Hello All,

Im finally back, I previously had a 95' Z28 M6 car and regretted selling it... Many vehicles and years later, I picked up another F-body, a 1993 Z28 LT1/A4. I recieved a call about this car and couldnt pass up the opportunity, so it was trailered to my house and I have started the restoration process. The back story is that my buddy purchased the car from an estate sale, he later learned that the PO purchased the car from a small dealer in our state and the mileage on the car matched the mileage from the date of sale in 98'. So my assumption is that he bought the car from the dealer and started the body work/panel replacement and it was never completed...

So I bought the car and have started working on it. Current progress is a fresh oil change, fuel filter and fuel pump to get the car started and be able to load/unload it from the trailer and move it around at my house. Next up was replacing all of the lift supports so I could actually work under the hood and hatch without a stick to hold them up. Ha Ha

This is after the first session with the pressure washer before I even put it in the garage.













My buddy actually put the fuel pump in for me, he did the trap door and Im not even mad.




I removed the wiper arms and cowl to clean everything up, it was jammed full of crap.



Block heater anyone?



New cheapie lift supports so I dont kill myself with the hood or hatch.



Slowly removing the destroyed dash.



Removed the gauge cluster for cleaning, to reset the fuel needle and install LED lighting.

 

Made some more progress on the build, I pulled the valve covers to clean them out and check the valvetrain. Im very happy with the condition of the top end, makes me believe the mileage on the odometer. I then cleaned and painted the valve covers, I couldnt put them back on as they were. Next up was to drop the trans pan for a new filter and fluid, this stuff has been sitting since 98' so I thought it would be a good idea. I cleaned up the pan, it was covered in crap and then I cleaned the torque converter cover before painting it. I decided not to paint the trans pan this round, I might just replace it next time anyway.

 

Continuing the fluid changes, I pulled the diff cover, wire wheeled off the surface rust and painted it. I plan on dropping the rear axle and painting it at some point.



Also some pics of the engine with the valve covers back on, so much more clean up left to do...

 

That poor Camaro needed some love. I'm glad your showing it some.

 

Great job cant wait to see how it turns out gonna subscribe

 

Good save! My old 1994 z28 was also medium patriotic red metallic.

 

Thanks all, I am very glad I have the chance to save this car. It's a shame it was wrecked and left untouched for all these years. I really like this color, I don't miss dealing with black paint one bit.

 

Sorry, not much of an update... I refilled the rear diff yesterday, started it up, pulled it outside and washed more crap out of it... I was able to remove more leaves, dirt and sticks from the engine compartment, fenders and rear hatch. I also used some Simple Green in the engine bay to get more gunk out. Car still runs like crap in gear, I guess I need to dig deeper into this thing now. UGH!

 

Update: I swapped out the drivers side plugs and wires, working on the passenger side now. The plug access isnt too bad with these headers, I changed the drivers side from the top. I will probably have to change out the wires from underneath on the passenger side. I also started on the passenger side wire tuck, need to order some new terminal posts and a breaker for the amp wiring. I am going to run the power wire under the inner fender as well and then behind the PCM, trying to keep it as clean as possible.

 

Continued progress of the wire tuck, I purchased some new terminal points for power and ground, I wanted something more compact that the factory arrangement. I then made a steel mounting plate and put the terminals inside the inner fender. Next up was boring the hole in the inner fender, wrapping all of the wiring in cloth tape and securing the harness with rubber cushion clamps. I used some SS button head hardware I had to fill in the holes, mount the harness and the power steering reservoir. Maybe some day I will weld everything up, but this will do for now. I also need to install a circuit breaker and 2awg cable for the amp, still waiting for those items to arrive. Then I can secure the wiring completely and put the fender liner back in.
























I also moved the ground wire from the radiator support to the new ground stud, much cleaner now.

 

Progress Report: I completed the plugs and wires on the passenger side. I ended up pulling the starter and the dipstick tube to access the last two plugs. I decided to order a new starter and DEI heat shield due to the Edelbrock headers. The factory starter has a already skipped a beat on me once or twice, so not worth putting it back in at this point. The 2awg power wire, ring terminals and distribution block came in today, so that will be next on the list to complete. The starter and heat shield should be here on Thursday, so I might be able to put everything back together by the weekend.

 

I started routing the 2awg power for the amp, waiting for the circuit breaker to show up. I also made a harness for dash power (12 awg) and a three pin wire for the alarm siren and hood pin. The harness has a fuse holder for the power wire and everything is covered in braided loom for protection. I plan on routing them both through the grommet behind the computer.

I also picked up a "new" fuel filler neck bezel, mine was damaged and I didnt feel like trying to repair it.

 

Update: I routed the 2awg cable and the loom with the 12awg wire last night. I had to use some larger cushion clamps to hold everything in place. I also fabricated the mounting bracket for the circuit breaker and mocked that up. I just need to paint it and put everything together now, it was far too cold yesterday for paint work.

 

Good progress! I'm praying for warmer weather also.

 

Thank you very much! It's supposed to get into the 40's the next few days, so hoping to make some good progress.

The new starter and heat shield came in yesterday, so I need to get that installed and wrap up the breaker/fender liner.

 

I have made some good progress in the last few days, car is back together and running again (for now). I painted the bracket for the circuit breaker and while it was drying I did the ICM cooling mod, then moved onto to pulling the wiring inside the car, cleaning up the fender liner and the coolant overflow bottle.











Everybody sound deadens their fender liners right?
























All back together and running, still runs like crap though, I assuming I have an issue with the coil/ICM and/or Opti Spark now. I ordered a new coil just to see, hopefull that is the issue.

 

Worked on the dash pad last night, the stupid thing cracked on me when I removed it, so I had a few cracks to repair... I started with a Dremel and sanded out the cracks, followed up with some sand paper. I used some cloth tape and instant mix epoxy for the repair. I have seen guys use cardboard, but I had the tape handy and decided to try it. Next step as scuffing the entire area with a green scotch brite pad, followed by a good cleaning and then some foam sound deadener. I didnt want to reuse the stock jute/rubber pad, it looked nasty and had cracked/broken in a few places anyway.















Now I need to decide what material to wrap it in and get that done. I am also undecided on the defrost vent, I think I may cut it out and make a new grille.

 

Worked on the dash pad more lastnight, I decided to use some faux leather material I had in stock. I really dislike wrapping interior panels, but it came out alright. I still need to finish the detail work around the defrost vent and maybe have to repaint it, I got some glue overspray on it unfortunatey...

 

So I found this inside the dash, it was below the glovebox on the close out panel for the HVAC. I think its pretty cool, probably one of the last times this car was driven before it was wrecked/parked. Ha Ha

 

Weekend Progress:

Fuel line and hood cable relocation in progress, almost done with the fuel lines, Im waiting for my grommets and braided loom to show up. I also washed the inner liner and applied sound deadener.