early or late 2nd gen camaro ?

[M.P.G.]

I have a chance to pick up ONE of these cars. Thing is I just cant decide. Here is what I know about them.( there both the same price.)

1973 camaro new paint, new black interior,427 ci 350 turbo trans not sure on rearend or gear. pewter/black stripes cowl hood with the bigger spoiler.

1981 z28 new paint, new black interior,also pewter. as of now no decals at all, with a 4spd, and a 1972 350 ci 4 bolt, rebuilt with a mild cam etc.. claims 350hp. T-tops

I like both styles alot. Im swaying a bit toward the 73 for 2 reasons the 427, and it seams it's the popular choice. But late 2nd gens can look bada$$ also.
and it just seems not many go with those years in the PT world compared to 67-73. But I dont want to regret my choice.

I know alot of you guys dont like T-top cars but maybe it's the 80's kid in me I think there cool.

so lets hear the opinions, help me choose.

[ManwithNoName]

Well I'm building a 1970 right now so I'm kinda partial to the early 2nd gens. Is the '73 as RS front end or standard? The RS tends o be more popular & sought after but I actually prefer the standard front ends. Either way you can't go Wong with either the '73 or the '81. Both will make great protouring cars.

[Rod]

get the 73...its worth more and there are no smog requirements, so its easy to sell in any state

[srh3trinity]

Early car will probably always have the better resale value and certainly is worth more now. The 427 would probably sell well if you plan a motor swap down the road.

[KacyZ28]

get the 73...its worth more and there are no smog requirements, so its easy to sell in any state

Your right, but an early 2nd gens are everywhere, where as a done PT 81 would be ahead of the game. I'd do the 81 if it were me

[Project92rs]

get the 73...its worth more and there are no smog requirements, so its easy to sell in any state

Not entirely true. 73 still has to smog in AZ. But the smog requirements are to not pollute more than it did when new so it's pretty easy to get one to pass since 73 didn't have much in the way of emissions equipment on it.

I'd also take the 73. I just like the older 2nd gen cars better.

[71RS/SS396]

The 73 has better resale and is probably 300#'s lighter than 81 if it had a sbc, those rubber bumpers weigh a ton with the giant chunks of steel behind them.

[V8240Z]

No contest! Get the 73...

[cornfedbill]

Yup. The '73 for the weight savings and the emission regulations if there are any in your area.

I like the looks of the later cars, but would choose the lighter earlier car.

[Quickboat]

Yea, full rubber bumpers and NO chrome? EWWWW!

[M.P.G.]

Like I said Im leaning toward the 73. thanks for all the input. I am going to see the cars this week and maybe then it will be love at 1st sight. so we'll see.

keep the opinions flowing...

[Todd in Vancouver]

Yes I'm for the '73 as well but especially because I just saw an ad for a RS retrofit kit so you can have the split bumper. PLEASE do not put the split bumperetts with a regular nose, it drives me CRAZY!

[Chevrolaine]

PLEASE do not put the split bumperetts with a regular nose, it drives me CRAZY!
Ya, people hate it when cars look better than the way the factory did it.:enguard:
73 No brainer!

[WS6]

73 because of the big block. I have a thing for 427s. They are great motors that you just don't see any more because everyone wants a 454 or larger BB. Late 2nd gens can be done up to look great. brownz, TigMan, and others have some great examples so they can be very viable options for people.

Also, have you ever owned a 2nd gen with t-tops? Unless the car is stored inside and not driven on rainy days, they will quickly become an annoyance. I love t-tops but they have their drawbacks. I recommend anyone interested in a 2nd gen to actually want t-tops when looking for a car or else stick to a hardtop car.

Good luck!

[Randy67]

The 73 has better resale and is probably 300#'s lighter than 81 if it had a sbc, those rubber bumpers weigh a ton with the giant chunks of steel behind them.

The bumpers are heavy on the late ones, front steel part is 66 lbs and rear is 32 lbs, at least what my scales said. I didn't weigh the soft parts of the bumpers. If I had a choice, I would prefer the early car, but sometimes the later one is much cheaper. And in my case it had almost no rust which was nice.

[M.P.G.]

Well I went to his shop to see the cars, and so far things are looking good on the 81. As of a week ago it was still un assembled and no paint except underside of the hood. The color he put on is a silver/grey wich I like BUT when he shinned a light on it it was purple'ish. I just dont know if I can do purple'ish lol. Maybe when the whole car is done and I see it in the sunlight it will look better. If I dont like it then I will def move on to the 73 wich he hasnt even touched yet.

[1989GTA]

get the 73...its worth more and there are no smog requirements, so its easy to sell in any state

Ditto to that.

[Kenova]

Without a Big Bumper option ('74 - '77) I would go for the '73.

Ken

[rocketman350]

There's always going to be different opinions between early or late 2nd gen camaros. I bought a 81 z28 myself under $1000 rust free a few dents and has the 350 sb. It was a steal in my eyes. I never really wanted a camaro in the first place but you hardly ever see late 2nd gen anywhere. Also yea they have more emissions then the early models but you can still have the car pass with out alot of the equipment.

[joseph100]

Get the 73. It has a better resale value too.

[novaderrik]

the 81 will be the most aerodynamic 2nd gen you can find if you get all the Z28 pieces with it- all those aero add ons that they put on the Z28's were actually wind tunnel tested to make the car cut thru the air and create actual downforce at speed...
weight is easy to get rid of- take out those heavy bumper supports and replace them with aluminum and ditch all the silly emissions and some of the creature comfort crap that they piled on over the years and you are probably down near the weight of the early 2nd gens, but in a more aerodynamic envelope.. plus they did make some minor changes to the suspensions of the cars over it's 11 year production run, too, which makes the newer one a better choice.

one thing i'd do, however, is get a dash out of an early car- the dash that they used up to 75 or so is just beautifully functional...

[Zspoiler]

It depends on what you want to do with the car .If you want to drag race it ,I would the earlier car because of the big block and the weight. If you like t-tops I would get the later one. Or if you don`t have to go through emissions again. It depends on the state. You could always get the later one and put a Big Block in it. Remember they are basicly the same car. DO what you want to do. And have fun doing it.