Im about to start a frame up resto on my 84 camaro. I bought it about a year ago and started a half assed rebuild, but now that i know more about what im doing im starting over. i wanted to see if there was anything i should know before i started this project...agian.

 

if it hasn't been a southern or cali car but one which is where road salt is used then you might be in for a very expensive time

the vehicles don't have frames, they are uni-body

budget $7,000 minimum and that's assuming that you have all the tools, all the skills and ability including body work and painting. Mine was less because it had new tires, brakes and the fuel tank had been dropped and a new fuel pump put in. If you don't have all of the skills and tools, then budget more than $10,000

In the end, you'll have a vehicle which is worth $3,000- $5,000 depending on how good of a job you do (interesting isn't it that it will only be worth 1/2)

check out my 89 RS restoration in the projects section

good luck

 

Im originally from wisconsin so i know all about what salt does to a car, but i live in central texas now so this one has no rust what so ever. I have all the tools and my old man has the know how this is my first car/project car so i have an idea of what im going into, but i didnt want anything sneaking up and biting me in the ***. As far as the car being worth half what i put into it thats pretty much what i expected and i have no problem with that. I had a few questions like what transmission and rear end should i use, (i have a 350 motor for it if you didnt already guess) were the 84's known for having any problems things like that. Anyway i appreciate the advice.

 

a 1984 vehicle is 28 years old

asking if there are known problems is moot

if you are counting on your dad then bless his heart if he's going to do it for you. I'm a dad and junior would need to be very active in the project to make me want to undertake a 1 year restoration

if your "350" is not rebuilt recently then you are talking about dropping a junker into the car.............why?

 

How old is the motor you plan on dropping in it? Is there already a 305 in it?

 

age isn't the issue from my perspective

the thread is about a restoration which is a far cry from just dropping any old junk into a car

that means that the fuel and brake lines will be replaced because they are 28 years old

bushings, suspension/steering parts as needed, driveline serviced, tranny rebuilt, engine rebuilt, wiring corrected, instruments made functional

no silly cheap seat covers

no silly rug covering the cracked dash

new rug, headliner, new upholstery

HVAC works as designed

when doing all of that, why would one want to compromise the project and drop in a used engine????

Now, if the intent of the thread really is "I have a 28 year old 'maro what i want to drop in a used engine" then that's a different topic

 

I would agree with TIG. I did everything to mine except interior, paint, and wheel refinish to lower costs.... Wait....I didn't do the rear end install either. But, all the mechanical things like motor, trans, wiring, cooling, bearings, brakes, lines, etc etc I did do to lower costs, and because I thought I could do it better than the shops. It still ended up taking me 2x as long and about 2x as much as I thought but I was cool with it, because I wanted it to look just as it did on the dealer lot, but with a lot more performance.

That to me is a resto, not some of the things I've seen with junk seat covers, cracked dashes, and a horrible looking paint job. The OP will decided what type of resto he wants. Poor restos

 

Well who knows, he may have had the engine for awhile, he never mentioned for how long, if he's had it awhile the pistons can sieze causing major issues. My bad for looking out for him. Oh, and I never said it was used, I just asked how old it was, if its a brand new built 350 then kudos to him for having a powerful motor, if it's older a little WD-40 inside the internals can work wonders for sitting pistons and rods

 

But there we are

The term restoration means one thing to me and perhaps something to the next guy.

If i don't have 2 nickels to rub together, had a blown engine and came upon a junker then I would drop it in and hope she runs.

if I'm undertaking a project, then I'm not going through the motions and effort of removing/replacing an engine and everything else which goes along with that just to drop in a used or junk engine.........it's just me.


And, to top it off. If it's an auto trany, chances are the tranny is just as tired so it too should be rebuilt.

It's like having a stick built(wood frame) home and you notice a "little rot" or a "little bug infestation" on the lower clapboards or shingles. Some people will just slap on new claps and cover over the entire problem and try to sell the home.

Me, I tear into it and address the entire problem and the new claps end up being the smallest portion of the cost.

 

My dad is just as committed to the project as i am thats not a problem in the slightest. As far as the motor ive already rebuilt it the block is from a 71 c10 the crank cam heads and pistons are from an 86 trans am. i am FULLY committed to this car im not worried about how long it take, i do care how much it cost but not to much.