Sean's 78 Camaro Z28

Should we leave the wheels grey or paint them body color?

  • Leave grey

  • Paint blue to match the body car, the way the car was when new


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Texas82GP

Just-a-worm
Apr 3, 2015
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Time for another update. When we left off it was the end of October and we were nearly ready to start the car for the first time. The first time we hooked the battery up after all of the wiring was a very deflating experience for me. There were so many Gremlins! First, the horn wouldn't stop blowing. That just turned out to be that the horn contacts were put together incorrectly under the horn button. Not a bad fix. Neither window would go up or down. That turned out to be the missing ground in the wiring diagram that some of you might have read about in the "Fast Power Windows" thread. Steve used the same diagram I used (I provided it to him), and he relived my frustration because I had forgotten about the problem and the solution until he already had it figured out. Fixing the windows wasn't so bad but took some time. Next the power door locks/keyless entry. I could get them to work on the key fob or work on the switch on the door but not both at the same time. I had them working on the key fob and then if you hit switch on the door it would blow the fuse. That took awhile to figure out and ended up being an error in the wiring diagram that came with the keyless entry system. Initially cooling fan 1 would run when commanded by the scanner, but cooling fan 2 wouldn't run. That turned out to be an issue in the tune. Enough already. You get the idea. There were a lot of issues to work through. By December though we had most of the issues worked out and went ahead and filled the cooling system, filled and bled the brakes and primed the LS with oil. It cranked right up but showed no oil pressure. Another wiring Gremlin. An easy one. The wire for the sender was on the wrong terminal on the sender. We got it cranked back up and it ran well. Our tuner (Blackbear Performance) had done a good job getting us a base tune set up. Here is a pic of the alive engine compartment. Not much different than what I posted above but the hood light is shining, there is washer fluid in the windshield washer bottle and though not visible, there is coolant in the coolant overflow bottle....

Camaro 2nd drive 12-19-2014 1 .JPG


We did initially have some trouble with the idle recovering when returning to idle. After we worked through that and were feeling comfortable with all of the fluid levels and that the cooling fans would keep the engine cool, Sean worked on bolting in the unrestored, decrepit seats so we could take this beast for a ride!

Camaro 2nd drive 12-19-2014 6.JPG


In this next pic you can see our temporary shifter handle and you can see that we even had the stereo working by this point...

Camaro 2nd drive 12-19-2014 7.JPG


Here it is. An actual running, driving car. It had been almost 8-1/2 years since the car moved under its own power. It had quite a ways to go but you guys all can relate to how great it was to drive it around the neighborhood. The drivetrain was spectacular out of the box....

Camaro 2nd drive 12-19-2014 19.JPG


Camaro 2nd drive 12-19-2014 25.JPG


I think this picture is from later that night. I think this is the actual maiden voyage....

Camaro 2nd drive 12-19-2014 27.JPG


We were having fun and getting more comfortable with the car. Speeds started to increase. The tires on the old wheels were pretty scary and probably shouldn't have been driven on at all. We needed a set of tires at the least. My brother decided he really like the 17" version of the original equipment wheel. They came in midway through January......

Year one rally wheels arrive 1-10-2015.jpg


Sean didn't waste much time in getting some tires mounted on them. We went with some Bridgestone Potenza's (I think). We largely selected them based on size. We were shooting for as close to the same overall size as the 245/60/15's that came off of the rear of the car.....

New wheels mounted up 1-10-2015.jpg


Here they are mounted up on the car.....

Camaro new wheels 1-10-2015.jpg


I think moving forward we may go a little narrower in the front. We have slight rub against the rear of the wheel well on a hard turn. I think they are perfect on the back. Here's the first trip to the gas station. I think it's a great picture....

Camaro first trip to gas station with new wheels 1-10-2015.jpg


More to come.......
 
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Texas82GP

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Funny, I used the same Griffin LS-swap and F-body fans in the wagon. Worked out surprisingly well.

The bobbed tail pipes are perfect.
Thanks Mike. Initially we had our heart set on the look of the stock Z28 exhaust but I think this worked out really well. It's stealthy, until you start it! I love what you did to that wagon. I really enjoyed following along with your build and am glad to see you driving it and enjoying it.
 
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Longroof79

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I love the wheels, Jared...that was a good choice. I always liked the factory styled wheel...they're very desirable, too. What could be better than a larger aftermarket version?
The smile on Sean's face says it all.. :D
 
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Texas82GP

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Apr 3, 2015
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Moving forward, we needed some legitimate plates on this thing. The ones we had on it belonged to it but were expired. When my dad finished the 57 Chevy, he got personalized plates "1BAD57". Some of you may have noticed one of the plates hanging above our workbench in some of the pics in this and other threads I post. Sean wanted something along these lines. He had to send in several desired plate letter/number combinations to see what was available. This is what he ended up with....

bad78z rear view.jpg


Sean started driving the car more and more. Here is a picture of the car back at Dad's house for the first time in many, many years. This is where the car was sitting when it got stolen in 1989, leading to Sean selling it to our uncle. This was in March of 2015...

Camaro at Dads 3-14-2015.jpg


The pictures, from here on are spaced out a little farther apart. I think Sean was saving money and buying parts. We were also working with the tuner on the tune. I think during this time we were working towards getting the dash in the car. Here's some pictures of the dash going in, in July and August of 2015...

Dash assembly Aug 2015 3.JPG


Camaro dash 7-19-2015.jpg


Putting the dash in and putting it together was no fun and took several sessions. Here's the next picture. We've got the glove box door on it. That took some detail. Getting the glove box lock keyed correctly to the car and Sean hand lettering the "Camaro" script on the door with a Silver paint pen......

20150722_082337.jpeg


Here's my favorite place in the world...

Dash assembly Aug 2015 9.JPG


By the end of August of 2015, the dash was complete. Not perfect but complete and so much nicer than what it had. The dash pad is reproduction and the fit is not spectacular. Again, it is still so much better than what the car had. I had to completely redo the wiring of the cluster because what I had in the pictures I posted earlier, with the terminal blocks was just too bulky and wouldn't go in the opening.....

Dash assembly Aug 2015 25.JPG


Here's a good look at those New Vintage gauges floating behind the stock bezel...

Dash assembly Aug 2015 20.JPG


I love this side by side.....

dash comparision before and after Aug 2015.jpg


This is a good place to stop for now. That gets us through September of 2015. More to come. I'll likely update the thread further this time tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in.
 
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Longroof79

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Cool choice on the tag...:cool:
I like the way everything is going together...or should I say "went" together.

Btw Jared, what brand gauges are they? I like those. I probably missed where you might have indicated that.
 
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Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
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Cool choice on the tag...:cool:
I like the way everything is going together...or should I say "went" together.

Btw Jared, what brand gauges are they? I like those. I probably missed where you might have indicated that.
Jack, i think he said they are new vintage brand. I like those gauges as well, they look at home and have more of a stock appearance to them.
 
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Injectedcutty

G body LS mafia
Nov 24, 2014
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Jared, one heluva job you guys have done on that car! Every aspect has been given serious attention to detail, and has been meticulously executed!

I look forward to the daily updates on the Camaro...as well as Donovan's Olds. You've done a great job going through the steps of resto from the start!

I can't wait to see the outcome of the body/paint process;)!!!!
 
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kalidromos13

Master Mechanic
Oct 12, 2016
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I was on vacation when you started this thread, but I finished just reading the whole thing and wow! Holy cow did you guys put some work into that Camaro! I have always loved the look of 78-81 z28s. The hood scoop, fender vents and wheel spoilers make these cars look amazing, I like the way it looks without the wheel spoilers on this just as much though. Very meticulous work and very tastefully done. Hafrods 78 442 and this thread are keeping me very motivated at the moment. Thanks for sharing Jared!!!
What color is it going to be painted?
 
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Texas82GP

Just-a-worm
Apr 3, 2015
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Spring, Texas
I love the wheels, Jared...that was a good choice. I always liked the factory styled wheel...they're very desirable, too. What could be better than a larger aftermarket version?
The smile on Sean's face says it all.. :D

Agreed my friend. The really nice thing about the 17" wheels is there is so much more selection for tires than 15" wheels. Yeah, that was a great night moving the car around under its own power for the first time. Relief and exaltation at the same time.

Cool choice on the tag...:cool:
I like the way everything is going together...or should I say "went" together.

Btw Jared, what brand gauges are they? I like those. I probably missed where you might have indicated that.

Thanks buddy. Not everything turned out perfect. However, it is a very nice car that we can be proud of.

Jack, i think he said they are new vintage brand. I like those gauges as well, they look at home and have more of a stock appearance to them.

Yes, Scott has it right. New Vintage out of Detroit. Great people. The gauges do have a classic look that fits the theme of the build which is stockish looks but all modern drivetrain. They are LED backlit so they look very cool. I'll have to find a picture of them lit up and paste it in here.

Jared, one heluva job you guys have done on that car! Every aspect has been given serious attention to detail, and has been meticulously executed!

I look forward to the daily updates on the Camaro...as well as Donovan's Olds. You've done a great job going through the steps of resto from the start!

I can't wait to see the outcome of the body/paint process;)!!!!

Thanks Scott. That's high praise coming from you. You are very detail oriented and do really nice work so I'm flattered by the compliment. As I've said before, I'm flattered and glad that you guys enjoy the thread. It makes spending the time on it worth it. I'm eager to get to the point where I can show you some pics of the painted car. It turned out beautiful.

Love those wheels!

Thanks. I think he made a good decision. I was torn. I love classic Cragar SS wheels on cars of this era but the enhanced handling and driveability from these wheels and tires probably put them far and away as a better decision than any 15's. He initially planned to have the wheels painted body color (blue) but isn't sure now. I'll put up a poll when there are pictures of the painted car with the wheels on it.

I was on vacation when you started this thread, but I finished just reading the whole thing and wow! Holy cow did you guys put some work into that Camaro! I have always loved the look of 78-81 z28s. The hood scoop, fender vents and wheel spoilers make these cars look amazing, I like the way it looks without the wheel spoilers on this just as much though. Very meticulous work and very tastefully done. Hafrods 78 442 and this thread are keeping me very motivated at the moment. Thanks for sharing Jared!!!
What color is it going to be painted?

Thanks for the kind words Dave. We have worked very hard on this car and I'm glad it shows. The 78 didn't have the wheel spoilers, either front or rear. The 79's had front only and I think the 80-81 had both. I prefer the cleaner look of the 78 but I'm biased. ;) I love all of the 78-81 cars though. I think they were a styling masterpiece. The car has been painted its original color, bright blue metallic. If you look at some of the previous posts you will see the color where we painted the jambs, under the hood and in the trunk. There is a little of that color on the body as well, where we brought it out from the jambs to have some options on how to paint it later.
 
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