I think I found my 3rd gen project
 

Now that the 95 has been on the road for a while and driven by junior, I need another project. I found an 89 but it needs interior work ( I'm terrible at that but oh well)

How expensive is it to replace the dash because it's cracked? Are interior parts readily available? I'll probably replace the carpet and have the seats re-upholstered if i can find a place to do it reasonably.

Any gotchas that i need to know about with respect to interior work?

Next, are there long tube headers for the 350's that fit in well like there are for the LT1's?

I'm not looking for $1,000 headers. I have Pacesetters on the 95.

thanks

oh, has anyone tried sidepipes before similar to vettes?

Theres an 80's sumthing Firebird around here thats running chrome sidepipes. I think it looks great, If I could find a set in epoxy black I may add them, but Im pretty sure there is NO way to fit them on my 82....

are you talking about the dash pad, the portion on the top? i think its about 10 screws and its off. theres some in the defroster vent, MAKE SURE YOU USE A MAGNETIC SCREWDRIVER!!! i think theyre a t-15 or t-20 torx. its very easy to remove. classic industries has repops from factory tooling for almost everything. www.classicindustries.com

classicindustries.com has just about everything you need for a third gen. Some pieces you may not have, you should be able to aquire them at your local junkyard. Make sure to get dynomat before installing new carpet, it helps alot with the noise and heat issues. I got a estimate to upholster the front and rear seats for $500 bucks.

thanks

someone beat me to the punch on the other car. It's a 2 hour drive so i wasn't going until saturday. Anyway, a local guy has a 91 RS but with the 305. I'm going to look at it tomorrow. He's asking short dollars so I'll be poking and tapping looking for rust and checking for signs of collision.

If I want brute force I still have the stang and 95.

project 89 RS
 

it has all the pieces which is hard to find with some of these cars.

I'ts a 305 TBI. I would have driven it home but it cranks and won't fire; who cares. I lowered my offer. So, it's time to flatbed it, get in the garage and first thing is to try and get it fired up. Then, I decide to either refresh the engine or replace. It's going to be gutted, new interior, sanded and painted and gone over. If I decide to keep it, then an engine swap is in order. If i decide to turn it over, then the 305 stays and someone will have a completely refreshed good looking/running car.

As soon as I flatbed it I'll start a new thread, post "before" pictures and updates as I go along. Tires and wheels are in good shape so I don't have to drop $500 for new tires which is a huge plus.

And for those who want to say build it up, I already have an 07 stang and 95 z28. This is a budget restoration project because I've always liked 3rd gens, never owned one and could offer a good car for someone's kid at a reasonable price. If I do this right, stay on a tight budget, I should be able to make 75 cents to $1 per hour for my labor after i sell it. My goal is to spend no more than $2500 in parts and I'll be painting it myself.

As long as you're planning on doing this project for fun and not profit. After the cost of the car (whatever it is) and the $2500 in parts, you'll be pretty much there with what the car is worth, assuming it will be in excellent shape by then. Does that $2500 also include the cost of paint materials? If not, then you'll have more into it than it's worth. Restoring 3rd gen's is not a good money making venture.

I'm not looking to get rich, heck, I want to get back my money.

Put on your daddy cap for a minute. You can get your daughter a pretty, white camaro that is mechanically sound (with receipts showing all the parts) and new interior and exterior paint. Would you shell out $4- 5k for that or would you rather shell out $4k for a car with high miles and immediately needs tires, brakes and is questionable?

My target sale price is the $4k -$5k range and if you try and compare it to an 89-92 that hasn't been redone, then it's apples and oranges. Anyway, it will take some time but who knows, maybe along the way I may change directions and decide that I need another car and that's when the engine gets changed ;-)

As for the paint, I'm not tipping my hand but I'll be using a method I've done before and when it's done, I'll reveal the special sauce when you see the end result. I may also take a lazy route but we'll see how the budget is when i get to painting.