This is my 1984 Camaro Z28. It has a 305ci H.O. 5.0 Liter L69 V8 topped with a 4BBL Q-Jet carb, and a 700R4 transmission - which has been rebuilt and beefed up to handle the power that will be coming soon.

I bought this car for well under five hundred dollars which included tax, title, license, and delivery to my house 20 miles away. Believe it or not the car ran, and we drove it a couple of times before all trouble broke loose. I will show before and current pictures of my cars transformation.

This is what I started with! She wasn't much to look at, but she fired right up.

I wish I had pictures of the cars belly and cargo floor area ... it was all swiss cheese. A typical upstate New York car. Do you see the lack of exhaust pipes? Yeah, someone went cheap and didn't have dual pipes, just a single pipe exhaust muffler. They just added it to the existing rusted intermediate pipe.

I just replaced the catalytic converter (CATCO) and put on a new DynoMax cat-back exhaust (pix coming soon).

It doesn't get any better. Almost every piece of sheet metal was replaced up top, and lots of holes were patched underneath. This was definitely done out of love of the car, and not because I have money to burn, because not to many of us with these cars are rich. The rear inner and outer wheel housings separated from rust! I did a temp fix that should last for several more years, especially since I am no longer in upstate NY.

I had to order a new steel hood to replace the old one which suffered from a mild case of rust (fiberglass hoods were for '82-'83 Cross-Fire engines only, L69's had a steel hood).

My interior was missing pieces everywhere! A local salvage yard, Year One, and my local Chevy Dealer helped me out big time. Infact, the Chevy Dealer gives me a discount now, because I pretty much live in the parts and service department getting advice and pricing parts.

My carpet smelled of smokes, fungi, and body odor. So it was replaced. I didn't have a headliner, so I had to order that. My car came with the overhead roof console ... and the map light actually works!? The trip odometer on the speedo is broke, and the one in the overhead console is cheesy but works (manual counter).

I do not like the dual reading Speedometer. It pegs out too quickly, not that I have ever gone that fast (wink, wink). Texas Interstate speeds at 80mph!!! It didn't help that the carb computer was unplugged which threw all my instruments off, and the tach wasn't even connected. I got an outstanding 8mpg with the computer unplugged, and I average 15 city/ 24 highway with everything working right now WooHoo!!! I don't know what the previous owner was thinking by unplugging the CC Carb.

I had one heck of a time finding an electrical short from a jerry rigged fan switch. That has been disconnected until I buy an inline switch that compliments the 180degree thermostat I installed.

Here is the famous 305ci, L69 V8! It needs to get upgraded soon. My wife has muscle car envy and wishes her Ford Taurus was faster than my car. When she was new she ran the 1/4 mile in 15.1 seconds, and the 0-60 times were 7.1 seconds. I'm sure my tranny shift kit (which chirps the tires in second and third gear), K&N air filter, Catco catalytic converter, and the new DynoMax exhaust I just received help bring it back to that time ... or faster!

I love the dual snorkel cold air intake! That piece more than anything makes it look like an original muscle car, and not a wanna be!!!!!! I added a Hypertech switch to turn on the fan, but now it been overthrown by a new switch that cuts on at 175 degrees and off at 160 instead of the factory 225 degrees. I just replaced my broke single electric fan with a custom dual fan set-up. My 14" fan is on all the time, and the 16" fan cuts on at 175 or when the A/C is switched on. Texas heat was too much for the single fan ... My A/C didn't work when temps exceeded 95 degrees ... Condensor got too hot. BTW - you can hear my fans at idle about 50 yards away ... I can sit in traffic with A/C running all day long at 105 degrees outside and not overheat. I forgot to mention, my A/C system has been replaced/upgraded to 134A.

Here is my girl today!!! All clean and shiny.

Now I just have to keep her parked in the garaged so the vandals don't get to her.

Of course I have replaced the original timing chain, radiator, hoses, battery, sensors, alternator, air filter (K&N filter), door locks, ignition switch (it was broken), water pump, about a hundred feet of vacuum lines, catalytic converter, muffler, headliner, carpet, speakers, center caps for three wheels, electric fan, fan switches, shocks, struts, tie rods, complete A/C system, etc. My buddy at the local transmission shop rebuilt and upgraded my 700R4 to safely and dependably handle the 300-400hp I hope to churn in the coming years. The list of new parts goes on and on.

The car is over 25 years old, and thanks to the old show fear factor she is becoming more rare. I'm just curious how many L69's Chevy are still in stock condition. Most people rip them out in favor of a 350 or larger engine. I know a lot of forums discuss the rare dual snorkel air intake, aluminum fly wheel, wide mouth converter, heads, cam, aluminum intake manifold, prom, exhaust manifolds, etc.

This IS my daily driver!!! It is also mine and my kids weekend ice cream cruiser too. The wife hated the car for years, and now even the ex-wife drools over her.

This was going to be an Autocross car BUT now the plan is to enjoy her and buy another car for road course racing.

Here is my car February 2007 in New York before the snow got too deep, and she went into the garage.

I bought these subs and amps back in December 1994 in Texas. Used the amps to power my 6x9's and 4x6's for a couple of years and then retired them until July 2008. BTW - the subs were never used. I just pulled the shrink wrap off of them. The combo sounds great! The custom box was modified several times before it would fit ... no matter how much you measure, the car always takes away space when you go to install.

The snow eventually got within 12 inches of the top of the slide ... About 4 1/2 feet high. After moving to El Paso, TX and doing a lot of high altitude modifications to include the electric fan (conversion to twin fans - 14" and 16") I'm now BACK IN TENNESSEE!!! The imports seem to have the numbers, but my car turns more heads.

Thanks for visiting my site. Remember, don't crush 'em ... Restore 'em!