went to look at a 97 z38 donor car but it overheats.

Twin_Turbo said:
are you going to part that car out? I would just drive it, why all the work when you have a complete running car?????
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mainly because my camaro 3.8 is better in every possible way. you just dont see all the cosmetic issues on this z28 in a picture. My camaro has no cosmetic issues at all not even any dents or major scratches. The v-6 is just dying is all so if I went through hassle of fixing the 6 banger it's not much more work just dropping this z28 engine in it.
 
does it have the bose stuff in it? Mine has some issues and I would like to have the subwoofer and everything operating again
 
Twin_Turbo said:
does it have the bose stuff in it? Mine has some issues and I would like to have the subwoofer and everything operating again
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it had it but not sure what remains.


I am notice when the oil pressure gauge starts dropping to little or no oil pressure the temperature drastically climbs.

I put a air dam on and the radiator upper plastic cover and that helped a lot.

is this engine really losing oil pressure and is that possible? seems like when the gauge registers around 40psi the coolant temp remains normal. I am also noticing what looks like a low coolant level warning light but when I check radiator is almost full.

Is it possible for this engine to randomly lose oil pressure for some reason and then it just goes back to normal? Or do you think the cluster is messed up and giving false readings.

motor never make any noise like its starving fr oil nor does it ever have the overheating odor.

whats your thoughts here?
 
Spend the $40 on a cheap China made pressure gauge kit from AutoZone, use that to confirm the pressure drops or not..... I blieve tht's the safest way for you right now, if it really looses pressure then I can only guess why and how.....maybe the pickup gets clogged???? But then it would have to un-clog itself for no apparent reason..... The pump is a gear pump I think it's still the sme as on older V8 blocks, that thing either works or it doesnt....
I'm leaning towards believing the instrument cluster is shot......
 
MYBAD79 said:
JeffP1167 said:
I bought the z28, runs extremely strong and shifts great. No smoke out the pipes. Driving it 70 miles home up hills/freeway etc it never got past the 3rd line on the temp gauge. Around town it runs at right about 210.
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looks great, but why did the guy say it's overheating ?? Apparently it did not overheat when you drove it home....
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I am not sure, he also said it needed a new engine. Seems to run dam strong.

Only thing I hate is when tires try to spin your foot gets kicked back up off the floor.

Its registered until november so no back fees, good fixer upper and my girlfriend is becoming pretty fond of it.
 
JeffP1167 said:
I am not sure, he also said it needed a new engine. Seems to run dam strong.

Only thing I hate is when tires try to spin your foot gets kicked back up off the floor.
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Wheel hop ?? The rear control arm relocation brackets take care of that - for the most part.....especially when the car is lowered you need these.... BMR makes some great stuff for these F bodies :D
 
MYBAD79 said:
JeffP1167 said:
I am not sure, he also said it needed a new engine. Seems to run dam strong.

Only thing I hate is when tires try to spin your foot gets kicked back up off the floor.
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Wheel hop ?? The rear control arm relocation brackets take care of that - for the most part.....especially when the car is lowered you need these.... BMR makes some great stuff for these F bodies :D
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no when the tires spin something kicks your foot back up from the gas pedal.
 
that's the stupid traction control which works straight o your throttle cable. have it on a 93 vette, hate the living hell out of it
 
well took for a 85 mile drive tonight and the temperature never exceeded the first mark. No pcm codes set nothing. Car ran great the whole way.
 
JeffP1167 said:
Hc @ 15mph max 51ppm tested 23ppm
@ 25mph max 35ppm tested 19ppm

NO @ 15mph max 419pp tested 153ppm
@ 25mph max 706ppm tested 147ppm

Smog guy said it just needs to be driven to perform it's self tests and it will pass.
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Today it passed all smog test parts, smog guy says it is burning pretty clean and nothing is missing.

I am going to register it tomorrow and put a few thousand miles on it to make sure the engine and trans and all other stuff work fine.

If it does then I will swap everything into my 97 camaro and best part is with my 97 being a v6 I get 6 banger insurance when it has a v8.

I tell ya though this z28 is a blast to drive!
 
Well I thoroughly looked the z28 over, aside from a power steering leak I cant find any other leaks.

I see no signs of engine oil or transmission leaks. I put some bars cooling system sealant in and that seemed to help, it has been running excellent has just a slight miss.

A/C still works great.

I have to smog my 3.8 camaro and after that is done then it will get it's LT1 conversion.

The Z28 will get my old 3.8 and 4l60e and then giving the z28 to my girlfriend, she really likes and has been cleaning it daily so the inside is really looking nice. She couldn't afford the gas of an LT1 so she will like it as a V6.
 
What a shitload of work, you're better off investing some cash to get the cosmetical stuff on the Z28 fixed .... Swsp the interior and then swap cars with your girl .....
 
well the 3.8 camaro passed smog today with ease. I talked to my smog guy and he said the LT1 is a 100% legal swap. He also said it will not need a check by a referee after it is converted.
 
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