Hey guys, i joined this forum because ive wanted an 84 for a very long time and am finally going to get one. I was wondering if there was anything specific i should look out for besides the obvious. Any mileage i should stay away from? any production dates that had recalls? anything like that. im going to get an 84 z28 with hopefully power everything, 305ho and 5 speed

also i have an 86 k10 chevy pickup with a 350, i plan on taking the 350, rebuilding it and putting it in the camaro. I think i read that the stock t-5 trans cannot hold up to the power of a 350, is this true?

My basic plan is to build up the car, drop the 350 in it and use it as my everyday car along with my truck

 

welcome

with a 28 year old vehicle

miles don't matter
recalls don't matter

just curious, why would you target to buy a vehicle that you want to already yank the engine?

 

well im going to have the 350 thats coming out of my truck and i would have needed something to put it in and ive always wanted a 3rd gen camaro, figured why not, but ill keep the 305 in it for a while until i work the rest of the little kinks that need to be fixed

 

With that in mind, you'd be better off (money-wise) trying to find one with a nice body and interior, but with a bad engine. And yes about the T-5.

 

yeah thats what i was planning on doing, what can i do about the t-5 and 350, should i swap another tranny in or beef up the t-5?

 

One of the T5's weaknesses lies with it's case. I don't know that it can get beefed up economically, nor would it be worth the money to do so if you could. A 6 speed T56, or better yet, a 5 speed Tremec TKO 500/600 would be the way to go.

 

alright thatll be down the road, but is there anything else i should look out for with these cars, like i said though, specifically 84 z28 5 speed

any common issues or problems that they have?

 

Boogered up wiring under the hood. People take all sorts of half assed repairs and they will haunt you if you inherit their nightmares. This is a pretty serious problem with cars that are reaching their 3rd and 4th owners....If you see any wire nuts, random electrical tape ends, bare wires, etc, assume the worst.

2.77 rear ends. enuff said.

Crushed/dented/ripped up underbody from careless jacking. (Ive made this mistake myself)

Excessive cracking of paint on nose and tail. Sanding those two parts can be a major pain, repainting them a major pain, and if not done with a special additive will crack again in short order. (dont ask me how I know)

Leaking rear wheel cylinders. (any old car with drum brakes)

Excessively worn ball joints, tie rod ends....also should be common sense with a 27 year old car, but if the PO claims the car was 'well taken care of' then these parts should have been replaced at least once already.

Lastly...and this was a lesson I learned a long time ago....take into account the surroundings in which the owner is selling the car. Is the car sitting on the side of the house with a bunch of junk? Are the rest of the sellers vehicles well maintained? I know its easy to chrome plate a turd....but if the turd is sitting in a toilet you need to understand that you are getting yourself into what could develop into more work than you are willing and able to accomplish and afford.

 

yeah i know how to look at cars, ive owned 5 cars/trucks in the past 3 years basically so just use simple common sense to see how it was taken care of, im not worried about the wheel cylinders, been a mechanic for a little bit and working on cars all my life, i look into detail whenever i buy something new, just wanted to see if there was anything in specific.

why is the nose and tail a pain in the *** to paint? i mean if i was was gonna paint it id do a panel off paint job, plus itll probably be repainted down the road anyway body panel by body panel

 

not a pain at all

they are plastic and you can't use lacquer or it will ultimately chip off

28 year old car

if you aren't in a rust free area, but rust prone, then check for rust, rust, rust and rust.

Interiors and weatherstripping are expensive

you aren't going to find an uncracked dash and who wants one of those silly carpet pads on the dash? So, be prepared to shell out for a new replacement again, not cheap.

you can find a junker engine which runs for $1,000 and drop it in and only you would be the wiser. It may not last but follow me here

you spoend more time inside your vehicle as do your passengers. ENxt, more time is spent looking at the vehicle vs under the hood

who wants to ride around ina turd with Wal mart slip on seat covers, torn up rug, a stink because it's original headliner and rug, sagging headliner, sun visors which are dirty and dont' stay up cracked panels and dash etc etc? Then, add to that primer on panels

Nope, with a project vehicle you don't want the things that 20 year old and below people must do with their daily drivers due to lack of cash. So, to repeat what has already been posted, to save the most cash in the total project, try and find a vehicle with an awesome interior and awesome exterior. Who cares about the mechanicals? Mechanicals can be fixed and cobbled together whether with new replacements or junkyard/craigslist stuff. Nobody sees that stuff. But, everyone experiences the interior