As a longtime owner of a 4th-gen GM F-body based vehicle, in my case a 1995 Chevy Camaro, I want to provide a hub of info on maintaining these cars some 30 years after their original production.
The newest 4th gen F-body vehicles came out in 2002, when the Camaro and Firebird platforms were (temporarily) discontinued by GM. Corvettes continued production, which were based on the Y-body platform from 1984 onward. I had always thought all 3 makes were based on the same F-body platform, but there are some differences.
For the moment, at least, this page and section will focus on the 4th Gen F-body, but may expand to cover the other generations if I keep adding to it.
1995 Camaro
Recently I have started to run into parts I need to replace, which are discontinued by GM, since 2022 was the last year they were required to still produce related parts. This pushes Camaros & Firebirds From 1993 onward out of serviceable territory, for some. However, with a little bit of creative sourcing, and sometimes minor fabrication, most of the issues can be overcome.
For example, finding the custom-bent heater and vacuum lines new may not be possible. If you’re replacing something due to a rust-out, chances are the same part sitting in a junkyard is also suffering from rust. This year I had to replace a custom-shaped heater line, which connects between two rubber pieces (going to the water pump & heater core), and runs behind the serpentine belt. NOT something you want to get knocked loose. It is held to the alternator with 2 bolts. Depending on where the damage is, you might be able to cut back the ends of this piece & use a longer hose. Alternatively, the tabs welded to this heater pipe could be cut off, and re-attached to a new piece of pipe via welding. It’s just that you’ll need to bend this pipe, and flare its ends in order to use it as designed. In my case, a neighbor friend welded on new tips (or sleeved it internally). This gets me on the road for now, but long-term I think it would be best to find an exact replacement, with the proper flared endings.
General Tips
When working on these aging vehicles, always be careful of a few things. Do not use excessive force in removing plastic connections, or basically any plastic pieces. If your dash headliner panel isn’t already crumbling, the slightest touch can actually crack it. Mine currently looks like a dried up desert land, somehow held together in place. Most will cover this with fabric. I do not know of a source for newly-molded plastic to replace this piece. Even when they were available, they were a bit pricey for my liking considering the plastic could be just as old. The cracks occur due to some chemical used to make plastics in that era, which over time dries out, leaving the remaining mold brittle. Maybe 3D printing will eventually make this kind of restoration work more accessible.
If you are working with a Bose Delco equipped model, an option on Camaros until it was replaced by the Monsoon system, keep in mind that each year had different configurations. Earlier years only had 3 speakers – 1 in the trunk & 2 in the front doors. Later years added 2 more speakers, located in the rear “sail” panels. Basically, the way these systems ALL work, is the Bose head unit sends a pre-amp signal to the door and rear speakers, which each have their own amp, providing a total of 200 watts (total) across all 5 speakers in the later model. It might be 150 watts in the 3-speaker setup; I’ll have to look this up and confirm. However, this DOES NOT MEAN you can simply swap out a speaker for something aftermarket, or swap head units and provide a pre-amp signal to the speaker amps. They are designed to receive Bose’s signal, which is not the same as like a universal RCA-jack aftermarket amp would receive. In short, to modify the Bose systems, you have to remove or bypass them completely.
There *may* be ways around some of this. I’ve heard of modules that can convert the signals one way or another, but unless I’m able to learn more about it I’ll leave off speculating how they work.
Problems & Solutions with the Bose system:
- Speakers pop
- System pops when turning on, then shuts off within seconds
- Crackling when adjusting volume
- Audio fades out
- Rear speaker(s) cut out or don’t work
Solutions to be added. Many of the issues you’ll see (or hear) are due to corrosion and/or blown capacitors in the head unit or speaker amps. This is common on electronics of the era, and can be repaired in most cases. The process involves recapping the circuit boards, and if damaged, repairing the traces which connect components to each other on the boards. When a trace breaks, it causes an electrical short, and depending on what specifically broke this could be why you have audio issues.
Suspension System
One change from the 3rd to 4th generation of F-bodies was in the front suspension, going from struts to what’s often confused for struts but are actually coilover. The springs are fixed around the shocks, and install as a single unit.
Starting in 1996 all F-bodies had 1-piece drive shafts. Prior to that some V6 models used a 2-piece. If you have the 2-piece design, and your center bearing fails, it can be swapped for a 1-piece shaft. The 3.8l V6 used the 1-piece, and the 3.4l used the 2-piece. They are the same overall length.
From the factory a number of stabilization mechanisms are already in place. For example, the driveline is stiffened with a torque arm, connecting from the rear differential to the transmission tailhousing, which keeps the driveline angle in alignment under varying torque loads. The factory also included front & rear sway bars, a panhard bar, and a track bar. All these components can be upgraded. One of the most popular upgrades is to buy larger (stiffer) sway bars, to help in cornering.
Personally, I have found great satisfaction in ride improvement whenever I have “refreshed” an old suspension sys. By replacing the bushings, end links, and shocks, you can restore to a near factory-like feel, and for little cost if you do all of this yourself. Of course, it would be wise to do as much at once as you can, then have a shop check the alignment when you’re done.
ENGINE CROSSMEMBER: This component connects to the unibody/frame of the F-body, and varies slightly by engine. The front suspension is attached to this piece, as is the engine itself via motor mounts. If your vehicle is damaged in a front-end collision, as mine was, several components could need replacement, depending on the severity and other factors. In my case I hit a tall curb pretty well head-on, with my car at a 45 deg angle to the same curb. I was trying to steer out of a skid but ran out of road. This resulted in bending my lower control arm severely. It wasn’t good to drive on, but being about 2 miles from home I had someone follow me with flashers on, after I changed to the donut spare because the full size tire was rubbing into the fender well. This worked, but the alignment was so off you could hear it screeching the whole time. I kept the speeds low, like 20MPH or less. After assessing the damage, I replaced the bent LCA, but this didn’t completely restore my alignment. The LCA is attached on slotted bolt holes with 1/2″ or more of adjustment, but even adjusted fully outward the car veers to the right. I tried taking the arm off, and drilling that slot somewhat wider, but it still wasn’t enough. I thought it could be the camber angle, but even with negative camber on the passenger side, and near 0° on the driver, it still pulls right. Over time, I’ve deduced or decided that this is the result of CASTER alignment, which is also maxed out on the affected side. If you look at the wheel wells, the right wheel is about 1/4″ too far back. You can fit 3 fingers width thru the front & back on the left, but on the right, only 2 of my fingers fit on the back of the wheel. This tells me the wheelbase is off, for one, and that it would affect camber, since the TOP of the suspension, including the UCA, are fixed to the frame. The crossmember must then be off relative to the frame. And indeed, when I check underneath, I can see some alignment tabs where the k-member attaches, which appear to be farther back on the right than the left. Also, the rear bolt looks like it slipped back at the exact angle I hit the curb — about 1/4″ when viewed from below. So my current plan is to see if the k-member can be realigned. Even if it’s not perfect afterward, that should give me additional adjustment for a DIY alignment, then I can work on the rest of the suspension before taking it to an official shop for a final alignment.
I may have more to add to this page, and possibly create a section with a sort of knowledge base. This all takes time, so check back periodically and see if there’s anything new!
Replacing the Starter
After hitting 2ooK miles, my factory starter turned its last cranks, a couple of times. Replacing it is fairly straightforward, but I ran into extreme difficulty removing & re-installing the starter. It turns out if you know the “one weird trick” it isn’t difficult at all. You have to position it a specific way to get it to slide out between the exhaust crossover pipe (or “Y-pipe”) and the two transmission cooler lines on the passenger side of the engine bay.
This is for the 3.4L specifically, but may apply to the 3.8L V6 that debuted in 1995.
Essentially, to remove it, once unbolted from the engine block and disconnected from the two electrical wires on the starter terminals, you have to flip it upside down and backwards. Just like every other procedure on a 4th Gen F-body.
I positioned myself facing up on my back (of course) and with my head toward the rear axle. With the vehicle raised on its front jack points, I worked from basically directly underneath the starter area. This gives you the most leverage with your arms and provides a pretty good view of the engine underneath if you have your eyes just past the engine crossmember. This put my feet sticking out a tiny bit from the front lip. Note that I’m over 6 feet tall, so YMMV.
Then what I mean by “backwards” is with the gear facing forwards instead of backwards. It’s not too hard to turn it around, either. There is plenty of vertical room. Then with it flipped you can turn it around “upside down” by rotating the unit where its electrical terminals face downward instead of being on the top. Then slide it out, rocking it as you go (and it’s heavy so rock hard). It will probably get stuck on the heat shield corner, and on various portions of the starter. Every time I struggled and tried to force it, was unsuccessful. When it finally came out, it was much smoother, though still required the rocking and using a moderate amount of force.
Basically if you follow this video it will come in and out smoothly. Seems too simple. Is that simple, if you get it positioned just right. My experience was cumbersome because I attempted to figure out a way to route it without knowing exactly which passage to take or the direction. I found the videos after giving it 20 or 30 mins. Keep in mind my starter was covered in 200k miles of leaky oil gunk, so that made the whole operation more tedious. This is a good time to clean up any oil residue your engine may have, and monitor the area after the swap to see if an active leak is getting to your new starter. This may be what caused my old one to fail. I currently have a power steering leak that I plan to repair, which may be the source of the buildup. For me, once it’s addressed, I’m looking for leaks around the oil pan, which might be past due for its own service.
But for now, I’ve cleaned up a good bit of sludge on the side of the oil pan that was blocked by the starter, plus the starter itself and its heat shield. All of this helps keep the area cooler and make it easier to find the source of any leaks.