Stripping a 1991 Camaro

[jin1481]

If any one has advice on where to start on the car, and what tools to use that would be awesome.

I want to start buying tools around august/september time period. When i get my discharge in october i want to tear it all the way down and start to basically restore and lighten it up. My plan is to pretty much turn it into a drift/auto x car that i can still take out on to a regular road every once and a while. Semi stripped interior, roll cage, racing seats so on and so forth.

[WildBillyT]

Assuming you already own wrenches, pliers, and a socket set:

1.) A GOOD QUALITY floor jack and jackstands.
2.) Buy Kano Kroil or PB Blaster by the gross. You will need it.
3.) If you don't have an air compressor and air tools, get a hold of those. An air chisel is a nice to have, a cutoff wheel is a have to have
4.) A torch set (or at least a propane torch) is good to have
5.) Pry bars and/or long screwdrivers

[V]

ah..ok, strip as in to rebuild... then im not the one to talk to

torx bits are a must, and then with basic hand tools you shoudl be set

edit:
hehe

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by SmokingSS

ah..ok, strip as in to rebuild... then im not the one to talk to

Yeah. No need for a 10hp gas powered chop saw LOL

[jin1481]

im goin to have to cut stuff off?!?

[V]

what wildbilly meant is after 16 years, bolts break and nuts strip, a cutoff wheel comes in handy to remove those. The torch would be to loosen frozen nuts and bolts.

you wont need a sawzall or chop saw like i get into, i usually dont plan on putting cars back together, theres no fun in that.

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by SmokingSS

what wildbilly meant is after 16 years, bolts break and nuts strip, a cutoff wheel comes in handy to remove those. The torch would be to loosen frozen nuts and bolts.

you wont need a sawzall or chop saw like i get into, i usually dont plan on putting cars back together, theres no fun in that.

Yep, exactly. The chop saw comment was a joke but everything else was real.

You never know what you are up against. Fortunetly you are doing a '91, so things probably aren't that bad yet, but if you encounter a heavily frozen bolt, or one that's rounded off, or a Grade 8 bolt that has the head broken off your progress can come to a screeching halt if you are not prepared. The tools I mentioned are so you are better equipped to handle special situations.

[NightRydaSS]

Originally Posted by SmokingSS

ah..ok, strip as in to rebuild... then im not the one to talk to

torx bits are a must, and then with basic hand tools you shoudl be set

edit:
hehe

i think im going to be sick...

[V]

Originally Posted by NightRydaSS

i think im going to be sick...

i dont wanna hijack this thread so... http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthr...ewpost&t=26048

/hijack

[NightRydaSS]

[jin1481]

sweet, thanks guys

[NJSPEEDER]

the most important part of any tear down is a bunch of zip lock bags, some duct tape, and a marker. LABEL EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!
i can not explain the headaches that can be saved by spending a few minutes at a time putting all the fasteners for a part or section of things together and labeling them clearly.
it is a PITA while you are taking everything apart, but it will save you hours when it is reassembly time

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by NJSPEEDER

the most important part of any tear down is a bunch of zip lock bags, some duct tape, and a marker. LABEL EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!
i can not explain the headaches that can be saved by spending a few minutes at a time putting all the fasteners for a part or section of things together and labeling them clearly.
it is a PITA while you are taking everything apart, but it will save you hours when it is reassembly time

Ask me how I know.....

- Justin

[BonzoHansen]

And 1000s of digital photos - the bigger res the better. Trust me.

And a p-touch can be handy for marking wires & such. Or masking tape & a sharpie.

[jin1481]

thank you, thank you

[NJSPEEDER]

Originally Posted by Tru2Chevy

Ask me how I know.....

- Justin

i am gonna guess because you didn't listen to me when we worked on your car. that is just a guess though

[jims69camaro]

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

Assuming you already own wrenches, pliers, and a socket set:

1.) A GOOD QUALITY floor jack and jackstands.
2.) Buy Kano Kroil or PB Blaster by the gross. You will need it.
3.) If you don't have an air compressor and air tools, get a hold of those. An air chisel is a nice to have, a cutoff wheel is a have to have
4.) A torch set (or at least a propane torch) is good to have
5.) Pry bars and/or long screwdrivers

air tools are nice, but not necessary. electric tools work, too. i bought a rotoZip rebel back before there was such a thing as a dremel. i have a right angle attachment for it that drives cut-off wheels, grinder, buffer, etc.; two speeds (or even variable speed) is essential for a tool that will get used more than once and then sit under the bench for a year or three (mine is 15,000 and 30,000 rpms - the right angle reduces that speed some, but by how much i don't know).

baggies - zipper lock preferred, because they will stay closed, masking tape and a sharpie to label everything you take off. if it doesn't fit in the bag, then tape it and label it. a variety of cardboard boxes to hold small parts will work, plastic boxes are better.

any penetrating lube. i use wd-40, but there are other, more specialized, lubes on the market.

oxy/acetylene torch to loosen the bolts that lube won't. a cutting nozzle to cut off those that won't loosen.

cordless drill with at least two backup batteries. if you don't have air tools, this will speed up the job tremendously. at least two batteries because you always want a backup handy and one in the charger, and one in the drill. spend the money and buy quality - you want it to last more than a month.

basic hand tools:

ratchet: 1/4 and 3/8 drive, 1/2 inch, too, if you have the stacks.
wrenches: metric and SAE, open end and box, six point and twelve. there are all kinds of nifty, new wrenches like ratcheting and angled and whatever. go for them after you get the basic set down.
hammers: you'll want and need a good mini-sledge, five pounds or less unless you are Thor. i have three of differing length handles and weights.
screwdrivers: a good set of bits with a four way driver can handle most jobs. there are jobs where a good spade bit does it better. there are a variety of lengths and bit size if you decide to get more than just a four way.
pry bars: not to be confused or interchagned with screwdrivers! these have their jobs and a screwdriver should never be used for prying. that's usually when you will injure yourself (and require stitches).

[Teds89IROC]

Originally Posted by NightRydaSS

i think im going to be sick...

Paul, you're a sick man

[NJSPEEDER]

jim, everyone knows that pb blaster(the original nut buster) is way better than wd-40

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by NJSPEEDER

(the original nut buster)

...letting this one go...

[Slo86Bird]

the dash is mainly 13mm-or half inch and 7mm. i am in the process of taking mine apart at the moment and thats all ive used so far

[jin1481]

ok, thank you

[Slo86Bird]

also 10mm haha and 14mm