SO, got the K5 and Tom home safely... This things gonna need alot of work.
SO, I stripped off all the parts I could. The windshield is stuck, and I was afraid of breaking it. Those things are rare!
Then I spent wayy too long working on the rust. I should have sent it to a bodyshop, but whatever. Then I primered it.
Tom, you remember the call I made on the way back? When I was on the phone for about an hour? Well here's why. I had one of the interns order an LS9 ZL1 Engine. I got to the garage and it was there in a crate. Perfect! So, I test fitted it, and it fits like a glove! The truck is currently at Gregs, and the engine is just sitting here in my shop.
Current total price!
Truck: $3,500
Parts from DVAP: $500 (bed cover, hood not mentioned above, but same deal primered and such)
Engine: $26,009 Because it's brand new, 0 miles right from Detroit. Also, I ordered 1 day shipping. (http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/ls9.html)
Suspension: $15,000 Had to be custom made to support the weight, but its the same specs as a ZL1 camaro.
Other parts (doors and such): $1,000
Paint: $5,000 (Inferno Orange Metallic Real Camaro color)
Total: $51,009
Thinking of buying a brand new ZL1 and slapping offroad suspension onto it and making it a K5 Camaro... matching pair maybe? I have wayy too much money left lol. The GNX last year was actually $100,000 all said. Or I could ask for a payment advance and get a new Japanese sports car like a MX5, RX8, S15, BRZ, FRS, GT86, or maybe a 370Z...
Added 22 minutes later:
So, literally as I posted it, the Sonoma arrived. The color is absolutely flawless!