Z28 sat in garage for few years
04-04-2011, 10:53 AM
#2
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Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: Haslett, Michigan
Posts: 2,161
Re: Z28 sat in garage for few years
Replace the belts and hoses. Inspect the tires for weathercheck / dry rot and replace if necessary. Install a new battery. Drain the fuel tank , top with a fresh five gallons. Put in a new set of spark plugs. Change the distributor cap and rotor if it's at all pitted. Put a squirt of fuel down the carbuerator, roll it over with the starter, and see what happens. It ought to start if it was running when it got put away. Once you get it warmed up nice-like, put it on some jack stands and change the motor oil. Then degrease everything with some engine cleaner, and then start detailing the rest of the body and interior. Inspect ball joints, brake shoes, brake discs, pitman arm, centerlink, and put new parts under there if they are really sloppy.
04-05-2011, 09:01 AM
#6
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: Haslett, Michigan
Posts: 2,161
Re: Z28 sat in garage for few years
Justin, value is dependent on many things.
You've established that it's a non-running 1981 Camaro Z28 with 65,000 miles. A 1981 Z28 with 65,000 miles is sort of like having a 1992 Z28 with 110,000 miles. The technology for making the cars last improved drastically over those ten years. It could be equipped with a 305 V8 or a 350 V8. What isn't known is the overall condition of the car. We do not know where you are located. If the car has been a resident of Arizona, the thirty years could have taken its toll on the paint and the sun could have baked the plastic interior to the point where it turns to chalk when you touch it. If the Z28 is a resident of Michigan/Ohio/Illinois or the eastern coast of Florida, there are corrosion issues that have to be looked at due to the salty environment. Those sorts of factors will determine it's value as well.
There's too many unknown variables to give you even a rough estimate of value at this time. Recently I have seen 1979-1981 Camaro Z28's selling for as little as $2500 for a rough car to $7500 for a nice driver. If the body is in good shape with no rust, and the interior is decent with no cracks in the dash, and the paint is semi-decent, then it is probably worth your time to get the car running well. Giving it a good tune-up, some new ignition wires, belts, hoses, distributor cap & rotor and spark plugs, plus a new fuel filter, air filter, and battery will most likely pay for themselves in increased resale value if you do the work yourself. If you don't want to do the work yourself, then like Denny says, you might just want to push it into the yard, hang a sign on it, and craigslist advertise it.
You've established that it's a non-running 1981 Camaro Z28 with 65,000 miles. A 1981 Z28 with 65,000 miles is sort of like having a 1992 Z28 with 110,000 miles. The technology for making the cars last improved drastically over those ten years. It could be equipped with a 305 V8 or a 350 V8. What isn't known is the overall condition of the car. We do not know where you are located. If the car has been a resident of Arizona, the thirty years could have taken its toll on the paint and the sun could have baked the plastic interior to the point where it turns to chalk when you touch it. If the Z28 is a resident of Michigan/Ohio/Illinois or the eastern coast of Florida, there are corrosion issues that have to be looked at due to the salty environment. Those sorts of factors will determine it's value as well.
There's too many unknown variables to give you even a rough estimate of value at this time. Recently I have seen 1979-1981 Camaro Z28's selling for as little as $2500 for a rough car to $7500 for a nice driver. If the body is in good shape with no rust, and the interior is decent with no cracks in the dash, and the paint is semi-decent, then it is probably worth your time to get the car running well. Giving it a good tune-up, some new ignition wires, belts, hoses, distributor cap & rotor and spark plugs, plus a new fuel filter, air filter, and battery will most likely pay for themselves in increased resale value if you do the work yourself. If you don't want to do the work yourself, then like Denny says, you might just want to push it into the yard, hang a sign on it, and craigslist advertise it.
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