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Hi, and welcome to my web site!  I am so excited to finally make my own web site. Geocities, you really make it easy!  My site is dedicated to the restoration of my 1984 Chevrolet Camaro.  Take the time to read through my site, there is a lot of information and stories of how I got my car and some weird things that have happened since I bought it in June of '98.  Enjoy my site!

I have been blessed with a new project to work on for my Camaro.  I recently purchased a wrecked 1988 Camaro IROC-Z28!!  I have been receiving emails from fellow F-body enthusiast stating that my car is all show and not much go!  Well, I'm pleased to announce that the Go has arrived...a 5.7L Tuned Port Injection V8. AS OF AUG. 12, 2000 MY PROJECT IROC-Z DONOR ENGINE SWAP IS COMPLETE!  THERE IS MUCH MORE TO BE DONE! Check out Project IROC-Z Donor Page for all the information and pictures of the TPI 350 Engine swap!

Phase 1 Buying the car and checking the damage

I purchased my car for $350 from a guy in Chandler, IN.  This town is approximately 30 minutes away from where I live.  The car wasn't running because the fuel pump was out, so it sat for about a year.  My dad and my twin brother made the trip to tow my car home.  The car was towed with no complications until it got to the street where I live.  My dad and brother were way ahead of the tow truck, when they heard what sounded like a cannon going off.  As you can see the tire exploded.  The rotor must have been warped and caused alot of friction on the brake pad, being towed for over 30 minutes it finally caught fire.  From a closer inspection it looked as if the brake line was leaky and it ignited.  The extreme heat caused the tire to explode.  The neighbors were all curious as to what happened.  Where was I at the time? Well, I was at work.  I missed all of the fun.

This is a picture of my Camaro the day It was brought home.  The front right tire is different because it replaced the blown up tire.  This tire came off of my twin brother's 1984 Pontiac Firebird.  I was so excited to see it in the drive way when came home from work.  It did'nt sink in that I owned my very own dream car.  The Lord blessed me dearly with this vehicle.  Well, when I got home the car was a mess.  The interior smelled and the exterior had mildew and plenty of dirt on it.  My brother and I immediately washed it and cleaned the interior up a little.  It took my brother and me quite some time to clean off the mildew and stuff, and it took weeks with the windows down and gate propped open to get the smell out.  There was no passenger side mirror, and the driver side mirror had been ripped off.

In this picture, you can see that the tail lights have a black line through them.  Well I did this because I personally like the way this style looked on other Camaros.  I took the tail lights out and discovered an incredibly large amout of dirt behind them.  Apon a closer inspection of my entire car, I came to the conclusion that this car was caked with dirt.  I later found out that Chandler, IN has numerous dirt roads.  I just took some newspapers and taped an edge on the lights and spray painted away to get the black line.  Also in the picture I put an old Tennessee license plate on it to see how it looked. You can see how the paint is chipped away on the back bumper.

This picture was taken when I took a whole Saturday afternoon detailing the interior of my car.  It was absolutely filthy.  There was dirt caked in every crack in the interior.  The seats and the dash and everything are in great shape, just dirty.  I used toothpicks, Q-tips, cleaner, and a lot of patience to get the interior presentable.  I took the console up and the dash out and cleaned behind them.  I also took out the air vents and cleaned behind them as well.  There was a lot of tar residue, because of cigarette smoke.  It was really neat to explore what was behind the dash and in the console as well.  My fingertips were killing me after that day.  My brother called me "Danny Detail" after this job. I later replaced the dome light, and the stock radio doesn't work.

I found this picture quite humorous.  The main reason why my car wouldn't run was becaue the fuel pump went out.  Well in order to replace the pump, the gas tank needed to be taken out because that is where the pump is located.  This would begin the major resoration of my car.  In this picture my dad is beginning to get the tank out.  I am very thankful for my dad, he has helped me out a lot with my car.  I'm sure it brings back memories of when he was fixing up his old '56 Chevy.  Well the gas tank came out with a little persuassion.  And when we got a close look at what was in it, it was no wonder why the car didn't run.  The tank had a thick sludgey tar substance in it.  It was gross.  The rubber things on the pump were all deteriorated.  I purchased a brand new tank to replace the sludgey old one.  I also purchased a new pump and got it all put back together.

Next to Page 2, Phase 2

I just would like to thank all of you for sending in your emails to me!  I appreciate getting emails about your rides and some stories about them.  I love to talk cars and repairs and proud moments with your rides.  Again, THANKS for the emails, keep 'em coming! --Dan