Restoring a 2001 Z28, worth the trouble?
Restoring a 2001 Z28, worth the trouble? I totalled my 2001 Z28 friday night, flipped it on its roof. I'm insured and will be getting a check for the value of the car, which I assume is somewhere around 10-14k. The car still runs, it's just that every exterior panel is destroyed 
I'm thinking that if I buy a beater for 3-4k, and buy my car from the insurance company for ~2k. Find a ~1993 Camaro body, swap the powertrain and interior, find some 98+ fenders and bumper and top it off with a fiberglass SS hood. I would plan on doing most of the work myself, and I imagine I could fix up the car for less than 12k including the cost of it and not including paint. What do you guys think, worth it? It'd make a cool project for me, but where would I get an empty body? Or should I just be looking at used F-bodies?
I'm thinking that if I buy a beater for 3-4k, and buy my car from the insurance company for ~2k. Find a ~1993 Camaro body, swap the powertrain and interior, find some 98+ fenders and bumper and top it off with a fiberglass SS hood. I would plan on doing most of the work myself, and I imagine I could fix up the car for less than 12k including the cost of it and not including paint. What do you guys think, worth it? It'd make a cool project for me, but where would I get an empty body? Or should I just be looking at used F-bodies?
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 406
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From: Bay Area, CA
How is that in any way, restoring a 2001 Z28? Personally I think your better off finding another car and just going that route. Or, buy back your 01 and swap the drivetrain and seats and such into something else, or just to part it all out. Depends on the buyback price, though... I doubt your going to get it for anywhere near 2K, honestly. Let us know.
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
If your 2001 was totaled it is not worth fixing, since it will get a salvage title and the insurance will only cover it for a salvage title, IE: if it gets stolen, hit, or wrecked they will only give you a couple thousand instead of what it would cost to replace it.
Getting a roller and swapping your drivetrain in would be ok, but again if you pick up a 93 and swap in your LS1 stuff the insurance will only pay for the replacement of a 93 V6 or LT1 whichever the donor was, they will not take into account that it had a LS1 drivetrain.
The only way to make sure the insurance will cover you is to buy a 98+ car that was a LS1 from the factory. But it would probably be difficult to find a 98+ LS1 roller since it seems like most of the time people wreck the car not the engine.
Getting a roller and swapping your drivetrain in would be ok, but again if you pick up a 93 and swap in your LS1 stuff the insurance will only pay for the replacement of a 93 V6 or LT1 whichever the donor was, they will not take into account that it had a LS1 drivetrain.
The only way to make sure the insurance will cover you is to buy a 98+ car that was a LS1 from the factory. But it would probably be difficult to find a 98+ LS1 roller since it seems like most of the time people wreck the car not the engine.
Originally Posted by OldSchoolFormula
How is that in any way, restoring a 2001 Z28? Personally I think your better off finding another car and just going that route. Or, buy back your 01 and swap the drivetrain and seats and such into something else, or just to part it all out. Depends on the buyback price, though... I doubt your going to get it for anywhere near 2K, honestly. Let us know.
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
From: shasta lake, north cali
why don't you save yourself the time and hastle and buy another z28 or ss? you know it isn't just swapping motors if you are starting out with a v 6 car right? and the car will never be worth a whole lot if you do the swap you'll never get your money back out of it.
Originally Posted by rocketrider93
why don't you save yourself the time and hastle and buy another z28 or ss? you know it isn't just swapping motors if you are starting out with a v 6 car right? and the car will never be worth a whole lot if you do the swap you'll never get your money back out of it.
i would only go thru the effort if i was building a diffrent car.
doing it to another stock 4thgen is a waste of time, money and effort...
doing it to a older muscle car, a S10, a 3rdgen, or something else like that makes it worth the effort... but doing it to a stock 4thgen is a waste..... now if you had a tubbed/caged/setup drag shell, i could understand wanting to drop the LS1 in that (with a bunch of engine mods...)
i can also understand parting it out... if you did get it for less then 3k, and you have the place to store it and work on it, you could sell the drivetrain for a small profit, then part out the interior and other small items all for profit... then have the shell hauled off.
doing it to another stock 4thgen is a waste of time, money and effort...
doing it to a older muscle car, a S10, a 3rdgen, or something else like that makes it worth the effort... but doing it to a stock 4thgen is a waste..... now if you had a tubbed/caged/setup drag shell, i could understand wanting to drop the LS1 in that (with a bunch of engine mods...)
i can also understand parting it out... if you did get it for less then 3k, and you have the place to store it and work on it, you could sell the drivetrain for a small profit, then part out the interior and other small items all for profit... then have the shell hauled off.
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Like others have said, I would buy the car back and install the drivetrain into another car......something like an older camaro (70-73 are the best out there as far as I am concerned....but I am biased for obvious reasons) or something like a 240z, rx7......
if you are going to put the drivetrain into another 4th gen, you might as well save yourself all work and just by another 4th gen....and
try not to roll whatever you decide to build
if you are going to put the drivetrain into another 4th gen, you might as well save yourself all work and just by another 4th gen....and
try not to roll whatever you decide to build
Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: Coral Springs FL
another vote for a conversion into a muscle car with the ls1 6spd combo, that be pretty kool, deff. get more looks and with the cash u get from ur z28 u can buy a beater and put some other cash into the muscle car and make it more badass 
Data point: When I totaled my 92 TA convertible, I got a check for around $7k. Since totaling a 92 is a whole lot less damage then totaling a 01, I wanted to buy it back and fix it up. Buy back was a whopping $237.
Of course insurance companies and values will be different, but buy-back isn't always stupid expensive.
Kevin D.
Of course insurance companies and values will be different, but buy-back isn't always stupid expensive.
Kevin D.
[QUOTE=G-Body]If your 2001 was totaled it is not worth fixing, since it will get a salvage title and the insurance will only cover it for a salvage title, IE: if it gets stolen, hit, or wrecked they will only give you a couple thousand instead of what it would cost to replace it. QUOTE]
No it wont have a salvage title the insurance company will have the VIN of the 93 camaro, he is just using the powertrain, and upgrading the exterior looks, insurance compant will still think he has a 93 unless an adjuster comes out, but they only comeout when asked or some wierd reason, very extremely rare.
No it wont have a salvage title the insurance company will have the VIN of the 93 camaro, he is just using the powertrain, and upgrading the exterior looks, insurance compant will still think he has a 93 unless an adjuster comes out, but they only comeout when asked or some wierd reason, very extremely rare.
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
From: shasta lake, north cali
well buy it back and see if you can part the car out. you could make some money on it in parts and then you don't have to decide for a while. if you are thinking abot buying a car you can let sit it doesn't sound like you are hurting for a ride. make a couple grand off of it or do a muscle car swap yourself. where are you located? you can find a 70- 73 camaro shell for cheap.
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
Originally Posted by Shinerbock07
No it wont have a salvage title the insurance company will have the VIN of the 93 camaro, he is just using the powertrain, and upgrading the exterior looks, insurance compant will still think he has a 93 unless an adjuster comes out, but they only comeout when asked or some wierd reason, very extremely rare.
Right, if he uses the shell of another car they will have that vin and insure it as that car, so if he uses a 93 shell and the car gets wrecked again they will pay to replace it with another 93 not an 93 with an LS1 swap and interior out of a 2001. But it probably is not worth fixing his shell because if he used the 2001 shell and hung all new outer panels on it it would have a salvage title.
Again another vote for a conversion into an older vehicle, but mabey were a little biased in that direction being the conversion and hybrids forum
I still think its a good idea though. 