camaro body repair advice needed
 

hi im new here so here goes.

yesterday my neighbor rearended someone in his 1989 camaro rs. he was going to fix it but became overwhealmed with how much needed replaced and the cost. so i bought it from him for $300

the core support needs to be replaced, drivers fender, hood, radiator, radiator fan, bumper, headlights

here are the parts i have bought
iroc core support $105
91 either iroc or rs bumper..(has scoups/ vents in ground effect at wheel wells $175 mint condt
drivers fender $20 no damage w/ faded paint
fully fiberglass hood with cowl $100..traded for mint iroc hood, mint iroc intake vent system radiator, iroc alt bracket, brand new in package iroc intake tube with sensor(useless to me), and entire center console in black

grand total: only $400.00 to repair

now whats the best way to get the core support out of the sub frame drill the spot welds partialy and spread apart with air hammer, drill spot welds out completely, or sawz-all between spotwelded seams ?



oh also.....
i was wondering what all the iroc parts i traded my cowl hood for are worth:
iroc intake tube w/ sensor brand new $???
iroc hood no scratches original black w/ no rust or imperfections $???
iroc air filter housing? (the whole 2 part thing that sits all around the hood latch $???
iroc alt bracket $???


thanks for anny and all help

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

oh ya its a t top...so is it a true rally sport?
and the car came with spare tops

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

You're best off drilling the spot welds through the old core support and not through the rest of the front panel. Then pop the panels apart. That way you can weld through the spot weld holes you drill out on the replacement core support and into the body in the same place. Cutting them apart with a sawzall could deform or twist the good metal.
And t-tops have nothing to do with it being an RS or not, it was an available option. So if yours has all the markings and trim of an RS, then it should be one.

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

so use an over sized bit to dill the spot welds on both old and new core support?

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

Use a drill bit big enough to cut out the spot weld, don't go overboard or your weld will be bigger. Do you know how to weld rosettes (plug welds)? 1/4"~5/16" is a pretty good diameter hole to work with.
And I edited and answered the t-top question above. ^

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

no i dont know how to weld rosettes im having a master welder do the welding
as for my rs questioning... i was told all the skirts were added and or changed the dash only says camaro on the inside no z28, iroc, or rs

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

I also have a 91 RS, and it doesn't have RS badging inside, just "Camaro". It has an RS badge on the rear bumper, has the RS lower body trim, and the famous 305 TBI.;)
Mine is an unmolested original. I'm second owner, and even have the original window sticker!

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

Before you cut stuff up you may want to try to straighten things a bit. When the radiator suport got bent did it suck the fenders in? Pulling out on the suport to get the fenders back out leaves the damage from pulling to the suport that is being replaced.
In a pinch I have used a light pole and chained the damaged area to it and rolled the vehicle using its weight to pull the damage.
Also since you most likely do not have any spotweld drills, drill out the spot welds on the replacement suport as mentioned. Then on the car cut off the suport to get most of it out of the way and then grind on the spot welds to thin them out then you can peel the metal off. This will leave no holes and solid metal to weld to.

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

yeah fenders were pulled in. i pulled the core out but its still warped bad and has stress tearing throughout. i had an idea. what if i make the core support removabale by drilling al the way through all spot welds and using bolts instead so that if this ever happens again i can change it easily by removing bolts and spot welding only when absolutely needed?

or should i just go with spot welding?

oh yeah....is there a trick to geting to the bumper to fender bolts? so far the only way ive gotten fenders off donor cars and off my car was to cut the bumper off of the fender and then remove the bolts once the fender is removed. i was told to bolt the fenders to the bumper first and then put it on the car but that seems a little risky as i can break the headlight sockets and or the bumper itself

RE: camaro body repair advice needed
 

Remove the wheel well liner and use a 1/4 ratchet with a long extension.