1979 Camaro Z28 Refresh in 11 Days

For the past forty five years, I have been obsessing about my old 1979 Camaro Z28. While I told the full story in the related article below, the short version is that it has been on my mind since I sold it in 1981.  When I met with the current owner of it in 2021, it was clear he wouldn’t sell it back to me.  I was mostly satisfied with that decision, but the legend of that car stuck with me until this week.

Related article:  40 Year Obsession: My 1979 Camaro Z28

At the time that I bought and sold my Z28 (1979-1981), I worked at the local Burger King.  One of my friends from that job, Bill Gogola, was a car nut like me.  We had some fun times cruising in my car, and still laugh about those adventures today.  Little did I know that we would get together with another 1979 Z28 in 2026.

An Opportunity Presented

As it turns out, Bill bought a 1979 Z28 in 1994 and still owns it today.  He doesn’t drive it much, having only put 3,000 miles on it since 1994 (it currently has 21,000 miles).  During a recent lunch, he mentioned that the car needed some work to make it roadworthy. That caught my attention and gave me an idea.

Bill knows his way around a car, but has a physical limitation with his hands that make it difficult to turn a wrench.  Seeing an opportunity to help a friend and get intimate with a Z28, I offered to help.  Bill seemed interested, but reluctant to abuse my goodwill.  

Just A Quick Refresh

When Bill mentioned the work needed on his car, it was primarily a leaking water pump and a rough running engine.  Since his car is rarely driven, I assumed bad gas and ignition issues were the cause of the engine performance issue.  I asked Bill to order some parts, then bring his car to my garage for the work.

On the day that Bill brought the Z28 to my house, I noticed the front and back seats were full of boxes from Rock Auto. Since the parts I had in mine would have fit in the passenger seat only, I was curious what changed.  Bill was excited about getting the car sorted, so brought over some extra parts–just in case I had time to install them.  

It’s worth mentioning that Bill used to sell cars for a living.  He knows how to inspire people to take a leap with him.

Work Performed

I won’t bore you with the finer details of what I did, but if you want to read about it please see the attached “service summary” shown below.

Related:  1979 Service Summary

In summary, the brake system got a new master cylinder, brake pads and hoses.  I also replaced all four shocks, the distributor cap, rotor, coil, spark plugs and wires.  While replacing the water pump, I also replaced the alternator, all drive belts, both radiator hoses and the radiator cap.

I also replaced the broken tachometer with one that Bill supplied.

When Bill dropped off his car, I noticed that the red paint was dull and the wheel paint was damaged.  Without tipping my hand, I asked him if he would grant me some liberties with the body and wheels.  He asked, “Are you serious?  Can you bring those back to life?”  I mentioned that I could give it a try.  With that, he asked if I could do all of this work within a month.  I felt confident that I could, so he went on his way.

Value Added Refresh

In the middle of repairing Bill’s car, I removed his wheels and took them to my basement workshop.  The steel wheels were in good shape (no bends or corrosion), but the paint was worn and damaged from chemical cleaners.  With a little work, I was sure I could make them look stellar again.

I ran down to my favorite paint supply shop and got the correct red paint for his wheels.  GM color code 75 (Bright Red) basecoat and a urethane clear coat were applied in my basement paint shop.  Unlike the Ranger wheels I just painted for my Bronco, the 1979 Z28 wheels were a joy.  They are relatively flat with no deep pockets.  This meant the paint and clearcoat was not likely to run.  

Not to brag, but I was really happy with the result.  After a few days of curing, I installed the wheels on the car and finished my other repairs.  I also buffed the paint to bring it to the same level of brilliance and shine as the freshly painted wheels.

The Result and Final Thoughts

After eleven days of working on Bill’s car, it was ready for pickup.  When Bill arrived at my house, I opened the garage door for the unveiling.  The look on his face made all of my work worth it.  He was shocked at how good it looked. I mentioned it drove and rode pretty well, too.  He laughed and said, “of course it does.”

Even though this was a lot of work, it truly was a labor of love.  I was able to relive my youth in a 1979 Z28.  Unlike the reunion with my Z28 in 2021, this one closed the book on Z28s. The memory of my Z28 in 1981 is far different from the reality in 2026.  I’m ready to close that chapter of my automotive life.