Blake Noble

The dealer sold the black '99 on Saturday. There's not much else out there in the way of a T/A at the moment that's reasonably priced and low mileage, however there is this.

Thanks, Z. For curiousity's sake, I'm going to check out that '99 Trans Am tomorrow. Considering the mileage, it's by far the best deal in my area on one of these cars.

I had an older Sony Xplod headunit in my old Sonoma, so I really feel your pain. If you're looking for a user manual, try to locate a model number somewhere on the receiver then try Sony's website. As for those annoying ass beeps when you shut the ignition off, I'm afraid you're stuck with that. All Xplod stereos do that and there's no way that I'm aware of to stop it. If you want my honest opinion, I'd just rip the thing out of there and listen to the wind and exhaust instead. I seriously did that once in the Sonoma because I was so fed up with dealing with the Xplod I had (mine also didn't read CDs very well and would skip over every last pothole and bump). There's a reason why Xplod units are a joke in the realm of car audio.

Thanks, GMTG74. I'm really excited for once about being on the hunt again. I can honestly say I've never been this enthused about it before. There's no rush and no pressure this time around, and once I have the funds to find the right car and all of the chips fall into place, it will be the right car. It's time to buy a car that I'll keep no matter the cost, that when the wheels fall off, I'll just pick 'em back up and put 'em on again, no complaining. I haven't had a car that I've cared enough for to completely and unquestionably devote myself to. I've had cars I've liked and some I miss, but none quite that special ... yet. That's what I want, and for my sake, it's gotta happen. EDIT: And here we go, banging on all 12 cylinders now. The additional pics should also give you guys a better look at the Camaro and allow anyone to give me some feedback regarding the asking price. http://lexington.craigslist.org/cto/3425027037.html

Granted I'll be sacrificing the simplicity I desired, but after thinking it over tonight I'm going to pursue the fourth-gen route with this and possibly chuck the Astra in the process. While there's a chance I could trade the Camaro for a fourth-gen car, the likely outcome is that I'll sell the Camaro for enough to make a healthy downpayment on a low-mileage example and sell the Astra privately to minimize any potential loss there. This non-WS6 car would be perfect, although I am suspect of the paint on the front bumper.

The '77 is a true T/A. The fender extensions were removed to begin the bodywork. As for the grilles, I didn't think to ask. It's more than likely the original ones were broken and replaced with a set out of a base car at some point. I have a potential three other cars on the line now besides the '77 and '84. I have one '87 Firebird, one '87 Trans Am, and there's even a chance I might be able to snap up a fourth-gen Formula. We'll see. By the time this is all said and done, I'll probably have another Firebird in my possession and come out way, way, way in the black in the process. Like I said in my other thread, I knew what I was doing when I brought the Camaro home.

Here's the '77 I have on the line now. I only have one decent shot of it.

I'm actually thinking a better option at this point may be to just sell the Camaro for a tidy profit and go in either one of three directions: 1.) take the money and chase down a running and driving base or Esprit model second-gen Firebird or 2.) use it as a down payment on a late fourth-gen Trans Am. I also now have the third option of swapping the Camaro to a numbers matching 1977 Trans Am hardtop car with a Pontiac 400. The Trans Am is physically in the same condition as the Camaro, it's just in primer. I'll put some pics up of the '77 here in a moment.

Well, now I have another Trans Am on the line. Let's see where this goes. ocn's got it. Because of those exact reasons, I didn't think too much about the condition of the interior. You're right, those seats are Recaros. The heavy bolstering does make these particular seats prone to extreme wear. I think the owner said that the title change was fairly recent. The Trans Am was repainted before the title was changed from salvage to rebuilt, which is why the graphics are missing.

I've never really been one to judge a car's entire lifetime based on the condition of the interior, but that's certainly an interesting opinion. I'm still sleeping on this for now, but the outcome is looking like I might keep the Camaro for the time being. I had planned on at least buying new floorpans around the start of the month, but considering this has shown me what I could potentially trade the Camaro for, I might hold out a little longer. Maybe someone will offer me a running and complete 301 or 305-powered '80 Firebird coupe or maybe a fourth-gen car in exchange for the Camaro. If that happens, then I know exactly what I'm going to do.

Hmmmm ... very interesting input, dave. Care to elaborate a little more?

Here are the two best pics I snapped of the Trans Am, one of the exterior and one of the interior. Excellent counterpoint, given that building a better and cheaper daily driver, as well as a "lifetime ride," is the overall goal of this whole sideshow. It's anyone's guess as to how many actual miles are on the Camaro. The odometer read 18,3XX before it was pulled (obviously, it has turned over at least one time) and the title says 122,000. The Trans Am has 113,000 miles. I generally tend to overlook the mileage on older cars like this though, unless of course I'm looking at some sort of stupid cheap survior car or something. Now, the 350SBC in my Camaro is obviously a much more desirable engine than the 305 in the Trans Am, however it's still a stalemate here. The Trans Am has a very stubborn starter and my Camaro more than likely has a bad waterpump. Both are small issues. Neither car smokes, uses or leaks any fluid, nor does either car mix any fluids. Both run strong. The T/A does have a lot of creature comforts and, honestly, I don't care for any of them. The Camaro does hold a distinct advantage here of being the simpler car. However, everything was fully functional on the T/A and, if it comes right down to it, most of the electronic engine controls can be removed. At what price, it's hard to say. It's a small thing, but I don't like how you change fuel pumps in later model F-body cars. Just saying. The rebuilt title worries me too. That's one reason why I didn't instantly pull the trigger on the swap. That, and like I said, it still misses the mark.

I'm always having a new one every month it seems. Instead of dragging things out though, I'm going to cut to the chase here: I currently have a 1984 15th Anniversary Recaro Trans Am on the line. In exchange I'll have to hand over the Camaro for it, it's a dead-even swap. While the Trans Am is far from being perfect, it is 100 percent complete, 98 percent rust free, and in everyday driver status; it just needs the interior refreshed in a few places (headliner, sailpanel fabric, carpet, and the outer seats, typical minor ess-ayche-eye-tee), a new starter (the current one works but it's a bit stubborn), and the paint refreshed (you can get away without repainting it). The T/A also has a rebuilt title because of a previous accident, but the subframe and all other hardpoints all seem to be straight and in order. It's also worth noting that the car has also seen recent use as a daily driver. Would you pull the trigger? Keep in mind that I don't have to get rid of the Camaro by any means, but this particular Trans Am is quite rare – there were only 1,500 15th Anniversary T/As built total, and this is one of 1,000 automatic cars made. However, the Trans Am does have a rebuilt title where the Camaro doesn't (it just reads "exceeds mechanical limits"), but the Trans Am seems that can be driven without worry while it's being sorted out where the Camaro is still some distance away from being in driver status. It'll take much longer to arrive at a desired result with the Camaro whereas I could have the Trans Am at 85 percent complete within a year. The Trans Am, even with a branded title, seems that it would worth more restored than the Camaro. There's also another factor at play here: everyone knows how much I've always wanted a second-gen Firebird or Trans Am, almost to the point of obsessing over it, and I told myself that if I could trade the Camaro off to a Firebird when I bought it, I would probably do it. Granted, this new car that's entered the picture still misses the mark, but it's still a cool Trans Am just the same. So, yeah. Leave me an honest opinion here, regardless if it's to tell me I'm a moron or whatever. I'm all ears. I don't know how exactly I feel about doing this, but the owner of the Trans Am allowed me to take a few pictures, and I may or may not upload one or two of them to get a better opinion.

I should have a new set of floorpans (and possibly doors) coming in either sometime this week or next week after payday. I've also been researching how to get this car into paint ... and I'm still in limbo. Nothing seems too sure footed. Getting decent results (again, not expecting show quality here) on a shoestring budget seems to be next to impossible for someone who doesn't have a spray gun and a garage (I knew the "favoritism" here before hand so to speak, but even still, there has to be a way).

... but only one that's mobile. http://lexington.craigslist.org/cto/3396205348.html

Since the Taliban accidentally their email list, I'm sending this thread to them so they'll have a legitimate reason to hate America. Glad I could help.

Is it bad I made a point last night to buy out the first gas station that still had some Twinkies still in stock after work? I bought the last three two packs on the shelf, and ate one pack when I left. It was quite possibly one of the saddest snack moments I've ever had.

Yeah, this week totally blows, and I don't give a rat's ass what side of the political or culinary fence you sit on. First, Ron Paul announces that he will retire from politics, another major war likely looms on the horizon, and now Hostess announces that it is going out of buisness. Yep. That's right. Our collective fat American asses will no longer be able to scarf down the golden sweet goodness of the processed junk food we know and love as the Twinkie. Or slap together a peanut butter sandwich using the whitest of white bread, Wonder Bread. No longer can we swing by a Circle K or 7-11 and grab a handful of Ho Hos or Hostess Cupcakes, nor can we hazily gorge ourselves on Chocolate Zingers. Oh yeah, we can also say goodbye to Captian Eddy J. and his top officers Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry as he goes down with the RMS Hostess. In all seriousness, 18,500 people have lost their jobs as a result of nationwide strikes organized by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (also known as the BCTGM). Again, regardless of which side of the political or culinary fence you sit on, this is literally one of the last things we need to hear about right now in this country: more unemployment. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to reach for my favorite comfort food a Twi -- oh, goddammit. Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't get rid of Debbie's number after all. Source: Twinkies Maker Hostess to Liquidate Company After Strike (ABC News)

Interesting input guys. Thanks. The Camaro doesn't have to be finished in a real hurry, but I still have to be sensitive to how long I take on doing the bodywork. I am working against time here. The car is mostly solid now, but I know that whatever rust is there won't allow that to be the case for much longer. What might be trivial bodywork now could be major work by this time next year, and bodywork is more than half of the battle with this car to put it back in driver status. It's my understanding that, while Maaco does use single stage enamel on their cheaper paint jobs, they use DuPont base-coat/clear-coat paint on jobs that cost over the $1,000 mark. Granted, it isn't top of the line DuPont paint, but it and the work is also guaranteed for three years. I've been thinking of another approach here, not unlike what you mentioned WMJ. I could have whoever welds the floorpans back also do the bodywork and put the car in primer (small note: I'm thinking I'd like to go with Mar-Hyde here; the guy I was considering to do the job also uses Mar-Hyde and I think it's one key to how his work comes out looking pretty nice). I could strip the car myself (the paint that's on there is really thin it seems) or let that be a part of the aforementioned job. From there, I could buy my own materials and pay a place like Maaco to spray it. Nothing is really off of the table at this point. While I'm aiming to acomplish the bodywork (outside of the floorpans) over the winter, it wouldn't be the end of the world if it's pushed back to spring, or summer at the absolute latest. Thanks Camino. You know, I think they would look real nice on an ElCamino, too ...

I guess I'll also risk ridicule here and mention that I discovered the water pump is probably shot. But you know ... It's an easy job to replace a water pump on a SBC and it's cheap. It also gives me an excuse to get in there and to try and repaint the engine myself.

I've considered doing something interesting documenting the build of this car ... which reminds me, it's something that I rarely see other automotive websites and blogs doing outside of places like Hot Rod Magazine's website, etc. Anyway, in other news, I'm seriously considering letting Maaco paint this car since it's difficult to find an independent shop around here that's willing to do work outside of insurance jobs for a reasonable price. That and it's apparent that the guy I've been considering to do the job, although he would've been fairly inexpensive, isn't going to get around to my car any time soon. I'm well aware of the horror stories about Maaco, but I'm starting to chalk them up mostly to morons who went in and bought the cheap $300 package without having any sort of prep or body work done. Maaco will do the prep and body work for you, but for an additional cost of course. It seems that I can expect to spend $1,200 or so going this route (that is, having Maaco do all of the prep and body work and spraying). Still, that's cheaper than what most places charge and I'm not exactly looking for show-quality paint here. This car will be built to be a driver's car and hopefully a decent autocross car (that's a hobby I'd really like to get into), not a show queen. An expensive paint job would likely wind up getting chipped and so on. I'm also thinking that I should have the floorpans replaced in time for Christmas. Before I forget, I'll go ahead and reveal the thinking behind the "Z90" name. Basically, since Chevrolet dropped the Z28 package for 1975, it wouldn't make sense to build anything like a Z28 clone out of this car. But, I also don't want to return the car to stock condition -- when this Camaro was new, it was almost as barebones as you can get (which don't get me wrong, I like that; but as far as I can tell, the only options that were ordered were power door locks, a chrome decor package, and the 2bbl 350 SBC) and painted shit brown with a shitstain brown interior. So, realizing the absolute stupidity in taking either direction, I envisioned what would happen if Chevrolet replaced the Z28 package with a new SS option for '75, and what that car would be like if it were modified. Of course, it would be almost as stupid to slap SS badges on this car as it would be to slap on some Z28 decals. So, considering the fact that the Rally Sport's RPO code for 1975 was Z85, it seemed logical that the RPO code for a '75 Camaro SS would be somewhere between Z86 and Z90. I chose Z90 for two reasons: a.) it has a better ring to it, and b.) I was born in 1990, so it makes this particular concept that much more personal. I'll also add this as an footnote to what I mentioned above: I haven't finished the concept sketch yet, but the fact that I want to essentially build a '75 Camaro SS doesn't mean I'll be putting dual SS Rally stripes on my car. I mentioned custom graphics earlier, and for that I'm doing a design that transitions the Z28 graphics for 1974 and the Z28 graphics for 1978 (with a passing nod to the T/A's screaming chicken hood graphic).

That's pretty close to the Deviantart-sourced sketch I posted not too long ago.

Yeah, the rims are absolutely terrible. They're ugly beyond ugly. That's why I'll be replacing the rims with a set of these soon: I've always liked Year One's 17" Rally Rim reproductions and considered buying a set for my old black Turdmaro. That's what will be going on this car. That's a seat from either a late '90s Grand Prix or early 2000's Impala, I believe. Yes, I said a seat. The previous owner started to replace the original worn out ones and stopped at the driver's seat. I still have the original driver's seat, but I'm not sure I'm going to reupholster it, the passenger side seat, or the rear seat bottoms. I'm open to criticism here, but I'm thinking a set of Recaros out of a Cobalt SS may be what I use to replace the front seats, if not at least a set of seats out of a fourth-gen F-Body. Of course, they'll be recovered with more factory-style coverings. I do plan on reusing at least the back of the rear seat. I'm afraid so. I have no idea who in the hell made those things, but I'd like to hope that they've went out of buisness. We'll get there sometime this winter I hope. So far, I'm planning on painting the car black and adding a custom hood and lower body side graphics, although I'm also considering a few Holden-sourced paint options as well. As far as the body goes, it's 85 percent straight and 85 percent rust free. None of your typical F-Body rust has gotten to the rocker panels or any of the rear sheetmetal. The floorpans do have some very mild rust issues (which second-gen F-Body car doesn't?), but that's no big deal. I can spend $200 bucks on so on a new set from Camaro Central, which is luckily located about 15 miles away from me (and that also means I'll get to save a buttload of cash on shipping working on this car).

Even the old cornflake box trucks made a nice Ramburban: Sadly. They tried to open the door to this particular segment again with the second-generation Durango, but that wasn't exactly a home run success. I do know this: if it's somehow kosher to bring a last-gen Mexi Ramcharger stateside, I'm going down to Mexico. I know I've seen a few of them pop up on various sections of California's Craigslist, but I never really knew the legality of registering the truck.

Just an interesting Ram SUV conversion I found.