Something different than the other something differents: Third Gen Camaro

[Deebo]

Hey I'm not a huge poster on SW but maybe some of you remember me from my last project which was a 1983 Ford Thunderbird Turbocoupe.
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I liked that car a lot but ***** the 2.3 turbo engine so I sold it after it blew a headgasket and I moved on to a new project.
The new project is a 1982 Camaro Z28 that I bought for $550
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Plans for the car are low, locked diff, 5 speed swap, paint, restore interior, turbo and whatever else needs to be done because inevitably (due to my luck and the nature of car builds) many things will go go wrong during this build. I just want a car that I can beat on relentlessly, take to drift days, looks very good and is dead reliable. This is all on a semi-low budget. I don't want to spend more than I have to but I also refuse to ghetto rig anything. I love both Japanese and American cars so this car will have some Japanese styling cues (oil cooler, blast pipes, ect.)

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Please tell me you're keeping the Corvette Summer hood, oh please oh please oh please!

[RuizGT]

Damn, I really liked that tbird. :/

[Deebo]

This build thread will be updated as time allows BUT here's a teaser picture. Car already has lows and is one of the lowest third gens (lol). Pic is not current :P

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[Deebo]

When I got the car, the previous owner claimed that it ran like shit and drove like shit. I changed the oil, drove it around and it actually drove really nicely. So, I decided that I'd drive the car 300 miles from Seattle to Pullman, WA where I go to school. During the drive, I heard this really loud whining sound coming from the diff so I pulled over, checked underneath the car and saw a huge leak. Diff oil was literally almost flowing out. I put in some more diff fluid halfway through the drive and for the next 150 miles, I was sketched the fuck out. Literally almost had a panic attack knowing that at any time, the diff could run dry, heat up, gears/bearings could fail resulting in me losing control and swerving into one a semi at highway speeds. By the time I arrived in Pullman, the whining noise was ridiculously loud. I knew that I would have to rebuild the diff and my gears were likely toast.
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Pulled the diff out and things were pretty bad. The pinion nut was so loose that I could unscrew it with zero effort using my bare hands. The pinion seal was toast and if you look closely at the carrier, you can see where the loose pinion gear was grinding away at it causing that loud whining noise...

So, I after rebuilding the diff, I changed the transmission fluid, installed a transmission oil cooler and this is how she sat as of 3/28/14
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[Deebo]

Please tell me you're keeping the Corvette Summer hood, oh please oh please oh please!

Definitely keeping the hood

Damn, I really liked that tbird. :/

Thank you! I liked it too and it served me well. Maybe someday I'll get it back :p

[Deebo]

Drove the car around for a while after the diff rebuild and tranny cooler install. It drove really nicely. Shifted smoothly, and no noises from the diff. Parking is a bit of a pain due to the fact that I installed a mini spool but it's no big deal :p

So, I got down to business doing fun stuff

So much ugly.

So much bumpstop -_-

Shaved the bump stops and ground the whole area down some more after this picture.

Cut the fender lip into little tabs

Hammered the tabs flush and also did the same with that pinch weld further up in the fenderwell but forgot to take pictures.



Painted the underbody and installed new suspension.

Rear height

The car used to be a monter truck... haha

no more monster truck stance

The suspension components as of now consist of KYB Excel-G shocks (downgraded from agx due to money issues), 3" lowering springs, adjustable shims, an adjustable panhard bar and various other fabrication that is required to get these cars low. I have since cranked the rear down a bit and raised the front a little until I can get raised shock mounts.

[Deebo]

After lowering the car, I had to do something about the wheels. I kinda like the stock wheels so I decided to paint them for now

Whoever painted them last really gave no fucks



Painted them oil rubbed bronze...turned out alright. The runs from the previous paintjob are still sorta visible but these wheels are only temporary until I can find wider ones.

also got these to hold me over until I find new wheels

[Deebo]

And THIS is why you don't buy cheap aluminum lug nuts....

[Deebo]

That last post brings me to where I am currently which is doing a ton of body work to fix the damage from my wheel coming off as well as restoring my interior. More updates and pictures soon.
Pics of current stance will be posted once my new wheel spacers and lug nuts come

[blegroswro]

Drove the car around for a while after the diff rebuild and tranny cooler install.

[nsogiba]

i like the grassroots feel of this, but aluminum lug nuts, seriously?

[Deebo]

i like the grassroots feel of this, but aluminum lug nuts, seriously?

Yeah... I'm still kicking myself. I figured if they're being sold to the general public then they must be safe. Never making that assumption again -_-

[Deebo]

This is the current stance without spacers. Once my new spacers get here tomorrow and I sort out some rubbing issues, I'll be going lower

[Miroteknik]

Respect for lowering one of these. Those long noses are fun to plow through deep driveway curbs