my camaro project...

https://midwestscc.com/topics/my-camaro-project

Midwest Sports Car Club > Cars, Motorcycles, and Boats

#1 Nov 19, 2009, 7:36 am Hide

andrew

Here is a list of problems with the car:
- driver's side door handle doesn't work
- no radio / CD player
- taillight covers cracked
- fog lights not installed
- paint cracking
- dirty inside and out
- crack on both front corners
- dent behind driver's door
- right side T-top leaks (according to the prev. owner, I didn't notice it though)
- driver's seat needs to be moved manually
- gas gauge runs out before hitting E

I thought that was bad enough. The seller told me the fog lights were in the trunk but they weren't, so I asked her to ship them to me, which she did. When I opened the package I found that one of them had cracked during shipping (little pieces of glass everywhere).

But I was fine with that... a minor problem. This weekend I was going to install them. Now last night I got a call from my friend whose house I parked it at saying that one of the rear tires is flat I don't know if it's vandalism or if I just ran over some glass or what. This car is cursed.

Oh well... going to tackle these problems one at a time. :/
#2 Nov 19, 2009, 7:43 am Hide

Indy430

andrew wrote
Here is a list of problems with the car:
- driver's side door handle doesn't work
- no radio / CD player
- taillight covers cracked
- fog lights not installed
- paint cracking
- dirty inside and out
- crack on both front corners
- dent behind driver's door
- right side T-top leaks (according to the prev. owner, I didn't notice it though)
- driver's seat needs to be moved manually
- gas gauge runs out before hitting E

I thought that was bad enough. The seller told me the fog lights were in the trunk but they weren't, so I asked her to ship them to me, which she did. When I opened the package I found that one of them had cracked during shipping (little pieces of glass everywhere).

But I was fine with that... a minor problem. This weekend I was going to install them. Now last night I got a call from my friend whose house I parked it at saying that one of the rear tires is flat I don't know if it's vandalism or if I just ran over some glass or what. This car is cursed.

Oh well... going to tackle these problems one at a time. :/


Hang in there Webby! It will be fine.... Its all part of the joys of car ownership...... If you didn't live in South Bend I would offer my help.....
#3 Nov 19, 2009, 7:45 am Hide

DC33

andrew wrote
Here is a list of problems with the car:
- driver's side door handle doesn't work
- no radio / CD player
- taillight covers cracked
- fog lights not installed
- paint cracking
- dirty inside and out
- crack on both front corners
- dent behind driver's door
- right side T-top leaks (according to the prev. owner, I didn't notice it though)
- driver's seat needs to be moved manually
- gas gauge runs out before hitting E

I thought that was bad enough. The seller told me the fog lights were in the trunk but they weren't, so I asked her to ship them to me, which she did. When I opened the package I found that one of them had cracked during shipping (little pieces of glass everywhere).

But I was fine with that... a minor problem. This weekend I was going to install them. Now last night I got a call from my friend whose house I parked it at saying that one of the rear tires is flat I don't know if it's vandalism or if I just ran over some glass or what. This car is cursed.

Oh well... going to tackle these problems one at a time. :/


wow, lol, your car has character reminds me of the Buick, everytime you take it out its an adventure because you dont know if you will make it back or not

do you have to roll the window down and reach outside to open your door then roll it back up?? Saw a guy at C&C in his Escalade have to do that, it was
gonna suck when the windows freeze shut
to be honest, I wouldnt out any money into crap that doesnt matter, just keep it runniing. And the tire can be fixed either with a simple plug kit from Walmart or taking it to Tire Barn or what not for liek $20. You should get those air compressors that plug into the cig lighter and fill the tires back up with air just in case shit happens. And the Walmart tire plug thing is worth it too, Ive had to plug my truck and trailer tires a good 15 times this year ....I drove on bald tires for like 9 months and my trailer tires are bald as hell till spring
#4 Nov 19, 2009, 7:51 am Hide

andrew

Well I open the passenger's side then pop the driver's side out from the inside. But in the summer I can just leave the T-tops off and slide in through the window

Yeah I'm only going to fix things if I can do them myself or really cheaply. I was really looking forward to the foglights because they were about the only thing not broken, but thanks to the post office that's no longer the case I haven't looked at the tire yet but hopefully it's just a small hole leaking that I can patch up instead of getting a new tire.
#5 Nov 19, 2009, 2:59 pm Hide

Scott85

Have you become a member at any of the Camaro boards yet ? You can usually find alot of parts cheap on there & even craigslist.
#6 Nov 19, 2009, 6:32 pm Hide

coco-bun

+1 on the boards. plus it's a F-body. lots of parts for cheap are available.
unless you're keeping the car for a long time, I'd say just fix the door and get cheap audio and install it yourself.
#7 Nov 19, 2009, 6:58 pm Hide

ZUL8TR

andrew wrote
Here is a list of problems with the car:
- driver's side door handle doesn't work
- no radio / CD player
- taillight covers cracked
- fog lights not installed
- paint cracking
- dirty inside and out
- crack on both front corners
- dent behind driver's door
- right side T-top leaks (according to the prev. owner, I didn't notice it though)
- driver's seat needs to be moved manually
- gas gauge runs out before hitting E

Oh well... going to tackle these problems one at a time. :/

Cleaning is easy, notfun, but easy. You'll feel beter about moving forward after that.
You cannot safely plug a sidewall, so if its in the tread, go for it.
You need to figure out the door handle issue. It will continue to annoy you. Should be an "easy" fix. You need to pull it apart and figure out what is not working. Could be simple, or just a replacement part.
Forget the fog lights. If one is damaged, it will be a waste of time.
Tail light covers should be easy to find at a pick-n-pull for chaep. Just swap. Will save you a possible ticket for faulty lights.
Driver's seat. If you are the only driver, ignore it for now.
Gas guage. Most likely the sending unit which is usally located inside the gas tank which can be a doable, but pain inthebutt project. Less gas in the tank the better.

I need to get on my desktop PC to locate a possible site for free factory service manuals foryour car. Stay tuned....
#8 Nov 23, 2009, 7:42 am Hide

andrew

Step 1: Installing fog lights.

Before:


After:


That's right, after looking at it for two hours I couldn't figure out how the heck to install them I guess I'll actually have to look it up online. It looks like I'm going to have to take off the front bumper.
#9 Nov 23, 2009, 9:21 am Hide

flyboy007

uhhh...I don't see anything different between the two pics
#10 Nov 23, 2009, 10:09 am Hide

andrew

That's the point.
#11 Nov 23, 2009, 11:32 am Hide

ZUL8TR

Sears has a killer Black Friday deal on their 300 piece Craftsman tool set. 50% off.
#12 Nov 23, 2009, 3:25 pm Hide

JustinFRC

andrew wrote
That's right, after looking at it for two hours I couldn't figure out how the heck to install them I guess I'll actually have to look it up online. It looks like I'm going to have to take off the front bumper.

I had a 94 Z28 for about 5 years... replacing the fog light bulbs was the most pain in the ass bulb replacement I've ever seen on a car... You don't have to take the bumper cover off though. The lenses are held in place by some plastic rivets, kind of like this:



The pain in the ass part is there's no way to reach them with your fingers. I think I used to use a long set of pliers to hold the pin in place, and a screwdriver or whatever I had handy to push in on the end of it while also holding the foglight housing in place to keep it's hole lined up with the hole in the bracket. It takes way more patience then installing a set of foglights should require.
#13 Nov 23, 2009, 4:24 pm Hide

DC33

duct tape?