Parts Camaro

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Last Updated: 09 Aug 2003

Author: Dave Williams; dlwilliams=aristotle=net

In July of 2003 I had the opportunity to buy a 1995 Camaro for $300, from a friend's impound yard at his wrecker service. It was a Z-28 with WS-6 T/A wheels. It was in pretty bad shape, having impacted a light pole at over a hundred miles per hour and ripped completely in half. Yes, the driver was DOA.

$300 turned out to get me a pair of LT1 cylinder heads, an LT1 intake, three wheels, a rear end, a driveshaft, and a handful of body parts - driver's window, rear hatch, taillights, bumper cover. Everything else was broken. Everything. One valve cover was bent, and I suspected maybe a bent rocker stud or two underneath (they turned out to be fine), but the block was broken in several places, not visible until I cut the wreckage away.

The list of mangled parts was amazing. I've seen worse smashes than this, but this was a single car, single collision. Even given the astoundingly cheesy construction of the car, it was hard to believe so much damage had been done.

Tommy tossed in a spare LT1 short block, which gave me most of the bits I needed to assemble a complete engine, otherwise I'd be kicking myself worse.

Ruined components: engine block, AC compressor, air pump, radiator, AC condensor, heater core, ABS module, EGR valve, both O2 sensors, transmission broken in several places, bent torque arm, pressure plate, right exhaust manifold, catalytic convertor, radio (!), steering column, rack and pinion, instrument cluster, AC evaporator, heater motor, both seats... take a look at a Camaro and try to visualize how bad you'd have to wreck one to smash the radio. Or just look at these pictures...

This part of the wrecker lot is known as "Death Row" since it's where they park the cars that aren't likely to be repaired...

The speedo needle stays wherever you put it, but this is where it was when I got it. It was moving fast enough to rip the car in half, after all.

Tommy bringing the front part in. Takes some fancy rigging when there's nothing much to grab hold of...

Radiator, AC condensor, ABS module, MAF sensor, and air pump whacked.

EGR valve, pressure plate, transmission front housing, right side exhaust manifold, both engine mounts, AC evaporator, heater core, accessory bracket on front of engine, AC compressor, all whacked.

Tommy plugged it neatly into my shop. The door is only a few inches wider than the car.

The eviscerated remains of the front end. It took a lot of work to get the engine out; the sheet metal was wrapped around the engine in the wreck.

It's not immediately obvious, but this was a T-top car.

The hatch, amazingly enough, had only this damage. I had a key made so I could unlock it, unbolted the one remaining hinge, and lifted it off. Hopefully I can sell it on eBay or something.

The car hit on this side, just in front of the passenger seat. What little metal structure there is (almost all the car is soft plastic) is held together with widely spaced spot welds. The whole side has been ripped loose, held only by a couple of spot welds in the rear fenderwell.

The doors are made out of plastic; soft plastic on the outside, fiber- reinforced (not fiberglass, some cheesy stuff) on the inside, with a piece of pipe as "side impact protection." Note most of the door is simply gone. The piece of plastic on the door jamb is all that remains of the passenger door.

The brake rotor was broken to bits and the front hub broken off from its axle.

My next-door neighbor hauled off the stripped remains for beer money.