Should I buy this 1978 Z28?

[SteveSS]

You know the days of finding cheap Mopars are over. I saw this car was for sale for $8500. It needs paint and has a bit of rust but supposedly only had 83K miles on it. On a lark, I lowballed him at $5,500. Now that a month has passed I think he will accept my offer. It's off the beaten path and I'm driving to see it tomorrow. 1978 has a better nose than the big bumper cars of the mid 70's. Yes, I like the split bumper cars but those are expensive.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Check it over good for rust. They, like our Mopars have the usual spots. And I guess matching numbers is starting to be a thing with those. But they seem to be a sound investment to me. Those F bodies used to be everywhere. I guess most got crushed. To put into perspective how many of those cars GM made... The 1979 Trans Am had a 116,000 total. That is more than all E body Barracuda and ‘Cuda models Chrysler produced in 5 years. And that is only the T/A for 1979.

 

[DeltaV]

 

[SteveSS]

Right now I have 2 Chevies. 1 Ford, 5 Mopars, 2 Pontiacs. Just sold the Hummer H3 today.

 

[Kern Dog]

I absolutely LOVE the 2nd generation Camaro and Firebirds. I had a 73, a 76, a 78 Camaro and a 70, 72, 78. 80 and 81 Firebird.
Great handling, all had front disc brakes, comfortable cars.

 

[eldubb440]

I absolutely LOVE the 2nd generation Camaro and Firebirds. I had a 73, a 76, a 78 Camaro and a 70, 72, 78. 80 and 81 Firebird.
Great handling, all had front disc brakes, comfortable cars.

built this about 10 years ago for a buddy..... 600 horse crate BB, 5 speed manual..... I loved driving this car, it just worked

 

[WileERobby]

You want an opinion ? Here's mine. Having experienced and worked on these cars in real time, they are absolute junk pieces of garbage. S-l-o-w slugs that rust daily. Bumpers that don't line up & warp. Paint that fades. T-tops ? Have an umbrella handy. I could go on... I wouldn't buy any late 70's GM f-body and waste my money. The worst of the line. I'd get an 82- on instead.

 

[eldubb440]

you guys think chevy forums occasionally have a positive Mopar thread?

 

[Kern Dog]

When I was 12 or 13 years old, my Dad leased a 1978 Z28 for my Mom. White with blue stripes. Beautiful car. It was a one year lease. The next year, he bought her a 1979 Z28. I grew up wanting one. I practiced for my driving test in Mom's car. The Dukes of Hazzard steered me to Mopars so my first 2 cars were Dodges. I had a 73 Camaro for my 3rd car but after 2 different people pulled in front of me in ONE week, the front end was damaged beyond what I could fix at that time. I bought a 76 Camaro since I needed a car and I couldn't find any 70-73 models available for sale. The 76 had to be emission tested so I was severely limited on what I could do to the engine. California had some bullshit smog laws....This is one of the reasons why I never owned an Aspen or Volare despite liking their appearance. I can't get excited about a car with a V8 only putting out 130 HP.
I like the GM Monte Carlos from 1984-88 but wouldn't waste my time with them in this state. The stock engines were weak. In 1984, Chrysler simply gave up on RWD performance. There are no cars of that era from Chrysler that interest me.
If one were to buy a 78 Z28 and have no limitations on the engine, I can certainly see the appeal.
Junk?
I don't think so. My Camaro was reliable and performed well.

 

[khryslerkid]

Notorious for the frame rusting in front of the rear axle. Check there. Good luck!

 

[SteveSS]

Denver has laws requiring emission testing, Colorado Springs does not.

 

[Hey-O]

I've built a few Chevys in my life. Like any car they will rust. I've also been in one with a small block 406, A/C on and pull the wheels off the ground at a stop sign. If you don't have emissions, buy it. Greg's right, state emissions took the fun out of owning them. That's why all my cars were licensed at my lake house, different county, different rules.

 

[Roger63]

you guys think chevy forums occasionally have a positive Mopar thread?

Only when they are dreaming about classy cars.

 

[YY1]

IIRC those also rust in the A pillars down through the dash and cowl.

Very hard to work on that area.

Not enough headroom for me in those, plus I like a functional back seat and trunk.

The next gen, I literally can't fit in. No headroom and seat doesn't go back far enough.

...and there's an 82 or 83 ici convertible factory V8 4 speed firebird sitting at my shop that I could have for $1000 or maybe less.


Last year there was a 76 LT 4 speed car on CL for a looong time at 5K.
I believe it also had PW and AC.
It looked pretty solid and you don't see a lot of LT's or 4 speeds, let alone both.

 

[moparsaver]

Should I buy this 1978 Z28?​

 

[DeltaV]

There are cheap Mopars from the late 1970s. They are called Magnum, Cordoba, and Fury. Some came with big blocks and some came with the police 360-4V.

 

[Chargerkiddave]

Steve, I see you're also on NastyZ28...lot's of good info there also.

 

[RT68440]

My dad's first new car was a '79 Camaro when he was 21. Just a plain Jane with a 305/auto and T tops. He put a set of Cragars and rear window louvers on it. Then I came along in '83 and he said him and my mom got tired of constantly cracking my head on the roof trying to get me into my car seat in the back...I'll always have a soft spot for.those cars...

 

[Carcinogen]

Yes, biggest problem was the doors sagging and the T-top leaking. Easy to modify and speed parts are cheap and plentiful. Lots of hardcore used speed parts for SBC with the popularity of LS swaps.

Back when i did not have much money i was messing with Early 70s Camaros.

 

[Dave P]

I bought this one new in July of 1978. The spoiler is one I bolted on in about 1980 off a 79 model year. This picture was a few months ago
to sent to Hagerty. Car is a 4 speed with 44,000 original miles. With headers, a recurved ignition and a little Q-jet tuning it runs 15 to 15.2
in the low 90s...so it's pretty slow. Roll hoop was a Solo I requirement back in the day. Going to pull it and return the interior to stock.
The picture you posted makes me doubt that was a Z-28. I'm not saying they never made one with side molding but I've never seen one.
The car has none of the stripes so it's been painted. Don't remember anything other than black trim around front and rear glass.
I'd have to find a build sheet or window sticker for it to believe it's a Z. Those do look like the optional aluminum rims.