Hey everyone, my names Max and i my brother just gave me his old 1997 v6 for my birthday. It was his daily driver for about 4 years and he really beat it up. Its 100% stock and it runs fine, but there are some problems that i would like to fix. Ill state below what the problems are, and if anyone has any suggestions to what i should do, please let me know, and even post links to camaro part websites, thank you in advance

(Also, i read the stickies and searched the forum, im just looking for real time/updated answers to whats good and bad in the camaro world)

What i would like to do with it
-Front Bumper and Front-right fender are all cracked, there is a bib on it to cover it up, but i am not a fan of bibs. I will post pics soon, but is there anyway to maybe use fiberglass filler (if they even make it) and sand it down to fix it, or am i better off just buying a new bumper and fender?

-The car is 100% stock v6, Im more interested into fixing up the car to make it perform better. So i was looking into buying a Cold Air Intake for it. If anyone has any suggestions to one, maybe a link or price range of how much they cost. I would appreciate that.

-I would like to just do little fixes and upgrades to it to make the value go up. I have no real price range on anything but i would like to keep everything the lowest as possible. If anyone has any information on any of the following above and below, please just post it in this thread and just lmk what you think i should do.

Im also interested in fixing/modding/upgrading the following...

-Rims-

Cheap, but not too cheap rims for a 97 camaro.

-Exhaust-

Ballpark around howmuch would Flowmasters cost to be bought and installed?

-Headlights/Tailights-

I dont like how the headlights are dished in, i know there are headlight covers or something to not make them like that, does anyone know?

-Paint Job-

Interested in a paint job to just paint it all black or a gun metal, what do you think the price of that would be?

Also, before i would get a paint job, do you think i should put a body kit on the whole car for about $600-$700 insted of just fixing the front and side fenders/bumpers for about $400-$500?


Thank you for all the information, if you have any advice into what else i should put or fix on the car, that would be GREATLY appreciated. Im only 19 years old, and i know the basic parts of a camaro. I am very smart and a quick learner, and would rather learn to do things to my new car by myself.

 

Welcome to the boards, Max. Let me offer a few bits of advice. As far as the bodywork goes, I vote go to a junkyard and see if you can find the parts you need, especially if you want to paint the whole thing anyway. I've always been more of a fan of that than actually trying to patch stuff up.

A few bolt-ons will definitely add value to your car. Cold air intakes are really easy, and they'll run from $60 for a cheap ebay one to almost $300 for an SLP one. New cat-back exhaust will probably cost you roughly $400 or so (somebody here correct me if I'm wrong). As far as boosting the value otherwise, the cleaner your car is the better. Try to fix any little thing that's wrong with it--broken interior pieces, cracked lights, anything. Those bits, even though they may seem insignificant, will make a big difference. If you need pieces anywhere, you should exhaust every possible option to find used stuff rather than just buying new. If you're having trouble with the look of your taillights, I'd recommend either finding new (used) ones or shading them. Covers don't usually stay on all that well.

Rims don't have to cost as much as you think. I got used aftermarket rims on my Grand Am with brand new tires for $350. I'm looking at some 17" replica C6 Z06 rims at oewheelsllc.com for less than $400. Shop around.

I'd also say no to a body kit, largely because I have yet to see one that doesn't look gaudy. Pretty much the only tasteful ones I've seen are just aftermarket ground effects, which won't help your bumper or fender situation at all.

I hope this helps. best of luck to you

 

To WIspartan1026

Thanks for the advice, I think i will go to a junkyard and look for some parts for my car. This might seem like a newbie question but ill ask it anyways. If i went to a junkyard, what range of year camaro parts will fit onto mine? Also, is there a big difference between those $60 ebay CAI vs the $300 ones?

 

the cost for most parts for the lt1 s is based on quality and of coarse were u are gettin the part from. i like to find the part number and then find the best deal on that part. as far as part fitting alot depends on the part. some parts go from 93 to 02 some from 93 to 97, some go from 95 to 97 and im sure some are 97 only but not sure. lol so it depends on what u are looking for. the better cai that return hp are the k&n, moroso and slp. any cheap ones on ebabe are just that and are not worth your time or money. go to the sticky on mods and read it. should help.

 

Post some pics of your camaro. i also have a 97 I got a K&N coldair intake for mine and I need a front bumper cover passanger fender and hood also so happy searching.

 

check out http://car-part.com/. Enter in your car information, and it will search local inventories for the parts you need. It's also really good for listing compatible parts (for example, if you search for a 1997 front bumper, it will also list 93-96 front bumpers).

 

Definatley go used on the fenders and stuff, and dont chaep out on paint if you want to raise the value, first appearances are everything.
Rims can be found cheap like spartan said, i got mine for oewhellsllc for $600 ish shipped, and dont cheap out on mods, the cheap mods arent going to do anything, slp and k&n are the two cai's i recommned

 

Does anyone have any good websites that sell camaro parts and after market parts? I've been searching but I'd like to see what you guys use

 

Hawk's has always been a favorite of mine... http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/93-97f-body.aspx

You always have ebay lol.

This Website is a little broad... but it still has many parts, I use it for replacement parts...... http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/93-97f-body.aspx

 

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