It is rare…exceedingly rare…to find a Rough Start candidate that doesn’t need a massive, three-paragraph writeup in order to sell the average reader on the idea of acquiring a good budget project. Some cars just sell themselves and others are nice enough to overlook flaws. Combine the two and still find yourself under the $5,000 budget for a running, driving car and you might as well buy a lottery ticket with some scrap cash you have laying around, because it’s your lucky day.
So, our target for today is this 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. It’s the rubber-nosed, pure disco muscle car. It couldn’t be any further from it’s 1970 origins, yet the Camaro still sold well, a decade on with the same body. Part of that was the look…GM had managed to make add-on fender flares look right and the Camaro had been enjoying an early rebound back into performance thanks to IROC racing, among many other forms. They handle well, they’re comfortable, and the only problem area (engine horsepower) is an easy fix. The light blue is a nice call, the body looks good and the interior appears serviceable. We don’t see the rear window trim, however. That should be available through a restoration catalog.
If you are looking for daily-driver abilities in a classic, here you go. For five grand you can get the car as you see it, or you can save $500 and bring your own wheels and tires. Unless you’ve got a set of Z28 turbines or Cragars mounted and ready, just spend the money. All you have to do is fix a leaking transmission. Can you do a trans pan gasket or a tailshaft housing gasket on a TH350 automatic? Then get to it already!
Looks like a good deal. As a fellow 1980 Camaro owner I would not bring the turbine wheels. Those are for ‘78-‘79 Z28’s. You need the N90 five spoke aluminum wheels for this one.
http://nastyz28.com/camaro/camwheel.html
1980 is the best year Camaro to me. The scoops and spats all look great, and it doesn’t have 1981’s weird feedback quadrajet on it. Love it.
Maybe I’ve been watching too much Stranger Things, but this one speaks to me right now.
That is a beatiful car i appreciate anybody that has any vehicle any manufacture in the condition that that vehicles in there alot of them in grave yard that have been abandon prijects .it makes me miss mine even more i was building a 76 camero it was going to be an asphalt racer gm t10 4sp posi.383 stroker it was stolen out of my drive way. It will take me years to recover since i cant afford to get another one to put money in i would by thus car in a flash
Lose the stink bug stance & the weird off-set hood & then it would be perfect! Nice to see one w/o the t-tops, too. Probably all l would change is to put one of my spare big blocks in it. Oh yeah & lose the leaky trans!
whoops – my bad: my glasses were crooked when I saw the hood…..