The bad thing w/ the 3rd.gens is no goodguys except CA. the rest of us have to have 72 and older.If we want to autox at goodguys. I have a 2nd. gen w/ C-6 corvette stub,DSE mini tubed, all new sheet metal,grill,split bumper non rs frt.DSE style 4 link rear w /9in housing,moser 31 spline axles (project car w/ lots of parts).PM for photos.Scott

Speaking from experience, the Bird is a lot more expensive to build, but very very cool...

I own 2 early second gens and 5 early second gen birds.... The birds were the "Gentleman's" car and handled better from the factory than the Camaro, however, the whole issue becomes mute when you start with the after market offerings as they are both f-body platforms.. Clearly a LS style conversion is the more common mod approach, however I choose to do things the hard way on my builds:

70 RS Z clone ---- 383 & 700R4
72RS -----556 All Aluminum pump Gas & 600TKO
70 Formula 400 --463 & 600 TKO
73 TA --440 injected pump gas & a Keisler t56 Dog Box (Project WarPath under construction currently)

If you're doing a budget mined car, then the suspension on the Bird with minor mods will do pretty darn good.... They had some pretty darn beefy factory sway bars and with some updated adjustable shocks, better brakes and new body bushings people can get pretty surprised how well these cars handle...Given an ability to keep the weight out of the nose, and nicer deluxe interiors, I'll take the TA's and Formula's over the Camaro's just because you don't see so many,,,, guess it's all choices (and before anyone takes offense,,, I love my Camaro's too)...

Amen to that:lateral:

2nd Gen Camaro of Firebird. Not many Firebirds done right now and still affordable. Even if you picked up an Esprit.
I have been told that the 2nd Gen handles better with the DSE Quarda-Link rear compared to the 1st Gen. It's been guesstimated that it's the location of the upper link above the rear end that makes the difference.

Thanks again for the posts guys. After some deliberation on and off the forum, I decided to follow the general opinion and go with a second gen. I took a look at two cars today, and after driving them I'm sold on them rather than another third gen.

The first car was a '79 Z28 - had a strong 383 and TH-350 trans, but had some decent rust. More importantly, it had no title or current registration, and I'm not willing to go through the hassle with the DMV again to get a title in my name (I did it once already, never again).

The second car was an '80 Z28, a numbers matching car with a muncie 4 speed. Had some minor rust but the subframes and floors were solid. The motor was the stock 350, in fact it looked like the entire car is 100% original and stock. The clutch was replaced recently and was VERY heavy and engaged almost at the top of the pedal travel, leading me to believe that it was either installed incorrectly or with the wrong parts. The suspension is shot all around, the front A-arms are sitting on the bump stops and the rear is riding on the springs only (a non-issue since I'll be replacing everything anyway). The windshield is cracked and will need to be replaced. I'm less concerned with all of that than with rust, and overall it's a very solid car - the asking price is very fair given that this is a numbers matching, complete Z28. It needs some work but it's a car that I can almost immediately start building up, rather than dealing with structural damage or major rust in the beginning - and it's a car I can drive as I'm working on it if I choose to.

I'm going to call the guy tomorrow and if it's still there I'll likely be going back to complete the sale. If that happens, I'll probably start a build thread here to keep everything documented.

Keep us posted on your build.
GOOD LUCK!!:thumbsup:

Got the car :thumbsup:

Took it home today, I'll start a new build thread when I start working on it and cross-link here.

Off and runnin'! Cool, keep us posted please.:thumbsup:

Congrats on the new project. The 2nd Gen is the right choice and better platform when you consider resale.

However, after putting preferences for looks and potential resale value aside (admittedly important factors), how can you guys say the 2nd gen is a better starting platform? The 3rd Gen has a strut type front suspension that is still used on modern 911's and BMWs and a torque arm/panhard bar rear suspension that is vastly superior to the 2nd Gen's leaf springs. As another point of reference, a showroom stock-prepped 3rd Gen with a stock TPI 305 will wax the floor with a full-on vintage T/A car with a 450hp 302.

Now it might be a different story once you start replacing front clips and re-fabbing the rear suspension, but throw the same basic parts (springs, shocks, bars, bushings, and brakes) at a 3rd Gen and 2nd Gen and it's hard to argue the merits of a more modern suspension design.

I agree with you entirely.

I based my response on looks and "feeling" about the car. But my reply was geared more to the early second gens only because I really like how they look. Also knowing he was going to replace the suspension and modify the drivetrain it made the choice(for me at least) an easy one. A second gen prepared correctly VS a third gen prepared the same way will be a close call. It would come down to driver talent.
But for resale, style, or any reason EXCEPT the original suspension design a second gen wins every time in my book.
Either way it is all just a matter of what you like. To each his own.:cheers: