I have a love/hate relationship with this generation (’77-’81) of Chevrolet’s Camaro Z28. I owned a ’77 for three years and was thrilled (loved) the fact that it returned after a three model year absence and had some uniqueness to it. I was totally unimpressed (hated) the tepid performance, wretched workmanship (a Norwood car), and cheesy material quality. I sold it after three years and never looked back. This 1980 edition is quite a bit more overt than my ’77 and shows quite well, so let’s take a deep dive and see if we can give it a ruling. Jamestown, New York, is where you’ll find this very “Red Orange” finished Camaro, and it’s available here on eBay for a BIN price of $29,500. There is a make an offer option too.
Heavy-duty suspension, front and rear spoilers, bigger wheels and tires, steeper rear gears, a cat-back low restriction semi-dual exhaust system, and stripes/badging are what set the ’80 Z28 apart from mere mortal Camaros. And for the first time since the early ’70s Chevelle/El Camino, a functional solenoid-operated cowl induction hood made an appearance. Stomp on the loud pedal, and a pair of air flaps at the cowl end of the hood opened and drew in a charge of dense air. This set-up allowed the 350 CI V8 engine (RPO LM1) to develop 190 net HP. The manual transmission models were bestowed with a Borg-Warner Super T-10 four-speed backed by 3.73 rear gears. The original orderer of this Z opted for a three-speed automatic (Turbo-Hydramatic 350), which spun 3.42 gears – 3.73’s were not an option. The engine compartment of this Camaro is spotless, and the seller claims, “Runs and drives amazing.”
Said to have been resprayed in the original Red-Orange hue, this car’s exterior bearing is like new. And that was one of the biggest gripes I had with my Z28 – the unevenness of its silver finish. I’m not sure if it was lacquer or enamel, but it looked like it had been touched up after the fact with indifference. I imagine this car’s paint is a modern two-stage affair, and that’s the reason for its nice depth. My guess is that the stripes and badging had to be reapplied too – a job seemingly well done. Note the windshield and rear window reveal moldings. They’re regular stainless painted satin black, and it didn’t take long for it to peel away on my car. This Camaro is fitted with optional alloy wheels as opposed to the standard 15″x7″ five-spoke, stamped steel units that first graced the ’70 Z28.
The interior is as nice as the exterior. The upholstery is a vinyl and cloth mashup as opposed to standard all vinyl, and the seller’s claim of only 39K miles would appear to ring true. There’s no evidence of splits, tears, fade, or vestiges of a McDonald’s pancake breakfast (it’s a long story) ground into the upholstery. The speedometer in this Camaro has been swapped; it would have originally been equipped with a federal 85 MPH unit, and the seller states that the tach is broken and the heater core needs to be replaced. Beyond that, no issues – it all looks pretty good.
A price of $29,500 seems rich to me for a Camaro Z of this generation, but I’ll admit it, I don’t follow these. Looks are subjective; these cars do drive, handle, maneuver, brake, etc., quite nicely, but don’t expect much in the go department. This is one of the nicest examples of this generation Z28 that I’ve recently encountered. Still, I don’t want to take a trip down memory lane, but how about you?
Paint and stripes look amazing 👏
No AC, manual windows, neither mentioned by seller, nor the modifications to the exhaust including smog pump removal. Those are deal breakers for some people, especially AC. I wouldn’t assume anything with this car, potential buyers need to ask, then see the car in person.
Steve R
Good opportunity to install more efficient/less power robbing Vintage air.
Those all metal manual window regulators will never break. Trust me u will kick yourself when a p/w motor fails at the worse possible time on an old car.
You also get to retain the upper & lower DIRECT-FROM-THE-OUTSIDE fresh air vents at either end of the dash ONLY on NON a/c cars – good when it’s not that hot outside.
What’s odd about the moldings is that the optional side drip rails here are NOT painted black.
Also odd is that the heater core on my 250k mile ’74 firebird 400 is still good
& the tach still works too – tho the tiny clock doesn’t – of course.
The price seems a little ambitious for a non T-Top, no AC car with a few problems. It sure does look good though. Fix the heater core and gauges and the OBO part of the price starts to look much better.
I like the No T-tops/No AC (Overrated) put a Sun Tach on the Column, replace the Heater Core, an Afternoon should do it?
Actually Jim, the 3:73 gears went away in 1980. The 3:42 was the correct gearset for the automatic cars, but all the 4 speed cars got 3:08 cogs. G80 limited slip was an extra cost option for all cars as well.
Kudos to the seller for showing the trailing lower corners of the doors. Unfortunately close inspection shows filler and paint rather than the clean, crisp edges of the door skin. This makes me wonder about what ban be found under the car’s fine looking paint.
The interior looks absolutely amazing for a 45 year old car which needed a repaint.
The seller should service the tachometer and replace the heater core before offering the car for sale.
The changed out speedometer and rear gearing questions the originality of a a car with ridiculously low mileage. Does the car truly have ~40k miles or is it just a number shown on the replacement speedometer?
Yes, and wouldn’t the metric speedometer be counting in kilometers?
Had to look closer at their “showroom”. I think it was a restaurant before, with the individual recesses (and the lanterns between them) along the wall for booths. Good repurpose of a building, always have a ‘Hot Rod Cafe’ option later on.
That speedo is a metric unit, still only reads to 85mph. Looks sketchy to me, resale red repaint, white letter tires and the bottom looks to be repainted black all over. Maybe it is alright, but these don’t excite me much.
I like that the Metric Speedo goes to 140
nice car redone in good colors, but you really got to want it for that asking price. no a/c is hard no for me
Jamestown NY is in western NY, not too far south of the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. With an KPH speedo and no AC, I suspect this Camaro was probably originally delivered in Canada. That may explain the lack of an A.I.R. pump too, was it required in Canada in 1980? The exhaust manifolds are plugged like they previously had “smog trees” on them, but the single groove pulley doesn’t seem right for an A.I.R. equipped car. Unfortunately the Trim Tag doesn’t give any indication if the car was a Canadian export version. The only way to know for sure might be the certification labels on the drivers door, if they’re even still there after a repaint?
The car does present well, but it would be interesting to see a couple pictures of it before it was repainted.
A few minor observations from someone who owns an 80 Z28 that I bought new in April 80. 1) The grille on the 80’s were the same color as the rest of the car not the black that this car has. 2) The stripes aren’t correct for a 80 model. Starting in 80 they used three color stripes instead of the two colors used in previous years. These stripes are missing the top color which should be tomato red. 3) The cars with a custom interior like this one should have a brushed silver panel over the dash and shifter area, it would be the same finish seen on the cigarette lighter in the interior picture. Custom interior has the square back bucket seats, regular interior had the round back seats. The only option mine doesn’t have is the adjustable drivers seat back.
This is a nice looking car. I think it would sell better if he would go ahead fix the things he says it needs repaired. It is a very attractive car. I hope the seller can find someone who will take good care of it.
Nice looking car, I had an 81 i bought brand new, 4 speed, 373, posi, radio delete, steel wheels with trim rings, silver/red. Liked the car, it was fun for a young fellow. At this price tho, I can find several VERY low kilometer 80-81 Corvettes, one close to me i don’t think had ever seen rain and its cheaper once you do the exchange. Still, nice ride, just pricy.
Lots of good time in this gen Camaro’s !! LOL WHHEEEEE
I don’t get where people think they have gold mines. The price is way too high. It’s pretty, but has issues. And for 30k, you can do a lot better. I’d price this around 14-16k.