Buyers Guide --- Never buy a "Rusty" Camaro or Trans Am again!
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2024
- This is a longer video which will show you what to look for rust and body wise. It goes through each panel and will educate you on what to look for when buying a 70-81 Fbody. Have questions? 716 258 2065 or shop online for the parts you will need at www.Fbodywarehouse.com
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Getting too rare to worry about rust
You can build a brand new one now.
I watched this video multiple times and then felt confident enough to go out and buy a 1979 Trans Am. It is the most useful thing I've ever watched on You Tube and made a HUGE difference to me. I am very grateful.
Great information and incredibly helpful. I bought a 78 T/A 17 years ago. Finally got into restoring the suspension and found a subframe crack (we welded in a gusset for a solid repair) and multiple areas that indicated welding repairs. With the current costs of these, get it on a lift!!
I appreciate your input on this. too many people hate on how others do things but will not lift a finger to show others. This people are worthless. Keep up the good work.
Thanks glad we could provide some insight on this for you!
Thanks for making this video! This is going to be really helpful when I go to buy a 2nd Gen F-body later this year.
Thanks for this video, it is very helpful as I look at some Trans Ams to eventually buy one. Very informational.
My son is planning to restore a 1979 camaro his older brother picked up a long time ago. Thanks for the advice.
Thank you for having and sending the hood cable clip. You guys rock!
+Lee Warneka No problem thanks as always!
Hi, fantastic video! Just wish i would have seen it just a bit sooner... I purchased an 80 Trans Am last year that seems to have most / if not all of the problems you warned about. Particularly the rusted rear valence panel.. But no sweat just refabricated a new one and well on our way again. Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Good job on the video, I've got a 78 Z28 that I've been working on for a while now. Its got a long way to go, but after watching your video I feel a bit better about the viability of the car. Very little rust, and it seems the important parts are solid.
Thanks for the peace of mind!
I might be contacting you about some carpet and headliner in the future.
Cheers!
7:38 thanks for the water drain tip! i was always wondering if there were any of those there by design.
Really informative video! It's nice to have people, that take time to educate others on these things. I wish I saw this, back when I traded in my really clean '63 Buick Riviera for a rust bucket '72 Firebird. Although, I don't think it would have swayed me from doing it anyway. So bad was my craving for a real muscle car. The one I got, was rusted in almost all of the places mentioned here. A-pillars, dash panel, floorboards, rear quarter panels, rear valance panel, tail light panel, trunk floor, rear window surround, trunk lid hinge panel, rear sub frame rails... A lot of this was hiding under a coat of paint and bondo.
I welded almost all of it, but eventually got fed up with the car sitting as a bare shell, and I couldn't finish it (the usual story). I sold it off as an unfinished project, for way less than what it was worth completed. The new owner put it back together and it turned out really nice. It's the same thing with any other old car, but this video is really good for checking out a 2nd gen F-body specifically.
3rd gen Camaros are the same way. I checked all these spots when looking at my 86 IROC. I live in pa and you would be lucky to find a one that is solid as hell. i had to go to Ohio to find one it was that bad. when I got mine home and took a real good look into the body i was more pleased than ever.
very very imformative video! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks a million and you obviously have worked on many of these cars in your time.Thanks for sharing
bought my 1980 turbo trans am today using this video great advise, thanks!
Enjoy the new toy!
Juan Cruz, I rejected a 79 Limited Edition w/4sp because the radiator support was straightened out indicating it's been wrecked once. The guy then tried to interest me in an 80 turbo T/A, I thought the 301 was too lame even tho the car was otherwise nearly perfect. Told him that it has to be faster than the one I arrived in, an 86 5.0 tuned port. My prior 79 Limited Edition tipped over...6x 😕 and really wanted another one. Take care of the 80. 👍
One thing not mentioned in this vid is a cracked windshield.
Because of the uni body construction when the unibody gets weak from rust the whole car twists causing the windshield to crack from the bottom corners up.
Excellent tutorial. I am looking at a really clean 81' tomorrow and have checked it twice, but I have notes from this and will systematically make sure she is as good as originally seen. Thanks for this video!
+bsambo1959 Excellent hope it works out for you!
+Fbodywarehouse1 A really clean Colorado car, but found one area where the metal "crossmember" in the rear that the bumper assembly bolts to was all ate up. Odd, everything else is relatively rust free.
I am passing on it, I don't need another expensive project.
So, this video saved me a lot of money and headaches-THANKS!
+bsambo1959 BTW, it appeared the car was rust coated back in the day but that "cross piece" (Sorry, don't know the actual name of that piece right in front of the rear bumper.)was not. It sparked a memory of an episode of Counting Cars where they bought a 79' Z28 online to restore. Once they got got it all stripped down, it was a mess everywhere, but the same cross member in the rear was just like what I saw today.............all ate up.
I learned some good tips what to look for thanks
The winters of '77-78 and '81-82 were particularly brutal in the Rust Belt, but I stored both my '77 Camaro LT and '79 z28 during those winter years, and drove an old '74 Chevy station wagon and a a desert blazed 69 Plymouth Fury 318 instead until mid-April.
Beautifully informational video. After going through cars from all around the world, I just had to settle with American muscle. Sad to see that the prices currently are through the roof..
This is very,very helpful!!! Thank You!!!
This is a great video, thank you for doing this
The audio during the first minute or two is rough. But this video gets much better and is Excellent information! The T-top info was unknown to me, great point about rust in the vIn # area.
i needed this 4 years ago lol
Found mine in 08 from northern Mississippi.. very clean and straight.. only bad is it's a formula and it's got American glass tops on it .. hard to find seals .. but sheet metal all OG even down the dog legs ..and rockers ..
I still love this video
15 year old me would have benefitted from this video. My first muscle car was a 74 firebird esprit, looked sweet to me, traded my old f100 farm truck for it and drove it home. Literally every single panel on the car was rusted and covered up with plumbers foam, chicken wire and bondo. And when i say evrey panel i mean EVERYthing. Trunk was totally rusted through in multiple spots, trunk pans, quarters, fenders, firewall,. Starting it's restoration this winter, wish me luck
@fatherofive85 Excellent glad we could help!
I had 3 firebirds, 1 z28 and my favorite 1 Firebird formula. all 3rd generation. I loved em!!!! So much and cost nearly nothing to maintain. But look out for gas consumption.
hOLLY CRAP!, This vid is awesome! right what i was looking for! going to test drive one in two weeks, thanks dude!
good video ! nice work, got a 79 camaro myselve wich i restaurated. Seems all very familiar
i bought a yellow 79 z28 when i was like 17 because it had a 454 in it.. ( not original, I KNOW) turned out the rear leaf springs were popped through the trunk floor after i cleaned out the trash.. back in 1999 the car was worthless... parted it out. its a shame those cars rusted out like that.. i like them.. same thing happened with a 79 trans am i would buy 2 years later.. gave it away.. no value at all.. had it on ebay.. now days, though...
Agreed. I have a 1978 camaro that i bought for $900. Not knowing what I was doing or how much work i was getting myself into, i didnt think too much about the rust. But, oh baby. Dont do it. It just further complicates things, and in my case we had to replace about 75% of the floor.
I sure hope i need your advice👍
Thank u Brother very good video with good advice thanks 🙏 again 😎👍
This past weekend (3/27/2021) I inspected a 1969 Camaro Convertible (Hugger Orange, black top). The car spent its life in Illinois & had a 307ci engine with 175k miles on it. Also, it was had an automatic trans. The family selling it wanted $8,500. Probably sounds reasonable to a lot of people, however, the car had major rust and dent issues requiring all the body panels to be replaced and the windshield too (it was cracked). Although the car was very rare and highly desirable everyone who looked at it (it was at an estate sale) took a pass because the cost to repair/restore the car would far, far exceed the restored value. Bottom line, don't fall in love with a car, consider the amount of work and the cost of the work needed before opening up your wallet. My two cents...
boy ,like the 85 Mustang GT seats
The thing to watch out for on first/second gen F-bodies in the Rustbelt is rear subframe rust. It was a real problem, and if it gets bad enough, the rear springs can come up through the back seat or the trunk floor. If you see holes in the rear subframe, walk away. Likewise, if you see extensive rust over the rear frame rail area in the trunk, walk away.
I was looking for this. The front leaf spring mount on the driver's side is the area that rots out from Brine/road salt and busts through the floor.
Yup, I've seen springs through the trunk.
In 78 my cousin bought a gold 78 trans am with the 403 within a few yrs of winter driving, it showed alot rust.. He parked it for few yrs and rear trunk and frame section were just gone...beyond saving... The engine was great and trans..
Body fell apart. .
Good Video Thanks For Posting...:)
those front seats are from a 1985-1986 Mustang GT and are very rare in good condition, hope you found a good home for them
see i wish i watched this video before i got my 1976 camaro shes got rust in the trunk fenders an floor but she starts up everytime she drives good.no rot under sub frame i say maybe little over 1800 to fix the rust an maybe paint but i wish i would have seen this video...oh well you get what you pay for;..good video by the way
As a late 80s, early 90s high school kid, these were everywhere for 600-$900, I had several. Dang
i got 3 79 z28 all good clean car one has new interior and the one i am going to build is the 79 z28 rs t top full spoiler kit stock . then i got a stroke 454 with a heavy duty 400 turbo got all for free with a extra front clip for a lt . the engine and trans has 6000 miles on it or i have a borg 4 speed with all new clutch and fly wheel 12 inch , this is my next project .
I recently bought a 1977 Trans Am, the undercarriage is in pretty bad shape, but where I live it's only one a handful so you definitely can't be picky. Body freshly painted, interior restored, engine running nicely and fully registered good papers which is very difficult to find.
what's nice about the 4th gen cars is they dont seem to rust out very bad if you keep them away from salt. my car is a 1996 camaro Z28, its 20 years old and has 224K miles on it. the the seats are shot and could use paint but the body and underneath is all pretty much still there. they seems to hold up a little better, remember its not super old but its getting there, its 20 years old and has never been through any restoration work. it gets driven every day all spring, summer, and fall long. no winters.
Andrew Donohue give it another 20 years
Because fiberglass doesn't rust
Fridge thin magnet falls off bondo. Gaps at fender / door area MAY be from sub frame mounting rubber cushions being worn out. Look BEFORE you put car up on a lift, and after....gap may change.
What also makes the car rare and worth money is the fact that since it's a 4spd.. It's got the 400 220 HP Pontiac Motor very rare for '79. And the last year for the Pontiac 400s
That is a W72 400 and was conservatively rated at 220hp. Most publications I have read calculate 260hp (net) at the flywheel with 325lb-ft of torque at 2200rpm. Only the 4 speed car got the W72, the Automatics got the 403 Olds Engine (paper weight). The tires were no match for the torque and 0-60 times were hampered by this fact.
+brian ehlin Yes Brian I agree, however in 1979 the only engines offered were the W72 Pontiac, and the 403 Olds. All W72 were 4 speeds, and all 403's were automatic.
I think the lower horsepower Pontiac (185hp) 400 was available with an auto until 78.
+randsonic No 400 autos in 79?
No Pontiac Autos in '79...Olds 403 was for the automatics.. 1979 was the last year for the Pontiac 400 in a Formula or Trans Am
+ramairgto72 Jersey is correct - In 1979 you could get a W72 "Pontiac" 400 any way you wanted, as long as it was a 4 speed, a Trans Am, I think they made some W72 Formula's.
Any T/A or Formula auto was either a Pontiac 301, a Old 403.
1980 was a totally different and somewhat sad story.
Thanks for the input! If you ever have questions on a Fbody you are looking to buy feel free to call us for input!
Also under the hood right infront of the window the little path for water will rust through and leak into the car
Exactly, leave them for me to restore !
Thanks in advance.
Hahaha i love this video. I always do what you do. Im on my 23rd 2nd gen. If the cars a are swiss cheesed salvage titles theyre parts cars, but try tellin other ppl
Most of these cars had a rough life. I would think one in good shape is hard to find? 77-78 are my favorite years. If you can get it up on a lift it would be a lot easier
Wish this had been available 25 years ago.. bought a beautiful 81 Camaro in Rallye Red.. washing it one fine day I noticed a bubble on the quarter panel the size of a dime. Decided I needed to fix it before it got worse... 🤣.. turned out the entire bottom quarter panel was Bondo. I had no quarter panel left when I finished removing rotten Bondo🤣
Ever get it all fixed up?
@@camronramsey4861 sold it for 2 Trans ams with 400/ 4spd .Made one good one out of the 2
Great tips, and good video. I would love to here this guy read me a story.... pretty please?
dude bought one here, a 79TA, paid 5grand for it. and dude it was rough underneith! he asked us to put it up on the rack and check it out. when we did the whole body gave, freaking t-tops got tweaked and the headliner fell down as result of being lifted. he was pissed, but hey wasn't are fault its struture was weakened that bad from rust
Pay too much for a car? Whose fault is that? 😁
Sounds like exactly what happened to mine about 25 years before I got it
i dont get what he is trying to tell us at 15:00
can you help me understand?
it's all about your desire. How bad do you want it? I am doing my first restore. 1976 Camaro LT, so far all interior and the rear glass, tail lights, deck lid, and spoiler assembly have been removed. I have to say, overall I am extremely happy with my decision, $1900.00 and all that's truly wrong is, I'm going to have to put in floor pans, clean surface rust, and replace weather stripping.
this is really true if you want something bad enough you're gonna get it no matter what
Ha! This car has Mustang seats, how crazy...
I think a lot of these cars came from the factory with bad gaps. The f body doors weighed a lot. Long heavy doors which will sag over time. I don't like the gap from the body line up where it meets the passenger fender. Looks way off. Could be the camera or angle.
For me I would pass on cars with hatch roofs.
Just because its rotted doesn't mean it's garbage, get a welder learn to use it and your set
Any tips for door jamb and rear quarter panel repair?
GM cheap out and never had the 5 stage paint process back in the day, hence they all rusted out. Now a days every auto company offers zinc plating dip, base coat with several coats of clear.
I don't think there is enough people that know how to repair/replace rusted parts on a vehicle, let alone restoring a car from scratch. Often times i hear a car is not worth keeping because of the rusting. My dad had a 1980's something Ford F150 that was rotting but would have been a good project to restore. Didn't have the space or time to do it so i think it got sold or junked.
Found a 1981 Z28 with low miles for cheap. Do you think it’s worth buying if I can get it for cheap and repair the rust?
@@camronramsey4861 well you have to look it over. If the rusted areas are not structural, meaning the car is still solid and not flexing at the frame it might be worth it. Hard to say without looking at it. If you know someone who knows about this sort of thing bring them along to look it over with you.
"again" LOL!
idk why but the screaming chicken always creeped me out
If you really want to know all you need to know run you're fingers along the pinch weld of the rear quarters, most cars I've checked are caked with bondo, If the body isn't right, the car isn't worth shit they made too many of these cars to not buy a decent example,me personally the roads were littered with these things when I was young so I really don't care, people forget how big and heavy the doors were they eventually all sagged!
The trans am and the camaro look alike
Because they have the same frame.
The Trans Am is not hard to restore...rust or not......
+joe smoe Rust makes anything hard to restore.
2nd Gen F bodies always seem to hide crippling rust spots. Been in the market for one off and on, all of them had rust issues that out them out of my budget.
+joe smoe 100% disagree, hanging quarters, replacing tail panels, changing roof, etc etc is not for the faint of heart. Your statement maybe true for someone with a high level of skill in welding paint and body BUT for the average hobbiast saying what you did simply is a DISservice to the community as it simply is not true
I disagree...a car is a car...from body off to complete is not as hard as some people make it...Most people put it out there that its hard to create business...The OEM and the After market parts business helps more than a person can imagine. Yes I agree with being a great welder ,but even that created by Lincoln Welding Company help people to become good welders by there machines...Its the determination by the individual they can surprise us all.....I always tell people to go for it.....
By removing all the rust and bad parts ..all the mistakes made at the factory can be resolved....one car is not mass production, its just one car at a time..No Disrespect to anyone ,we all look at thing in a diff manner.
joe smoe Friend I don't want to argue as well, but growing up in the "Rust Belt" and having "framed off" 3 of my own and worked on countless others, I can tell you that Rust is terrible.
I'm not sure what you have experienced, but I have seen everything from rusted frames to halo rust rings that go from windshield frames front and back, connected by the drip rails.
Oddly, some cars that look "not bad" come out as basket cases after you take the paint off.
My first car was a 72 Lx LeMans that never seen the snow, 40,000 miles, bought it in HS, and after 2 winters the frame looked like a WWII ocean ship wreck.
I used many of the parts from that LeMans for my 72 GTO, that car was from Florida.
F body cars seem to get rust very badly, and I have no idea why, the trunk rim where the seal sits is very bad, the trunk rots in the same place as GM A bodies, the windshield frame, the door bottoms, drivers floor, trunk on the passenger side, and the dam seat bolts.
It's one thing to replace fenders and quarter skins and another to fabricate pieces.
Is it disrespectful to check a car like this that looks really good at first look and at a dealership?
Trans am exelente nave
I have owned 3 second gen Z/28's. A 77, 79, and an 80. I loved every one of them but the 77 was my favorite. Stay away from the T-top cars. The doors on these things are huge and will start to sag eventually, but the T-Top cars were horrible from a rigidity standpoint without frame connectors installed. The doors would drop 2 inches when you opened them.
This is so assnine. Damn Canadians rust is fixable. Restore them DONT let them rott
One of them isn't Canadian for sure, ands he's not going to send it the crusher like that other Trans Am video, he's just giving us a buyers warning. I don't see much harm in that.
Sorry Brett, but one has to look at return on investment. I put $23K into a restoration of a 65 Nova, because I knew I could get my money back. That car needed quarters but was not a rust bucket. Many of these Northern cars just need to be crushed unfortunately. There is no amount of repair you can do other than frame off rotisserie and the cars aren't holding THAT kind of value.
randsonic to crush a car that they won't ever make again and are getting scarce is just plain dumb. All these older cars need to be preserved. Any car restorer will tell you that you can always throw more money into a car than its market worth. It matters to the owner and its ultimately their decision and what its worth to them. And not the return investment
Brett Battan
honestly it depends on what that car means to that person. my 86 Iroc is My baby. i know when went to look at my 86 i was iffy about buying a car thats been sitting for a long time but the body was good which was key for me. After a few months of tlc she ran better than she ran in 5-6 years
***** that's exactly my point. Let's say my dad had a 1961 corvair. I grew up going for rides in and it became derelict and the cars only worth 8k but cost me $15k I'd fix it cause what it means to me
If you want a show car, it is going to cost you a fortune no matter what. Your looking at $25K to turn this car into a show car, and despite the 4 speed, it is not a desirable model year. If this car was mine, since it is not a matching numbers car anyway, I would just do a mechanical restoration/upgrade on it, put a well built carbureted engine in it that made at least twice the stock hp, a built transmission and rear axle to handle the power, remove all the emissions crap, insure it as a collector car, which exempts it from emissions tests, so you can do whatever you want under the hood, and just drive the hell out of it.
But, from the getgo, I would not have bought this car, for 2 reasons. One is, it is the wrong year. I would want a '78 or earlier. Second, I would not buy a T top. The original second generation F body was not designed for a T top, and they were all installed by an aftermarket company. You can't just cut the top out of a car and keep it structurally sound. Convertibles are built from the ground up with a much stronger frame/body. I've had a couple of '70s Corvettes, and they were very flexy, even with a factory T top. The reason is, the third generation Corvette used the same frame as the second generation. The frame is stronger on convertible midyear Corvettes, but they still flex. The convertible frame was not used on the T top models. Too bad, it would have helped.
I have always wondered if the front and rear bumper covers and fascia on a '77-'78 model Firebird could be installed on a '79-'81. That would make a major improvement.
These F bodies. Some look great. The body might look ok. Then you look underneath it and find out that the rear subframe is all rusted out. Alot of Novas get rusted out rear subframes too. There's companies that manufacture new GM rear subframes. most guys I know,Well don't plan on welding a new one in,in your driveway. Also if the tilt steering wheel is loose. Those can be expensive to fix and difficult to find a good one.I knew a guy who was a pro at fixing those. But he sadly passed away a few years ago. I don't know anyone whose good at fixing those anymore. I've owned 2 gen 2 Camaros in the past. These cars can hide alot of rust damage and they aren't cheap to fix. If you can even find a good competent mechanic where you get quality work. Beware of shops where you drop off your car and the $$ THEN it sits there for months and nobody's even working on it. They're out there. I know a few people that happened to. Then the shop disappeared one got raided by the IRS. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this car. This car looks really solid. Hood isn't really a big deal. If you have to,you could always get a aftermarket cowl hood.
excellent video, and for the websites (78ta(dot)com) really helped me. I'm from Costa Rica and here this cars are not common. Hoping in getting mine soon, thanks again
hey genius, thats the purpose of the vid
"never buy a rusty car"
i rather have a rusty car than a electric car :)
@Khunoono89 Check ebay / craigslist / cars dot com etc I am sure you'll find a good one!
Could of give the car respect and wash it I have a unrunning 79 special edition trans am cleaner then that
Basically GM is not the best, but nice car to look down
2 hours later..."yeah, I think I'm ganna pass on this car"
I got my 75 Camaro on Craigslist for 3100$, check it out I have videos. No rust original paint.
I can find you a log that is faster downstream than that t/a t/a turd stock.
No you can't
why is there music!?-.-
i want to hear what he has to say.. not feel like i'm in an elevator
was this filmed in the 90s? haha
No, but 10 years ago feels like sometimes
Fuck that. 67-81 are the only ones that look good
really dude. have you ever heard of a clean driver or a restoration.
Can here Irish in your accent
What the Hell is all that back ground noise!!!????
Ummm don’t buy anything rusty
I buy it for 20,000 believe me is better than a woman 😅😅😅😅
Definitely not a local - Chattan-ooga. Dude, Its Chatta-nooga. The city name is an instant shibboleth.
Never buy a G.M. !