Project car; 1973 Camaro Z28 clone

[LT.]

I thought about this as I fell asleep last night and came to the same conclusion... the car is apart, there is no rush a this point and I want to do it right the first time. There is no logic in setting the car up to run a SBC that I wouldn't be happy with and then tear it apart down the road for a LSx swap, especially when you consider all the parts I'll have to change. If I can sell the SBC and related parts and raise some of the funds to go towards a LQ9, then that seems to be the smart thing to do.

So.... PM coming your way.

PM back at ya.

I think you are on the right track. I always hated thinking about this kind of stuff when trying to sleep. Seems like all I would do is think, keeping me awake, and never coming to a solution.

I have always enjoyed building vehicles more than driving them. But, your car would be a vehicle I would love to drive like I was pissed off at the rear tires.

I have found you can buy a 6.0 ls motor for around $1000.00 or so. Heck, a buddy of mine bought a whole 6.0 powered pickup truck for 1,500.00. Check out some wrecking yards, Craigslist, and eBay.

LT.

 

[Bart]

More inspiration if its needed.

http://www.streetdreamstexas.com/hireshow.php?command=showimage&pk=70-2815

 

[sLcREX]

This is cool, I love this generation body style. I had a 1970 z28 sitting in my garage for several years that I never got around to working on. Ended up trading it with a fellow member here for some parts. Looking forward to seeing your progress with this.

 

[Greg]

PM back at ya.

I think you are on the right track. I always hated thinking about this kind of stuff when trying to sleep. Seems like all I would do is think, keeping me awake, and never coming to a solution.

I have always enjoyed building vehicles more than driving them. But, your car would be a vehicle I would love to drive like I was pissed off at the rear tires.

I have found you can buy a 6.0 ls motor for around $1000.00 or so. Heck, a buddy of mine bought a whole 6.0 powered pickup truck for 1,500.00. Check out some wrecking yards, Craigslist, and eBay.

LT.

I'm not stuck on a LQ9, but that's what I'd prefer... they're more rare than the standard pickup 6.0, but they can be found. I did some quick looking the other day and found a few '06+ engines with just over 100k miles for $1800 or so. Interesting about the $1500 truck!! I have seen many 6.0's coming out of wrecked trucks, but haven't seen any as low as $1000 yet. I'd pay a little more for the LQ9.

LSX and a stout drivetrain/ suspension would make this car a blast. Hell, have a few RME fab guys do a sheet metal and tube "fab fest" and you're a bunch closer without too much spent.

Yeah, it should be plenty for stupid-fun. The problem with an RME Fab Fest is location... if I were closer to SLC it would be no biggie. That said, I really want to do it all myself... if I can, I want to have something I can look back on and remember patching the rusty panels, swapping in a late model engine, etc.

More inspiration if its needed.

http://www.streetdreamstexas.com/hireshow.php?command=showimage&pk=70-2815

Love it! Makes me miss my SS Camaro.

This is cool, I love this generation body style. I had a 1970 z28 sitting in my garage for several years that I never got around to working on. Ended up trading it with a fellow member here for some parts. Looking forward to seeing your progress with this.

I remember your Camaro, I think I even PM'd you about buying it...? If I didn't, I wanted to... just wasn't in the position to take on a project at the time!

 

[UFAB]

Run a lq4 with single turbo. Stock bottom end.

The ecm tuning is cake on ls engines.

 

[blznnp]

i picked up my lq4 for my blazer for 1100 with alternator, starter, ecu at A1 parts, I don't recommend them, unless you talk to Micheal, thought about throwing a turbo on it for fun but need to get it running first

 

[Greg]

Run a lq4 with single turbo. Stock bottom end.

The ecm tuning is cake on ls engines.

That would just get me into trouble... I love boost, but it's too much for my needs. 450 HP will be plenty for me.

i picked up my lq4 for my blazer for 1100 with alternator, starter, ecu at A1 parts, I don't recommend them, unless you talk to Micheal, thought about throwing a turbo on it for fun but need to get it running first

That's a good price! Yeah, get it running first... you can always turbo it down the road.

 

[BlueWolfFab]

Any sweet progress?

 

[Greg]

Any sweet progress?

No, other than rolling it out of the shop and blowing a lot of dust out from the interior. I've been selling off the parts I won't be using (or will be replacing), the headers, Flowmaster exhaust, windshield, etc have been sold off. The 400 engine is about ready to get listed and I'm hoping that will help finance some body panel purchases.

At this point reality has sunk in and I'm having 2nd thoughts about the project!

 

[UNSTUCK]

I hate reality. These cars are even worse then Jeeps. The nickel and dime stuff is far more prevalent then what I would find on a jeep. These cars need to look pretty and that gets expensive way faster than I thought it would.

Stick with it. You can do it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm not going to lie, you've got a big project ahead of you. That being said, it's an awesome project and it'll be a great learning experience.

 

[LT.]

No, other than rolling it out of the shop and blowing a lot of dust out from the interior. I've been selling off the parts I won't be using (or will be replacing), the headers, Flowmaster exhaust, windshield, etc have been sold off. The 400 engine is about ready to get listed and I'm hoping that will help finance some body panel purchases.

At this point reality has sunk in and I'm having 2nd thoughts about the project!

No, no, no! There is no room for second thoughts. You have the car, you have the vision, and you have the build plan. All are well thought out and there is no reason for having second thoughts. That kind of thinking will stall the project and take so much more time. Time that the good faithful folks here on RME cannot tolerate. You have acomplished so much on previous project that you have set that bar high yourself. Now, deliver and keep us posted.

LT.

 

[Greg]

No, no, no! There is no room for second thoughts. You have the car, you have the vision, and you have the build plan. All are well thought out and there is no reason for having second thoughts. That kind of thinking will stall the project and take so much more time. Time that the good faithful folks here on RME cannot tolerate. You have acomplished so much on previous project that you have set that bar high yourself. Now, deliver and keep us posted.

LT.

Well, there is more to it but I don't like to get into too much detail, but the part I'm lacking is the funds. I had a job change around the start of the year (still with UP) and there was supposed to be a significant pay increase... but it's not really panning out like it should have. Much of my logic for buying the car was that I could finally afford to build what I want, but that doesn't seem to be the case. A car like this is going to be a money pit and if I don't have the funds to do it right, why bother? I haven't made any decisions about what to do with the car yet, but money plays a big part in the project unfortunately.

 

[BlueWolfFab]

I too found out that "promotions" aren't really all what they crack up to be. So I just changed careers this weekend. I got "promoted" last April, and last year was full of work-related stress and an empty wallet. I'm excited to finally start being to spend money on toys again.

 

[Greg]

I too found out that "promotions" aren't really all what they crack up to be. So I just changed careers this weekend. I got "promoted" last April, and last year was full of work-related stress and an empty wallet. I'm excited to finally start being to spend money on toys again.

It wasn't actually a promotion, rather a step down in hourly wage with a promise of per diem... and the per diem part isn't what it was claimed and will probably be going away. So in the mean time, I'm getting less hourly.

 

[CobraNutt]

Ohhh...that makes for unhappy employees... Hope it works out!

Sent from my mystical handheld gizmo.

 

[Greg]

Ohhh...that makes for unhappy employees... Hope it works out!

Sent from my mystical handheld gizmo.

Yes sir!

 

[UNSTUCK]

A car like this is going to be a money pit and if I don't have the funds to do it right, why bother? I haven't made any decisions about what to do with the car yet, but money plays a big part in the project unfortunately.

We are in the same boat with this build I'm doing. The plans have really changed since we started. And I love the direction it has gone, but we have pretty much thrown the budget out the window. Now that we are getting close to paint it has been a nightmare deciding on a paint shop. I fear that what he wants to pay for it will give us a paint job that won't match the awesomeness of this car. And in the end, what's more important than paint on a car build?

I recommend committing one way or the other now and not calling it off half way through.

 

[Greg]

We are in the same boat with this build I'm doing. The plans have really changed since we started. And I love the direction it has gone, but we have pretty much thrown the budget out the window. Now that we are getting close to paint it has been a nightmare deciding on a paint shop. I fear that what he wants to pay for it will give us a paint job that won't match the awesomeness of this car. And in the end, what's more important than paint on a car build?

I recommend committing one way or the other now and not calling it off half way through.

It's hard to stay in a budget with any kind of massive project, sucks when you get so far into it and have to change gears and reduce the spending last minute!

Yeah, I won't tackle the Camaro build unless I can afford it. It's a complete and total play toy and if I don't have the income to justify it, I'll let it go. Sucks to say that, but I'm not going to jeopardize my financial well-being for a toy that will just get me into trouble.

 

[Tacoma]

Money changes build plans drastically. At 44% of my former income I'm STILL pissed about my YJ, would have been a bitchin', trail-ready project with about a weekend of solid work.

We do what we need to, not what we want. Vehicles are definitely wants hahahah