The Camaro Club (UK)

Well I have made the decision to no longer have this as a running project. Its coming off the road for a complete strip down and rebuild. As I just keep turning up more and more stuff at every turn.

So this weekend its getting stripped down properly, front end sheet metal, rear axle, dash, its all coming out to get an overall picture of things to come. I am expecting the worst....pictures to follow!

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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.

Well this afternoon I spent another 5 hours scraping underseal off the bottom of the car. Its now pretty much there, other than the inner arches at the rear





Just needs steam cleaning once I have stripped everything else off the car.

Pulled off the fibreglass patch on the valance as well, no suprise at what was underneath



Also pulled the rear bumper and lights to get a look at the rear panel. Been bodged up in the past, so I'll be tackling that this weekend.

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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.

Well while I wait for some patch panels to arrive I might as well crack on with everything else.

Finished off patching the floors today. They are now all done and ready for paint when the time comes. The driver side wasnt really too bad compared to the passenger side. Still removed plenty of metal though.

This is what it looked like after the existing patches had been cut off. Not too bad.



Lots of little bits, and it took quite a while to cut all the old rot out properly.



I decided to do away with the drain holes as well as one cover was missing anyway and the floor was rotten around where they fitted.

Now its all etch primered ready for a top coat of epoxy eventually.





Next job is removing the rest of the sheet metal at the front so I can get to the cowl to patch it up properly. Then dash out so I can get to the firewall and cowl inside too.

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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 of a short day today, so didn't get that much done.

Pulled the dash out this morning then removed the heater matrix and kick panels to get a look at the damage. The firewall is solid. The driver side cowl panels arent too bad, just a small hole at the top which will be easy enough to get to. The passenger side is comepletely gone though... ever wondered what a few years of a leaking cowl does? Here you go...



And a few holes in the cowl panel





Nothing that can't be fixed with a happy day with the welder.... Before I get too far I will have to pull the screen out and take the cowl vent panel off so I can get inside the cowl area and fix it properly.

I also started pulling out a load of superfluous wiring. Lots of things the car has been fitted with in the past that are no longer there, retractable aerial, clutch converter lock up, and a rubbish stereo. So the wiring has more or less got back to whats needed. Still a bit to come out when I actually do the electrical system though.

Just as an example, this was the masterpiece that made up the stereo wiring...



Definately not fitting a stereo when I put it back together. In two minds whether to bother even putting the heater back. I guess I ought to really

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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.

Just some minor progress as I only have an hour or so every evening as its getting dark early now.

Cut all the rust away from the kick panel area, everything left has only got some minor surface rust apart from around the vent at the top, which I will sort once the cowl/dash is out of the way. So its ready for some epoxy paint now while I can get to everything inside, then I will be welding in some new metal.



Also have ordered a new cowl/vent panel and side/shoulder panel and a new windscreen. So once this little job is done its on to one of the most major jobs I have to do. They should all arrive next week.

Once thats all done the front end will be back to being nice and solid and well protected from future rotting.

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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.

Still can't believe the amount of work you're putting into this car... Keep it up.. !!!

Really looking forward to seeing the finished article

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

Thanks Stu.

Hoping to make some major progress over the next couple of weeks or so to start adding more new metal and getting it all back together.

Really quite odd how the rust is confined to certain areas. Much of the car is actually solid where I know others have suffered. Most strange. Also the passenger side is considerably worse than driver's side. Weird.

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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.

Haven't managed to get much done this weekend, dont really know whats happened.... Nonetheless managed to start patching up the kick panel area in between helping change the cambelt on the other car. Oh and a mate popped over, which was a nice break from laying in the footwell of the Camaro

Wirebrushed and painted inside with Jotamastic epoxy as recommended. Seems like good stuff. Other than it don't half burn well when you weld near it Smells good too After that started repairing the hinge support plates, inner sill, the pinch weld area at the door opening and a few other time consuming bits



Then welded in a new piece at the bottom, plug welded to all the inner structures and seam welded to the sill.



The rust in the background is the back of the cowl shoulder panel thats coming out soon. Everything thats staying has a good coat of paint.

Just the top pieces to do now, might start on it this week one evening.

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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.

Certainly turned out to be a challenging project for what looked like a fairly tidy car from the outside.
Credit to you for pressing on with it ,lots of guys have been scared off projects like this...
The work done is looking good ! Cutting out rust can get tedious but as seen from the poor repairs/bodges by previous owners the only real way to go long term is to get the shell back to solid metal.
Enjoying the pics and descriptions

Slow progress now its dark in the evening. But have managed to get the kick panel area finished off this afternoon. Just the top edge to sort out when I do the cowl panel.



Going to be pulling the engine, box and front subframe this weekend weather permitting. The I'll start measuring up to build a rotisserie from the mountain of old tubing we have laying about.

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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.