car guys help me out

[icecoldcoasty]

So tomorrow i am going to test drive an 1983 camaro z28 with the rs hood. it has a crate 350 zz1 with a mild cam intake carb headers and exhaust it has a tremec 5 speed tranny . it belonged to an old man who garage queened it. he liked to put performance parts on stuff and not drive it alot. the car has 10k miles on it. not the motor the whole effing car. only thing i could find wrong with it is the window and deck lid moldings had some corrosion. question is what should i look for when i go test drive this beast. im a mopar guy so im not 100% familiar with the bowties. any help is much appreiated. OO and also his asking price is 6500$

[snrusnak]

Those camaros are notorious for rust in the bottom of the doors. Check under the doors, and all around the rocker panels and wheel wells as all cars of that time were rust prone in these areas. I'm not really familiar but $6,500 seems high for a car that is 30 years old...even if nice. Also GM wasn't known for their interiors in the 80's(or 90's....or 00's for that matter) so I'd expect the interior to be less than perfect...

[Theycallmecrash]

If it runs and shifts youve got a real solid bad ass reliable car. The foundation for those camaros is pretty solid, rear hatch release break often and cant be found. Ive owned 3 of this generation, the dash stuff is cheap and cracks and speedo cable make noise. If it has a tilt steering column they get loose and will eventually come apart just give it a shake youll know if its tight or not. Find out what the rear end is, i got one was told 373s pulled it and found 273s. If its all you say it is thats a bad ass deal and an awesome car

[crawfo]

Check for leaks around the intake manifold, kinda common for DIY'ers to not seal it up right. Also check the weather stripping on the hatch and doors because that will deteriorate and leak over time. I've never seen one that didn't have the broken hatch release or a leaky hatch lol

[RamAirZ]

If there is anything I'm an expert on it's 3rd gens lol. I've done LS1/T56 swaps and 4th gen complete interior swaps into one, ground up tear apart rebuild mods, owned about 9-10 of the damn things lol. That ZZ1 is an old crate motor, does he have documentation for it? Are you sure it's actually 10K miles and it hasn't rolled over? Would be weird to be so low mileage and have a motor/trans swap. That price is high to me without seeing it, if it was an all original documented 10K mile car, sure, but who knows since it has the swap.... The moldings are typical, they dry rot bad. Can you get me some pics? Check the doors to see if they sag, known for pins being bad. Check the hood/hatch struts, seatbelts (they like to not retract), if it's a t-top car check the headliner and see if it's stock or fiberglass replacement (better), also the seals because they like to leak around the tops. I'd say get the RPO codes but 82/83 didn't have any :( Also are you sure it's a Z28? The front is easy to tell btw:

Z28:
http://media.motortopia.com/files/3406/vehicle/45cdf22e3d6ad/DSC05560.jpg

Base/Berlinetta:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/485/87camarofk8.jpg

If you can get me the vin I could check all the info for ya. let me know if you have any questions

[05Bueller]

Seems legit. $6,500 is a bit much form what you've described. Do the doors sag any when open?
I'm currently in the process of putting an LQ9 in my '94 Z28. Debating on putting a T56 in or leaving the auto in it. I recently got to drive a '98 Z28 with a T56 and it was amazing.

[RamAirZ]

Also it's not just 3rd gens, I'm an F-Body guy to my soul. 2 of my old 3rd gens:
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/183699_1871944924067_8107395_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/183951_1871944524057_5926715_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/184307_1871944364053_7299281_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/179887_1871943884041_7668559_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/180671_1871944044045_101555_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/184863_1871943684036_7887528_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/184955_1871944164048_8333076_n.jpg

My 99:
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/180717_1844097827907_4421978_n.jpg

My 70' before I redid it:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/180669_1871927523632_8272911_n.jpg

[RamAirZ]

05bueller, what are you planning on doing with your 94'? If your wanting to hit the strip alot with it I'd leave the auto, also are you gonna keep the 94' auto or newer style? But your right, driving a T56/LSx combo is an amazing experience :)

[05Bueller]

@RamAirZ, I just want it to be fun to drive and take to the track every now and then. I like blowing the doors off Hondas. I'm probably doing a tubular K-member swap with it so I can stick some LS1 headers on it. Last winter I did a true dual exhaust install. Cut channels into the floorboards so the pipes tucked up into the car, turned out amazing. Sorry to thread jack. :(

[RamAirZ]

That's a smart plan, save some weight too. Ya sorry for the hijack, we can talk more later lol