1977 Camaro ?????????

[Emphasis_911]

I am 17 and a Senior in High School, I bought my first car a few months ago. A 1977 Camaro V8 350 with Edelbrock Carb. With little experiance and a Chilton, I gave it a tune up, and found many more problems like Leaking transmission fluid, Rust on quarter panels and clear coat coming off. I Researched the Camaro, and found that my year was not very Desirable and Recognized. But as only the year they brought the Z28 back. With my new found passion in muslce cars I plan to restore this '77. I was wondering what others thought of the 77, and any other comments.

Plans:

• Add Z28 Rear and Front Spoiler
• Paint it Red
• Get new Weather Strip
• Add Black Stripes
• Get new Gauges
• Add Positraction
• Get BFGood Radial TA's
• Fix up the 350

Thanks

[skibum1111]

Welcome. Sounds like someone read an issue of consumer reports. Remember that you have a 30 year old car, things are going to go wrong with it. Transmission leaks are not unusual, most likely the pan gasket or a seal is bad. Rust isn't a huge problem if its caught early before it has a chance to eat the body away, especially if you live in an area where they salt the roads in the winter. As for the clear coat peeling, if its factory paint I'm suprised there is still clear on it, if the car was painted recently and the clear is peeling then who ever painted the car didn't to a thorough job prepping the paint for the clear coat. A 77 camaro in good running condition is a decent find, keep up on the maintenance and it will last a long time. And good choice on tires.

[korndogg]

good luck with it!

[Blue Bowtie]

AFAIK, the factory paint process in 1976-77 did not use a base/clear product, but simply a finish coat of acrylic enamel with no clear. It was NOT a low VOC or water based paint until about 1986 or so, and clear coats were not common until around 1984.

[skibum1111]

Yeah, most of the 2nd gen's I've dealt with have been repainted a few times, they always have clear on them as very few people around here use enamel paints.

[JimRochester]

Nothing wrong with the 77 Camaro. They were just a little overshadowed by the 77 Trans Am. The Z had 3.73 gears to the TA 3.23, plus the chevy would rev quicker. When I used street race them back in 78 or 9, they were always quicker out of the hole but then my Trans Am would find it's stride and pull ahead before the end of the 1/4. Good luck with it. You got a nice ride.

[SG007]

I'm a big fan of the 77 tail lights.

[korndogg]

Originally Posted by SG007

I'm a big fan of the 77 tail lights.

You see alot of tail lights don't you?

[1986Z28]

ouch....

[SG007]

Originally Posted by korndogg

You see alot of tail lights don't you?

That would have been mean if it were true.