bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Hello, Ive been posting on and off of this website for a while and love all the valuable information I fine here, but nowhere else. My Dad found this car parked outside of a CarsMedics, and told me about it, and showed me pics he had taken on his cell Phone. I discussed this with my mom, who decided that she can help me with it, and take me an hour or so away to look at it. It was much better than I had thought it would be. Thw Windshield said $600 On it, The sign on the window said: Rebuilt Carb, New Alternator, 2 new rear tires, New started, etc.. It's truly a wonder in my mind why this car hasnt been sold yet. We asked him his bottom dollar, and from there it was sold, and driven Home
It has a 305, T-Tops, Power Windows, and all that jazz.

I recently Just replaced the 2 front seats to black seats from a grand-am.
I bought headers from the local U-Pull it yard, nice edelbrocks, witha nice Y-Pipe, Quite the find.
I added a ''Trans Am'' Windshield Decal to it, that just Sets it off in my opinion.
Not Huge plans for this, plan to be my DD. Tell me what you Think of it, What I should do to it, What should go on the other end of that Y?

Thanks for looking.

JohnC

iTrader: (1)

Wow! Looks like a good deal for $450. Any pics of the grand am seats in it?

82 Iron Duke

iTrader: (21)

For that price you stole the car unless it has hidden rust, I would spend a couple of buxs and get some hood shocks and possibly hatch shocks. Do a major inspection of the underbody and in the hatch area and look for rust, take more pics and then report back. If all checks then you found an awsome deal.

vette gator

Glad to hear that another third gen found a good home in Florida. You'll love the T-tops. Like any new-to-you used car, go over all the usual wear items: belts hoses. Change the oil and flush the coolant. Pull at least a couple of plugs to look at their condition and see how the motor is running. Check the steering system for leaks, look over all four corners of the brakes to look for leaks or worn pads. I would also suggest doing a pressure test on the cooling system. It's quick and easy and will tell you if anything needs to be replaced. I wish that I had done that first when I brought my 85 home. I ended up having to replace the radiator, T-stat, CTS hoses and water pump, but I did it at three different times. It would have been a whole lot easier to drain the coolant once and get it all over with at once.

Are there lug nuts missing from the wheels or is it just shadows on the picture?

There is a lot of great help here to walk you through almost anything that might need to be done on the car.

TAdan

Looks like an great find for the price. Have fun!

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for all of your input guys!

Don't get me wrong, this car has its flaws. But its MY car, and I couldnt imagine life without it. It Runs GREAT, shifts GREAT, looks good, and turns heads as-is. (On my way back home, a 79 T/A was Revving his Engine at me, just made me feel good about it, considering I hadn't even had it home yet!)

Heres a list of things I need to Take care of and such.

Known Rust Issues:
>>Above Drivers head on the corner where the T-Top Seal Turns (Pretty Significant)
>> Small Surface rust behind rear plastic where the tail-light nut goes
>> Surface Rust Under the First Mount of the Spoiler
>> Minor patches here and there, Nothing Major
>> Bubbling up On T-Bar

Known Mechanical Issues:
>> Speedo Doesnt Work
>> Tach Doesnt Work
>> Hood Shocks need replacement
>> Transmission needs new Pan Gasket (Though not Significant)
>> Power Steering MAY need a little attention (It Stopped making noise when I Refilled it)
>> Yes, It needs 1-2 Lugnuts Per Wheel (Idk Why?)

Known Cosmetic Issues:
>> Someone keyed it from the front of Driver fender to Rear of car.
>> Boot-Print in Drivers Fender
>> Small Spots of Faded Paint (What do you expect of Original Paint?)

Known Electrical Issues:
>> Horn Doesnt work, But it honks when you tilt wheel all the way down.
>> Quick Radio Wiring Job, Needs to be re-wired
>> 5th Brake Light doesnt light up when running lights on. (Does Light up when brakes are pressed though)

What I Have Done So Far:
>> Replaced Hatch Shocks
>> Replaced Front Seats (Grand-Am)
>> New Air Filter
>> New 5th Brake Light Bulb
>> 2 12'' Rockfords.
>> Replaced Door Panels
>> Replaced All Interior Plastics

Have, But need to Install:
>> Hood Shocks
>> Edelbrock Shorty Headers and Y-Pipe

Need to Buy/Do:
>> Spark Plugs (Not acting up, just like to replace them)
>> Plug Wires
>> Oil
>> Oil Filter
>> Fuel Filter
>> Cap / Rotor / Coil ?
>> Flush All Fluids, And Replace
>> Fix Tach / Speedo (Maybe Simple fix, Gears are in glove box)
>> Rear Seats (Dont Match New ones)
>> Buy Carpet


The Lists Probably are complete, but this is just what I can think up off of the top of my head.

Any More Input is Welcomed and Encouraged.

Thanks for the help again guys, couldnt have gotten this far without ya.

dr1

that last electrical issue is not an issue at all

1 lugnut a wheel sounds like someone didnt have the key for the special lugs and wrecked them getting them off

really nice looking car for the price

87tpi

iTrader: (5)

Nice find, is it the high output L69? That is a good motor. Looks like you have the functioning cowl too.

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Yeah, The electrical problems arent hard fixes at all.

I Dont thing that its a H.O. Motor, And yes, a functional Cowl, with a solenoid, its pretty neat.

Thanks for the Kind words, I too, find it to be one hell of a deal.

TurbomanKnight

I love those wheels. Nice find dude!

87tpi

iTrader: (5)

Is the 8th digit of the vin an h or a g? I believe the g was the high output L69

92RS(real slow)

looks like a great find, and a great project keep us up to date on it

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Ill Try to Keep you guys Posted. I Snapped a few more pictures I think you'd enjoy.

Any and all feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
Thx.

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Its been a while since Ive posted on my car, so I decided to post an update.

I have added alot of things since I last posted.

I Have:
Installed Edelbrock Headers and Hi-Flow Y-Pipe
Used Flowmaster Cat-Back exhaust, Got from a fellow Member
New Carpet (Also got from a member here)
Better Speaker Box
Painted Back Seats to match Fronts
Replaced V-Belts
New Oil Filter
New Oil
Replaced Ignition Cylinder
Installed Headliner
Installed Overhead Console
New Hollow 34mm Sway Bar and new EndLinks
Put on Hatch Louvers (People will be mad if I say what I Payed for them )

I Just put on a new drivers door and need to install the new Panhard Bar and Lower Control Arms I Just got

Still need some things before I Paint it, like a high rise spoiler, new decklid, drivers Fender (PM me if ya got any at a food price )

Well, Heres a few Pics.. Let me know if ya need more pics

TADailyDriver

iTrader: (8)

id put an open element under the hood, would work great with the hood scoop and give ya a lil more kick outta the motor. great looking car for the price..

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Open element? Isnt that for TPI Engines? Mines Carbureted.
Thanks.

I Dont know what color to paint it, either black with all of the original silver decals, or a nice blue color with some IROC style stripes arond the bottom...

TADailyDriver

iTrader: (8)

no they make them for our cars too. its a round 14x3 inch filter with a drop base. ill shoot ya some pics tonite of what it looks like unless soemone else post a pic of it first.

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Alright sounds cool. Im always looking for mods I can do to my Car.

ezysk

Well, either that car is about to drop the entire floor pan, or that dealer has no clue.
Kelly Blue Book, NadaGuides both have the car valued much higher than that, the only one that gives that kind of price is Edmonds. Which might have been the guidelines the dealer uses, which would be odd, or they use no guides at all and just guesses what the car will sell for.


Either way, unless there is something major wrong with it, that you don’t know about, then I say you got a hell of a deal.

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Well, I did not buy this from a dealer, But rather from a guy who needed rent money.
There are only 3 reasons why I think he would have thought this car wasnt worth much.

1. No Keys. I mean, not at all. Still started, but didnt need the key.

2. The car leans to one side, pretty noticable if you stand about 10 feet from the back.

3. Probably the most significant thing, which he didnt tell me about. While crawling under the car for the first time, i noticed right after the steering box (toward the front of the car) here was apparently a flaw in the subframe. It had cracked under stress of the steering or something, and was welded (Pretty UN-Professionally I think) back together. A Cake weld, if you will.
It seems to hold up fairly well, and looks (to my un-trained eye) to be fine, I dont fear it cracking or breaking again, but I am going to insall a wonder bar, when I can get ahold of one.

RSFreak

Not sure about the Firebirds, but the L69s in Camaros have the dual snorkel aircleaner.

Nice find for $450! I just got an '86 T/A for $900 and I gotta rebuild the engine!

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

heh, I guess this car is sort of a redemption from my last 3rd gen. The ''350'' ''Original Engine'' In my '84 Z28 Was a Rod Knocking 305. Of course I figured outthat there was never a 1984 Camaro to ever Come stock with a 350. Needless to say the car sat until I sold it.Im actually in the process of making my own dual snorkel Intake for it, coming along nicely. I also just installed new Lakewood Lower Control Arms, and Panhard bar, But cant test drive it now, because My alternator took a crap and drained my Brand new Battery.

DanTheAngry

Nice car man that was a pretty sweet deal. Mine was twice that and a rust bucket.

badredbrd89

I was just curious as to whether you took care of the lug bolts/nuts. I might be a bit of a safety nut, but I had a situation happen to my 89 formula when someone didnt torque the nuts to spec and two bolts/nuts snapped off. I consider it cheap insurance and just one of the first things I would have fixed.

Did we ever figure out the 8th digit of the VIN? Is it G or H? I believe that snorkel was a type of ram-air through the honeycomb piece on the hood scoop that actually DID make a difference when the car got a little hot. I found one of those pieces that I replaced on my Formy back in 2000 or so and it seemed like maybe it had a heat extractor-like affect. Man, I miss my little red Paige!

ssj2link

iTrader: (15)

hey where in florida are u located?

Toehead

About the frame cracking...
They rectified this in later cars with steering braces. Crawl under a later car and you can see them.

Grab them and the bolts from a pick and pull ASAP , and get a wonderbar or it really will crack again .

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

Near Tampa, Why?And, Yes, Toehead, I already thought about getting a wonderbar, but havent heard of any other steering braces? Got a pic? Thanks!!

mario82z28

that's a very nice find and for 450 for a v8 3rd gen you stole it i can never find these deals

bradley23150

iTrader: (10)

No, I never did tend to the lug nuts, theyre pretty expensive, and stock ones wont work with my aftermarket wheels. I was going to put some honeyombs on it and then use some stock lugs. Althoguh Im glad I Had to remove the front left tire, as the lugs were barely past finger tight. And no, My engine is NOT a H.O. Motor, I wish it was. And my cowl has all the parts, just unsusre if it works or not.

ssj2link

iTrader: (15)

i like to know there is more then 2 3rdgen people in florida besides me and my friend. lol but u are far from me im in coral springs 1 hour north of miami. lol