The Camaro Club (UK)

Hi Andy Nice to see you join up on here too

Rear lights arrived from Canada earlier in the week, so I thought I would get them tidied up and ready to refit when I get that far. I needed a change from welding, needed to get something finished off.

I had decided to find another set of lights with lenses in better condition than the ones that were originally fitted to the car. Repro lenses are just begining to be made, but still very expensive.

The new ones were much better but suffered from the usual deterioration of the reflectors, making the lights a bit dim. Both in function and appearance



Once the lens is removed it was easy to see why



The silver coating on the reflectors basically just falls off after 30 years. Still I guess thats not bad going really.

A quick key with some wet and dry and a coat or 3 of 'chrome' spray paint and they are nice and shiny again.



Made new lens seals with closed cell foam draught excluder. Should work....hopefully



And there we have some shiny lights




And a comparison shot to the old ones, bit of an improvement I think? 8)




I also went and picked up a new windscreen, and the cowl panels from DB Motors today. Nice new metal to get rid of the rusty stuff (New GM inner fenders I picked up a couple of weeks ago are in the pic too)



Tomorrow, if its not too damp, I'll be making a start on the passenger side cowl/sill area that needs the same treatment as I gave the drivers side.

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My '80 progress thread - hugger orange! Now with LQ9 power - forged pistons, LS2 rods, 236/242, .621/.612, flowed and milled 317 heads. MS3X

4L80e, 12 bolt, 4.11, Moroso brute strength posi, steel shafts.

Subframe connectors, g-braces, solid body bushes, carbon hood and front bumper, custom door cards, Autometer gauges.

You really do like to get stuck in there

It's coming along nice! How much did you pay for the inner arches and the cowl?

I've seen people clean up the lenses by hitting them with various grades of wet n dry and then polishing them out with cutting paste,gives them a real nice sharp look and removes a lot of the dulling, have you thought about doing soemthing like that?

Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Ray

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Painting the insides with chrome/silver paint is a good idea, brightens them right up.. I might try that...

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

The cowl panel was pretty damn expensive to be honest, £175+vat. I got both inner fenders for £100 from a guy who'd had them laying around for a while.

I haven't got as far as polishing the lenses yet, but I will do before they get finally fitted to the car. They arent too bad as they are, just a quick polish with rubbing compound and then a wax should finish them off.

I have a tip on the lights that I forgot to post about. If you have a rusted in bolt (more than likely) holding the lens on, don't be tempted to try and force it out, it will either snap off or bust the lens. Instead get a micro blowlamp and gently heat the plastic where the bolt is from the outside, dont melt it, then head of the bolt head itself. Keep doing it for a couple of minutes. Then while its still warm just wind the bolt out. Works every time

I got the bottom of the passenger side cowl area fixed up yesterday, same story as the drivers side, only needed to replace part of the subframe mount as well. Next job is either replace the sill on the passenger side, or do the cowl. Not sure which to tackle first, dont really think it matters, it all needs doing

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My '80 progress thread - hugger orange! Now with LQ9 power - forged pistons, LS2 rods, 236/242, .621/.612, flowed and milled 317 heads. MS3X

4L80e, 12 bolt, 4.11, Moroso brute strength posi, steel shafts.

Subframe connectors, g-braces, solid body bushes, carbon hood and front bumper, custom door cards, Autometer gauges.

was the cowl section off the shelf or was it ordered in for you? ie from the US
might need the under cowl section where the wiper mech sits as mine is a bit rusty and im sure there is a hole or two in there as well.

have thought about getting a large strip of ali and bolting from wing to wing across the holes in the cowl section and to the fire wall. would make it look clean and divert the water down the firewall.

I ordered it, several people can get them for you at the same price. WASP and DB Motors. I got mine from DB as I had to collect some stuff from them anyway. But I normally order everything through WASP as they are 2miles up the road from me and very competitive on price.

I don't think anyone repros the cowl section thats under the top panel, i.e the bit you can see under the dash. Mine has a couple of holes either side anyway. I just decided the easiest way to tackle it was chop out the top panel, fix everything from the top. Seam sealer it all, give it a good coat of epoxy paint and then it would be better than new.

The original designs downfall was that the mesh was too large in the top, allowing leaves and crap to enter which blocked up the lower portions of the cowl letting it stay damp and rot out. I'll be fitting finer mesh to the new panel and adding some extra drain holes at the front of the cowl area, rather than it all having to drain out of the back of the sills.

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My '80 progress thread - hugger orange! Now with LQ9 power - forged pistons, LS2 rods, 236/242, .621/.612, flowed and milled 317 heads. MS3X

4L80e, 12 bolt, 4.11, Moroso brute strength posi, steel shafts.

Subframe connectors, g-braces, solid body bushes, carbon hood and front bumper, custom door cards, Autometer gauges.

wasp are good have used them in the past but not on this occasion to get my camaro going as the guy completing the car quotes realsteel parts alas a bit more dearer than wasp etc!

did have an idea like some eu boxes of having the upper cowl chopped out and plating across, so it all goes down the top of the firewall and kinda follows the slope of the wind-screen and some uprights to hold the wiper section in place

or the reverse of the above

which in my mind is a better option

That is a 78 or 79, based on the grille. In 1980/ 81 it changed to a horizontal, slotted type grill. The trim plate (your buddies called it a VIN plate, but it's not) will have all the trim, option & paint codes. If you get a chance, check beneath the sound insulation under the front carpeting ( usually the dirver's floorboard), or pull the upper part of the back seat out....you just might find the broadcast sheet (lists where & when the car was built, along with ALL the options it came with). ..that's essentially your car's birth certificate. Find THAT and you'll know exactly what it was the day it rolled off of the assembly line.
Dana

The "small pipe" you referenced is the housing for the parking brake cable

Dana

Please tell me that's not a 4-banger in that F-body!! if it is, shame on you!!