I bought the car with plans on taking the engine and trans out to put into my 1988 RX7.
Then my 94 cutlass blew the trans right out of it and i needed a car to drive back and forth to school and work (ohio to michigan) for the winter. I put a door on the camaro and had to drive it like that through the whole winter.

I figured after driving it for a year like that, i thought i would conquer the body work myself due to body shops and friends quoting me $3-4k.

This was my journey...

The day i bought it





day one of tear down



Cutting panels off via rotor broach and drill





Its ugly but i had to do this in order to not replace my fiberglass top



Went to the junk yard, found a camaro, cut it in half and started cutting my way in to where i got just the rocker and quarter panel. I got a deal... $100 (Tiger Auto, Bristol Rd, Burton)

After all that i did a test fit... it was rough. i tried to reshape the rocker panel towards the front due to it being damaged and crinkled.



After all that i tack it up there and messaged it to where it looked good and fit sorta well.



after the body filler and sanding





Gettin er done! priming



Painted and all done... somewhat. Have to let the clear coat cure then i can wetsand

Wetsanded pics







I never thought i was able to do something like that but with the advise of my friends and a little help.... I DID IT!
This was all done about a year ago

for a total of about $600
includes $300 for 2 quarts of MATRIX paint, grease and wax remover,
acetone ect..
$100 for body panels
$200 in misc materials
$1,000,000,000,000 in LABOR

 

Great work man!

 

great work! this gives me more inspiration to do my own body work on my 2 gen camaro.

 

im not going to say great work, i have to see it up close, but did you fit everything in the pictures on the ground not while the car was on floor stands

thats a apprentice move right there, i did that my first 1/4 job, i fitted everything while the car was on floor stands, panle bond, weld, put the car on its tires, holy uneven gaps batman!!!!

nothing fit, deck lid/ 1/4/ door/ nothng fit, i was fucked!!!

thats why im saying that because it looks like ya left the car on floor stands and not on its on weight, there are triangle like stands that go onto the wheel studs, and the car sits on its on weight, giving you the correct gaps/measurements

and did you panle bond where needed?? use a weld through coating before you welded, etch prime before applying seam sealer, what kind of product did you use?? PPG, DU PONT, SPIES HECKER

just curious

 

^

Who gives a flying **** if the body lines are not perfect and obviously it wasnt done at a shop with the proper tools and equipment BUT it looks a 100% better from what it did prior.
You did an amazing job for what you had to work with and the tools at hand.

Good job and enjoy the car man!

 

In the pics i just have it hung up on the car... but as you can see i was putting in my roll bar also, so i definatly made sure it was level on the ground before i did that. In the second pic under the one that shows it up on jack stands it was placed on the ground for it to be tacked up.

panel bond is that like seam sealer? I made sure i sealed every open gap and tested it from the outside in with a powerwasher. I dont know what the weld through coating is. and i definatly etch primed before applying my seam sealer

all my products were MATRIX... i knew someone who got me a great discount on all the stuff.

Thanks... glad to hear good remarks from you all.
All i really cared about was to save a ton of money by doing it my self and to make it look half way descent from what it was (an eyesore!)
My lines are not of course perfect but for my first time it looks remarkable

 

im thinking it looks fine for a DIY job. After all, you would have paid TONS more then that to have a body shop do it. And some of us just dont have the cash to pay what they ask. Looks good man.

 

Thanks 01FbTaWs6
it was a rediculous quote they were all giving me, between $3-4k

 

well i dont give a **** as you say im giving my experience as a tech, to help this guy out

panel bond is a product that bonds 2 pieces of metal together, reduces noise, reduces rust, since its a 2 part expoy product, around the wheel house, lower parts of the 1/4, around the rear body panel

i persoanlly dont like the matrix products, i only will use fusor, some of the best stuff i have ever used, and most car manufactures use fusor as well, gm being one of them

the estiamte ya got is about right, parts, labor, frame time, all adds up real fast, its not cheap at all, cost of material so on and so on........where i work body labor is at 46 an hour, plus paint labor **** adds up

i wont say it looks good no offensvie to you but i have to see it in person to judge not by a picture online, that goes for any picture posted online, cant judge by a picture

and of course everyone else is going to say the normal "it looks good" becasue no one knows better, only the techs know better, sorry i dont say the normal stuff like everyone else does so here it goes....................

"that looks awesome" "great job" "wish i could do that"

is that better

 

Hey man its all good i respect your stand point... dont get too worked up about it.
Fusor products are awesome... i used that stuff a ton when i work at Honda R&D and thats about all we have there.
being my first time doing something like that it wont be perfect so i expect the people with a lot of experience to react such as u did

 

dude im just trying to help ya out, so you dont have to redo anything down the road

 

All things considered, good job! It makes me rethink using my old formula 350 as a parts car!

I crunched mine pretty bad as well:

I hope I can do half the job you did! Looks pretty sharp as far as I can tell compared to the old photo LOL

 

Thanks... its way sharper than what it was for sure lol
You got it no problem.
dang how did that happen?

 

Good looking Camaro, glad you saved it. I have been perplexed on the method of changing out quarter panels. Thanks for the pictures. Work looks good. John

 

If its a driver....who really cares..**** Im a painter..Im not the best body man but done my share...Show cars are something that you need to see in person..A car fixed by pros..is another one to pick apart..bodyshops have the correct tools to make it 100% right...correct..the way it was before the collison...thats what their for..but for a guy in his garage..and if he drives it..it looks good in pictures..yes in person..Im sure the ones who have the "eyes" could pick the thing apart..

Anyway..Dude Looks fine..

 

Hey no prob for those pics, thats what i took them for.

Thanks brahhh

 

I like the rims BTW but that front bumper is bugging the **** out of me but looks good from what I saw.....

 

Thanks... i got those rims for free with new tires from my friends WRECKED 03 Z06
what part of the bumper is bugging the **** out of ya? lol the fact that it looks like a catfish or fitment?

 

I see what BDYman is saying, but you did what you had to do with the money you had. My hats off to you. I think you did a great job, most people would have scrapped the car. Thanks for saving another f-body! BDYMAN does have a point if you were building a show car/trailer queen... But you actualy drive your Camaro, not let it sit because "I dont want to put miles on it or ever drive it because in 15 years its going to be worth 1/ of what paid for it". These cars are not Exotics, they were mant to be driven and enjoyed... GREAT JOB and effort

 

thats not what iam saying, every car i do and have done over the past 20yrs, the gaps were and have to be perfect, statefarm or a customer isnt going to accept uneven gaps, or rust in a few yrs, not going to happen

us techs have to put the car back pre accident condition, bottom line so gaps, corrosion protection the whole shabang has to be dead on or factory match, ok heres a example.............................if and when he would ever go to sell this car lets say he has a dude come to look at it, well they start to shot the ****, turns out the dude is a body fender tech

oh noes!!! why is this gap off?? why is there rust around the wheels house?? was this car hit??? i think it was in a accident, no thanks not interested, and the untrained average joe shmo off the street will look at it oh wow it looks fantastic!!!

kinda see my point guys, its just me being ****, i was taught to fix the car and or build a car one time, never to see it again, i was and am just trying to help him, thats all