Hello folks.

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I'm Sean, a machinist, living in Nebraska. I recently acquired a 97 z28, lt1, t-tops, 6 speed, 3.42 rear gears, G80. My first 4th gen car. I acquired it from someone who had parked it in 2016 after a light deer collision on the left corner in front. When it was parked, The fuel cap was loose, so it sat dry for years. I bet you guys will never guess what problem that most likely caused...

It was originally white with orange stripes, but somewhere before the person I got it from, it was painted a crappy chalky dark blue. I replaced the doors (both needed window motors and nice used doors with good motors were cheaper and easier, if you consider they wont need paint), fenders, front and rear bumper covers and berger panel, with facebook marketplace/salvage yard original white painted parts. I also replaced the lower front air dam, radiator baffles, and all the plastic parts under the hose, from the same donor car that the fenders came from. Its no wonder it got hot 4 times on the 24 mile drive home, with those pieces missing and 1 of the 2 efans burned out. LOL.

It now also has a white hatch but I don't have pics yet. The hood will be the last piece I replace, due to the fact that I don't have a way to transport a hood so I'll have to drive the car to the hood location and bolt it on there, leaving the old one with whatever salvage yard I get a hood from. Once I have a hood on it I have a local body shop thats going to get the door and fender alignment better than I have it, as well as return the non white areas back to white and the sail panel black. I just put new tires and wiper arms from a 98 on her also.

Other than the hatch, this is what she looks like now:









I've been having issues with it not starting, starting hard, dieing randomly, and not doing much but idle ok. At first I suspected the vats/passkey may have been acting up, or that the ICM or coil may have been problematic, but I have several spares and swapped them out and no change. Today I found the reason (I think) why it has been misbehaving. it has 12 psi of fuel pressure at idle. If the fuel pump was ever changed, it was done the hard way, as there is no trap door cut in this car and it has 177k miles on it. It wasn't throwing codes other than an EGR code. One oddity worth mentioning: The SES light and security light are non functional. I pulled the instrument cluster and checked all the bulbs, replaced a couple, but they're all good now. The passenger kick panel was off the car when I got it so I wonder if someone cut some wires.

At some point, someone put some time into it and some money. It has an msd coil, blue goodyear silicone hoses, and (I think) an MSD opti unit. Someone also swapped out the original muffler and tips for a flowmaster and hooker exhaust tips, and added the throttle body air foil.

I may be crazy...But I just can't resist a project like this. Seeing an old girl like this one in this state gives me that same feeling as rescuing a dog loose on a highway with hundreds of fleas and ticks...and makes me want to chew someone out. I have no intention of hot rodding this car, just making it a nce driver.

Happy Holidays, Folks.