Hey, guys.

I've been creeping on this forum for a few months now and I've finally got myself into a position where I can seriously consider buying the car that I've wanted since I was 6, a second generation camaro. I'm looking mainly into the 70-73 then 78-81 years.

I came here not to ask tons of questions and annoy all of you wonderful people, but simply to get some guidance. I'm 19 and I've always absolutely loved cars. Sadly, no one in my family is really a gearhead. I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions for a few good books or sites to learn more about the actual maintenance and repair of cars.

Also, I read in another individuals post about the MadMike Camaro site and was wondering if you all recommend delving into that and learning everything that I can from it. I'm just looking for places to start so I can really get the ball rolling.

Thanks a lot,

Colt6288

 

First off welcome to the forum,and ask away,most people are glad to help with any questions you have.The madmike site you refer to is nastyz28.com,it is definitely a good site to check out as it is nothing but 2nd gen camaros on there,and they have alot of good info.One good way to learn how to repair and maintain your car is to get a haynes and or chilton manual for the 70-81 camaro or any other car you want to work on.

 

If you want to learn actual maintenance and repairs the cheapest way would be to keep frequenting this site. Look at a few of the other builds people are doing so you can get an idea of what all goes into taking one of these beasts apart and reassembling them. Also, it wouldn't hurt to go to your local auto parts store and pick up a haynes maintenance book.

If a 2nd gen camaro is the car you want, just keep looking at craigslist until you find a good base car. By that i mean, it has the motor you want, it doesn't have any major rust, everyone keeps saying make sure you look at the rear frame rails. I found my 81 with minimal rust in the door jams, an almost completed interior, and a mildly built 350 for 2900. I don't know much about removing rust so i went to a shop and paid 80 bucks for them to remove the rust and reset the door striker.

idk what your budget is but i would definitely spring for this one 1981 camaro z28

Oh, and i wouldn't be too afraid "to annoy" anyone on this site. I did a lot of that when i first joined up a while back with really stupid questions and everyone seemed more than happy to answer. They were also extremely respectful of my lack of knowledge lol. Good luck, and i hope you get the car you want.

 

Welcome Colt! It's not really neccessary to grow up in a gearhead family, but I'm sure it helps a lot from the friends I've known over the years. Like you, my family wasn't into cars for anything more than transportation. Some of them to this day think I'm off my rocker to own mostly old cars, and especially for owning more than one!
I started out hanging around guys who had cars and just volunteering my help. I knew I couldn't just jump in and do everything, so I found guys who were into racing and they were happy to have even green help. It was menial things at first, but eventually grew into doing just about anything I wanted.
Everyyone's skill and mechanical appitude is different, so how you progress depends on you. But I strongly encourage you to either find a mentor, or sign up for some evening automotive shop classes at your local community college. Sit down with the instructor and explain what you'd expect to get from the class before signing up, and then decide if the class is good for you.

 

Ya I looked at the car that you put up, would be nice if the dude even knew what he was talking about when he's trying to list the performance mods!

 

Wow, honestly, thank you so much. Hahha. Those were all wonderful tips and the link that you passed on will definitely be something that I will consider. Granted, I still need about a month more of getting some funds together, but I will absolutely keep checking back on craigslist and such.

Again, thanks so much and I'll go grab one of those manuals asap.

 

I second a mentor. Hang out were the cars are. Ask questions, make freinds. It really helps. What hooked me was my dad was into cars. I first started with models as weird as it may sound. I learned the names and shapes of particular parts like leaf springs and control arms.

Then it was magazines who taught me how stuff works. Alot of guys will say that magazines don't know what there talking about and inflate their dyno numbers and what ever. True. There is a ton of good tech in ones like Chevy Hiperformance and Car Craft. I was addicted to both as a teen. Car Craft does low budget stuff like put a blower on a junkyard motor to see how long it would last. Something I would do if I had a blower. Speaking of blower. Models helped me with knowing a blower from a bug catcher, sorry i don't know the real name. Some guys see one and say nice blower yet its sitting on a tunnel ram.

Welcome. No egos here.

 

YouTube - ‪Buyers Guide --- Never buy a "Rusty" Camaro or Trans Am again!‬‏

Here's a video for some things to check for when looking at 2nd gens.
It's a good video for things to look for if you are looking to get a good solid car.

Nastyz28 is a great site for imfo I use it frequently but have heard mixed feelings about their forum.

As for books I have the chiltons camaro shop manual, it's supposed to cover 1st, & 2nd gens but only really covers 74 to 81 with much detail. I've heard the haynes manual is equally unreliable but they'll give you a basic idea. I'd recomend checking around for a better book then those two maybe check your library for them and some others.

And welcome to the site!

 

Best page in any Hayes manual is the one that describes spark plugs and how to read them. That gives you an idea of any engines running condition.

 

Welcome man, best thing i've done to learn more about how these cars work is to just be on this site. I learned so much more about my car by watching people build theirs than i probably could have by reading books.