1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 350cid / 5.7L 4 Speed Manual
Price: -
Item location: Woodridge, Illinois, United States
Description:
1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z28350 Engine4 Speed Manual TransmissionVideo of car running: https://youtu.be/aCqHe-7tY4E
Decent runner and driver. Really nice starting point if you want to restore it as it wouldn't take an entire rebuild of the car, mostly just bodywork and smaller mechanical items. Alternatively, you can drive it around as an eye-catching hot rod as it sits. This car got an incredible amount of attention and comments wherever I went. It started up every time I got in it and it drove pretty well aside from a few issues I've noted below. Has had a few recent services for some smaller things (clutch and spark plugs). Please read the entire description and take a very good look at the photos as I've tried to note every mechanical fault and all visual flaws so that you know what you're getting.
The body looks really good if you stand about 10-15 feet away but getting up close starts to show those paint issues such as spiderweb cracking and paint peel. There is a few places on the car that have been touched up and are noticeable. The car has a real nice hot/rat rod look to it that I think is really unique and displays quite well. It is by no means a show car but it was a car that I did not mind driving as it was intended and parking next to someone else in the parking lot. If this isn't your style then restoring the bodywork wouldn't be incredibly hard as mostly everything is there aside from the front splitter and just needs some minor attention. The cowl hood gives quite a muscle car look as well and the view of it from the inside is probably the coolest thing you can experience.
There are a few notable rust areas on the exterior body of the car. Drivers door has a through-hole in the very back corner and some rust developing just behind it in the door jam, however this side is only starting and not an awful fix. The passenger door jam has rust in the same area and a few good size holes. This is pictured as it is likely the worst rust on the car. Just behind the passenger rear wheel is a bigger hole but is typical and in a good area for an easy patch. Some smaller rust areas are starting to appear on the front fenders. There's a few places that have been bondo'd as well. The fiberglass cowl hood has some pieces cracked off of it but they are the on flat sections so filling them with fiberglass patch would not be hard.
The interior is rather clean given it's age. The white exterior on red interior is a really awesome combo. The aluminum style gauge cluster looks really awesome and especially against the red interior. The Hurst 4-speed manual shifter is the same story as the white really pops in this color. The interior definitely gets the job done if you don't mind smaller imperfections and I found it rather hard to let them detract from the experience of driving the car.
Most notable issue items in the interior are that the driver's seat is ripped along the left side (pictured), the carpet is sun faded on the higher areas, and there are smaller cracks on the top of the dash and center console. These cracks are pretty miniscule and if tiny cracks don't bother you then they are really nothing to worry about. The door panels on both sides are peeled just at the very bottom and would probably require them being recovered at the bottom or replaced entirely if you want it to look perfect. Some of the gauges are not working unfortunately. Tach seems to be a wiring issue and speedo cable may be worn. The odometer shows 80,454 but doesn't roll over due to the speedo not functioning so the mileage is not entirely accurate but I can't imagine it is too far off. Fuel gauge works intermittently. Battery gauge functions and it reads 13-14 at all times so alternator does function. Both oil pressure and coolant gauges are located outside the windshield under the cowl hood and do function so no questions there. As is mentioned in the mechanical section, the car ran with great oil pressure at all times and coolant temp running perfectly within the range even on hotter 90+ degree days. Video of car running shows both coolant temp gauge and oil pressure gauge.
Mechanically I would say this car is pretty fair given what it is. The slightly modified engine is running pretty decent but does have some smaller kinks to be worked out as I'll note below. I don't know an incredible deal about the internals and its upgrades. Engine appears and sounds like it has a cam in it as well as a upgraded valvetrain as can be seen when unscrewing the valve covers. Has a Edelbrock 1406 600cfm carb on top of a high rise intake. Car shifts smoothly with no real issues in the transmission. The clutch is brand spanking new with little more than 250 miles on it. The clutch service also included a new throwout bearing and clutch fork so it's all ready for the next driver.
The brakes work just okay and do the job alright to drive the car around casually but I wouldn't say they are 100%. Maybe more around 50-60%. The E-brake cable is split somewhere in the middle of the car so it does not function. Parking the car in gear has never failed me however and this never was an issue on mostly flat ground. I've never seen more than a couple of drops of oil / power steering fluid on the ground after parking it but I do know the power steering pump has a more pressing leak. The car will come with a new power steering pump in the trunk. I unfortunately never got around to installing it. No coolant leaks whatsoever and runs well within temp when driving. Oil pressure is great and sits around 20-25 psi at idle and goes up to around 60-70 at wide open.
As I stated the engine runs pretty good but the carb probably needs a little work. It was missing the return for the choke when I bought it and the fix for it was somewhere around 50-60 bucks if I remember correctly but it is currently running basically no choke. This is not an issue when driving the car, it just requires that you pedal the gas to warm it up when you are first starting the car. After it's warmed up the car never stalled or died on me. The carb probably needs a rebuild (like a $40 kit.) It would seem the car runs slightly rich and you'll end up getting some stuttering and it falling flat on itself if you floor it from low RPM. Again it really didn't seem to affect the car while cruising but it should probably be rebuilt. The car is still a joy to blast around and I'm fairly certain the engine is up on the power from it's bone stock numbers. By no means a drag car but a really fun street car without the need for worrying about getting an outrageous speeding ticket.
The exhaust may be a pro or con depending on who you are and what you enjoy. It has long tube headers and ends right before the rear axle. I put a pair of 13 inch chambered mufflers on it to quiet it down some but it's still a really loud car. I've recorded a video showing the car running and you can note just how loud it is at idle. This is what gets the most attention and you will get a fair amount of people begging you to rev it up for them. It really just fits with the hot rod appeal of this car.
The suspension is functioning well but may be due for a rebuild with all new bushings. Has air shocks in the rear. Fairly comfortable ride most of the way but by no means is the suspension perfect.
The underbody is fairly clean given that it's spent a good amount of time in the midwest. Floor is 98% rust free with some surface rust and a few small problem areas. The worst part of the floor is directly beneath the driver's foot and is pictured. It can all be fixed with some patches and would not require any major panel replacement. There's some more rust just under the rear bumper and can be seen in the video. There are a couple areas with some smaller pinholes of rust but again nothing that would concern the body being compromised. Theres a few smaller holes in the engine bay by the battery and adjacent to it on the other side.
Car comes with a clean title in my name and a bill of sale if you so request one. Overall a nice car for someone not looking for a complete restoration. Get in it and drive it the day it gets there and fix the smaller issues as you see fit. I'm open to offers close to my price point as long as they are within reason so please don't hesitate to make one. Feel free to send me a message with any questions you have that I may have left out. Can't fit a lot of pictures on a listing so don't hesitate to ask for more on a specific area you'd like to see as I couldn't add all the ones I wanted to. Thank you in advance for looking at my post.
Vehicle Details:
- Make: Chevrolet
- Model: Camaro
- Type: Coupe
- Trim: Z28
- Doors: 2
- Year: 1980
- Mileage: 80454
- Color: White
- Engine size: 350 CID
- Number of cylinders: 8
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Manual
- Drive type: RWD
- Interior color: Red
- Drive side: Left-Hand Drive
- Vehicle Title: Clean Want to buy? Contact seller!