Thought I'd cruise on over here to the CamaroForum and ask my brother/sister enthusiasts forsome opinions/ideas.

Bottom Line: Take care of the car as is andput it down when the doors finally rust off and the engine gives up or take some time and expense to revitalize it or go full-bore and restore it to it's full glory and/or improve performance?

Discussion:
I have access to an '86 Sport Coupe (see sig block for basic details.) It doesn't get driven much; MAYBE...maybe 5K miles per year.

W/ exception of the clutch being replaced twice and other normal mxs items (such as tires, belts, oil, etc.), this 115K mile old car has given little trouble.

It has some cosmetic and other issues: rubbed away/torn corners of the dash, faded stock upholstery, a few vent vanes/louvers that are broken or missing,a tape deck that doesn't seem to work too well and rust that seems to be appearing fwd of the rear wheels and along the running boards under the doors, power windows that move as fast as a snail. The paint however is generally in good conditionfor being22 years old.

Oh yeah. My mother (the owner) ordered it in 1986 w/o A/C which she admits was a mistake. (We had just moved from the Adirondack Mtns of NY to suburban Phila, PA. We didn't really get heat and humidity up at our old spot! [8D]).

A few observations on my part:
- It drives/handles like a tank (body roll, etc.)
- The 2.8L still gives good gas mileage (~26 MPG on the highway).
- The current clutch feels way too soft and engages way too late in the travel.
- People really like the way it looks and wonder how we took such good care of it. "Cool car man!" is a common utterance.[sm=smiley20.gif]

So whattayathink? Does this '86 Sport Coupe sound like it's worthy of spending more than a few thousand dollars to repair/improve things and (in the case of the air) retrofitting some A/C? What about an engine job or outright replacement with a V8 (the engine compartment has a heck of a lot of room)? Suspension upgrade to get rid of that tank-like handling? Maybe a new clutch? I just want to fix up and maybe improve things on a car that has been good to our family. The owner (my mother) certainly doesn't want to let it go. Help me with some constructive ideas that will keep this car going for another quarter century!

Thanks in advance for theadvice. [sm=americanasmiley.gif][sm=gears.gif][sm=icon_rock.gif]

P.S. - In the way of comparrison (and please don't flame me for this), my personal daily driver has been a '02 Corvette Coupe since Oct '01, so maybe my expectations for the Camaro are way out of whack.

 

If the body and frameare in good conditionand that it has been in the family for a longtimemy opinion would spend the money and restore it. you can do a lot to improve the handling andperfomacewith a little money.but if you are going to restore it take care of the rust spots first before they get out of hand before you worry about the the other stuff

 

I say go for it. It wont take too much money to fix up the suspension.
And you can find a good V8 GM motor just about anywhere.

 

if you want to go so far as to do an engine swap you may. but as far as the resto. thats up to you. since it has been in the family forever, you might have some kind of attachment to it. Now if you were looking to buy this car and do that kinda work, i would say no way, find a better one.

But i have an 89 that im doin about a 90% restoration on right now. its A LOT of work but its been a ton of fun so far. that part is all up to you.

Now there are a million suspension upgrades for the car that will stop it from handleing like a tank. i think i either heard or read somewhere, that stock for stock. the third gen camaro pulls a higher G in cornering than any of the other F-bodys.

 

Good info...keep it comin'!

Now to start researching parts catalogs, etc. and see how much $$$ and effort this is going to take.

Any info on a decent body shop that KNOWS Camaros in the SE Penn. area would be much appreciated.

 

You should get it.. Put a fresh coat of paint on it, slam it, through a nice exhaust on it, fix up the interior, you'll be set!