take care of it immediately. Something I have no problem doing anyway.
I'm glad Belle took care of you. There are still lots of great shops out there!
DR.K.
Great reading thread and love the longstories even if not exactly relating to the thirdgen. I'm sure all of us here have some story about poor repair shop quality.
Did you say Board of Health or HOA? Either one, dang, where do you live so I never consider residing there?
Keep the reports and stories coming.
Great reading thread and love the longstories even if not exactly relating to the thirdgen. I'm sure all of us here have some story about poor repair shop quality.
Did you say Board of Health or HOA? Either one, dang, where do you live so I never consider residing there?
Keep the reports and stories coming.
Board of Health
I'd say around 22 years ago I got an old S-10 that was a roller and not titled or plated in my name. But, it was sitting in the driveway a good 100 yards away from the street because the house I partially grew up in had a 2-car garage in the back yard (the 1 garage door per side type of 2-car garage, and I say partially grew up in the house because my Dad bought a 2nd house diagonally across the street from the house that I grew up in, when I was 13. Allison Transmissions money back in the 80s was big money), and partially hidden from viewing from the street.
Anyway, I got a letter from the Board of Health about the truck claiming it as an abandoned vehicle. I called the number and, they didn't say who, but they said a complaint was made against me having a non-running vehicle on my Dad's property (before my Mom & Dad moved down to Florida in 98 leaving me and my wife to rent the house, he and the new next door neighbor didn't get along. The neighbor would put out a ton of bird seed all around his back yard for every kind of bird to feast on, and my dad was getting tired of all of the birds & bird sh*t on his cars and everywhere else. So, I'm pretty sure it was that guy who made the call). I replied that the truck was not abandoned and parked in the driveway in front of the garage, partially hidden from street view. And asked how can it be called abandoned on my property? The reply from the voice on the phone was that just because it is on a homeowner's property, does not make it a non abandoned vehicle of it is not in running/driving condition. I had 15 days to remove the truck from the property or put it in the garage. And it not being titled or plated had nothing to do with the violation, It was a health hazard.
Question I then made was how can it be a health hazard while being parked with no engine or transmission in it? The replay was that it is considered a heath hazard to wildlife since it is on a piece of property. That then told me it came from the bird loving neighbor. To make a long story short (I know, too late), I pushed the truck into the only side of the garage that was able to have a vehicle in it. When I came out of the garage after pushing it in, that neighbor, who I never had a problem with ( Hell, I even used to cut his yard weekly), was spreading out more bird seed. I looked at him, flipped him off, told him to suck it & if he ever tried calling the BOH again on anything related to either one of my Dad's houses, he would wake up one morning to see nothing but dead birds littered in his back yard. He was about to say something, but then I said that I would also write to the humane society and claim that he was poisoning all of the bird's with pictures of his back yard littered with the bodies of said birds. And that was the last time I ever said or saw that guy again. He would turn around and go back inside his house if I was outside. I couldn't understand why that was, LOL.
So, that's the reason I don't take chances of doing any major work outside of a garage. I live in Indiana, and I'm sure that this is not the only state that would have that law. I think it would be wise for everyone, no matter what state or country, for that matter, find out from their board of health to see what are some of the laws concerning working on vehicles outside of a garage. You may be surprised to find out how many times you may have violated a law without knowing.
Well, it's been 27 days since my last post. The only progress I made was cleaning out spaces, going to the city dump and Finally getting him into the garage. Some of the pictures below show what kind of room I have left over after it being pushed into the garage.
Finally in a garage Space left on the Driver side Room space left over Dry-rotted tire. How it held air while moving it into the garage is amazing.
I did all of this cleaning work, putting him in the garage, all to be put on hold. We are now, officially, looking for a house to buy and I need to stop buying things and cut off almost all of my reoccurring auto payments. So, that means I won't be able to buy the parts that are desperately needed in order to drive. Tires, as you can see, are a must buy. All 4 disk brakes need to be done, transmission rebuilt and other things. All of this has been put on hold until we have enough money for a down payment on a house.
Since I can't do anything for a while, I decided to make some space in the Garage. Take down a wall, which turns out to be a load bearing wall. Why would someone convert a 2 car garage into a 1 car garage/office, then make it a load bearing wall?
Which means I had to leave 3 sections in place to keep it load bearing. Doesn't give me all the room that I wanted, but it gives me room to move around the passenger side of the car.
On another note, I am getting the headders Ceramic Coated for $200. Total price for the Headders, Y-Pipe & Ceramic Coating will be $350, not including the fuel costs of me driving to get them and getting them coated. I'd say another $75 added for fuel. $425 all in, I think that's cheaper than Ceramic Coated Headders alone.
On Aug 22nd, I suffered, what they called, a "small" heart attack to which that stopped everything that I was not doing before. I am mending everyday but I now, must sadly, sell some items that I didn't want to sell. Some are items I have had for up to 18 years, and a couple of items that I just purchased this year. Even though I have gone back to work already, the 2 weeks of being off work, put a dent in the paycheck. So, what must be done, has to be done.
It's been a while since I posted anything & I am still planning on selling items and am going to go in a different direction with just about everything. This is peak season where I work, so not a lot I can do on getting pictures and the likes, but I will start typing up on Microsoft Word the items I am selling for a quick copy/paste. Doing it that way will be able to give me time to list the items I want to list and get the pictures for them. I am selling items to help get me closer to the Stealth Ram set up and Stroker Kit. I still have to take the block to get it checked and worked on, I will be looking for a local machine shop next week.
So, I was, and still am a little bit, pissed off yesterday. Let me give you a little back story real quick. Last year I was in the market looking for a Posi 9 Bolt w/3.45 gears, was contacted through here by a person that I can't remember his name (I've since deleted the PMs) letting me know that he has one and we agreed on a reasonable price that he could part with it. Said he needed a reason to finally swap out rear ends for a newer 4th Gen rear and needed to take out the 9 Bolt finally. Said it came off of a GTA & only had about 86k on it. We exchange contact info, I drive to go get it and pay for it. Everything went smoothly on the transaction side, both of us muscle it from one truck bed to the other and we go are seperate ways.
Fast forward to a week ago, I decided to sell it for funds to get a Stealth Ram, listed it on FB Marketplace. It took about a week when I got my first contact, but the guy needed more information and wanted to talk over the phone, which we did. He had questions about the gears, asking if 3.45 was a good ratio to have and lets me know that he has a 9 Bolt with 2.77 gears and wanted something more as his was not a complete 9 Bolt (missing a few disc brake parts and didn't want to pay the high price to put his back together). We chatted for about 30 minutes and he told me he would mull over the price and let me know. Next day he calls me back, wants my bottom dollar price, I told him a number I was comfortable with, and he made arrangements on driving 90 minutes to get it on my day off (yesterday). He asked if I would mind if we took off the cover so he could inspect inside, which I had no issue with that.
My youngest son and I had to carry it from the Storage Garage 100 yards away from where it was going to be placed on my saw horses in the driveway to wait for the guy's arrival. I loosen the bolts before he got here but, that's as far as I went, I wanted him to finish removing the bolts and take off the cover, to show that I had not messed with it. Call it covering my bases, in the fact that I was being honest that it has not been opened by me. Guy showed up with his son, I let him remove the bolts and crack open the cover because it was still sealed tight. After it was open, he moved the rotor to spin the gears, found the location of where the gear ratio was stamped, wiped it off and that's when I got pissed off. Turns out, this 3.45 that I bought off of a TGO member is actually a 3.27. I couldn't believe it, I still can't. Hindsight, I should have done what this guy did and inspect it before buying it. But no, I go off of people's word when it come to TGO members. So, no sale happened. Oh, to top it off, it needs to be rebuilt, to much play with the rotor stopped and checking the yolk for movement. It was moving back and forth at least an 1/8th of an inch.
****in bullshit if you asked me. I hate looking or sounding like I'm trying to rip someone off, I was really pissed off. I apologized for wasting the guys time and fuel for nothing, after he opened the cover and discover the correct gearing, I immediately went to FB Marketplace on my phone and deleted my listing. I'm not going to sell something like this, I paid for a 3.45 and won't get near the price I paid for it, and let's not even discuss the fact that 3.45 gears are $300 + $120 for shipping. That's just for the gears, I have to get a rebuild kit from 9Bolt.com as well.
Guess all I can do now is take off all of the brake parts and scrap the rest. I can use the brake parts on my 10 bolt.
Lesson learned, can't trust everyone on TGO when I could in the past.
While I was asleep Monday, Amazon delivered the Antenna Wrench.
Took it out to the car after opening the package, noticed it was the 2nd largest opening for the correct fitment on the Antenna Nut.
AFAIK this has been attached since it came from the factory in 1985. So, the feeling in my hand as I was loosening it, felt like a old rusted bolt getting ready to snap. I was hoping it wouldn't, which it didn't.
And there it sits after removing, no more than 5 minutes from open package to removal. I can't remember but, if the new replacement Passenger Fender does not have the Antenna provision, then I'll just go with a hidden Antenna on the Windshield. That's all for an update at this time, a lot more to come since I am 90% recovered from the Heart Attack. I'm planning a lot to do over the next 7-8 months.
I don't think I'll ever be 100% again, I can tell when I over exert myself. My heart rate jumps too high and I have to take slow deep breaths to calm myself sometimes it will be followed by a Nitro pill. Not bad enough to go to a Doctor, but I do know my limitations now.
"The magic wand that makes race cars disappear"
Jk congrats on having a kid and most things happen for a reason so i bet you will find another good 3rd gen
"The magic wand that makes race cars disappear"
Jk congrats on having a kid and most things happen for a reason so i bet you will find another good 3rd gen
Must be confusing me with someone else. I didn't just have a kid and I didn't get rid of my 3rd Gen. My 2 sons are 21 & 19 and I had a heart attack this past Aug.
someone said they just had a kid and thats why they couldnt buy another 3rd gen
I found it, it was @zo3z28 that said "I looked at a blue and gold 86 Z28 but my girlfriend who is now my wife was against it. Due to just having a child."
He only looked at one, but the woman was against it. That's why I don't listen to my wife, actually, I hardly listen to her at all.
So, today (Tuesday the 23rd) I went parts driving/shopping and scored some parts. Got a pair of 1/4 panels for $65, sure they have some scratches and a few minor dings and imperfections, but that can be worked with. Better than the rusted wheel wells on the current ones.
The 3rd item I had to make a 4.25 hr trip, only way, to Gatlin TN to pick up, what would be considered new/never fired, TPiS Mini Ram. They had it on a engine as a display piece only and it's been sitting for a few years. And when you see the pictures, you'll see why I would consider it New/Never used. It was a steal for $650. Still has the original stamp Almost everything was included Looks like a fake TB was glued to it at one point Nothing a good sandblast and paint can't cure Look at the bottom, no gasket had been put on it since it was a display model Sooooo Shiny! Can't believe I got it at that good of a price
Now to head over to the Tech Boards to search for someone else that has set up a TPiS to get info on the fuel lines and whatnot. Then I got some other pictures to take to sell items in order to buy the TB for it. I'll have a couple of TPI units to sell with a MAF Wiring harness and PCM for one of them. Got to get the 2nd one blasted before selling. Then I'll be selling the front & back seats for local pick up. Serpentine brackets with nothing attached, but I do have a PS Pump that can go with it. And I might have a possibility of selling a few of my 145mph gauges. Got a 9-Bolt with 3.27 gears that's a Posi unit w/disk brakes, It has around an 1/8th of ab inch of end play
Well, getting ready to make another big trip. 4 stops in 3 states. Total drive time without the stops to buy parts and load them is 13h 3m. I tried so hard to get all of the parts in one location, but no such luck. Picked up a few new tools today (Thursday): 110lb Sand Blaster, 4 1/2 Angle Grinder, Welding Cart. Tomorrow (Friday), is going to be a somewhat relaxing day for the reason of driving so long on Saturday but not too relaxing. I still have to take off the rear wheels and take them to have the tires removed, Belle Tire is having a Rebate Sale on the BF Goodrich T/A Radials as long as I order them after 6pm Saturday and have them scheduled for installation at a later time. They will have to be, they don't have the 235/60R15 in stock. They would want to put on 215s, hell no. So, it's be nice to see new BFGoodrich raised white letter tires on the car again.
After the trip on Saturday, I'm going to rest for a half day or full day, don't know yet. I know I need to put things up for sale when I get back, pictures have to be taken. So much to do since I took time off working on the car since the Heat Attack. I think that's it for now, I need to get some sleep.
It's picture sharing time. Parts that I have gotten then a follow up on what I've been doing. Far Left to Right: Passenger 1/4, Original Hood, Hatch Lid w/ 3rd Brake Light Provision, Replacement Hood & Driver Side Fender. I've had that Fender a good 18 years. Drove to The Paddock when it was still in business here in Indiana to get it. EDP coating has started to rust over the years. The Passenger Fender I got from firebirddude142, just need to straighten out the lower section towards the Door. Driver Side Quarter Panel NOS Parking Brake Adjusting Lever I kinda hated opening this old box. 2nd one is still unopened.
Currently lock inside the bed of my truck is the new BFGroodrich T/A Radials monted on the N90 Wheels. I'll take a picture of them later when my son comes home from work with my truck. I'll point out the reason for me needing another set to mount the tires on. I think I'll get a set Polished & Painted from ThirdGen Ranch.The Driver side N90 was rusted on the hub and it took 2 days of PB Blaster, Kroil, Liquid Wrench, Propane Torch, 4 & 8 lb sledge hammers and my foot to get that damn wheel off. The other 3 were easy. And of course I noticed that the N90s were damaged AFTER I sold my extra set.
This is all I have for now, I've been awake since 10:30am yesterday. I'm finally tired and want to sleep for a bit. When I get up, I'll post pictures of all of the rotors and the underside of the car with a updated list of new issues that I found. This is not going to be as quick as I thought to get him back on the road.
Well, after taking off the LR Caliper (both rear calipers were "frozen" on) I had a better look at the underside. Left Wheel Well has a few rust holes, rear end looks like it was leaking, Parking Brake Cables are shot, Brake Lines look like they'll blow if pressure was applied to the brakes, fuel lines coming from the tank look the same as the brake lines. Don't see any rust holes on the floor pan, but that doesn't mean anything with all of the rust I see.
More pictures with comments on what you are looking at: N90s w/BFGoodrich Radial T/As N90s w/BFGoodrich Radial T/As Damaged I noticed after getting the old tire removed. That's a couple of notches. Another notch on the opposite side that lines up with the other side. Leads me to believe that this car had a Police Boot on it for some reason. That, or it was towed the old way and not on a flat bed. Bent Where the old lead weights were Driver side wheel well rusted area Same side Both Fronts are also "frozen" on. Still need to remove the calipers (PS side) DR Side
What the pads on the LR caliper looks like
So, now this is turning into a long project car. I don't mind that much, when he's finished, look out!
If I'm dropping the rear, might as well get a 99-02 fuel tank. That extra, what, 1.7 Gal could make a difference. I know people are going with the 4th Gen rear, but if I do that, I won't be able to keep the stock 15s. And I like the looks of them. I may go find the older 2nd Gen N90s, I liked the looks of them on the Camaro and the Monty. In-Line Tubbing for the lines. Gonna go ahead and do the T5 swap, unless I can get the T56 to take a cable for the Speedometer (I'll have to check up on that). A T56 would be better with the Stroker than the 700R4 or the T5.
So, I paid $50 to get a Vehicle Invoice about my car and here was the reply 6 or 7 days later.
And with that, $50 down the drain. Got a new part in today:
Also having a custom emblem made that replaces the Tuned Port Injection emblem on the rear. Here's what it will look like (and the color is TARDIS Blue):
That for when I run the air ducts like what Chad Speier did with his Cold Air Intake Rework. Can't do too much on anything, we will be buying a house soon and I will be getting a larger garage!
What would actually make it interesting if they kept records on it. Speculation leads to more speculation without answers. Probable some GM lower management member got it as a daily company car. Now I don't know how many owners it had before me.
Just bought a New BBK 58mm TB 85-88 Linkage from @Tuned Performance . It will look nice on the TPiS. Got some other stuff in the works on here. I have the money now, won't have it later. If I can't work on it until I move, I might as well get what I want.
It was the other day that I got the 58mm TB. When I got home from work the next morning after it arrived, I took some unboxing pictures to share. Opening day! Very nicely packaged. No need to open this right now. Would end up losing everything if opened. Bubble Pack inside a Bubble pack. Extra protection with lots of tape. Very nice. Now, cue the angels singing "Ahhhhhh!" Very clean & new.
Needless to say I am very happy with my purchase. Thanks again @Tuned Performance
A lot has happened in a little over 9 months since last post. Bought a house, no garage space, but that isn't going to stop me. As of right now my intentions are getting the original motor running but I have to buy all new lines (Fuel & Break) because I don't trust the original ones that are on there. I want to drive him this year. Just ordered a Master Cylinder, since the only thing that I know is the Brake lines are Metric, I'm going to have to clean and reuse the Prop Valve (I don't see that anything would be wrong with it), I'll get a new sensor for the Prop Valve, just in case. I'm going to have to drop the tank, I think I'll remove the Rear End and get it blasted for a re-paint before the lines go on it. Might buy a late 4thGen tank, but don't know if I want the hassle of changing out the Fuel Pump Assembly to the one from a Cavalier. But in any case, a new tank is in order, can't trust the Original.
That's all I got for now, except that I changed my mind on the name of the car. Still bummed that I was not allowed to have BLUONBLK for a plate, so now he's called Dnt Blnk since my truck is 8AD W0LF.
A lot has happened in a little over 9 months since last post. Bought a house, no garage space, but that isn't going to stop me. As of right now my intentions are getting the original motor running but I have to buy all new lines (Fuel & Break) because I don't trust the original ones that are on there. I want to drive him this year. Just ordered a Master Cylinder, since the only thing that I know is the Brake lines are Metric, I'm going to have to clean and reuse the Prop Valve (I don't see that anything would be wrong with it), I'll get a new sensor for the Prop Valve, just in case. I'm going to have to drop the tank, I think I'll remove the Rear End and get it blasted for a re-paint before the lines go on it. Might buy a late 4thGen tank, but don't know if I want the hassle of changing out the Fuel Pump Assembly to the one from a Cavalier. But in any case, a new tank is in order, can't trust the Original.
That's all I got for now, except that I changed my mind on the name of the car. Still bummed that I was not allowed to have BLUONBLK for a plate, so now he's called Dnt Blnk since my truck is 8AD W0LF.
That's it for now.
its good to see one of these threads make it back to the top. I love seeing cars dodging the grave yard. I look forward to seeing the end result. Don't give up and continue practicing patience
About 3 days ago my youngest son's friend (he's now living with us, too long of a story) & I started dealing with the original engine. It didn't bode well when I had to use PB Blaster & a crowbar to remove the Distributor, it was frozen to the intake. Got it to pull out but there was oil sludge & rust on the shaft, bad motor. Sure, I can tear it down, get the block cleaned and checked for cracks then rebuild it. But then I would get a lot of 305 haters replying to this post & I don't want those type of DBag responses. Right now, I'm waiting for a response from a guy that is selling a running 350 w/ 700R4 trans for $650. That's the only update I have for now, once I get the engine, I'll snap pictures to share.
When it comes to keeping a third gen from being recycled, I would suggest not giving 2 flying flim flams, what people think. It doesn't sound like you want some 500 hp setup. There's nothing wrong with putting someone in it that was already in our cars to begin with or something eerily similar.
Good News & Bad,
I will be picking up a 350/700R4 today at a good price, very pleased with that news. Now the bad, while under it for a more in-depth inspection of the underside, too many rust holes around pinch welds where the floor pan connects to the rockers and the curve up the wheel wells. This is a bad day unless I find a roller. I already know of someone who will take my Z28 after I strip it down with parts that will transfer to the roller. They are okay with taking the time & has a bigger budget than I do, to do the body work that needs done. I have found 3 rollers close by under $700, just waiting for responses for any of them.
Sad day for my discovery, would have liked to have not seen the holes.
This will probably be my next to last post on this thread that I created almost 2 1/2 years ago. My last post will be asking the moderator to lock this thread as I will be closing the chapter on my time with this 85 Z28. It's looking like I'll be going back to where I started when I first got a 3rd Gen in '98 or '99. Back then I bought a 90 RS 305 TBI T5 T-Top, it had a badly crunched passenger side subframe that pulled hard to the right when driving. It was my 1st ever Camaro & the 1st car I bought after my 79 T/A was stolen and totaled. If anybody happened to watch COPS back then, it just so happens that my T/A was a filmed story that very early morning in Indianapolis and made it past the cutting room floor (I may share that story one day. It's still pains me to think back on losing my 1st ever T/A).
Anyway, after finding out about the subframe, I had to start looking for a roller (the engine & 5 speed were pulling strong, no need to do anything else but a swap) and I found one in Columbus, IN for $500. It was a 85 Z28 with the L/S Contour seat interior that I foolishly tossed away (I didn't know what it was, I just didn't like the CAMARO on the seats & door panels. I can't remember if they were Grey or Red but, they were not Tan with the Black Exterior). I knew a couple that were, sadly, getting a divorce & the wife told me that they moved out of there house, letting it go into foreclosure, and I was free to use the garage for the swap for as long as the electric was still connected. I took a week off from work to do this, I had the help of my brother ( RIP Raymond (1/4/1967 - 4/30/2011), I still miss you to this day.) & my Uncle (still breathing, LOL) to help as much as he could while still working for CF Trucking. Got the roller on Saturday, moved it to the garage on Sunday to start swapping. Then on the 3rd day, tragedy stuck us. On Tuesday morning I was woken up by my Uncle calling my flip cell phone, he was crying telling me that those fu**ers knocked the buildings down. Just waking up, I had no idea what he was talking about, as I told him so. Go turn on the TV was his reply as he stayed on the line, the day was Sept. 11th, 2001 and it was around 11am when he called.
We all 3 spent the daylight hours swapping while talking about who & why, my Uncle telling us stories from his trip to NYC back in the 80s, going up to the top of both towers & the view was awe inspiring. When it got dark, we all hugged each other, my Uncle drove off while my brother drove me home. I stayed at his house watching the news channels still in a state of shock from the day's events hearing about the last 2 planes, watching the non-stop video loop of the impacts to the towers & the collapsing. Listening to the heartbreaking stories, trying not to cry, but failing all too many times. Over the next few days, it was strange not hearing a single jet in the sky, flying past going to or coming from IND INT Airport. The swap got finished to no kind of fanfare because of the week's events & I discovered things during the swap that I try to point out when I read about people wanting certain things from a 90-92 Camaro to put on their 82-89 Camaro. Like the difference in the Gage pod, the cable driven speedo in the 82-89, electronic in the 90-92. The dash mounting brackets are in different locations for those years, just those couple of things can make a big difference. You might want to call the 90-92 the 3rd & 3/4 Gen F-Body, because the Firebird was also changed for the last 3 years of the production run.
If I get this roller later this evening (I'm typing this on early morning Saturday & going to look at it at 5pm Saturday), then I will be coming to an almost full circle in my 3rd Gen life. This time around, I have a 85 Z28 & the roller is a RS. Can't say the year yet, it's listed as an 82 RS but, RS was not a package until 87. Being told that they think it had a 305 in it but it had a TPI, which is only 1/2 true. 89 was the first year for the 305 but the RS was never offered with a TPI in 89. Unless the dash was swapped, it has to be a 87-89 body, it has the GFX for the 82-89, gage pod is 82-89 but it has the 3rd brake light in the spoiler which wasn't offered until 88, maybe 87 at the earliest. I'll be getting some more pictures later this morning, I asked for the VIN, undercarriage pictures and a picture of the SPI in the console, if it was still there. If the SPI is there & actually from that car, that will tell me what it had. But, I'll still be getting the VIN to be definitive. It will come with a bill of sale & no title but, thanks to the Vermont Loophole, that's not an issue.
That's about it for this post, it was kinda a sad Friday. I would have liked to have gotten the 85 up & running but, I just don't have the budget to do that much body work. Being a kind of health problematic 51YO, my brain still thinks I'm in my 30s but, my body gives my brain a reality check. So, after I'm done swapping parts, the 85 Z28 will be sold (I refuse to scrap it!!), intact but not fully original. I'll be selling it with a bare 350 block bored 40 over and a WC T5. And any other parts that I have left over, I'll be taking pictures and posting them for sale here. There are some thing that I bought on here & I don't know why I did. They will be going up for sale also.
If you made it this far, thank you for your time in reading this (almost) farewell post. Like I said, my very last post on here will be asking for the thread to be locked. And before you ask, the wife won't let me keep 2 of them, that's why I have to sell it.
Alright, well that roller was junk. Had more holes than my floor pan, was told that it was the best that I would find. I said that I wouldn't go far as to say that, so I'm out $70 for the trailer rental. I got to start pulling out all of the parts I don't need and list them. Guess this thread is staying open and I got to look for a floor pan.
Alright; some things have now transpired to where I can now say that I have changed the name of the thread. Yes, again, last time, I promise (after I remove the 1st 3 words in a week). I did a 1300 mile road trip to Mooresville, NC to pick up a rust free Camaro shell, small damage to the passenger front but not a damage subframe. I can now say my 85 Z28 is back on track, and it's exciting. Pictures of the shell below 24 pictures in total:
More Pictures in the next few posts
Last edited by DontBlnkBadWolf; 08-01-2022 at 12:22 AM.
With a little work, the area that is damaged can be fixed to almost new again. I couldn't pass up on the shell, the wife was upset but, after 25 years of marriage it's not the 1st time she wasn't happy about me buying something 3rd Gen related. I'm tired from the trip still, I got to work the next 2 nights & I can't wait to start on this. I'll end this here, I'm going to relax some more.
It is very rust free. Surprising considering this was a Minnesota car and it's been in NC for 6 years. From the North to the South then back up North again.
Originally Posted by DontBlnkBadWolf
With a little work, the area that is damaged can be fixed to almost new again. I couldn't pass up on the shell, the wife was upset but, after 25 years of marriage it's not the 1st time she wasn't happy about me buying something 3rd Gen related. I'm tired from the trip still, I got to work the next 2 nights & I can't wait to start on this. I'll end this here, I'm going to relax some more.
Originally Posted by DynoDave43
I'm being dead serious, her question was "Is this so important that you are dropping everything, taking a day off from work & driving all that way just for a shell?". I didn't need to give an answer, she should have made it a rhetorical question.
On the advice of member @Billgluckman I'm going with Summit primer & paint. The total for everything with tax is $663 witch is around the same total for a gallon of Base Coat alone from Eastwood & other places. The color will be Bomber Blue Metallic, which is a dark blue. While it might not be the original dark blue, it'll look damn good. The Bowtie Grill, headlight pockets, door handles, wheel spokes & ground effects will all be Hot Rod Matte Black. I may do the engine bay in that Matte Black while the engine color some shade of blue. I know I don't want it to be too dark or light, it needs to be a balanced color, something close to one of the lighter blue shade that is part of the tri-color blue from the emblems & stripes. Just don't know yet.
No progress has been done yet, I've been waiting for specialized tools for windshield removal to be delivered, parts that I have for sale needs to be sold (had some tire kickers), I did sell the block at least, still waiting on my friend to pay me for the T5 (he doesn't get the T5 until I get the money). Need to make room for the Shell to go into the garage, so until all this happens, nothing is getting done.
You could also look at Autobahn base coat. I didn’t use summit base, I used Autobahn. Autobahn paint is produced very close to my home so it’s easy for me to grab it and it’s “cheap”
if you click that link and look at “oem colors”, those colors can be bought very reasonable. I’m pretty sure they sell on eBay. I don’t think you can go wrong with Autobahn or Summit though. You might be interested in the AB-DX if you aren’t scared of a Ford color.
You could also look at Autobahn base coat. I didn’t use summit base, I used Autobahn. Autobahn paint is produced very close to my home so it’s easy for me to grab it and it’s “cheap”
if you click that link and look at “oem colors”, those colors can be bought very reasonable. I’m pretty sure they sell on eBay. I don’t think you can go wrong with Autobahn or Summit though. You might be interested in the AB-DX if you aren’t scared of a Ford color.
Summit does have some nice blues too.
Sacrilegious to say on a GM board but, I'm a Ford fan 1st and foremost. Always wanted a Mustang but they are more expensive to buy than a 3rd Gen so I go with what I know. Thanks for the additional info, I'll check them out.
Sacrilegious to say on a GM board but, I'm a Ford fan 1st and foremost. Always wanted a Mustang but they are more expensive to buy than a 3rd Gen so I go with what I know. Thanks for the additional info, I'll check them out.
I drive an f150 and have had a few mustangs. I definitely prefer Ford over chevy, especially when it comes to cars., I just always liked thirdgens as a kid.
truthfully I don’t give a **** about newer mustangs or camaros. I had a coyote car for a couple years. Fun car, rides nice, but the newer cars just don’t have a muscle car feel at all.
More health issues had stopped me for most of this season from doing anything, but I am making progress anyway. I built a Body Dolly, out of wood, for the shell I picked up last year. Recorded a video on it & took pictures of the progress. Got it moved out of the way to put the 85 in it's place for teardown. Started tearing down the 85 & seeing that it is in worst rusted shape then I thought. I mean, it is roached massively. Lots of replacement parts needed. Well, I need to get back to making room in the garage for the parts that can be saved. Posting the Video link & the pictures.
06-12-2020, 09:32 PM
