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Raw V-8 Powered Torque Monster
One of my favorite pastimes
is driving around in my 1988 Chevrolet
Camaro that I bought in October of 1995. It has a small-block V8 engine for that
nice raw torque. Not bad looking for having three previous owners, huh? To
make it sound better, I added a Kenwood deck and some Pioneers (6" x 9") to the side
panels. The side
panel speakers can be replaced very easily by just unfastening the screws inside the coat
hooks of each panel. I have a 600-watt Kenwood amp in the back.
After years of driving the Camaro,
I have to say I am really impressed with
this car. No Sport Coupe today can match this combination of styling, power,
and tradition. So here is my pride and joy ... my 1988 Camaro!
So What's a Sport Coupe?
In 1988, the Z28 model was dropped and replaced
by the newly restyled Sport Coupe. The Sport Coupe (SC) took on the appearance
of the old Z28 except the SC had the standard hood style, body colored
headlight pockets, and gold/silver wheel center caps. 1988 was the
last year for the Sport Coupe and was the
only year for this particular appearance. It is also the last year the
Camaro was available with the standard spoiler instead of the "shorty"
wing (slight extension). The carbureted 305 (LG4) was replaced with the
new throttle-body injected 305 (LO3). The 1988 Camaro was also the rarest
production year in the whole decade!
The Story Unfolds...
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September 1995
Joined the F-Body Owner's Group on the 'net, dedicated to Camaro
and Firebird Performance. |
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Saturday, October 7th, 1995
Went to Lakeville, MN to look for a new car to replace my aging
Plymouth Volare. I was looking specifically for a Pontiac Sunbird or a Chevy
Cavalier, something that looked good, and went pretty well. After looking at
many car lots, I kind of jokingly decided on looking for Camaros. At the end
of the day, I decided that the Camaro would be the first choice! |
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Friday, October 20th, 1995
My Mom went to Medford and Owatonna with a friend, and spotted a
nice blue Camaro at a Ford dealership for sale. |
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Saturday, October 21th, 1995
Went to Owatonna to look at the blue Camaro. I saw a glipse of a
white Camaro at some other dealership, but decided to maybe go back and look
at it later. The blue Camaro at the dealer was nice, but not exactly what I
was looking for. So, disappointed, we went back to the dealership with the
white Camaro. It was a 1988, and in great shape. Had many questions to ask,
but the dealership was closed. Will have to go back another day. |
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Tuesday, October 24th, 1995
My parents picked me up from work at 4:00 and went to Select
Motors to try out the Camaro. I took it for a test drive and it was really
nice. I accidentally squawked the tires getting started after a stop sign,
and my parents did not like that very much :) I was used to WOT starts with
the 95HP Volare! We stopped at a local Wal-Mart parking lot and did an
overall check and made sure everything was functional. Got back to Select
Motors and . The horn and
cigarette lighter needed to be fixed. |
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Wednesday, October 25th, 1995
I made out a $4,000 Cashier's Check for the down payment, and
borrowed the rest ($2,200) from my Mom to pay back later. |
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Thursday, October 26th, 1995
My parents dropped off my new car at NBS (my
old employer) and they brought my Volare home. I was so happy and
excited to drive it home that night. Those T-Tops are really cool! |
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Thursday, November 2nd, 1995
The Camaro's first oil change. Some minor leaks were found in a
transmission seal and a small oil leak. The idler
arm was also kinda bad. |
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Saturday, November 4th, 1995
Replaced my thermostat with a new 195 degree thermo from Glenn's
Texaco. |
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Saturday, November 11th, 1995
Got new license plates and also got a check to pay for half of an
idler arm replacement from Select Motors. |
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Monday, November 27th, 1995
BLIZZARD! Got 5 inches of snow and had foot-high drifts out on
the deck. Needless to say, I picked the Volare to drive that day. |
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Sunday, December 3, 1995
So completes the fun with the Camaro for this year. The car cover
was on and tarry cloths were over the quanset hut opening to store it for
the winter. |
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Sunday, March 3rd, 1996
The Camaro was taken back out of storage, but with no insurance.
Discovered a few small rust spots developed. DAMN! |
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Saturday, March 9th, 1996
The bad Camaro is back! I really missed it. Got it out just in
time for my birthday on the 10th! |
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Thursday, April 11th, 1996
Idler Arm replaced at Norms as well as an alignment. |
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Tuesday, April 16th, 1996
A 60 Degree truly beautiful sunny day! I got my FIRST SPEEDING
TICKET! It was written for 73 in a 55 zone, but I was ACTUALLY going 60!
(Really!) Evidently others were stopped for speeding at about the same
speed, and the deputy discovered the radar wasn't worked. He called that
night and told me to rip up the ticket! |
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Saturday, April 20th, 1996
I bought a set of Pioneer Speakers for $81 at Best Buy and
installed them myself. |
Engine
General Motors LO3 5000cc (305 cu.
in.) V-8 Engine
9.3:1 Compression Ratio
Induction Type: Throttle-Body Fuel
Injection
Horsepower: 170 bhp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 255 lb-ft @ 2400 rpm
Maximum Engine Speed: 5000 rpm
Drivetrain
TH700R4 4-Speed Automatic Transmission
Gear Ratios: 3.06, 1.63, 1.00, 0.70
(1st through 4th)
Final Drive Ratio: 2.73:1
Rear Wheel Drive w/ Limited Slip Differential
Chassis and Body
Weight: +- 3645 lbs.
Wheelbase: 101 in.
Height: 50.3 in.
Width: 72.8 in.
Ground Clearance: 8 in.
Handling
Mastercraft Avenger GT 215/65R15 Tires
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