Bringing back to life
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Teching In
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Bringing back to life My wife's Z28 was in storage for a while. Recent repairs: new radiator, power steering pump/hoses, engine mount, plugs/wires, fuel filter, alternator and the trans was worked on to replace 2nd & 3rd gear. 206,500 miles.
Next on the list is paint. I have one estimate so far for 4,200 for the entire body. Sound right? Keeping the same color. The paint seems ok in most areas, but there are places with chipping clear coat and other places (mostly on the hood) with rust. Front bumper and spoiler are the worst areas with fading/chipping.
Also, thoughts on shocks/springs/etc to help a squeaky/rough ride?
Next on the list is paint. I have one estimate so far for 4,200 for the entire body. Sound right? Keeping the same color. The paint seems ok in most areas, but there are places with chipping clear coat and other places (mostly on the hood) with rust. Front bumper and spoiler are the worst areas with fading/chipping.
Also, thoughts on shocks/springs/etc to help a squeaky/rough ride?
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From: Valley Lee, MD. Southern Maryland
I think it's cool that you guys are resurrecting her car. The estimate sounds on par for a full re-spray. What do you want to do with the car? Is the current suspension stock? Where do you live / drive? Strano springs with single adjustable Koni's are pretty damn awesome. New suspension bushings, tie rod ends, and alignment should work. My rear control arm bushings were mushy and sloppy despite low mileage under 40k. Rubber doesn't age well.
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Not doing anything too much beyond restoring to working condition. Unless we've had it repaired/replaced, everything is original. Everything for suspension that you mentioned is original. I live in Birmingham AL so the roads aren't terrible.
New potential problem came up on a drive to Memphis. Seemed like the RPMs dropped a little when stopped and the engine was close to stalling. Auto trans...could that be the fuel pump?
Update: Not the fuel pump. This happened again, and both times it was raining. One of the plug wires was nicked, and another hose (not sure the name) had a tear. Moisture was getting in and causing misfires on cylinder 6, according to a code reader at PepBoys. They rigged a temporary fix, but I'd like to know the name/number of this part for a better repair. I'll post a picture later.
New potential problem came up on a drive to Memphis. Seemed like the RPMs dropped a little when stopped and the engine was close to stalling. Auto trans...could that be the fuel pump?
Update: Not the fuel pump. This happened again, and both times it was raining. One of the plug wires was nicked, and another hose (not sure the name) had a tear. Moisture was getting in and causing misfires on cylinder 6, according to a code reader at PepBoys. They rigged a temporary fix, but I'd like to know the name/number of this part for a better repair. I'll post a picture later.
Last edited by 99z28-project; Jul 28, 2014 at 11:39 AM. Reason: Update
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1 year later... Posting mostly for my benefit. The transmission was shot sometime around September. No 3rd or 4th gear and told it needs a rebuild. There is also a leak somewhere in the steering rack. Hoses and pump look fine according to a local repair shop. Repair estimates for those issues combined are in the $2,250 neighborhood. Also, a tree limb broke off during a storm and made a couple of decent dents right above the fuel cap. This repair/restore project might be passed on to someone else. The cost is getting a little overwhelming.
If the body is pretty much straight then it seems steep to me. I paid close to $3,500 to paint the whole car the same color supplying a fender, hood, and bumper needing replacement. This included fixing the rear driver's side fender with pretty bad damage after getting hit by a big company truck. Get some more estimates man. I went around getting estimates almost all day going to about 8 different places. Got an estimate as high as $7,000 and an estimate as low as $1,800. Asked questions about the type of clear coat they used, amount of time it would take, etc.
As far as shocks/springs most say to go with koni's along with bmr or strano springs. Not to low for a DD car. I wouldn't worry too much about the squeeking cause at the end of the day our car's are American and pretty old now. The best you can do is improve the rough ride. I actually got more squeeking after I swapped out my stock setup for a koni/bmr package. Supposedly I read it's from the washers or bolts used. Whatever
