New member here. I'll start off by letting you all know that I am obsessed with the 4th gen Camaro and I've owned a 1986 base with a 2.8 V6 and currently own a 1997 base with a 3.8 V6. I bought my '97 from a local dealer in 2006 and have been going nuts with it trying to get it back to new condition. I replaced the front suspension and exhaust and had most of the car re-painted just to have the crank start banging.


After realizing that I was an idiot for sinking so much money in a V6 model with high miles, I am now in search of a 4th gen SS or Z28 to start all over again.....sigh. I'm just a regular working joe with limited funds, but I'll get it done. I'm still driving this car 20 miles a day back and forth to work and every commute is a white knuckle event, just hoping the car will make it.

The car I'm looking for is a 4th gen red or black Z28 or SS with T-tops. If you live in Maryland and see a red Camaro on the road that sounds like it has 2 Yugo's banging together under the hood, wave hello.....and wish me luck getting to where I'm going.




She's a beauty.

 

It looks pretty good from here, but yes, I think it might be easier to get a Z or an SS and be done with it, but if you can spin a wrench why not just get a salvage motor for yours there? Is that all it needs a weekend and a $5-800 motor?

 

i would lean more to what raingler is sayin, especially if funds are limited in the short term get a used motor with low miles. gota have wheels to get to work.

 

i thought they only painted the fly bar black on the z28 and ss cars? i know a kid in my school with a v6 also and his is painted black to. but anyways nice car dude the paint looks really good

 

only on the 93 after that i think it was a option.

 

All t-top cars got the black roof treatment, didn't they? My 94 has it.

Godzilla, my 94 V6 looks lust like yours except a PO added SS-type black stripes.

Why not drop the oil pand and replace the bearings? I did that on a 97 LeSabre with the 3800. Cheap and easy. Now a longitudinal 3800 will be harder, but still... At least stop driving it and take a look at the journals before it's definitely too late.

 

I have to agree with the above comments about repairing/replacing the current motor. If the rest of the car is in as good of condition as you stated, the money you spend in getting it running properly will pay off when you go to sell it or trade up for the Z or SS.

 

im not talking abt the t tpos. the painted part between the hatch and the t-tops. on my v6 its painted car color, on his its painted black. i thought only the ss and z/28s go that. but was it a option on all cars?

 

A quote from the website link below:

"1995 Model Year"
"It was the first year for RPO D42 – whereby customers could have roof and mirror color match the body color on coupes with the t-roof option."

So, like I thought, initially the t-top option got you a black roof treatment whether you wanted it our not. From 1995 and newer you didn't have to do that.

http://www.swiss35thle.com/chevrolet...gen-1993-2002/

 

I may see if the main bearings can be replaced, but I have lost the will to put anymore money into this car. I have saved up enough for a marginally acceptable down payment and realistically, I'll have new mains on a 178K V6 motor and no guarantee the heads or crank wont give out in a month or two. If I can find a red Z or SS, I may use this as a parts car or sell it if I can't find a place to store a car without tags. I love the car, but I'm salivating at the thought of FINALLY owning the car I really wanted when I bought this one.


As for the black bar, It was black when I bought it. It and the front and rear bumpers are the only things I haven"t had painted yet.