82 or 83 Z28 Convertable,heard of it?
07-12-2003, 04:05 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Bethlehem, GA
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82 or 83 Z28 Convertable,heard of it?
My uncle has a original 82 or 83 z28 2-seater convertable.
I was wondering if any body has seen one before?
I've seen one other F-body of that year and that was a 83 Transam convertable 2 seater. Same conversion.
They only made a hand full of them.
I would like to buy my uncles, what should I offer him for it.
It is red and silver with a modestly BUILT motor with a 2200 stall. It also has the newer IROC Z28 wheels. It needs a new top, repainting and seats recovered.
I would LOVE to see any other pics of convertables that year if you guys have any.
Oh, did I mention I'm new to the site.
I was wondering if any body has seen one before?
I've seen one other F-body of that year and that was a 83 Transam convertable 2 seater. Same conversion.
They only made a hand full of them.
I would like to buy my uncles, what should I offer him for it.
It is red and silver with a modestly BUILT motor with a 2200 stall. It also has the newer IROC Z28 wheels. It needs a new top, repainting and seats recovered.
I would LOVE to see any other pics of convertables that year if you guys have any.
Oh, did I mention I'm new to the site.
07-12-2003, 09:21 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Enterprise, AL
Posts: 54
I have a 1984 Z28 Camaro Convertible 2 seater take a look below as im doing the restoration in progress.
Time and Money is my worse enemy...
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/davedroptop
Time and Money is my worse enemy...
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/davedroptop
07-12-2003, 10:43 PM
#3
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: GREENSBORO, N.C.
Posts: 13
There were NO convertible F-bodies between 1969 and 1987. Fact. No argument, end of story.
If you guys do have them, they were not done through GM. I won't say that mechanically speaking, no one could have done this modification through the aftermarket. The 87-92 convertibles were all done through the aftermarket, BEFORE they arrived to the dealers.
But just to clarify, if it was before 87, it was NOT through GM.
If you guys do have them, they were not done through GM. I won't say that mechanically speaking, no one could have done this modification through the aftermarket. The 87-92 convertibles were all done through the aftermarket, BEFORE they arrived to the dealers.
But just to clarify, if it was before 87, it was NOT through GM.
Obviously that's not factory!
07-13-2003, 02:22 AM
#6
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: MI
Posts: 2,342
dsfghd
I almost bought an 86 IROC that had the conversion done to it.
Ken..ChevyKen on this board has one also. Beautiful red 86 with an SS hood, lowered with TT@ 17" rims...Oooo drool.
an 82-84 would be rare for sure. Not exactly valuable but rare. those pics of the black one aren't bad. I can't drive top down with my windows up tho....It's just wrong
Ken..ChevyKen on this board has one also. Beautiful red 86 with an SS hood, lowered with TT@ 17" rims...Oooo drool.
an 82-84 would be rare for sure. Not exactly valuable but rare. those pics of the black one aren't bad. I can't drive top down with my windows up tho....It's just wrong
07-13-2003, 06:18 AM
#7
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Location: Bethlehem, GA
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Well, the black on is nice. I talked to my uncle last night and he said that Chevy didn't built it on the line, but had them shipped to some town in indiana, he knew which one But I forgot and they did the conversion there. It was a special order but chevy wasn't gonna change the line to build convertables. My uncles sat on a turn table in the Chevy show room up in Indiana for a while until it was purchased by it original owner and then my uncle bought it shortly after.
Not off the line, but Chevy had it done before they sold it new.
Not off the line, but Chevy had it done before they sold it new.
07-13-2003, 07:50 AM
#8
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Enterprise, AL
Posts: 54
Originally posted by ABUBACA
There were NO convertible F-bodies between 1969 and 1987. Fact. No argument, end of story.
If you guys do have them, they were not done through GM. I won't say that mechanically speaking, no one could have done this modification through the aftermarket. The 87-92 convertibles were all done through the aftermarket, BEFORE they arrived to the dealers.
But just to clarify, if it was before 87, it was NOT through GM.
There were NO convertible F-bodies between 1969 and 1987. Fact. No argument, end of story.
If you guys do have them, they were not done through GM. I won't say that mechanically speaking, no one could have done this modification through the aftermarket. The 87-92 convertibles were all done through the aftermarket, BEFORE they arrived to the dealers.
But just to clarify, if it was before 87, it was NOT through GM.
ABUBACA
You need to check your G-2 (Intelligence) or "did you get that info from our CIA". They have already made a big stink in the White House, so be careful. The 2 seater was contracted out by Gm before they arrive at the dealers NEW with this modification. I have bought mine NEW from a GM Dealer in New Orleans, LA. "Banner Chevrolet" in August 1984. As stated above they was modify in Elkhart, IN.
Below I have attached a history of the Camaro Convertible. I,m backing my post up with FACTS not heresay, for the 2 seater convertible,check the BOLD PRINT. If you care to further dispute please do your research and provide some type of documentation to your finding. KNUFF SAID
07-13-2003, 08:07 AM
#10
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Enterprise, AL
Posts: 54
BTW: jwrape
I see that you are also in Georgia. Are you in Union or Barrow Bethlehem, Ga.
Here is the History of the 84 Z28 Camaro Convertible for the NON BELIVERS.
Camaro Convertible Conversions
(From Camaro, The Third Generation by Michael Lamm, Third Printing)
Half a dozen ragtops made their appearance on the third-generation Camaro base, the most recent and recognized being the dealer RPO version from ASC Inc. (Automotive Specialty Company). Customizers were taking the roofs off these cars, though, as early as March 1982.
The first announcement of a commercial Camaro convertible that I ran across came from Autodyne Corporation of Lincoln Park, Michigan that month. Autodyne offered complete cars or would sell conversion kits to qualified builders. The kits included all necessary floorpan and bulkhead reinforcements to compensate for lost structure in the roof. Most commercial conversions a used handraised top mechanisms and had some sort of fiberglass or metal decklid for access to the trunk.
Coach Builders Limited in High Springs, Florida came next, and their $6,000 conversion included a padded roof with color-coordinated headliner that disappeared under a fiberglass boot. American Custom Coachworks of Beverly Hills began converting Camaros in Sept. 1982 and sold complete cars in the $20,000 price range. Other converters who began advertising around that same time included John Greenwood of Longwood, Fla., best known for his Corvette conversions, and Hi-Line Kustoms, Inc., in Valley City, ND.
An excellent convertible conversion was engineered in 1983 by Duquet-Sawdy Inc., the specialty carbuilder in Warren, Mi. Duquet-Sawdy offered a choice of 10 coordinated top colors, flush-fitting latches, and three-piece heat-sealed rear isenglass. Their idea was to license various converters around the country and then drop-ship the reinforcement hardware and other components to them. Duquet-Sawdy did, in fact, sign up a number of subcontractors and distributors.
In 1984, Chevrolet decided to make the 1984 convertible available through some dealers as a limited production option. Auto Form Corp. of Elkhart, In., made a Camaro conversion available as a 2-seat ragtop, the rear seats being covered by a large, rear-hinged fiberglass decklid that hid not only the folded top but the entire rear-seat area. Auto-Form Corp. (P.O. Box 2118, Elkhart, IN 46515).
Richard Straman, the Costa Mesa, Ca., coachbuilder, joined the fray in late 1982 and, according to Motor Trend, hoped to interest General Motors in some sort of roofless joint venture for the 1984 model year. Straman’s experience in converting all sorts of cars ranges from Honda CRX’s to Bimmers and Rollses.
It fell to ASC Inc., however, to convince Chevrolet that the division needed a Camaro convertible to compete on a nationwide scale with the Mustang softtop. (Mustang conversions are done by Cars & Concepts.) Before that agreement took effect, though, ASC’s earlier efforts involved signing up individual Chevy dealers and doing conversions to order. In July, 1986, ASC’s price, including return freight, was $4,390 per car on a custom-order basis. Any series of Camaro could be converted, including the Berlinetta and base Sport Coupe, but most 1986 ASC conversions were Z’s and IROC-Z’s.
Regarding the 1987 convertible, ASC Inc., originally developed this body conversion for the aftermarket as a limited-edition project. It subsequently became a Chevrolet-approved program and, as such, required minor retooling. Tooling changes were mostly to let ASC product the convertible in higher volumes because, according to an ASC spokesman, the program went from a projected 500-1,000 cars per year under the aftermarket plan to more like 10 times that with Chevy’s blessing.
As for modifying the Camaro coupe to become a convertible, there were about 1,000 parts unique to the ragtop. For example, the loss of the steel roof meant structural gussets and braces had to be added to the inner floorpan, the inner rear quarters, and the outer rockers. The engineers likewise added inner floorpan/rocker reinforcements that tied into both the A- and B-pillars.
The ASC Camaro convertible’s top mechanism took its concept from the Corvette roadster. Like the Corvette, you opened the spring-cantilevered rear deck, which hinged from the rear. Once up, you then lifted the top stack out of its well behind the rear seats. You raised the top manually, latched it to the windshield header, raised the rear of the roof, lowered the deck, then pushed the single anchor pin at the trailing edge of the top down into a lock in the deck, and that did it. Very slick and simple.
The convertible top mechanism didn’t interfere with rear-seat or fuel-tank capacity. A fiberglass or SMC (sheet-molded compound) extension wrapped around the outer rear compartment, running along the tops of both rear fenders and into the decklid spoiler, to make a styling transition between the top boot and the metal decklid. Beneath this lid, by the way, stood a usable, fair-sized trunk.
The ASC convertible entered the order books as RPO Z08, available starting in Jan. 1987. It was optional in any Camaro series. Chevrolet stressed that the convertible marked a commemorative 20th Anniversary Camaro as well as a divisional 75th anniversary body style.
I see that you are also in Georgia. Are you in Union or Barrow Bethlehem, Ga.
Here is the History of the 84 Z28 Camaro Convertible for the NON BELIVERS.
Camaro Convertible Conversions
(From Camaro, The Third Generation by Michael Lamm, Third Printing)
Half a dozen ragtops made their appearance on the third-generation Camaro base, the most recent and recognized being the dealer RPO version from ASC Inc. (Automotive Specialty Company). Customizers were taking the roofs off these cars, though, as early as March 1982.
The first announcement of a commercial Camaro convertible that I ran across came from Autodyne Corporation of Lincoln Park, Michigan that month. Autodyne offered complete cars or would sell conversion kits to qualified builders. The kits included all necessary floorpan and bulkhead reinforcements to compensate for lost structure in the roof. Most commercial conversions a used handraised top mechanisms and had some sort of fiberglass or metal decklid for access to the trunk.
Coach Builders Limited in High Springs, Florida came next, and their $6,000 conversion included a padded roof with color-coordinated headliner that disappeared under a fiberglass boot. American Custom Coachworks of Beverly Hills began converting Camaros in Sept. 1982 and sold complete cars in the $20,000 price range. Other converters who began advertising around that same time included John Greenwood of Longwood, Fla., best known for his Corvette conversions, and Hi-Line Kustoms, Inc., in Valley City, ND.
An excellent convertible conversion was engineered in 1983 by Duquet-Sawdy Inc., the specialty carbuilder in Warren, Mi. Duquet-Sawdy offered a choice of 10 coordinated top colors, flush-fitting latches, and three-piece heat-sealed rear isenglass. Their idea was to license various converters around the country and then drop-ship the reinforcement hardware and other components to them. Duquet-Sawdy did, in fact, sign up a number of subcontractors and distributors.
In 1984, Chevrolet decided to make the 1984 convertible available through some dealers as a limited production option. Auto Form Corp. of Elkhart, In., made a Camaro conversion available as a 2-seat ragtop, the rear seats being covered by a large, rear-hinged fiberglass decklid that hid not only the folded top but the entire rear-seat area. Auto-Form Corp. (P.O. Box 2118, Elkhart, IN 46515).
Richard Straman, the Costa Mesa, Ca., coachbuilder, joined the fray in late 1982 and, according to Motor Trend, hoped to interest General Motors in some sort of roofless joint venture for the 1984 model year. Straman’s experience in converting all sorts of cars ranges from Honda CRX’s to Bimmers and Rollses.
It fell to ASC Inc., however, to convince Chevrolet that the division needed a Camaro convertible to compete on a nationwide scale with the Mustang softtop. (Mustang conversions are done by Cars & Concepts.) Before that agreement took effect, though, ASC’s earlier efforts involved signing up individual Chevy dealers and doing conversions to order. In July, 1986, ASC’s price, including return freight, was $4,390 per car on a custom-order basis. Any series of Camaro could be converted, including the Berlinetta and base Sport Coupe, but most 1986 ASC conversions were Z’s and IROC-Z’s.
Regarding the 1987 convertible, ASC Inc., originally developed this body conversion for the aftermarket as a limited-edition project. It subsequently became a Chevrolet-approved program and, as such, required minor retooling. Tooling changes were mostly to let ASC product the convertible in higher volumes because, according to an ASC spokesman, the program went from a projected 500-1,000 cars per year under the aftermarket plan to more like 10 times that with Chevy’s blessing.
As for modifying the Camaro coupe to become a convertible, there were about 1,000 parts unique to the ragtop. For example, the loss of the steel roof meant structural gussets and braces had to be added to the inner floorpan, the inner rear quarters, and the outer rockers. The engineers likewise added inner floorpan/rocker reinforcements that tied into both the A- and B-pillars.
The ASC Camaro convertible’s top mechanism took its concept from the Corvette roadster. Like the Corvette, you opened the spring-cantilevered rear deck, which hinged from the rear. Once up, you then lifted the top stack out of its well behind the rear seats. You raised the top manually, latched it to the windshield header, raised the rear of the roof, lowered the deck, then pushed the single anchor pin at the trailing edge of the top down into a lock in the deck, and that did it. Very slick and simple.
The convertible top mechanism didn’t interfere with rear-seat or fuel-tank capacity. A fiberglass or SMC (sheet-molded compound) extension wrapped around the outer rear compartment, running along the tops of both rear fenders and into the decklid spoiler, to make a styling transition between the top boot and the metal decklid. Beneath this lid, by the way, stood a usable, fair-sized trunk.
The ASC convertible entered the order books as RPO Z08, available starting in Jan. 1987. It was optional in any Camaro series. Chevrolet stressed that the convertible marked a commemorative 20th Anniversary Camaro as well as a divisional 75th anniversary body style.
07-13-2003, 08:15 AM
#11
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Bethlehem, GA
Posts: 4
Wow, Love the history! i actually live in Gwinnett County Bethlehem, but it is part of the Barrow County Bethlehem. I don't know why they seperated it into two counties, being that is such a small town, but I like my children to go to Gwinnett County schools so I moved on the Gwinnett side.
07-13-2003, 09:16 AM
#12
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: GREENSBORO, N.C.
Posts: 13
OK, well like I said...I have no doubt that it could've been done, but I find no evidence of it being "official".
I did actually find a picture of a two seater vert like yours, and it was offered new, but again, it wasn't a GM option.
I don't think anyone argues that they're out there, but rather who "officially" made them. I was coming from a buyer beware point of view. I guess rare is rare, regardless of when or who made it, and I think that was more the issue.
I did actually find a picture of a two seater vert like yours, and it was offered new, but again, it wasn't a GM option.
I don't think anyone argues that they're out there, but rather who "officially" made them. I was coming from a buyer beware point of view. I guess rare is rare, regardless of when or who made it, and I think that was more the issue.
07-13-2003, 09:20 AM
#13
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Enterprise, AL
Posts: 54
I will get you the OFFICIAL GM INVOICE Signed by CEO and President of GM. Anything to make you HAPPY...
BTW: My brother is the Strenght and Conditioning Coach at UNC Greensboro.
BTW: My brother is the Strenght and Conditioning Coach at UNC Greensboro.
Last edited by DTL504; 07-13-2003 at 09:22 AM.
