So my nephew passed his road test around 9am on friday. After looking for around 3 months at 2nd gen camaros, we settled on one of them on friday around 4pm. i let him drive my 08 Tacoma back home to my shop (2.5 hour ride) and I drove the Camaro. The previous owner let me borrow his plate and Im just gonna drop it in the mail for him. It runs pretty good and doesnt need much. I bet it was the most exciting yet scariest 2 hours of his young life being stuck in 5 o'clock rush out with only about 20 hours of driving experience under his belt lol.

Anyway, the car he wanted is the car he got and Im glad I could help. Not flawless. Not a total restoration. It was driven everyday (or so all people say) and is not too shabby.

It had 3 issues.

#1 Speedometer doesnt work. Might be a cable might be something else.

#2 The process of shifting into and out of gears is messed up. I mean inside the car itself like the linkage or something. The console part.

#3 Major wandering on the highway and steering play.


Im going to get under it tomorrow and see if i can get the tranny codes and find out if its original. The previous owner said it was but he doesnt have proof. Is it possible it was changed and that caused the linkage to be off and also causing the speedo to not work? You know, like it wasnt changed back to what was in there and now has a bigger housing or something? Any ideas?

Since I dont have a lift, where do I find the tranny code on a 1979 camaro with an automatic? I have the Haynes manual (i always buy them) so it explains but Im sure you guys can help me a little better.

As a matter of fact I cant find the engine block serial number. Searched on-line and acccording to the book it should be right there (the pad). The block was painted over in the last few years....maybe its just burried. Am I totally in the wrong place? Anyone have a picture with an arrow pointing to it or something...im lost on that one.


As far as the steering wandering. Ive been researching the front end rebuild kits and the whole poly bushing debate. I havent decided on which actual bushing to use yet but am leaning toward OEM.
We are going to order the kit or possibly assemble a kit and go ahead and get to wrenching somtime next week.

If you have done this rebuild in the past, any advice? Any advice on other parts to check/replace while dug that deep into the belly of the beast? Any advice on the wandering issue itself? I may start a topic on this rebuilding by itself to allow for before during and after.

Ok, well I look foward to being part of this site. My nephew should be joining and creating an account too. I'll let him handle the pics and what not since its his.

I just wanted to get a jump on ordering the parts or ateast finding those darn codes.



-Mike

 

The wandering could be as simple as being out of alignment,although it would be a good idea to replace the parts before getting it aligned anyway.I had a car years ago that wandered and it was the centerlink worn out,i replaced the centerlink,all tie rods,and the idler arm just to be sure the other parts did'nt wear out plus i figured since i was already there it was just easier that way,after replacing the parts the steering was alot more stable,you could let off the wheel and it would stay in a straight line.

 

i might have given a bad desciption.

its more like there is a gap when the steering wheel is in its up-right position and the car is going straight. if the wheel was at center at 12 o'clock, you can turn it to 1 o'clock before the wheels turn so figure an hour of play ...lol if that makes any sense at all.

 

First of all welcome. The tranny will probably be a TH 350 and its not really a big deal what it came out of. The shifting proble needs more discription though. Even a loose bolt inside the steering colume can cause problems getting into gear.

As for the front end I would go with quality parts from Moog or simular company. Cheapo discount parts store stuff is just that. I would stay away from poly control arm bushings in anything that moves. Delrin is a better material. I don't know what your budget is but http://pro-touringf-body.com/chassis_components.html this set up for $460 has all good components and covers everthing you metioned. The problem with your steering could be anything covered in the kit plus a worn rag joint or steering arm. Good luck, ask questions and get up some pics.-Damon

 

thanks for the good luck wishes.

I saw that link in another thread about the bushings and what not. I think that company may be offering more high performance parts? Im looking for for oem replacement parts or something a little better. Certainly nothing to give it a racing set up. As far and poly or derlin or what have you, I might wanna just stick with oem unless a great

I was researching the company moog a bit. From what i gathered buyign from them on their site is the cheapest prices. I saw some posts in a thread about someone assembling a rebuild kit themselves, but I dont have enough experiecnce to know exactly what Im going to need.

Take the Year One kit for example. Priced at $305 the D875 kit seems to have everything i need. Do you know anything about the parts in their kits? Like the ball joints ...are they Moog or their own brand? I see Moog over at Summit, but they are cheapest on Moog's site. Does it make sense to buy the better individual pieces? Never having done anything like this before, I dont want to get stuck not ordering a bushing or somethign and having to wait to have it delivered. Any thoughts?

 

The Pro touring site has race and also just rebuild stuff. The kit i suggested is alittle overkill with super duty tie rod sleeves and tall ball joints. But let me see if I can get a list off the top of my head.

Inner/Outer Tie Rods
Upper/Lower Ball Joints
Upper/Lower Control Arm Bushings
Center Link
Idler Arm
Rag Joint (maybe)
Steering Arm (maybe) local junk yard or swap meet
Your tie rod sleeves should work.
You can get all this at Autozone or what not. I wasn't sure of your intentions or budget thats why I suggested Moog. I just prefer made in USA over anything else.

 

Welcome aboard, check this link out for the casting # locations

http://www.joesantiquecars.com/Chevr...g-numbers.html

Joe

 

im all for the made in usa....im a union guy myself and try to do it when i can. something like a plasma....we dont make thos lol. my tacoma, eh i liked it better than the us light duties of 08.

i am also thinking of going with all moog. its a respected brand and will be something to highlight on a future sale of the car. its easier to say "all new moog front end rebuild" than it is to say "rebuilt with parts made by some company".


what im wondering is if i piece together the moog parts from their site, how do i factor in what else i will need? If i get a rebuild kit from Year One i think its all included correct?

 

The tranny issue may be as simple as the detents in the console, so pull the cover off under the shifter and just watch it as you shift from each position to see what's hanging up.
The engine code is on the block at the bottom of the passenger side front of the head.
The steering will be much easier to diagnose with two people. Get the nephew there and crawl under the car while he slowly moves the steering wheel side to side. Start by watching the pitman arm on the box and see if there's any play as it's moved. Probably wont be there unless it's really high mileage, but if it is you have a adj. screw on the stering box to take up slack in the gears and it can be turned clockwise once the locknut is removed to take up slack. Don't take it too tight, just gently turn until the slack is gone.
Most likely the play is in the tie rod ends or the control arms and ball joints. Once you've elimnated the pitman, then watch each tie rod end as it's moved back and forth to see if it's loose and sloppy. I'd consider replacing both tie rods if even one is bad. You can jack up the tires off the ground under the lower control arm and pull on the top of the tire to see if there's slop in the ball joints. If there is, then replace all 4 at once.

 

It's not difficult to figure out which steering parts are in need of replacing just as 1971BB427 has suggested. Moog is usually at least twice the price of house brand stuff at the parts houses but comes with a lifetime warranty compared to 1 yr. for the cheap stuff for a reason. The quality is far superior. I know Advanced Auto carries Moog and generally will have what you need in stock.