Today we removed all the interior on the 97 Z28 donor car. My girlfriend will be cleaning every possible thing on this Z28 while it's interior is out. The project is this 1997 Z28 electronics and drivetrain is going into my nice 97 V6 camaro and it's V6 will be going back into the Z28.

I am doing this because I have always wanted a V8 in my camaro due to it's excellent condition. My girlfriend wants the Z28 as a everyday cruiser car and car to go on trips with. So she doesn't mind the 3800 V6 for fuel economy.

Yes I know why not just give her the 3800 camaro, answer is simple, I love the car and I am the original owner of it and never plan on selling it. This is a 100% smog legal swap in california and my camaro isn't a every day car. I have a 97 3800 firebird if I want fuel economy.

So the project begins with removing all the electronics on the Z28 and transferring them to my 97 camaro. Don't expect high perf. add ons on this camaro.

Some issues I know to be a problem are the z28's ASR and I see it's harness coming out of the bulkhead connector by the brake booster and a 3800 doesn't have this. Another problem is a 3800 has a different evaporator core which I will swap in the complete evaporator and box from the Z28.

Not much else looks problematic on the swap though.

here progress for the day. 97 z28 interior pulled.

 

I bought the donor for 1,000





This is my 97 camaro in which all the Z28 will be transferred. It is just in a lot better condition then the Z28, and best of all will have a 350 and pay V6 insurance on it.

 

Got the carpet as clean as it will come from the Z28







Also got the hvac stuff out of the z28 as well. The hvac box looks about the same as my V6 camaro's

 

Tore the interior out of my 97 camaro today and the steam cleaned the carpet. Tomorrow we will start transferring the hvac systems and electronics and dash and put the interiors back together.

 

Hvac system is out of my camaro now, so is the dash, and all electronics.

Girlfriend steam cleaned all her seats from the z28 as well.

 

Okay so the braking system appears different on the LT1 verses my 3.8 ...

Here is the difference

2 lines come from the master cylinder and 3 lines come out the pump, 2 to the front brakes and 1 to the rear on my 3.8.

2 lines from master cylinder, and 3 lines out the side of the pump. However where the 3.8 rear brake line heads to the back of the car. On the z28 it goes to a proportioning valve under the pump and then 2 lines head to the rear of the car.

will this mean the rearends need to be swapped? Is there an additional speed sensor on the z28 rearend verses the 3.8 camaro?

 

Sound like your Z28 has traction control, with 4 independent brake lines. You V6 apparently does not have TCS, and should have only one rear wheel speed sensor on top of the differential housing. The Z28 should have one wheel speed sensor at the end of each axle. It would appear you will need to swap in the EBTCM from the Z28, and the traction control servo that sits on top of the driver's side valve cover. At least if you want to keep traction control.

 

The 3.8 camaro SGS (second gear startup) for it's traction control. Yes the z28 has ASR.

I actually hate the traction control, but since it is there I will hook it all up. So chances are high I will have to do a rearend swap as well?

 

You can't have a traction control system without the two rear wheel speed sensors.

 

Well maybe best to swap rearends then, this way everything works right. Have to change exhausts anyways this way pcm won't suffer from gear changes and speedo is accurate.

 

Just wanted to update this. I so far have my 3.8 in the z28 and the lt1 in my camaro, also both rearends are swapped.





camaro prepped with lt1 stuff



LT1 is in my camaro now, still have a lot to hook up though



Old 3.8 from my camaro is in the z28 now.

 

Everything but the fuel lines are hooked up on the z28 now, a/c system has been evacuated and has held vacuum for over a hour with no changes so it will be ready to be charged when car is running.

few days away from it running again though

 

Sorry I didn't show many pictures. Both cars are no fully driveable, my girlfriend loves the z28 with a 3.8 in it. The LT1 has been doing just fine, I have put about 300 miles on my camaro and the LT1 never gets hot, has great power definitely worth all the work.

 

Time for a update ....

As you recall when this z28 was purchased it had ugly *** plasti-dipped rims, and faded black mirrors.

My girlfriend hated both, so we stripped the rims and repainted them. We also found excellent hood and trunk lifts for it for 10 bucks. The prior owner/s had all the lights and fog lights either zip tied or wired in place. For 5 bucks we found a camaro at pick-a-part and snagged all the correct stuff to get it's lights properly held in place.









both mirror were ugly and faded, so again at pick-a-apart we found really nice gloss black power mirrors from a 2001 for 40 bucks, figured I couldn't have originals repainted for that LOL.

both were like this



replacement mirrors

 

I didn't want the hassles of dropping fuel tanks (heard of differences between a LT1 fuel pump and a 3.8 pump) so since my camaro had te trap door figured I would add one to the z28 for later easier fuel pump changes)



bought a sheet of new metal and sealed and pop riveted it in place.






donor z28 interior all back in and cleaned up