New To Me 1978 Camaro! What Do I Do With It??

[@flipper0172]

Definitely giving lil man a vote to keep it

[@thomasshigoka5004]

That’s a sweet Camaro! Can’t wait to see what y’all end up doing to it. 👍

[@jamestew7177]

All 2nd gen Camaros have interchangeable parts in the power barn. Will make a good driver and fun car. Maybe even a good ride for the little man. I have a 1980 Z I am restoring. I am a Camaro guy and have had 5 over my 59 years. This generation will increase in value so not a waste of money. V8 will bring more resale but the V6 is dependable if it runs good.

[@80CAMZ28]

OMG Lots of work but definitely keep it and restore it. 😉 What's nice about the 1978 models is they have the hood release cable in the front grill. 79 and later you have to pull a latch under the chin. Also it looks like your bottom grill crumbled apart like all the 78 and 79 Camaros did. It's not that easy to find a replacement. Some of the aftermarket companies sell hard plastic ones but I heard they don't fit very well. Please tell us what you've done with it now in 2024.

[@simonramos1217]

I’m going to start rebuilding my mom 1978 Z28 with the 305 hopefully it’ll be a fun project

[@mrsparky216]

Had a 76 LT fi it it up nice coat of black paint . Have fun ! My son had 96 convertible camaro

[@edwardvaldez9163]

Keep it original, and keep it in the family

[@toddjohnson2337]

That’s sweet!! Keep it! Easton will be balling in high school with that!

[@MeiersGuysGarage]

That's what I thought! Thanks for the input. V8 swap???

[@toddjohnson2337]

Yeah. V8 swap, deal with the rust and leave the body as is for that rustic patina.

[@bighank796]

250 straight 6 engines are great. I say keep it. Fix it up good enough to drive it

[@streetbikewhisperer9184]

Love these cars really want to see you build it I subbed

[@seanfritz1355]

First thing that car is a candidate for 1/4s and the passenger needs the inner for sure. But it did have the rubber trim on the doors. And the 78 Z didn't have the front spoiler or the wheel extension. They was more 79 to 81 thing. But trust me fix it up. My first 78 was trashed when it came around. But when it was done it was a blast 305 LT with an auto. Now 30 years later I have another one. Profile picture 78 base with a 350 4 speed. They need to be aprishiated more then they used to be. Parts are plentiful and affordable. So Classic Industry will be your new friends.

[@nickdavis8905]

I would love to see a V-8 put into it these cars are going up in value and parts Readily available but again it your choice I think I would start sanding down most of the body just to get that rust off and then I would put a paint on that would help prevent it from spreading or even coming back and have fun with it

[@zAvAvAz]

cool camaro turn it into a very dependable daily driver. First put on a mask gloves protect yourself & tear out that carpet, shop vac etc. get it all to bare metal, soda blast it, then wash it wash it and wash it again. Then wash it with washcloths (use white T shirts) 50% water and isopropyl alchohol in buckets. Wet sand all the metal smooth 🙂 & not too smooth so etching primer can stick. Of course to do all of this it must all be taken apart, every peice. You can get new headliner and carpet later. Do all of this and see the metal for what it is. This is the true condition of the vehicle. There are many cars very complete and good looking, yet are not hardly there. There are cars without any parts that are pristine straight rust free perfect sheet metal. Guess what one is ahead. Now being stripped down you are ahead of a car that has not had this done in any case. take front fenders and sub frame off. Put rear sheet metal body of car on a rotisserie. Your car could end up being worth 100,000 grand to someone just do it correctly. We have seen a stock 1990 camaro go for 100K. Now your car is at least 15,000 running and painted. Replace the ball joints with BALL JOINT DELETE KIT. Install heavy duty close ratio steering unit. Get a rag joint delete kit. Put in a very large round chromoly tube 2 point or 3 point roll bar and chrome it like the one in vin deisel's charger. Build custom large mounting plates tied into the leaf spring mounts, construct those if need be also. You could convert suspension to anything you want at this point, this is assuming you are keeping the leaf spring mounting intact. i am personally would convert to rear truck arm suspension from the instant center of car after moving engine and transmission back as far as possible modifying the fire wall to do so.i am could even do a monocoque tub prior to that. Now, build the rear shock mounts slightly higher up into the vehicle reinforcing them and tying them to the 3rd middle bar of the roll bar. keep in mind the design is to retain the rear seats but that does not mean you couldn't punch that single bar right through the center of the rear seat back rest, of course you can modify it to be pretty. Now the next reinforcement is an X bar between the two rear leaf spring mounts to keep them from twisting all over the place, they do twist all over the place in normal everyday driving. Now and X brace between the two front leaf spring mounts. Yes now you see! Your car now has the most efficient back half strengthening and handling package possible in it's own simplicity. i am like to build a roll bar in the front A pillars and this keeps things very sturdy to what i call the fire wall and door attachment section. i am build this to attach an ultra high leverage manual brake system that defeats the short commings of power brakes. i am is not a believer in power steering or power brakes. Now you can connect a fourth oval bar from the main hoop to the front cage if you had t tops i t would not interfere. Hope to see you on 2nd gen camaro forum or hot rod forum. zavavaz. You could trade me for a 355 v8 and th350.

[@EM_PR0DUCTIONS4146]

ok

[@darrylmonroe802]

My first car was a 1980 V6 Camaro. I think you should media blast it and restore it to original condition.

[@PyrosPelagics]

could that be the external air dryer? Im working on a 74 firebird with the 4.1 250 inline 6 too. Got it stripped down of all the smog stuff, keeping my six because it just seems to be a rarity for the old firebirds.. in your case i'd def v8 swap it. I think these inline 6s are really between 100-110hp, probably less if its tired

[@joshlavoye9429]

My 78 Camaro Type LT has 305 v8 and to my opinion they look better without the spoiler and I'm wondering 🤔 how did you pay. I paid $2,000 for mine that was running and driving and no where near as much rust as that and I'm here in California

[@penguinogomez5626]

i paid 700 for one at a salvage yard

[@gkauto1959]

You are actually blessed with that 6 cylinder, it will move the car just fine, no need for a thirsty v8 if this will over time get the paint and interior dealt with, once you get to the ignition, and change the wires and plugs and change the oil that car should give you plenty of trouble free miles, no fuel injection or computers to go wrong, whats not to like? keep it as the factory intended it, a nice daily driver that will give good mileage and be reliable. Or does spending lots of money for a V8 conversion appeal to your current finances?

[@MeiersGuysGarage]

I definitely agree with you, and I think that is the plan. We're going to make the engine happy and give it a tune up so it's a bit more reliable, then work on some cosmetic things and then (eventually) drop some more power in it. A v8 swap for this car isn't too bad on the wallet as long as I can find a cheap pullout. Just about any gm v8 will bolt to this transmission, just need motor mounts and a bigger rad. Thank you for the input!!!

[@gkauto1959]

@@MeiersGuysGarage there are cylinder heads and cams for that gm straight 6 that will give you the torque you are looking for well as the sound you want. You can leave the block alone, maybe take it apart and put in fresh rings and some bearings, or just leave it be, those motors are strong runners froth factory. Just a cam swap and a valve job with new bronze liners for the valves would do it! your v8 swap would also need new springs dont forget, and it will eat that tranny in no time. stay with refreshing what you have, it will wind up outlasting you!

[@williamdilka9737]

It's got a lot of potential for restoration

[@shootermcgavin2819]

Stay old school. Keep that old iron alive. Car is only going up in value.

[@christchild211]

Resto Mod. Or original. May get more as Resto Mod. Not really sure. I've seen the 79 Berna??? Camaro go for 30-35 thousand, immaculate shape, low miles all original. It is a nice car. Ride's like a truck

[@Leo-DaGreek]

Go with rally’s and cloan ,it like a split bumper 🇺🇸 LS swap

[@darrylmonroe802]

You could grab an LS out of a junk yard, rebuild the engine and do an LS swap.

[@Pantheragem]

I've had a '74 Camaro for 26 years now. The car and I are both '74's with June tags. We were both young 23 year olds when we met, now we're old men going on 50. These 2nd gens have been coming into their own for a while now. When I got it, people laughed at mine for being a white trash car. Nobody is laughing now. Quite the opposite. I get positive comments and admiration for it everywhere I go now. Throw a V8 and an overdrive transmission in that Camaro and just enjoy it. Make it a cruiser, and take it easy on the old fella.

[@seanfritz1355]

Nah put in the small block. Make it what it wants to be. My 78 is all original with 73k on it and trust me I don't punish it. 1 I'm a 74 model person and I don't like to beat on my car. But when we are both in the mood. Well let's say burnouts for distance are in order. Trust me when I purchased the car from my wife's uncle who bought it new in February of 78. The first thing he did was pulled to the first stop sign, dumped the clutch. Blew the tires off through 3 gears. And that was with a messed up carb. Now I don't have to dump it. She will do it quickly with half throttle. So sometimes you have to let her EAT.

[@allendaigle6351]

I would like to buy also ,an I would leave a 6cyl

[@brianmcintee6647]

get a split bumper kit

[@asimpson164]

I disagree. The only people that don't like the front valance and rear spoiler are people that settled for base models. However, I can't disagree if a person were to say they liked their own camaro better than the others.

[@chevyguy1422]

the 78 did not come with front the front valance

[@haroldbirge6881]

🏆👀

[@tomcat630]

Keep and fix the 6 for historical purposes, show that not all were V8s

[@richmond8102]

Build it

[@Isaac-sv7xt]

Or the 6

[@arronravey8774]

I can till u what u can do with it sale it to me I want a project

[@jimhamman2335]

Blown 400.

[@MeiersGuysGarage]

This may be an option. Probably not blown but I happen to have a 400 sitting in the corner of the garage, been saving it for a rainy day..