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!
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).
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.
| September 1995 Joined the F-Body Owner’s Group on the ‘net, dedicated to Camaro and Firebird Performance. |
| 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! |
| 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. |
| Saturday, October 21th, 1995 Went to Owatonna to look at the blue Camaro. I saw a glimpse 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. |
| 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 bought the Camaro for $5800 ($6296 including tax and license). The horn and cigarette lighter needed to be fixed. |
| 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. |
| 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! |
| 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. |
| Saturday, November 4th, 1995 Replaced my thermostat with a new 195 degree thermo from Glenn’s Texaco. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 Quonset hut opening to store it for the winter. |
| Sunday, March 3rd, 1996 The Camaro was taken back out of storage, but with no insurance. Discovered a few small rust spots developed. DAMN! |
| 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! |
| Thursday, April 11th, 1996 Idler Arm replaced at Norms as well as an alignment. |
| 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 calibrated. He called that night and told me to rip up the ticket! |
| Saturday, April 20th, 1996 I bought a set of Pioneer Speakers for $81 at Best Buy and installed them myself. |
