Third Generation Chevy Camaro 1982 - 1992: Street Performance and Race Mods

 

Camaro Body Parts:

Fiberglass and carbon fiber aftermarket automotive body panels have always been a method of reducing weight on a vehicle. Care must be taken in finding a supplier who provides automotive body parts which are not overly wavy in contour and thin enough so that they actually reduce the weight of the vehicle and not contribute extra weight.

Fiberglass fender panels:

Auto Component Design
(Division of United Plastics Inc.)
1340 West Collins Ave.
Orange, CA 92667
(714)532-6140

Part #: 1404, 1405
Weight (as shipped): 7.5 lbs each

Third Gen '82-'92 Camaro Fiberglass fender panels

Installation notes: This is far from a bolt-in installation. I had to fix various deficiencies in the panel before it could be used.

Fixes:
  • Front tab: Note that the original steel fender has a mounting tab which was missing on the fiberglass unit. I had to add glass to fabricate this tab.

  • Hold shape and give stiffness: The fiberglass unit could NOT maintain shape to match that of the door. It was also very flimsy and too flexible. To add stiffness I took the steel stiffener from the original steel fender and fiberglassed it to the fiberglass fender.

  • Panel corners: The sharp corner of the stock panel was not reproduced well in the fiberglass unit. I had to add fiber glass and trim to match the stock fender. I used wax paper taped to the external surface at the fender corner as a mold. The wax paper was taped to the outer contour so that it followed and extended the contour of the fender. I then applied cut fiberglass segments and resin to extend the corner. Some of the fiberglass was placed over the interior surface of the fender and the cut segments. When cured, I then removed the wax paper and trimmed the corner. Some sanding was required to smooth the contour.

  • Panel corners: The sharp break of the stock third gen panel was not reproduced well in the fiberglass unit. I had to add glass and trim to match the stock fender.

  • Parking light mounts: These were omitted on the fiberglass unit and had to be added.

The original Third Gen Camaro GM steel fender weighs 11.7 lbs each.

The steel brace extracted from the fender weighs 1.40 lbs each.
The original weight of the fiberglass fender as shipped weighs 7.5 lbs each.
The fiberglass fender with the brace weighs 8.9 lbs.
If weight savings is your goal, this is a poor choice given all the work required. The contour was true and did not need bondo work.

Doors and Door Concepts:

  • Vertical "Lambo" Doors:

    Fifth gen Camaro "Lambo" doors from Vertical Doors Inc.
    (Also available for other generations of Camaros)

  • Rotating Door:
    Door in open positionVideo of door opening

    YouTube.com video link

    This door was spotted during the Long Beach Grand Prix in Long Beach CA on a Mercedes concept car. The integrated seat and door rotate for easy entry and exit.

     

  • Door Closing and Slam Prevention: SlamStop

  • Extruding Door:

    Door shown in open position

  • Lambo doors:

  • Other Door Concepts:

Body Kits:

Trans Am body kit for the 5th gen Camaro

Trans Am body kit for the 5th gen Camaro

Auto Component Design
(Division of United Plastics Inc.)
1340 West Collins Ave.
Orange, CA 92667
(714)532-6140

Camaro Bolt On Hood '82-'92
Part #1393
Weight: 25 lbs
Stock GM '82 Z28 plastic hood: 44.4 lbs

Third Gen '82-'92 Camaro Fiberglass Bolt-on Hood. Part #: 1393
This hood was truly bolt-on and did not require rework like the fender. It was structurally rigid and fit in place. It did require some light bondo work to remove some waves in the contour.

Note the use of a rod to hold up the hood instead of using the gas struts. The force required to compress the gas struts could break the lightweight hood.

Mr Gasket Co.

Hood Locks (Flush mount). Part #: 1472
Protect the your investment in your engine.

Hood pins:

Paint: BASF - [alt] Glasurit 54 line (German OEM paint used on Mercedes and Porches)
  • Gloss Black 54-1240
  • Red: 1991-1992 Bright Red

Hood Alignment:

Alignment of panels is critical for all parts which open and close such as doors, hatchbacks and hoods. Typically the very thin and light fiberglass hoods are not stiff enough to hold contour and shape. Here we show how to align the mid-surface height on a fiberglass hood.

Camaro hood with a height gap
Notice the unsightly height gap of about 1/2 inch mid-length

Camaro hood with a height post
Fix the gap: The stop post raises the height of the hood to hold the outer surface in alignment with the fender height. A nut above and below the mount is used to secure the post. The hood side bumper prevents side-to-side movement which may result in paint abrasion and chipping. Parts available from Classic Industries.

Body Panels:

Auto hood with custom graphics

Anderson Composites: carbon fiber door for Gen 6 Camaro
Anderson Composites: carbon fiber door for Gen 6 Camaro

Links:

  • Custom Graphics:
  • Muth - LED turn signals in mirrors. They do not have a Camaro mirror specifically so one from another car must be cut/ground to fit.
  • Columbia Airmotive: aircraft panel fasteners and fittings
  • Mutoh printers: very large printers can print to fabric or adhesive film which can be applied to automotive exteriors

Weatherstripping:

Supersoft automotive weatherstripping

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