1971 Camaro Z28 No Reserve!!

1971 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport Additional Info:

1971 Camaro Z28 restored and modified by me.
At one time the second generation Camaro was my demonic obsession. I owned at least a dozen of them over the years and would buy anything and everything having to do with them, including many "roller" cars (no drivetrain).
During the course of this obsession I met "Mad Mike Maciolek", the founder of the Nastyz28.com website. "Mad Mike" hit a rough patch in his life so I bought the website from him and ran it for a few years before selling it back to him. It remains, to this day, as THE "go to" resource for information on anything to do with these wonderful cars.
I too learned that life has its ups and downs, which means that I can no longer hang onto my Camaros. I am preparing to move 1,000 miles away so all of them need to go. I will later be selling a 1970 Z28 RS with a 454 big block and a 1979 Z28 with a 383 small block.
I bought this 71Z from "Mad Mike" as a "roller". Since it was missing so many parts I had the freedom to build it from scratch. It took me five years of nights and weekends from 2002 to 2007 to get it all done.
Let me be clear on one point: my talent as a "wrench" is not nearly as strong as my passion for these cars. I am a Chip Foose wannabe. In plain English this means that there are plenty of nits to pick on this car. However, for better or worse, I can say that I did everything on this "nut and bolt" restoration / modification.
The car was stripped down to the unibody and the front subframe was removed, stripped, repainted and reassembled with new parts. The driver's side floor on the roller was rotted away, "Fred Flintstone" style, so I welded in a section from a good roller that I had stashed away. All suspension and brake parts were new aftermarket parts. No fancy stuff like Baer brakes, or super duper handling add ons except for a set of subframe connectors.
The car came from the factory with a vinyl roof, which meant that the roof was badly rusted. I replaced it with the roof from a 1978 car. This explains why the car has retractable seat belts, a feature that didn't exist in 1971.
The LS1 engine, transmission, computer, wiring harness, and fuel pump came from a 2001 Pontiac Trans Am which had been totaled in a rear end collision with less than 1,000 miles on it. I sent the computer out to be reprogrammed in order to work easily in an older car. The engine is stock other than sending the exhaust manifolds out to be Jet Hot coated. It starts easily, runs great, and easily outperforms the old school 350 small block from 1971. The rear end is a 3.42 posi, which is a great match for the double overdrive six speed. 70 mph on the highway is about 2,000 rpm on the tach in sixth gear. True dual exhaust, decent rumble but nothing obnoxious.
The wiring harnesses were brand new aftermarket pieces. I paid especially close attention to the ground side of each connection since that is the root of most old school car electrical problems. So far, not a single issue. Kenwood radio / CD player in the factory radio location.
I did all the body work, primer and paint in my garage. The color is the factory correct Cranberry Red, the Z28 stripes are also correct. The paint is PPG base / clear which was sanded and polished. Lots of time went into this part of it.
Everything works as it should ( lights, wipers, blinkers, radio, etc ). Passes NY State safety inspection every year.
The nits are, in no particular order:
- the door jambs lack shine ( only visible with the doors open from inside the car )
- a gap between the roof and the rear window trim on the driver's side
- a few rust bubbles have reappeared in the paint. Despite my best efforts to get rid of every speck of rust on the car before painting, a few bubbles have appeared since the car was finished in 2007.
- the rear spoiler section on the driver's side quarter panel is cracked.
- the chrome trim, bumpers and RS grille insert are OK, but certainly are not up to show standards. Likewise with glass, good for a driver but will not win any trophies for you.
- the tilt steering column was installed from a later year roller. The column has a "loose" feel and the innards need to be rebuilt.
- the tires are old. Although they show no dry rot and have plenty of rubber, the date code suggests they should be changed.
- I welded closed the "flow through" ventilation holes in the firewall and unibody. If I need air I roll down the windows. Finding all the correct parts for the ducting simply wasn't worth the time for a semi-useless feature, IMO.
- the trunk tension springs squeak. Not a hard fix, remove the metal plate between the trunk and the rear glass then wrap some fuel line around the spring rods to stop the metal on metal annoying sound.
- I removed the crash beams from the doors. The doors on these cars weigh a ton. Since I was only going to use the car as a Sunday driver I got rid of them. The doors are much lighter, but please understand that if you get t-boned by someone who is too busy texting about he had for lunch that day then you are sorta screwed.
- The aftermarket carpet doesn't fit perfectly, only visible just behind the driver's seat.
-the center console needs a new storage compartment lid. I improvised cup holders to go into that space for now. The console itself is a factory piece.
The car can be driven away and many heads will turn on the highway as you cruise in it.
I am starting the auction at $4,000 which is what the drivetrain cost me. I have no idea what the car is truly worth, but that is what an auction is for, is it not?
I will do my best to answer questions as promptly as my schedule allows.
If you are local to the eastern end of Long Island, NY and want to see it in person before bidding, please let me know.
Thanks for looking and reading this far !