Hi all I need a little help. I have an 81 Z28 Camero. I really would like to restore it. The interior needs to be completely redone and as far as under the hood I don't know, even when I was driving it about 9 years ago it wasn't the smoothest running ride. Supposedly (my mom's ex was a mechanic) the tran and engine was new or a new rebuild. My question is where should I start? The body is good has only has some minor dings around the door edges. Please help I have loved this car sice before I could drive, and I really would like to get it back out on the road and cruise with the tops off.  
Thanks!!  

Ok you have a 1981, so you will probably want to check local wrecking yards for interior parts, or a swap meet. Also how much money are you looking to spend and what do you want to do with the car? I mean engine wise, do you want some more bang for you buck as well? You could try a used parts search on www.car-part.com. You type in your vehicle, and the parts you want, and your area code(telephone), it'll search the used wrecking yards that use the Hollander Parts Interchange system. It'll go up to like 200 miles around your area as well. Interior will be hard to find on a vehicle so old. Alot of older stuff that has sat, tends to be faded or rippe up. You might get lucky and find some decent stuff, for a very reasonable price. Also if you want, I have a fully built 305, with headers, performance intake, 4 barrel carb, cam, high voltage coil, and 8.5mm wires in a 1983 El Camino. Engine is good, and it's priced cheap. My yard could probably ship it too you. I'll get the 800 number for our store tommorow at work. Our used parts are guarenteed for 30 days. My guess is though that you have a 350 already. You have a million options for that car, depends on what you want to spend.  

If the motor and trans in the car now are mechanically good (no bearing knock or other death noises) I'd focus on finding out what motor it is exactly (I'd guess a 350 since it's an '81) and getting it running right first. The move on to making sure all the brakes are working properly, lights, turn signals, everything that makes the car road worthy. You can drive a car with a beat up interior, and it's still fun.

Next up, the interior. If you have some money, check out the Year one catalog for some of the interior pieces you need. Some stuff you can probably get for cheap at slavage yards, swap meets, and eBay. My advice though, buy new when possible.  

Basically I just want a smooth running car that looks great I am not really looking to "sup" it up or anything, it's already a V8, that is pretty powerful. Thanks for all the tips, I can't wait to check out that website. I think I will start by calling some engine shops to see if I can get an estimates to replace vital parts and see if it is worth saving. Thanks again, and any more assistance would be great!  

N.P.D. is another good place to get parts for your car. just pay attention to the parts you get. 80 and 81 are slightly one off from the 76-79's. and not all replacement parts will be 100%. especially the dash layout is specific for those two years. and if you have got the cash. you might want to check in on getting the front and back glass resealed. they tend to get leaks in the lower corners.  

My specialty would be in engine performance, not so much interior. As far as stock rebuld kits for the engine, since the engine is a 1st gen SBC, you can get rebuild kits anywhere. I mean if you are strapped for cahs, you could probably rebuild it for less than 1000 bucks. I mean if you do just the heads, and your rings are worn, you risk blowing the rings out. Laws of physics there. Pressure will press and blowout werever the weakest seal is in you combustion chambers. And the reverse, if you rebuild the engine, with out the heads, your valve guides will be suspect to blowing out. Worn valve guides were common on 1st gen SBC engines, all displacements, and most casting #'s on the heads. YOur local parts stores can get you cheap rebuild kits, or you could order from Jegs, or Summit, I think even Year-One will have rebuilds for you. Call around some auto repair shops and get an estimate for labor, if you aren't rebuilding it yourself.  

Well first off you should decide "what direction do I want to go and how much money do I want to spend?".Then look at the frame,shock/spring mts,stearing,see if anything is broke,bent or unsafe(to make sure you got something good to build on)then check the floors and so on(start at the bottom and work youre way up)if all is good then the next thing to do is get the car mechanicly sound and set up for what you want it to do..drag,show,pro touring,cruise..whatever.The body and interior are the last 2 things you should do,kinda ratty interior and a primered bdy isnt really all THAT bad if everything else is doin and lookin good.  

hi,my name is Don & I'm in Australia .I like what the other guys have said. It is very important that the mechanicals & electricals are in perfect order first. Things like tie rod ends, ball joints should be checked & brakes bled with a fluid change,then Uni joints on your tail shaft & change the fluid in the diff( make sure you get LSD fluid if you have one) check all rear arm bushes with a leaverage bar for excessive movement  and replace all exhaust hangersif there cracked or split. Probably the most important is the steering system adjust box for free play, and replace the rope dampener. As for electricals , replace batery terminals and get a nice earth lead to the motor and positive to the starter. Change any fuses that are broken and dash / intirior light bulbes, make sure the indicators self cancel. There is slot of little things to make a car reliable and roadworthy, but it is not expensive and wilst undernieth it you can underbody deaden it & paint it gloss black from a can (engine enamel is a tough paint that stays glossy) if you can get the car safty inspected down at your local garage first and they will check it all for you but remember that they will want to sell you and perform the work all at inflated prices!( check the cost of there replacement parts to your local auto shop) dont tell them your getting the work done somewhere else or they wont check it properly.if you can get a car friend to do the work the work for a case of beer just work of that list you now have.  You did not say what skills you have or who you know or what environent the car would be worked in(do you have space?) most important is DONT PULL THE CAR APART!!! it looks cool to have a car in a million bits, but very few cars get put back together by amatures or semi amatures and even sesioned vetrans the resion is life is unpredictable and hard and it gets a whole lot harder when you rebuild cars. So, the way to do it is PROGRESION or EVOLUTION not REVOLUTION. The last thing is to make her look pritty but if you see a bargain and you know you need it grab it whilst you can because this stuff gets expensive real quick. I hope I've helped , I still regret selling some cars I've had, still hurts sometimes when I think about them. I guess life is short so go after what you want.  

i have a 1980 z28 if you have any specific questions fire away and ill try my best to answet them for you

good luck with the project fixing up a car even a little is a verry rewarding experience