The Camaro Club (UK)

Hi,
Just bought a 3rd generation z28 5 litre with a carb converion.
Bought it really cheap and I must say that I am very impressed with it.
It's my first American car so I didn't know what to expect hence buying it cheaply!

No manuals came with it so I am just working through things to see what's what.
I have only had it for 3 days and have covered around 250 miles.

I have a few questions for anybody who can help.

1 First 'D' symbol on auto box lever i presume is for normal driving ,Is the second 'D' as a sport mode)seems more responsive with this used.

2 Can't find switch for flashing main beam (the stalk may not be working properly.

3 Button imbetween electric windows that you slide forward, is this overdrive if so how do you tell whether it is on?

4 What is the correct oil to use for my 5 litre engine?looking to service it shortly.
5 Best place for parts? I live quite near to Stateside near Atherstone, any feedback on this company could be helpful

Great to know that there is a club for this model of car, it certainly deserves one, thanks for reading this.

Hello and welcome, don't remember a 2nd d on my gearbox but I think the sliding lever between the window switches is to open the tailgate, many places do spares and there is a guy in Watford called rocky who brakes 3rd gens for parts all the time we like lots of pictures here :-)

_________________
1997 30th Anniversary SS SLP
1993 GMC Typhoon

Howdy and welcome

Been along time I had my 3rd gen, so my answers may be a bit out, but hopefully some current 3rd gen owners will chip in.

Like Twisted said, I think switch between windows buttons is boot release, assuming you have electric boot.

The 2nd D with the circle around it gives the 4th overdrive gear, otherwise it just works as a 3 speed.

Oil, will be a bit of a preference but the owners manual should say, depending on miles on the engine I'd go 20/50 or 20/40 decent synthetic, but others may say something else.

Suppliers is a tough one, as so many sources now depending if it's just service parts, new spares, trim parts, or second hand body bits etc.
There's a list on this site here (mostly swamped with Rock Auto offers, but more comes up on 2nd page)
http://www.classiccamaroclubuk.com/phpB ... m.php?f=18

Main beam, I honestly can't remember, but I know you can get the whole stalk as a replacement part if needed, as I remember changing mine to get the cruise working.

_________________
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

Welcome,

Stu has done a good job answering your questions there.

My 3rd gen is manual but normally auto's all have the same pattern: P R N D 1 2

Likely the 2nd D is an O for overdrive and comes at the end P R N D 1 2 O to show the extra gear available.

For the oil, as Stu says this is personal preference and i must have spent days reading through forums and still haven't come to any conclusion! The oil filler cap, and / or the dipstick (when you remove it, near the level markings) should have the recommended oil weight to use, mine is a 305 tpi so likely the same as yours, and it's 5w30. But that's kind of the tip of the iceberg. That refers to the viscosity of the oil at freezing temp and operating temp. There's a whole other conversation about which manufacturer to go with as they all use different additives, in different amounts etc. I currently use 5w30 Mobil 3000. £29 for 5 litres and sometimes halfords do it for £23.99.

Main beam is on the stalk on 3rd gens, so you just have to have the lights on and then pull the stalk towards yourself. You should hear a click when the circuit it is activated.

A lot of suppliers out there as Stu says, depends really on what you need. You can't beat Rockauto on price, just have to smart with delivery options. Though, as Twistedsanity has pointed out on an earlier thread, you do have a problem when things go wrong as you end up paying to ship something back, which isn't usually cheap especially if it's heavy. Then you have to pay any customs charges for the replacement item if it's over £130. So worth bearing in mind. Rocky (American Technique) is a breaker and rebuilder of 3rd gens and also recently became a supplier of new parts, so he's a really good person to speak to. Also very helpful with advice / working out what you need etc. eBay is a good resource too, most of the suppliers in the UK advertise on there. TopSpeed Automotive carry everything, though a bit pricey. They had a battery, year specific alternator and windscreen in stock so went up there and got it all same day (apart from the glass, that was delivered). US Automotive also have a good inventory, they are based around the Midlands. You've got some options, depends what you need Always worth posting here in the wanted section too, never know what someone has lying around spare.

HTH!

Ray

_________________
How to post pics: When writing a message, scroll down and use the "attach file" option. Where possible, a photo sharing service can be used such as Flickr, Imgur etc. The image location (usually ending in .jpg) can be copy and pasted between the ][ brackets that appear when you click the 'Img' button (you can find this button at the top of the message box).

How to post youtube vids: Click on the 'youtubeHD' button at the top of the message box and in the middle of the ][ brackets that just appeared, copy and paste everything from the youtube web address that appears after the = sign i.e if this is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cNqaPSHv0 just copy "K2cNqaPSHv0").

As you say preference, but that seems pretty light to me.. If it's not leaking out I guess it's OK

_________________
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

Ye, no signs of any obvious leaks - it needs a top up every couple of months with about 0.5 - 1 litre. It maybe related to the valve stem seals which i think need renewing, have them, just haven't found time to do them (plus i'm scared lol). Pressure is good on start up, the gauge is in KPA (Kilopascals) which is odd and annoying, i've worked it out to be 45 psi on start up (and sometimes a little above) for the first 15 minutes or so (3/4 of the sweep). Once warmed up and driving normally it goes down to a bit over half way, so about 30 - 35 psi. When it gets really warm and after prolonged driving, it does dip a bit below half, at traffic lights when idling, to about 25 psi. The worst it's ever been has been 1/4 of the gauge, about 15psi, which was that Halloween night when we were stood still for almost an hour and it was about 20c outside. Under normal driving conditions, it sits at about half way on the gauge. I have thought about maybe getting a thicker operating temp spec, something like a 5w40. At cold, the pressure looks good, but wouldn't mind it being a bit higher when warm. I also read that you want to keep the gap low, i.e a 0w50 isn't good because it means that there are too many viscosity enhancers and not enough base oil. Stuff for a headache lol.

Found this, was a good read. http://www.firebirdnation.com/forums/to ... ntry230548 Interesting point about synthetic oil being ok for large gap viscosity, extenders are apparently only needed for non synthetic oils.

_________________
How to post pics: When writing a message, scroll down and use the "attach file" option. Where possible, a photo sharing service can be used such as Flickr, Imgur etc. The image location (usually ending in .jpg) can be copy and pasted between the ][ brackets that appear when you click the 'Img' button (you can find this button at the top of the message box).

How to post youtube vids: Click on the 'youtubeHD' button at the top of the message box and in the middle of the ][ brackets that just appeared, copy and paste everything from the youtube web address that appears after the = sign i.e if this is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cNqaPSHv0 just copy "K2cNqaPSHv0").