Frosty

What about ones from Manitoba or Saskatchewan? Granted there is the distance / cost of shipping thing, but I'd like to think the salt content is significantly less in the prairie provinces. Forgot about the Acadians, we called them T-1000s down here. Frankly I'd like to see a Vega version of the Acadian. May there are some Chevettes in GE's neck of the woods. He told me the other day that you can find Vegas all over the place in NC. We have a Chevette running around my area. It belongs to a guy that looks like a thin version of Jerry Garcia who plays very bad electric guitar and smokes way too much whatever. Technically it qualifies as a survivor, I just don't think there is enough detergent and antiseptic to get all the funk out of it.

Depends....probably a lot of air freshener too.

GM's Korean operations are in trouble. GM has asked the union there for cost concessions or it will file for bankruptcy. GM has already announced one permanent plant closing in Korea. The fate of the rest of the plants is up to the union. Obviously some union members are not happy with GM's ultimatum! http://fortune.com/2018/04/06/gm-korea-ceo-office-general-motors/

Must be a challenge to steer a car with only one front wheel on the ground !

https://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1116208_study-driving-habits-tied-not-to-pump-prices-but-to-percentage-change "April 11, 2018 Logic suggests that the more gasoline costs, the less people will drive their vehicles. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy says that's true—but it's not as simple as the actual price paid at the pump. According to a study conducted by the federal agency, when gas prices spike, drivers do not dramatically reduce the amount they travel. The study indicates that drivers instead adjust the amount they drive based on the percentage of increase or decrease in the cost of fuel. MORE: Trump administration could tax imported cars more than domestics Other factors also factor into the number of miles driven, according to the report. While gas prices are top-of-mind because of how often they are put directly in front of drivers, factors such as demographics, economic growth, transportation mode shifts, driver licensing rates, vehicle population and infrastructure capacity also impact the overall amount that vehicles are driven. All things considered, it makes more sense for drivers to drive as few miles as possible even when gas prices are low. More miles driven translates to more money spent on things such as oil changes, new tires, other maintenance and unexpected repairs and vehicle depreciation. The lower the miles driven, the more money can be saved on these costs. The Federal Highway Administration encourages drivers to consider the amount that they drive even when gas prices are low. More driving can lead to other issues such as gridlock, increased pollution and infrastructure deterioration. NPR reports that some transportation advocates are coming together to push for a change in the way that fuel taxes are charged so that infrastructure can be maintained more effectively. Instead of gas taxes at the pump, some advocates believe that a tax based on miles driven makes more sense. This is because taxes at the pump are used in the maintenance of infrastructure. When gas prices are low and drivers drive more, less taxes are collected and infrastructure maintenance suffers. Taxes collected per mile driven could ultimately help federal and state officials keep up with the cost of infrastructure repairs and construction better because the amount of upkeep required to infrastructure would be more balanced with the amount that roads, highways, bridges and other infrastructure are used." Alright, so now someone gets the bright idea to want to tax the miles I drive instead of how much gas I buy. Anybody besides me see a problem with that? What this article doesn't say is that gas taxes are a loosing proposition. With the growing number hybird cars on the road, better overall mileage, and electrification of cars and trucks, people are gradually buy less gasoline and (theoretically) replacing it with more demand for electricity (via the grid). Less gasoline purchased means less tax revenue collected and the electric cars get to use the same high system at virtually no cost. So this is a paradigm shift in tax generation and revenue to pay for the maintenance of the road / highway infrastructure. What I struggle with is this - is this going to become like Obamacare and I have to report my annual mileage (on all my vehicles) on my Federal and/or State tax forms so I can be charged accordingly? So bottom line (to me) is this article is boo hooing that tax revenue to support highway infrastructure is down and we need new sources of revenue to pay for our crumbing infrastructure. I think this is a terrible idea. States and the federal government have multiple opportunities to spend monies already collect on roads and infrastructure, but it is not a huge enough state or national priority to fix it.

Okay, so adjusting for inflation, a $3000 car today should cost $20,833 according to the inflation calculator I found online. Let's face it, these cars did one thing really well back in the day, go fast in a straight line. Braking, cornering, longevity or decent radios were not its strong points. Granted, new technology has a price to it. However, I don't think any of us would agree that its worth nearly doubling the price of the car. Also, how much of this new technology should be consider the cost of entry into the market and therefore be free? Another thing GM (and the others) has done is to force us into certain option packages and higher starting vehicle content. You can't buy a striped down car these days like you could back in '69 (e.g. try to buy a Camaro without air conditioning). This drives up the vehicle content and therefore the price. Lastly, I grant you that GM has to make a profit on the car, the question becomes is how much is fair? Still I'm with Last Indian and Two Lane, a $20K Camaro should do well in the market place. However, GM does not want to play in that space. I suspect they feel they will loose money.

The first question I ask anyone who wants to make performance modifications is how much can your afford to spend and how fast do you want to go? What is your budget? Injector changes, a cold air kit and free flowing air filter, a bigger throttle body, headers, a PCM flash tuner, and catback exhaust systems will all help your 3800 gain some ponies on the relative cheap. If money is not too big an object, you could ditch the 3.8L altoghether and install a suped-up LS4 like what was in the GXPs originally. Something tells me that is not in the cards. That would also require some tranny, suspension, PCM, and brake upgrades too. Still it would be an awesome sleeper! Especially for a base FWD car. There are companies that offer stage kits, clearly catalogs like Summit Racing and Jegs carry performance parts for the 3800 Series I, II, and III engines. Supercharger, turbocharter and nitrous kits are also available. 3800performanceparts.com, zzperformance.com/3800 come to find for initial kits. Abbott Racing has Stage I racing heads for the 3800. Ray Barton makes performance/racing pistons for the 3800. Again, how deep are your pockets? My recommendation is do your homework. Pour over YouTube videos and how-to / DIY performance articles for the 3800 and the GP. Get feedback on what parts work and don't work, how expensive they are, where to get them, and make your budget from there. It's a little more time consuming but I think you will find you will spend less money in the end.

In case anyone has forgotten, this is not the first time the Camaro has had a 4 cylinder as the base engine. The early 3rd gen Camaros also had a 4 cylinder, the infamous Pontiac Iron Duke. Probably the only time in history where Chevys came with a Pontiac engine from the factory! Now despite what the article says, this motor was not half of a Pontiac 301 V8 engine, like the Trophy/Indy 4 engine was half of the 389. It was a purpose built 4-cylinder. https://www.autoblog.com/2018/04/05/junkyard-gem-1984-chevrolet-camaro/

Well put, Two Lane, well put!

Oh boy.... Time to boil up the tar and raid T J Maxx for down pillows again!

I struggle with the price of modern cars in general, and V8-powered, RWD vehicles in particular. Generally speaking, most begin at $40K and go north from there. I've always had to purchase my daily drivers, I've always commuted too many miles for a lease to be remotely feasible. Today, I see a plethora of new trucks, Yukons, and Suburbans pass me going to work. I wonder how these people afford them when my wife and I can't (and we make decent money). I think its insane for even a low cubic inch V8 RWD vehicle to be price near $40k. Even adjusted for inflation, I don't think a '69 Camaro costing $4,000 in 1969 dollars would cost that much. I realize that most people are leasing and not buying because their payments are significantly lower but at the end of the lease, they walk away with nothing. I fail to appreciate that logic. The monthly car payment is quickly approaching the monthly mortgage payment (assuming someone actually finances a car loan). I truly wonder if the car geniuses as the Big Three understand they are slowly pricing themselves out of business to the average worker? That's why cars that are 1-3 years old are being snatched up left and right. They are a heckuva lot cheaper! Someone else has already taken the significant depreciation hit too. Why would I ever buy a new car again - save wanting something truly special - a Corvette or a Dodge Hellcat perhaps? A $30K 2.0T 1LE Camaro? Why not? It's just not my cup of tea. However, some schmuck will buy or lease it. The question GM wants to know the answer to is how many?

Stupid question time..... Is someone going to post the picture of aspringcarguy's '65 GTO at the top of the website like before or aren't we doing that anymore?

A turbocharged 275 HP 4 Cylinder Camaro 1LE please Ringo. Clearly Chevrolet thinks so. Of course I am the wrong guy to ask that question to. I've always thought GM's pricing and marketing people have had a chronic case of cranial rectal inversion for quite some time now - especially when it comes to pricing and value. I could be bias, I will admit!

Four long seasons meant Universal built about twenty stunt cars for Michael Knight. Then, they had to get rid of most them. Only five has survived. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/entertainment/a19715681/why-there-are-only-five-original-knight-rider-kitts-left/

A quick spin in Chevrolet's new 2.0-liter Camaro 1LE provides a reminder that power isn’t everything. https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-chevrolet-camaro-turbo-1le-prototype-first-drive-review/

A work colleague of mine had a white one. It was a very cool car, and for a mid-size sedan, it was quick as hell (for the day and for a FWD car). It was a "hi-tech" for it's day as well. I loved the steering wheel controls and electronic dash. In those days, we thought most of the cars were going to be electronic gauge clusters. Alas consumers preferred the look of analog gauges over electronic and stayed away from most all electronic gauged cars. So electro-mechanical gauges were develop (mechanical looking but computer drive electronics behind the gauge face) instead.

Brett - hang on to that baby and hold her tight. She is a keeper. Be sure to let us know how to follow you on Instragram or periodically post some updates with pictures. If you want advice, we are happy to help. My dad is currently 90 years old. I cherish every day he is alive, even though he cannot drive or even really take care of himself anymore. I will inherit his 1994 Buick Roadmaster (a real land yacht) when he passes. It is the last new car that he and my mom ever bought. So I will take care of it like I know you will take care of your pop's Firebird. Don't forget to enjoy the ride too!

Another kills sticker GE? WIle would not approve of this one... GE's new bumper sticker !!!! Either that or "I Don't Brake for SH*T! Braking is for Sissies!"

Pontiac clubs (both Pontiac Oakland Club international-POCI and GTO Association of America-GTOAA), your local auto swapper magazines, eBay is certainly an option. Some people have fixed feelings about posting on Craigslist, so that is your choice. Auto Trader.com is another possibility. Plus your local newspapers - even if they are printed 1-3 per week. Typically POCI and GTOAA have monthly national or local chapter publications, so you have to meet whatever their deadlines are for publications. Local auto swappers are usually weekly. Your local newspaper have their particular schedule - whatever it may be. Craigslist, eBay, and Auto Trader.com are all strictly online. So you have choices on how to spread the word on your Lemans Sport convertible.

Back in the mid-1980s, the Pontiac 6000 was Pontiac's FWD mid-size car. The STE version was the high-tech, performance version. One could quickly tell the difference between the LE and SE versions from the STE. The STE had three headlights on each side, the SE and LE only had two. This Autoweek article does a good job photographing a relatively unmolested 6000 STE from a Denver junkyard. While its not road worthy anymore, you can clear see some of the things that made this car stand out back in the 1980s http://autoweek.com/article/junkyard-treasures/junkyard-treasure-1987-pontiac-6000-ste

You say it needs a ground up restoration. How bad is it? Pictures help by the way. If it is a complete rust bucket then parting it out may be the way to go. The nice thing is it is a convertible, so as the expression goes, "if the top goes down the price goes up." Consider this. There were 40,941 Lemans Sports build in 1971. Of those, only 3,865 were convertibles. The selling price always comes down to what someone is willing to pay for it. So assuming that the car is rough, but not in a rotted out condition, I'd say $8-12k plus the value of your additional parts is a probably a good starting point. Mind you, this is a guess based on your comments. THe better the actual condition, the higher the price should go.

I would suggest private messaging GuitarsExtreme (a.k.a. GE), SPRINT6, and TWO LANE BLACKTOP. I know they all live in North Carolina, but I am not certain if they are remotely close to you. I know that GE lives SE of Charlotte. All three of them might have some suggestions for you.

i cannot wait to see more photos SNOW! Bring them on!! What's your plan for the body repair? Do you have shops in mind in your neck of NC in mind? Or are you looking for recommendations?