1979 Camaro Rally sport coupe Photo courtesy of General Motors

1979 Camaro Rally sport coupe Photo courtesy of General Motors The second-generation Camaro’s body is all steel and changed only slightly throughout production. The front end sheetmetal and doors interchange from ’78-’81. Restoration boffins will note that a post-’75 wraparound-rear-window quarter will fit, as will 1975-and-later floors, which were modified to clear the catalytic converter. The unit-body Camaro uses a removable bolt-in front subframe that provides engine and front suspension anchoring, while from the firewall back, the construction is unit-body. Badly rusted cars can suffer from rot in the rear frame members and at the points where the front rails bolt to the floor pans. The F-bodies of this period didn’t put up much of a fight against road salt. Prepare to get that car on a lift for a thorough inspection. Rust will show itself in the floor pans, all around (and particularly behind) the front and rear wheel openings, lower fenders and quarters, rocker panels, along the bottoms of the doors where the sheetmetal skin is folded over, subframes (particularly the front mounts), rear spring pockets, the points where the quarters and rockers meet, under the vinyl roof if so equipped, and in the corners of the doors as well. The lower cowl is a rust hotspot, too, but can’t be seen without removing the front fenders. Remember that the hood, doors, decklid, and bumpers are easy enough to replace without repair—but the unit-body structure is a far tougher fix. Another potential cause of rust is the removable panels of T-roof cars —they’re notorious for leaking—so if the model you’re looking at is so equipped, take extra time to make sure everything is clean and dry under the carpets. Unit-body cars flex when large chunks of the roof are removed, so also check for body panel cracks in T-top-equipped models. The good news is that reproduction and NOS replacement steel (and even softer parts, like our target models’ bumper caps) is amply available. There are two kinds of second-gen Camaro: those which have had their door hinge pins replaced because of sagging, and those that need their door hinge pins replaced because of sagging. The massive doors on these cars put a strain on their mechanisms; unattended, this can wreak havoc in the door jambs around the striker plate. Luckily, repair kits are easily found. Can second-generation Camaros handle? Upper and lower A-arms, ball joints, coil springs, an anti-sway bar, and telescoping shock absorbers live up front, while leaf springs and shock absorbers prop up the rear. Basic Camaros were tuned for comfort over sport, though even base models had a 15⁄16-inch front anti-sway bar as standard. GM’s spring rates changed from year to year, model to model, and engine to engine, and accounted for myriad options. Replacement components, whether stock replacement or slightly beefier aftermarket pieces, are readily available from your favorite Camaro parts supplier. Were second-generation Camaros plush inside? The Camaro’s cabin is a fine place to do business. Pieces for the ’79-up instrument panel may be harder to come by, as they were made for fewer years than the ’78 dash that dated back to 1970. Bucket seats are comfortable and supportive, and replacement seat cover kits, as well as replacement material, are available to reupholster whatever cloth or vinyl has worn out over four decades of use. Plastics tend to get brittle; replacement components are amply available. Should I buy a second-generation Camaro? Early Camaros remain plentiful for many reasons: They’re attractive, they’re easy to fix and sort out, and that low-slung cabin with its forever hood instills a sense of power— even if a six is running the show. And because so many of these later cars were made, there are still enough of them out there to be fairly plentiful and correspondingly inexpensive. What’s more, they’re easily upgraded —the Camaro benefits from one of the most aggressive aftermarket parts programs ever. If you’re looking for a Camaro to modify, save some money and get a Sport Coupe, Type LT, or Berlinetta. Or maybe just leave it be and enjoy it as it came from the factory. Or install some quiet upgrades —suspension and steering parts will bolt on from a Z28, and you can transform its handling on the cheap. That’s one of the joys of Camaro: You can easily make it whatever you want it to be. How much are parts for second-generation Camaros?