Im new on here so let me tell you what i have. first off im 20 years old and im from indiana i have a 79 camaro just base model. i bought it nearly a year ago from the original owner who kept good care of it. it has very little rust and i have got quite a bit fixed already. one thing i do need though is a passenger side fender and i dont know if i should find a used one and fix it all up or buy aftermarket. if anyone has experience with after market fenders please let me know. my second thing is my car has the original 305 with 125000 miles on it. i would like more power with a 350 but i wanted to get some of your guys opinions. is it goign to make the car worth more in the long run rebuilding the numbers matching engine or swap it out for a 350? as of now the car is 100% stock. thanks for any advice you can give me and i hope to make some friends on here.

 

I have heard alot of bad things about aftermarket fenders not matching properly and the fit being off. If I were you I would search for a used one or a NOS GM one which of course will be expensive. But if your saying there is little to no rust on the car then of course you would want to keep it looking nice.

As far as the engine goes, I dont see the underpowered 305 making the car worth much more. If anything you can just pull it out and set it aside. Then down the road if the price of 79 Camaros spike through the roof you have the original engine and can put it back in to keep it "numbers matching". If I were in your position, I would get a nice 355 or bigger and have a little fun.

 

Welcome. You won't have any problems making friends here. We all get along and don't have a problem with new guys.

I can't see where a 305 will be worth more. But if your worried about it save everything you pull off. Then if there ever is a market for a numbers matching 305 Camaro you can put it back together. Or sell everything to the new buyer as part of the deal.

As for the fender, nothing will fit like a factory one. Thats just the way it is on most every aftermarket body panel. Is yours smashed or rusted? Are you the guy who asked yesterday? If so I have a set of fenders for a base model. I prefer not to ship them. Shipping would be a ton. Mine are rust free but need some TLC. Pm me if your interested. I can meet down by the Michigan/Indiana border for a small bump in price.

 

The after market fenders never fit quite like the original, it took alot of patience and tweaking to get mine to line up.

 

thanks for the help guys i think i will swap for 350. it would be more fun. i was worried about an aftermarket fender not lining up right so i will stick to getting a used one. one other thing if anyone has a headliner board i need one

 

The most often heard phrase when someone sees a Camaro with a 305 is, "it would be better with a 350". I seriously doubt anyone would wish it was a 305 some day.
As for fenders; been there and done that. They're crap for repops. You'll have way less time fixing rusty originals than you'd have fitting new ones. I probably had EACH fender on and off my car 5-6 times trying to get the holes and shims in to make them fit and look right.
I wish I had just straightened my old fenders, as it would have been way less work, and heavier metal too! The new fenders are thinner material too!

 

I didn't realize they were thinner too. Stock ones will dent if you push down on them. Like to check the shocks. I did this on my 78. Thank god I was doing body work at the time but I still left hand impressions.

 

Maybe what they did was go to thinner metal later on in the Camaros, and the repops just did the same for all years. My original early 2nd gen fenders were really heavy and would never think of denting, even if I stood on them.

 

yeah well my problem is my fender bottom is rusted out which is luckily the only part on the car that rusted bad....well besides the tail panel but im going to figure that out in the future. i hear it can be a bear to replace. i was going to replace the fender bottom which i did buy one and wouldnt u know it it doesnt match like i would like plus i dont have a welder at this time. so either i buy a welder and fix it myself which isnt cheap to buy a nice welder or i take it somewhere to have them fix it which also wouldnt be really cheap or i spend 125 bucks on a rust free/ bondo free fender i found.

 

LOL but it aint dent free.