Here's the basketcase!

[sandrock]

Well, the story on how I got this car (94 Z28 convert) is kinda lame. I originally bought a '96 V6 convertible from this guy who just wanted the engine and trans from it. It had been wrecked sometime in its life but neither of us knew just how bad, so I took a chance on it. After I got to stripping it, I found the firewall had been kinked on the passenger side, the header panel was mangled, and the frame rails weren't quite right. After stripping everything off the car, I figured I could make my money back in the parts, so I wasn't too concerned.

A few days later the guy calls me up asking how things were going with the car, to which I told him my findings. He goes "well, I do have another convertible here that I need to get rid of." So, being the sucker I am, I took it off his hands.

It had been wrecked at some point too, but nowhere near as bad as the first one. I fixed about half of the damage properly (locating good unbent brackets, reusing what I took off of the '96), a fourth of the damage I can't do anything about (fender rail being crinkled, lower radiator support being kinked), and the rest will be all new (fenders, bumper cover, fiberglass hood).

On to the pics...
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/starion_esi/1996%20Camaro%20convertible/IMG_20110908_193939.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/starion_esi/1996%20Camaro%20convertible/IMG_20110908_193844.jpg

Before shot of the engine bay
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/starion_esi/1996%20Camaro%20convertible/IMG_20110908_193815.jpg

After shot of the engine bay...went with Duplicolors new bedliner spray with Kevlar
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/starion_esi/1996%20Camaro%20convertible/002.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/starion_esi/1996%20Camaro%20convertible/001.jpg

As of now, the engine bay is half done. Still have to reloom the wiring harnesses and whatnot. The interior is fully stripped, the doors are off, trunk is off, the top is off (skeleton is still there....I see no need to remove it). New steering column with radio controls and the steering wheel are installed, and I'm installing all the 96's wiring as it was in better shape (this means going to BCM). I have about half of the rewiring done for the new dash (going with a '98 cluster), then I will add the circuits for remote start/keyless and the steering wheel controls.

[Fastbird]

Looks good so far!!

[sandrock]

Thanks. Between my work at the FAA, online schooling, and seeing to it that my son gets good grades, work isn't going as fast as I would like it to. Since these pics were taken, I've reinstalled the evap box, installed a new AC dryer, and now I am working on getting the dash installed. Hopefully I can have THAT part finished by next weekend.

[sandrock]

*snickers* Yeah, right.

Dash still isn't in yet, but getting closer. I've managed to get most of the rewiring done though...I know it's probably posted elsewhere, but for the benefit of others who'll see this, here's what needs to be done to '96 wiring to make it work with '98-'99 dashes:

1) Solder up new connector for the cluster. Most online sources give the 00-02, but assume 98-99 are identical. FAR FROM IT. My wiring colors were way off from what I was pulling up, but very close to the '97 and earlier models. Pinouts were different too, so be careful.

2) Extend the trunk release button harness about 3 feet or so. Leaves plenty of room for service loop. Do the same for the fog lamp switch.

3) Extend wiring for the rear defogger switch. I only needed about 8 inches or so. Use normal female spade connectors, 2 yellow and 2 red. The small grey wire in the '96 harness will not be needed (it's for illumination, which is already provided for by the control unit), but can be repurposed for led lighting or whatnot, or just tape it off and forget it.

In the quest to make this Camaro *mine*, I added the following:

1) Hardwired a Cat5E network cable to the OBD2 connector wiring. Following a located schematic online, it will provide power and info to a ScanGauge 2 w/o needing to use the factory cable.

2) Ran wiring up the pillars to supply temp and reverse info to the Gentex autodim/compass/temp mirror that will be going in. Also ran the wiring for the remote start antenna.

3) Started first round of wiring in the remote start/alarm/keyless. Settled on the Viper 513, and will be taking most of the inputs from the body control module (remember I am using a '96 harness and BCM in this '94)

I'll throw pics up shortly.

[Fastbird]

Custom bit #1 = awesome. Good thought.

[chris]

Very cool custom stuff you got going on. Def something to look into for "updating" older cars for stuff that would be found on a new car.

[popo8]

So freakin awsome!!!!!

[firebird_1995]

Im liking that duplicolor in the engine bay. Im a sucker for those wrecked and abandoned 4th gens too. Im looking at a 96 and a 99 convertable v6 now.

[sandrock]

That Duplicolor bedliner is some strong shit. The trunk (interior and outside up to the visable sheetmetal) and door jambs will be done the same way. I had intended on using that stuff on the floorboards, but now that I have most of the (cabin)wiring done I think I'll forego that. 24 dollars was the amount I spent on that, AND it's water based to boot.

I forgot to mention I have totally done away with VATS. VATS does two things: Cuts the fuel enable signal to the PCM, and will not ground the starter relay IF the key doesn't work for some reason or another. The VATS bypass modules doesn't really bypass VATS, it just tricks it into thinking the proper key is in the ignition. Fine and dandy if the VATS (or in this case, the BCM) module is working as it should. But what happens if it craps out?? Guess what fellers...that bypass trick is USELESS. But there's another way....

At the VATS module (or BCM if 1996 and up), clip the yellow/black wire that leads to the starter relay. On the side opposite the module, ground that wire. Problem #1 solved. Now for #2, which is fuel enable to the PCM. There are several ways to do this...the first, and probably the *most correct* way, is to get a VATS signal generator off of ebay. The second way, which is dirt cheap to do too but not entirely accident-friendly, is to wire up the fuel pump to come on with ignition. The PCM will still operate as normal w/ exception of maybe a CEL in relation to VATS, depending on if the code is enabled. The third way, the way I'm going, is to just delete it from the PCM.

So now that VATS is gone for good, instead of grounding out the starter relay, it will be repurposed for the anti-grind option on my alarm. That will suite my purposes just fine.

I lied about the pictures. My stepdaughter just moved from Florida to here in OKC, and she was kind enough to cook dinner. Even kinder to poison my chicken. I'm...indisposed...at the moment.

[sandrock]

Im liking that duplicolor in the engine bay. Im a sucker for those wrecked and abandoned 4th gens too. Im looking at a 96 and a 99 convertable v6 now.

The 3800s are great in their own right. My '97 SSE has a transplanted L26 from an '08 Lucerne that had only 3,000 miles on it when I got it. It's got slightly bigger intake valves, but the meat is in the rods...powdered metal instead of cast like S2s, and the intake manifolds and intake ports are MUCH better matched from the factory. Long story short, I'm running the longblock mostly stock, with mods done to exhaust (3" all the way), fuel system (returnless refit with 24 lbs. injectors), L67 throttle body shaped to match the L36 upper intake I'm running, FWI, and timing and fueling adjustments through HPT. In cold weather, like now, my ScanGauge 2 registers 305 hp and 264 lbs-ft of torque, and I am NOT inducted. This is also with a 3.29 4T65e. Needless to say, it's a VERY fun car to drive. And I've caught a few ricers off their guard with it too(!)

[Joker Z28]

Very nice start so far