advice on 91 Z28

[AFI 05]

Alright. Im about this close (-) to buying a 91 Z28 down my block. Its ultra blue metallic and it has a 5.0TPI mated to a 5spd tranny. It has around 170,xxx miles and I was wondering.. are there special things I should look out for when considering buying it? Like should I check this and that.. I know a lot of people have thridgens, I have one myself, but im no Guru haha. Anyone with a 5.0TPI with a 5spd around here? How does it respond.. i have a 5.7TPI but its automatic.. i wonder how it feels hehe

Anywho, hes asking for $2,700 but hes pretty desperate so I can probably knock it down to 2k if not, 2,500. He said he just changed the clutch and he has paperwork for it with warranty and all and just needs a starter cause the current one gets stuck. It has dual exhaust but no disc brakes so im not sure if it has the performance axle or w.e since it came in a package with dual exhaust. Yeah cosmetics and everything, the car looks awesome.. nice paint.. and is still original.. there is some clear coat bubbling on the aero wing but thats all.. Suggestions? Thanks..

-Freddy.

[Rally Sport]

Aside from checking the original stuff whenever you check out a car (i.e. weird smells, or unsual engine sounds) It will feel different especially since its a 5.0 not a 5.7 so it'll be a bit slower. You can wait for the TPI gurus to get on and tell you other stuff.

[AFI 05]

Cool.. yeah I know you should smell the tranny oil make sure it doesnt smell like burnt and also just check for unusual sounds and such but yeah lets wait for those TPI gurus..

[AFI 05]

oh yeah and around how many miles would it be a good idea to rebuild the engine... From the looks of it it looks and sounds like it was well maintained and it has pretty high miles so should a rebuild be coming up?

[Dober89]

My 89 has around the same mileage on it and hardly burns any oil. Im not even going to think about rebuilding it until its worn right out.

As far as the 5.0L 5 spd goes, that is a good combo. The 5.0L engine isnt too far behind the 5.7L as far as the horsepower goes. Its lacking a bit more in the torque section, but it also comes with better gearing for acceleration.

If you match up those 2 cars, im sure that the 5.0L 5 spd, with a good driver would be very close to the 5.7L auto.

[instantkevin]

there's nothing terribly significant that you need to check... to my knowledge. nothing other than the typical stuff on any other car. check tranny for quick/consistent gear changes from shifter, oil, coolant, body panels for prior wreckage, etc. test-drive it past the point where it's hot, check for odd noises, ticking sounds, overheating, etc.

the only things that are camaro specific are leaking t-tops (if it has them), and paint peeling. since the paint is already peeling you can pretty much expect it to happen over the entire car. it takes a long time though... it will get progressively worse over the next 2-5years especially if you leave it in the sun (not in a garage). expect to paint it eventually. search this forum for "paint peeling", you'll find my other post on this subject.

$2500 is a pretty good price for that year z28

[AFI 05]

cool.. yeah I read previous posts about paing peeling a while ago. How can I check what gears it has? I know it doesnt have disc brakes so it doesnt have the 'performance axle' or can I check from the RPO codes? thanks.

[instantkevin]

they all have the same gearing... you just want to check that the transmission shifts into its gears (i.e. park, reverse, etc) within 1 second of moving the shifter. also check that the trans doesn't slip when shifting between the forward gears (i.e. first to second, to third, etc).

I don't know what performance axle you are talking about... posi-trac? i i don't think the rear brake type is related to which type of rear end it is. But i'm not 100% sure.

[wrightz28]

RS92, 305 TPI a bit slower

EXSQUEEZE ME!

what you talk'n about willis?

[89IROC&RS]

to check the rear axle, look in the glove box, there is a spid label sticker in there with all the three digit option codes on the car, if you are looking for posi, youll look for the G80 code, there is also the G92 which is a rare performance axle group that was avialable but im pretty sure it was four wheel disks. for what gear ratio it has, look for a GU# code, where the # is either 2,3,4, or 5. id have to go check my manual, but if you post it i can tell you what gears you have.

you also mentioned it had dual exhaust??? do you mean dual catalytic converters??? because there was no factory dual exhaust, the camaros from 82 and up had a catback system that is a single pipe back to the muffler and then two exhaust tips, which were installed on all V8 equipped camaros. (except some forth gen SLP modified cars) however there was a dual catalytic converter option worth about 10hp.

things to look at on a TPI car would include the idle quality, two common problems are the IAC (Idle air control Valve) and the ICM (Ignition Control Module), listen for uneven idel where it revs up and down in small incraments. also, i suggest taking it to a dealership for a buyers check, have them test the compression, emissions, and do a general look over the entire car, you may ask to have one of the more experienced techs do this. shit, ask for there pickiest tech that sells the most work. cuz hes gonna be tryin to get as much money out of the car as possible. and then use that to negociate the price down, "see here, your flux capasiter is all screwed up, thats $2,000 easy..." stuff like that other than that, sounds like a great deal.