hi guys,
This is my first post on this site.
My name is Victor, I live on a tiny island in the caribbean called Curacao

This morning I opened up the newspaper and in the ads section i saw this "Camaro 1971 for sale,give us a call"
It has been a long time since I've been wanting a classic muscle car (i call these cars classics)

So i called up and asked how the condition was etc etc, the man told me he has the car for 14 years,bought it when he was 16,now he's 30, and he's not into these cars anymore so instead of leaving it to rust,he is selling it.

Going on, he told me that the car has a few rusts,but not like a whole lot,paint is old but still ok (except rusts that is)...and the rest is alright but ofcourse will need some touch up.

It's problem is the engine, this car will need a new engine...
I'm not a fanatic, so i don't know much about cars.. all i know is the car is beautifull, its a piece of history, I've always wanted one, and it will be a perfect drive on sundays to the beach (yes i live on an island in the caribbean,remember?)
So i'm not planning in racing or anything.. I just want the nice engine with the nice ship type sound and the beautifull car.

What can you guys advise me, where should i look at?

If you guys think i'm annoying you, it's ok disregard this post.

Thanks in advance.
Victor

Victor, I know all about Island life, I very recently moved to Georgia, but I have lived most of my life on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Anyway, my first question would be, Are you sure that the engine needs to be replaced or can it be rebuilt? This would go along with my second question, which is Do you know if it is the original engine? If you don't, you can find the information you need by getting the serial number off of the motor and matching it to the car. The reason I ask these questions is because if it is the original motor, rebuilding it would be more beneficial to you because the car would be more valuable by having the original engine in it. If it is not the original engine, or if it truly is not re-buildable, there are many, many places that you can purchase a motor from. So, check it out and come back and let us know what you want to do. We can give you plenty of help.

Mike

hey Mike, thanks for the quick reply, well i called the owner up he told me it was the original 305 engine.. but i see most people talk about 350 on here?
this camaro isnt ss nor rs nor z28 or whatsoever, its just a camaro v8 ..
the way the owner talked to me he stated that i should consider a new engine,i asked him if it was totally not possible to fix the current one, he said that the money you're going to invest in fixing it, you would probably want to go and buy a new one.
what you said is something to consider though... rebuilding makes it more valuable.

its 2:20 pm now, i am supposed to call him around 6..when he's home from work..i'm done with work at like 5 .. i will go by and take some pictures. and thing about it,ask more detailed questions. I like the 1971 though cause of the tail lights..
I would even prefer a 1965-1969 one or so.. but 1971 is fair enough..

i want to go to the worse case scenario..lets say the engine is a total waste.
how much would a good perfect working engine cost me for this car? any thoughts?
any place for me to look at?

Just my 2 cents but I think the 305 engine started production around 1976, so a 305 would not be original. A 327 or 350 yes and maybe even a 307. Although I think the 307 was installed in the Chevelle and not the Camaro. If this motor is truly a 305 then it's not the original motor. Check the serial pad of the engine, front of engine on right side (passenger) where the head meets the block. Since this number is stamped into the cast of the block it may be difficult to read. Write it down and compare to an engine decode site like http://www.chevy-camaro.com/chevy-ca...-code-help.asp
You will also want the VIN from the dash. I agree with vict0r, if the engine is numbers matching you will want to keep the engine for rebuilding since this will retain more value in the car.

There are a couple of thing you will want to think about. What do you want to do with the car? e.g. I want an original 100 point show car, or I want a nice classic style car to drive all the time, or I want to create a Pro-Touring car (modern creature comforts with classic style). This can help determine how much you want or have to spend. Each have their own needs like the original 100 point show car, you will need the original engine running. A daily driver needs a good running engine but doesn't need to be the original V8 nor even a V8, it could be a turbo V6. To create a Pro-Touring car you may want to install an LS1 aluminum fuel injected engine and get radical with suspension and brakes.

Basic GM crate motor and reinstall all of your original accessories, installed by yourself you are looking around $2000 (~300hp). The GM crate motor with fuel injection and new accessories is $5100 (~375hp). But fuel injection means changing out the fuel system in the car too and adding the proper baffleing in the fuel tank so the fuel pump doesn't pull air and burn up.

Hope this helps.

well I'm not planning in showing , nor am I planning in pro-touring, nothing..
ill check out the engine thing.

I just want a nice camaro V8 to drive in the weekends and chill in it..


for example... would this do good if the engine is a total wreck?

https://www.camaros.net/classifieds/s...t=23659&cat=12

Curacao. Is that the Curacao just to the lee of Tobago Keys? Haven't been in that neck of the Caribbean for 9 years. I hear your island is now covered with development. That also means that you must never take this car to the windward side. Saltwater blowing from the breakers is not good. Did I get the location of your home correct? Oh hell, where's my charts?
Edit; Na, I'm thinking of Canouan. But are you on (our spelling) Carriacou? Love Sandy Isl.

lol no

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cura%C3%A7ao

besides,the salt doesnt blow like that...otherwise everything would be covered up with salt

He says he's selling it as a core. That means he doesn't claim it to run or anything and it needs rebuilt. Shipping would kill you on that one, then it needs rebuilt. And he kinda said he really doesn't want to ship.

A new GM crate motor is how I would go if I was you. Where's your closest Chevy dealership?

You might also consider a new fuel tank and line.

Gotcha! LOL too! No wonder the wind doesn't blow hard there. You're below the hurricane belt. But it sure as hell blows saltwater on shore up at Canouan. You should see it at Xmas time!
I used Trinidad for our 'base' for more than 5 years with our sailboat Epitome'. Never made it your way. And good English Victor. Are you Dutch?

I agree with Tim, a GM crate motor is going to be your best bet. It's better to spend your money right the first time and have years of fun with the car, especially all the way down there. Do you know what kind of shape the transmission is in? Is it an automatic or a 4-speed? You may want to think about the transmission also. Why don't you take a few pictures of the car (including the trim tag) and post them so we can see what you are looking at.

Mike

I'm 100% Portuguese, from both sides, was born here on the island so I have the dutch passport and am a dutch citizen... have lived in holland for the past 2 years, but am back home..

All I want is a nice classy car to drive around in the weekends, it needs to be V8 ..I will never buy one of these in V6, that just my opinion.

Later on I will go and check it out. I been at work, surfing the web and working. it's almost time to go, like 30 more mins...and then i will go.. i took my camara with me, so i'll take some pictures and post them..

Mike, hehe we were posting at the same time..

I will go today and take some pictures... i tis automatic, thats for sure...


btw, whats a crate motor ?

A crate motor refers to a complete motor that comes ready to install. It is very popular because you can literally just bolt it in the car. There are many popular crate motors that are built by GM. Here is a link to a possible answer to your situation. http://www.gmhorsepower.com/350_HO_Deluxe.html

There are many other places that you can get a crate motor from, just remember that you get what you pay for. So, don't jump on the cheapest one you find, because there's a good chance that you will be getting cheap parts or poor machine work that will not last. Check out the internet and see what you think you would like and then come back and post the info. There are alot of great people on this site and they can help you to choose what is right for you. It is very important to match the motor to your driving application. In this case, based on what you have said, I think you should go for driveability and reliability. A 350 would be a great choice. Post the pics of the car too, we may see something that you don't.

Oh, by the way, both of my parents are Dutch. They left Holland right after they got married in 1957. I have ALOT of family in Holland. My last name is Veraart. My mother's maiden name is Kramer.

Mike

oh ok,thank you so much

as i posted before, i was supposed to go check the car out today, but it didn't happen.
I left work all excited,went to pick up the gf so we could go,when i called the guy up he told me that he wasn't home yet, if i could come later..but i couldn't .. so what I did was made an appoint for tomorrow at 6.

So ill take pics tomorrow... interior pics,exterior pics,engine bay pics, etc etc.

I hope it works out great.

about the crate motor... are these like cheap build engines? I mean like I don't want a nicely re-build car to have a cheap engine. For instance,the one you posted Mike, is that a GOOD one? Besides,we're talking worse case scenarios here, I didn't even see the car yet ... maybe it's engine is just fine and will need maybe some overhauling or so... but in worse case scenario.. is the engine you posted like really good?

Thanks so far for everything...

If you are in for a full discovery of the car, go to nastyz28.com and look up facts. Massive amount of info for 2nd gen cars, which you have.