Hey guys, I currently own a 1984 Camaro berlinetta that had started smoking really bad back 6 years ago. So i parked it as i didnt have the time or money to fix her. Now my son is looking for a car and he was looking into rebuilding the motor or buying a new motor for this car. A new motor would be around $1,200 roughly, and then he will need seals and tires, hydrolics for trunk and hood and all of that good stuff where its been sitting. Also this car has suffered the heavy door syndrome on the driver side where the door dropped and will no longer open.(if you know a good way to fix let me know!) So he is looking into a whole lot of time and money in that fix which i dont think he has.

Then my wife was talking to a friend of hers and the ladys husband has an 82 Camaro z28. The car was known running three months ago and the only major thing wrong with it is "the multiport injetion needs balancing" From what the guy said, other than that it needs paint and some interrior stuff done. The guy is asking $1,000 cash for it. The motor in car is a 1982 Crossfire 305 or 350 V8 not yet sure which. I was wondering which would be the better route to go. From my feelings i think my son should stick with the 84 but i could be wrong, just wanted the input of the many well informed people on this board!

Thanks! Will

 

Honestly, if I had the choice between a berlinetta and a z28 I would choose the z28, but that is just me.

The door isn't too big of a hassle, there are articles that detail why that happens and ways to replace it as well as links to the required hinges etc, but the motor and all that.... no matter what you buy these days you will need to put cash into it.

As turnkey as it can get, something will be wrong and need to be done. So it's really his call. I was never a berli fan though so maybe that's influencing my decision.

Eitgher way, tell your son good luck !

 

I believe the crossfires only came in 305 from what research I have done. (I also own a 82 Z28 with the crossfire and it runs pretty good. The 3 speed takes some getting used to driving. I don't drive it much, only when i go home, as it is at my Mom's house and I haven't had the time to get it to where I live. She does drive it and likes it.

As far as the hinge, can you buy a hinge repair kit at the parts store that replaces the pin in it?

 

the 84 BL was the first year for all the aircraft type gaging, so he may like that alot, and a junkyard 350 isnt all that expensive, compared to a new crate motor( he si a teen I assume so he wil want the big V8). the door is most probubly just hinges which can be bought new or again from the yard. they wont be to expensive. the hard part will be re aligning the door to the body which can be a pain if you have never done it and time consuming to learn but pretty easy once you know how.
the 82 with the injection I am sure he will love showing off. it just looks cool and hi tech and performs well when right and if he is will ing to do some work on it ( with dads help?lol) he can have fn with it as well without all the motor swapping issues ( tranny and rear ends).

 

I dont want to give him anything that he can show off in, i dont want his messing around and wrapping it around a tree. I talked to a local mechanic and he said it would be about $60 to fix the mutliport. So the Z is sounding like a great deal, and its adding another classic to our family! In the end do you guys think the Z would be a decent DD (other than gas prices and consumption i know..) for him? Considering its only $1,000 to buy it and about $60 for the mutiport and tires?

 

Also @ JMC can you give me a rough estimate on MPG's that your mom gets?

 

Honestly, with a 305 or a 350, unless you work it hard, there's not much to show off. Especially an 82. These were powerful cars back then but nowadays, any decent 6 cyl can give an older third gen a run on top end. Off the line we usually had the advantage.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about him driving it and messing around and hitting a tree or something. And even if he did...Having been in an accident in my 85 z28, I can say I feel a ton safer in that thing vs newer cars. (Got hit by a durango doing 40 MPH, barely had a dent compared to the womans totaled durango.)

Assuming your son isn't a tard, he'll quickly learn to respect the power that he can put out with one of these cars the first time its slightly raining out and he punches it to be an *** and he starts turning sideways unintentionally. Least.. that did it for me. ... Course.. I then started driving up the rode semi sideways for fun... but hey

But i'd say fix up the z28, crossfire wasnt bad. And 305's aren't bad at all on gas.

 

In my opinion it is a good deal if you plan on removing the crossfire system for a basic carb set up. The Crossfire injection LU5 engine had a lot of problems and only lasted one year it the camaro.

 

Two. 1982 and 1983.

What this guy is saying makes absolutely no sense about the Z28. First there is nothing to "balance" in a MPFI system. Second of all, crossfire injection is a form of TBI, not MPFI.

You need to find for yourself what is wrong with the car. $60 dollars isn't going to fix whats wrong with it at a mechanic. I charge that much just to figure out what's wrong.

Basically, you need to first figure out if the Z is in good condition to start with, or at least better condition than the berlinetta. This means rust, body damage, interior, suspension, etc. For your son to have a decent car, he can't begin the project with something that's beat.

Do some research on the Z. Find out what options it has. Generally a Z28 would be a better project base than a berlinetta because of the fact that they were built as a better performing car (I.E. better gear ratios, LSD, rear discs, larger sway bars, nicer interior, etc.) The LU5 package also came with a functional ram air style fiberglass hood.

On the other hand you've owned the Berlinetta for years and you know the history of the car. Might be useful while you're troubleshooting problems in the long run.

Don't limit yourself to these two cars though. If the Z28 isn't exactly what you want, walk and keep looking. There's a million of these cars out there, you just have to find them. Then you could use the berlinetta as a parts car if need be.

 

One good thing that will help with the mechanic. He is a family friend who has worked with chevy cars for years. The berlinetta doesnt run at all, the Z rolls some. Going to go look at it soon. When i get more details on it ill post on here, and ill also grab some pics of it! I know the paint needs some work, and the interrior is used, It being an older car and not having been restored any.