The reason why it is a pain in the *** to repaint the nose, or any urethane part, is because of the prep work involved. If the current paint on there is cracking or chipping, you need to get it all off or the new paint will just wind up cracking if you paint over the unstable stuff. Using a chemical paint stripper can ruin the bumper. So, that means sanding the whole bumper down by hand (the previously mentioned pain).
Anything else to watch out for on the rest of the car would be the same things you would look for on any other car; hidden rust, previous damage, engine noises, overall abuse, etc. The accuracy of the gauges on these 3rd gens can sometimes be lackluster at best. Since you're modifying the car, aftermarket gauges would be better and easier to work with anyway.

 

Only advice about 1984 3rd gen car in poor condition is have a big balance in your checking account and don't expect to be driving it for a long time.

 

One more thing.....you mentioned putting your 86 350 from the truck in...don't expect that motor to be much better than the 305 unless you are willing put some new heads, and a new induction system on it. But, if the 84 is straight, runs, with no rust or no major hurdles to overcome, it could be a fine candidate for a resto.

 

YEP.....I tried sanding mine at first. It just wasnt getting me anywhere....Id get maybe 30 seconds per sheet on a palm sander before the paper got all clogged. Then I decided that a chemical stripper was in order...I can indeed confirm that chemical stripper (at least most sold in generic auto and hardware stores) WILL ruin the nose. That was an expensive lesson....

 

Oops, you shoulda hadda asked first!!!
When being done at a professional body shop, it can be cheaper to buy a new bumper as opposed to paying somebody hourly to strip it.

 

Nah, I couldnt ask back then, you were really a jerk back then and would have really given me ****....8*p kidding.

Honestly, it was one of those mistakes I just had to learn. My new nose has a few cracks starting in a few places and I know enough now to just leave it alone.

 

Im going to rebuild my 350 before I drop it in obviously, is the swap hard for a new tranny? I heard the camaros t5 is set on an angle so a new trans shifter may be an issue

 

The trans will sit at the same angle as the motor....or else the flywheel to clutch wouldn't mesh squarely. The T5 has a bad rep for not handling the torque of a 350. Others on here have made them work, but if you put any type of performance in that 350 and mate it to a tired trans you could have some issues down the road.