1979 camaro restoration

[george44]

okay everyone. i just bought my 1st car. a 1979 camaro how do i tell if its a z28 of a berlineta. it has no engine or tranny and moderate rust. it has factory t-tops. a blower on the hood. so where do i start for restoration? and whats the biggest and baddest engine i can drop in this bad boy and the best most reliable transmission? i have no problem rebuilding an old one of either. this is my 1st post so please be gentle

[MagicRat]

The Z-28 has a rear spoiler, front body-color airdam that wraps around to the front wheels, an airscoop on the hood, Z-28 badges everywhere, and dual tailpipes.
The Berlinetta has none of these features.

Also the Berlinetta has stainless-steel (silver-shiny) trim around the headlights and parking lights. The Z-28 has black trim there.

I am not sure wheat you mean by 'blower' on the hood. Do you mean an airscoop?

As for the engine these cars almost always came with a 350 V8, which is part of the small block Chevy (SBC) family. In North America, the SBC is the most commonly-modified engine. There are literally thousands of performance parts and engine combinations available to you. Also, big block Chevy (BBC) engines will easily fit, which generally have even more power potential.

Your limit for speed and power is not the engine design. The limit is the size of your bank account.

Speed and power cost money. There is a massive array of aftermarket performance parts, and even entire "crate" engines and transmissions which will bolt - in, both small and big block, so parts availability is not a problem.

If you wish to build the car with 2000 hp that will do the quarter-mile in six seconds??
Or do you want a car that will cruise at 200 mph?
Theoretically, it's all possible, just by applying large amounts of money.

So, seriously.... how much money do you want to spend to go fast? How much work do you wish to do yourself? These are the questions you should be asking.

If you have a decent amount of money, look into a complete 'crate' engine. There are a number of different manufacturers out there, with a number of different applications.
Choose the one that's best for you.
Often, the engines use better-performing components (heads, camshafts, blocks etc) than anything General Motors ever designed for the Z-28. They take the 'guesswork' out of building a decent engine.
You can also buy a complete performance-oriented transmission for this, too. Did your car have an automatic transmission?

[george44]

okay it has an air scoop and a spoiler but it has silver trim around the lights. i don't want the most expensive engine im gunna go with a 350. but can i put a newer transmission in? i want a newer 5 or 6 speed manual. i have a free paint job lined up so im not worried about that. i want my car to be decently fast but thats not a huge issue im on a budget of about 6 grand. i can rebuild engine and tranny if needed so that its cheaper

[MagicRat]

It may be that someone has transmplanted some Z28 body panels onto a Berlinetta.
Can you post some pics of the car? We may be able to help ID it for you.
Also, does it have a rear sway bar?

As for the engine.... I think most 350's do not have a pilot bushing in the rear of the crankshaft to accept a manual transmission. If it does have one, a newer Chevrolet SBC manual transmission will bolt in, but will be expensive.
Did your car come with a manual transmission originally? If not, then you will have to get a manual trans pedal and brackets set up from another second-gen Camaro or Firebird.... and they are getting expensive these days.

IMO a carbureted 350 and the old, '70's style Muncie 4-speed trans would be the most economical and straightforward set up. You might be able to get the entire engine, transmission, driveshaft and pedal set-up from a 1970-81 rusty parts-car Camaro.

A Pontiac Trans-Am driveline from the same vintage would fit, but uses a Borg-Warner trans and Pontiac or Oldsmobile engines.... some of which are less desireable than an SBC.

You could go with a Borg-Warner T5 5-speed trans from a 3rd gen Camaro/Firebird. They are affordable but tend to be a little weak unless modded.



If you have decent money, a cool set-up would be the entire engine, manual trans and electronics from a C4 Corvette. It may take a bit of effort to install and get working, but would be a cool set up. Imho the best choice would be the 1989-1994 version. It had a true 6 speed (not the 4+3 from the '80's), yet has the older OBD I electronics for an easier installation.

FWIW going with an strong automatic (even a 4 spd O/D) would be much easier and cheaper than a manual.

['97ventureowner]

IIRC can't you tell the difference between a Z28 and a Berlinetta by the SPID code? Wasn't there an option code for the 2 versions? I believe "Z28" was one ,and"D88" was the option for Z28 stripes.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

IIRC can't you tell the difference between a Z28 and a Berlinetta by the SPID code? Wasn't there an option code for the 2 versions? I believe "Z28" was one ,and"D88" was the option for Z28 stripes.

Good point.
The Z28 option should show up on the build sheet, which is either under the back seat or on top of the gas tank... providing nobody else has removed it already.

I am not sure if they used the SPID stickers back in '79..... If you find it, or the build sheet, compare the VIN number (if shown) to the VIN on the dash, to make sure it's correct and original.