help with a 1979
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Registered User
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2
help with a 1979
I'm new to this site, and needed some help or adivce. This may sound dumb, but how can I check if a car is authentic? Can I get a car history report for free online? The seller says its a 1979 Z28. How do I really know if it's not just put together from other parts. The price is $5500. I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,413
From: Marlton NJ
goto www.nastyz28.com
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 179
From: Palatine, IL
get the vin number, then go to
http://fbodywarehouse.com/vin_decoder.html
http://fbodywarehouse.com/vin_decoder.html
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,601
From: Virginia
Check how good the doors open and shut,along w/ the trunk.
Check for rust in the 1/4's infront of the rear tires and behind the front tires (famous places) as well as the frame support that connects the frame at the very back of the car behind the fuel tank....ive seen that rusted ALL THE WAY THROUGH before and they ebay auction said NO RUST...needless to say we didnt bring that car home.
Look at the overall condition,underhood cleanliness,etc.
Check for rust in the 1/4's infront of the rear tires and behind the front tires (famous places) as well as the frame support that connects the frame at the very back of the car behind the fuel tank....ive seen that rusted ALL THE WAY THROUGH before and they ebay auction said NO RUST...needless to say we didnt bring that car home.
Look at the overall condition,underhood cleanliness,etc.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32
Things to look for
Bring a jack, rags, flashlight, and wear your old clothes. Jack the car up and crawl underneath. Do a complete visual inspection. Rust is easy to spot underneath the car and hard to hide when your face is less than 8" away from it. Also check for fluid leaks. Oil that coats the bottom of the engine, transmission fluid from the back of the tranny, fluid coming from the front of the pinion (rear end). While you're down there, look at the tread on the tires. If you insert a penny into the tread, it should be Abe Lincoln's shoulder to pass inspection. Make sure the front tires are worn evenly. If they are worn more on the outside or inside, you'll need front end work. For the body, bring a small magnet, wrap it in a very light-weight cloth to protect the paint, then run it along the quarter panels, rocker panels, door bottoms, fender bottoms. Try this at home before you leave and get a feel for it. When the magnet stops sticking, there's no metal there. Visually check the rear window corners, they like to rust out there too. Open and close both doors, do they close nice or do you have to slam them. 2nd Gen Camaro doors are very heavy and frequently need hinge pin kits. Also, generally check for 'fit and finish'. Meaning, look at the gaps in the body lines, like between the door and the front fender. Are the gaps even? Check all the gaps. Dont measure them, just visually check them out. Many times, when a vehicle has been hit and not fixed quite right, the gaps will be off. Roll down the windows to make sure they work right. Look at all the glass and chrome, does it look good? Check out the interior. How's the seats? The rug? New rugs are $120. New seat covers are much more, plus labor if you're not going to do it yourself.
Bring a pad of paper and pen, write down what's wrong with it. Use those deficiencies to negotiate a better price. Bring a good friend with you. Someone that will chat with the owner (to get him/her out of your hair while your running a magnet over his car) and to give you a second opinion if something just doesnt look right.
I found this in "My Documents", some of its a repeat, some of its not.
Exterior:
Overall, just looking at it, without getting right up close, how does it look?
Do a slow walk all the way around it. Do the panels line up?
Does the light reflect off the body panels evenly? (or is it wavey?)
What’s your first impression: “Wow!” or “What?”
Don’t have the car started when you get there. Do this last.
How is the glass? (chips, cracks, starbursts, sun-fade)
How is the chrome? (dented, rusted, pitted, crooked, missing, other)
How are the tires? Evenly worn?
There should be SS emblems on the fenders, grille and rear panel.
How’s the paint up close? (Bubbles & waves = rust or bondo under the paint.) Paint also becomes checked, cracked, pitted and glazed with time.
**Check for bondo (plastic filler). Use a very light magnet in a handkerchief (to protect the paint), slide it along the body panels. It should stick well to virtually every surface.
***Key rust spots: On the panel between the rear window and the trunk lid. On quarter panels behind each rear tire, both rocker panels, the bottoms of both front fenders behind the front tires, anywhere an exterior chrome molding mounts to the body, the bottoms of both doors (especially the lower corners), the front lip of the hood, the rear lip of the trunk, and the water channel or the trunk.
Use a flashlight and look inside the door jams, bottom of the trunk lid, and inside of the front fender jams (where the hinges are) for signs of the original color. Without dismantling the vehicle it is very difficult to paint these places. (a door with a green lip and a front fender with red over-spray could be signs of repaired collision damage).
What’s the Vin #?
Interior:
How are the seats? (tears, excessive wear)
How’s the dash? (cracked, warped, stuff missing)
What does the mileage say? Do the bottom of the numbers on the odometer line up? (no, might=tampering)
How are the door panels? (winkled, sunwarped, waterwarped)
How is the rug under the mats? (look for signs of water or excessive wear)
What shape is the rubber on the brake and gas pedal? (a classic sign of true age)
How’s the headliner and the rear package tray?
*** Especially note the inside edges of the front and rear windshields. Look for signs of water or rust.
There’s supposed to be a console. Is it in good shape? Does the lid work?
Do all four windows roll up and down freely?
Does it have four seatbelts?
Trunk:
All these things should be visible just by looking into the trunk.
Is there a spare and jack? Is there signs of water damage? Places to look: where the inner wheel wells meet the inner trunk pan, where the rear shocks bolt to the car (they basically mount to the trunk floor).
** Not visible by just looking into the trunk: the lower rear window channel. This is an ‘L’ shaped channel that the bottom of the rear window sits in. It’s a classic rust spot. It is visible by laying on your back, in the trunk, looking up at where the rear window would end. This can also be done with a flashlight and a mirror.
Engine:
Is there hood insulation?
Are there things that don’t look right? (leaks, vacuum lines that go nowhere, cheap repairs)
Look for signs of oil, water, transmissions, or rear end gear oil leaks. Best way to do this is to start the car, let it warm up, then back it up 12’ and see what it left behind.
When the car is started, look at the exhaust tips. Did it blow out blue or white smoke? A little grey carbon dust is ok.
Did it warm up right and then idle-out smoothly?
As for the engine: How does it sound? Does it run evenly? Rev it up and down a few times. Does it return smoothly to idle? Does it blow smoke?
*** If you are at this stage and are satisfies with what you see, take it for a test drive. I’ll leave a lot of this to your judgment. My favorite tests include:
Just let go of the wheel. Does it track straight?
Moderate-heavy braking from 35mph (does it pull? Did it stop well?) Do this 3 or 4 times. (this also checks for brake fade).
Accelerate at a fairly moderate clip (like when entering traffic, onramps), is it smooth? Does it pull or hesitate?
Do all the gauges work? The lights, horn, speedo, turn signals, windshield wipers)
How are we doing? If you are reasonably satisfied by everything so far, then this is a good car.
What else does the owner have to go with the car? Paraphernalia, owner’s manual, spare parts, receipts of work done, original bill of sale, title (***), interesting story or history on the car.
Bring a pad of paper and pen, write down what's wrong with it. Use those deficiencies to negotiate a better price. Bring a good friend with you. Someone that will chat with the owner (to get him/her out of your hair while your running a magnet over his car) and to give you a second opinion if something just doesnt look right.
I found this in "My Documents", some of its a repeat, some of its not.
Exterior:
Overall, just looking at it, without getting right up close, how does it look?
Do a slow walk all the way around it. Do the panels line up?
Does the light reflect off the body panels evenly? (or is it wavey?)
What’s your first impression: “Wow!” or “What?”
Don’t have the car started when you get there. Do this last.
How is the glass? (chips, cracks, starbursts, sun-fade)
How is the chrome? (dented, rusted, pitted, crooked, missing, other)
How are the tires? Evenly worn?
There should be SS emblems on the fenders, grille and rear panel.
How’s the paint up close? (Bubbles & waves = rust or bondo under the paint.) Paint also becomes checked, cracked, pitted and glazed with time.
**Check for bondo (plastic filler). Use a very light magnet in a handkerchief (to protect the paint), slide it along the body panels. It should stick well to virtually every surface.
***Key rust spots: On the panel between the rear window and the trunk lid. On quarter panels behind each rear tire, both rocker panels, the bottoms of both front fenders behind the front tires, anywhere an exterior chrome molding mounts to the body, the bottoms of both doors (especially the lower corners), the front lip of the hood, the rear lip of the trunk, and the water channel or the trunk.
Use a flashlight and look inside the door jams, bottom of the trunk lid, and inside of the front fender jams (where the hinges are) for signs of the original color. Without dismantling the vehicle it is very difficult to paint these places. (a door with a green lip and a front fender with red over-spray could be signs of repaired collision damage).
What’s the Vin #?
Interior:
How are the seats? (tears, excessive wear)
How’s the dash? (cracked, warped, stuff missing)
What does the mileage say? Do the bottom of the numbers on the odometer line up? (no, might=tampering)
How are the door panels? (winkled, sunwarped, waterwarped)
How is the rug under the mats? (look for signs of water or excessive wear)
What shape is the rubber on the brake and gas pedal? (a classic sign of true age)
How’s the headliner and the rear package tray?
*** Especially note the inside edges of the front and rear windshields. Look for signs of water or rust.
There’s supposed to be a console. Is it in good shape? Does the lid work?
Do all four windows roll up and down freely?
Does it have four seatbelts?
Trunk:
All these things should be visible just by looking into the trunk.
Is there a spare and jack? Is there signs of water damage? Places to look: where the inner wheel wells meet the inner trunk pan, where the rear shocks bolt to the car (they basically mount to the trunk floor).
** Not visible by just looking into the trunk: the lower rear window channel. This is an ‘L’ shaped channel that the bottom of the rear window sits in. It’s a classic rust spot. It is visible by laying on your back, in the trunk, looking up at where the rear window would end. This can also be done with a flashlight and a mirror.
Engine:
Is there hood insulation?
Are there things that don’t look right? (leaks, vacuum lines that go nowhere, cheap repairs)
Look for signs of oil, water, transmissions, or rear end gear oil leaks. Best way to do this is to start the car, let it warm up, then back it up 12’ and see what it left behind.
When the car is started, look at the exhaust tips. Did it blow out blue or white smoke? A little grey carbon dust is ok.
Did it warm up right and then idle-out smoothly?
As for the engine: How does it sound? Does it run evenly? Rev it up and down a few times. Does it return smoothly to idle? Does it blow smoke?
*** If you are at this stage and are satisfies with what you see, take it for a test drive. I’ll leave a lot of this to your judgment. My favorite tests include:
Just let go of the wheel. Does it track straight?
Moderate-heavy braking from 35mph (does it pull? Did it stop well?) Do this 3 or 4 times. (this also checks for brake fade).
Accelerate at a fairly moderate clip (like when entering traffic, onramps), is it smooth? Does it pull or hesitate?
Do all the gauges work? The lights, horn, speedo, turn signals, windshield wipers)
How are we doing? If you are reasonably satisfied by everything so far, then this is a good car.
What else does the owner have to go with the car? Paraphernalia, owner’s manual, spare parts, receipts of work done, original bill of sale, title (***), interesting story or history on the car.
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