The Camaro Club (UK)

Yes it's all coming off, hopefully by the end of the weekend. Got to get the gearbox out tonight, somehow. Then there's nothing left attached to the subframe.

I have tried the 4 bolts, and I think all but 1 will come undone. The one thats rusted solid is the front drivers side, need to see if I can get in the small access hole and hold the nut down while trying to get it undone.

Either replacing the body bushes with solid or poly. I have poly bushes already anyway. Once its all off flors getting cleaned and painted, then starting on the bodywork...well thats the plan.

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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.

Quiet normal to have to cut the floor open to remove those subframe bolts apparently.. Suprised they're that stuck if someones replaced them with poly ones already..

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

Nah, they are the original bushes in there at the moment. I have a set of poly bushes to fit, but might make some solid ones instead.

Removed the gearbox, and the remains of fuel and brake lines that were left in the car. All thats left now is the subframe. Not sure whether to take it off before making a start on the floor or not. I can lift it up higher with the frame on to clean the bulk of the floor, then put it down, remove the frame and lift it again just for paint. Or can take it off from the start. Choices choices.

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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.

Got the subframe off tonight. TFFT moment was both rear bolts on the frame came undone easily. Just the drivers side front one that had to be cut off and the cage destroyed to get the nut out. Took a 3' long bar to remove what was left of the bolt, so no way the cage was going to hold onto that. So a quick repair needed before any painting in that area, either going to make a new cage, or weld a locking tag to the nut, not sure yet.

Scraped some more gunk off the bottom of the floor as well. Just got to decide on how best to clean it up before painting as its mainly just oily and dirty now. The factory paint is in suprisingly good condition on most of it.

And only one of the holes in the subframe needs reparing, so even better as I was expecting worse.

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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.

Good work, and great time to strengthen up any dodgy factory welds in the subframe.. quite common apparently.. and change the engine mounts..

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

Hoping to get the frame blasted before epoxy primer and 2k paint. Those mounts are definitely coming off, though someone's decided to weld them on rather than fit the bolts properly! Genius!

Ordered some more epoxy primer today, ready for the onslaught.

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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.

Hey, nice progress!

would you mind sharing some pics about the bolt / mount that gave you issues? i have this job coming up (changing bushings) and would like to see what i may be up against and how to work round any potential issues.

Many thanks and keep up the great work!

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Yep, I can get some pics over the weekend for you, no probs.

Going to get the floor cleaned underneath this weekend and ready for paint. Then back window is coming out to survey the damage around there!

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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.

Here you go, a couple of pics, one showing what the cage and nut should look like, and the other the remnants of the other side after having to cut the bolt. Just used a cold chisel to cut through the spot weld on the cage and lifted it up. I should be able to bend it back down over the nut and weld it back up





If you want some specific pics, let me know.

Finished cleaning the floor today, been a bit of a slog of scrpaing underseal, oil and road grime off. Been using petrol to dissolve it and then wipe it all off, so messy and stinky! But the good thing is, in most areas other than the repairs the factory paint is still there and in remarkably good condition. Just need to wire brush, key and degrease before paint. Missed the courier delivery today, so it'll have to get painted next week now.



Finished stripping the interior out, still had the package tray and head lining in. Was a bit worried about what I might uncover, but it doesnt seem too bad. Famous last words!







Someones scraped the factory sound deadening off in the past, so that saved me a job at least. Next job is getting the back window out to have a bit of a look at the damage around that. Not expecting great things given the rust in the trunk area.

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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.

Bit stop start today, and damn warm in the sun this afternoon. Went to the pub for lunch, and drank a few beers, which probably didn't help with the progress

Fought with the back window, actually properly stuck in there with what seemed like the original sealer, managed to chop it out with a sharp putty knife, not the easiest way, but it was all I had. I was suprised how good the metal was, especially the tops of the quarters as they are in what seems like nice condition. Theres a few small holes around the window area, but nothing major. A couple of pinholes near the pins for the trim clips.





Then started to have a look at an area I knew was bad, the trunk hinge mounts. Well perforated, and the source of the leaks at the back of the car and the cause of the rust in the trunk. Shouldn't be a major problem to fix, just seeing if I can get some from a donor car first, otherwise it's fabricating time.





Theres some repairs needed to the metal inside the boot, and I don't much fancy laying in there upside down doing it!

After that pulled the door glass out and got the doors ready to come off tomorrow. That'll just leave the bare shell, ready for bodywork.



Tomorrow I am hoping to get the passenger side quarter panel fixed, ready to move onto the tail panel as soon as it arrives.

A quick inspection of the doors inside, reveals they both need a lot of work.

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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.