1987 Chevrolet Cavalier RS Convertible V6

1987 Chevrolet Cavalier RS Description

Please read the entire description. Car is being sold as is. Car is located in Des Moines, Iowa.

The winning bidder on this car will receive ALL these extra parts at no additional charge. Note that these parts are being provided as spares/replacements -- they have NOT been installed:

• New GM steering rack

• New convertible top and rear window

• New APEX lowering springs

• New carpet and floor mats

• New radiator

• New rear shock absorbers

• New rear wheel bearing assemblies

• New ball joint

• New tie rod end

• New motor mount inserts

• GM shop manuals, GM parts and illustrations catalogs, GM drivability/emissions manual for the 2.8 engine, Chilton’s manual, owner’s manual, labor estimating time guide

• New torque strut motor mount

• New transmission filter and gasket

• Set of 6 new spark plugs

• Spare convertible top motor/pump (untested)

• Spare instrument cluster (used)

• Spare rear sway bar (thicker diameter than what’s on the car now)

• Spare fuel rail and fuel injectors (used)

• Spare air intake/airflow sensor (used)

• Z24 and aftermarket side skirts (used)

• Z24 rear bumper cover (used)

The car is NOT currently drivable. It will have to be trailered. It hasn't been on the road in more than 10 years. At a minimum, it needs a fuel pump, a radiator and a battery. It does run on starting fluid. Here’s a video I shot of the car running (briefly) after I sprayed starting fluid into the air intake:

https://youtu.be/jgKFjzwfLcc

This car sat for more than 10 years with a full tank of gas. I siphoned the tank, refilled it with fresh gas and changed the fuel filter before attempting to start it this month, but the fuel pump is bad -- probably gummed up from old gas. There’s no “hum” from the fuel tank area when the key is turned. I replaced the fuel pump relay, but that didn’t fix it. Also, the fuel gauge shows empty even though the tank is full, so the float for the sending unit is probably gummed up as well. So, at a minimum, you’re going to need to drain the gas tank, drop it, clean it out (or replace it) and replace the fuel pump/float.

Car has a weak battery and needs a new radiator. One of the radiator’s plastic side tanks cracked, which is why the car was parked. There’s little or no coolant in the system right now. A NEW RADIATOR IS INCLUDED at no extra cost to the winning bidder, but it will need to be installed.

Below is a rundown on everything else I know about the car.

ENGINE: “Ran when parked.” (Yeah, I know.) But it did, and it ran great. Plenty of power. I never had to do anything to the engine for the short amount of time that I drove it. It does have a small oil leak; I’m told that the most likely culprit is an O-ring that Chevy used when they transitioned 2.8 V6 engines to distributor-less ignition. The hole where the distributor shaft would have been was plugged with a bolt and a rubber O-ring; the O-ring gets brittle over time and leaks. It never leaked enough oil to be a concern for me.

TRANSMISSION: When I first got the car, I didn’t like the dark color of the tranny fluid, so I immediately changed the fluid and filter twice. It shifted flawlessly after that. I don’t think I torqued the pan bolts in the right sequence though, so there’s a small fluid lead from the pan gasket. Like the motor oil leak, it’s an annoyance at best. A new gasket and filter is included with the car.

CONVERTIBLE TOP: Was replaced around 2001. Has been stored in a garage ever since. Rear window is crystal clear, top is soft and flexible. Top has a small tear and some staining, because the garage the car was being stored in was re-shingled and some crap fell onto the top. I would guess that the tear is repairable and the stains can be removed. A NEW top/window is included. It’s tan in color, which is what the original top color was. You also get a “parade boot,” which often goes missing on these cars. It’s gray though, so you’d need to vinyl paint it if you wanted it to match. The top bows are missing some screws for the metal strips that keep the top from “ballooning” when the car is driven; this doesn’t affect the operation of the top or its stability. You can see what I’m talking about in the included picture.

CONVERTIBLE TOP MOTOR/PUMP/HYDRAULICS: Motor works fine. But I noticed a leak of hydraulic fluid onto the pavement when I last operated the top, so you’ll need to figure out where that’s coming from before giving it too much use in the future. I am including a spare motor/pump with the car, but it hasn’t been tested.

BRAKES: The front rotors, calipers, pads and rubber hoses were replaced around 2001, as were the rear wheel cylinders, drums and shoes. Probably not more than 1000 miles on that brake job.

AIR CONDITIONING: It’s equipped with A/C but I would assume that it needs to be recharged at the very least. I never used it.

RADIO/SPEAKERS: Works. Not sure about the cassette player.

BODY/UNDERCARRIAGE: The best part of the car. It has never seen winter, snow or salt. The pictures speak for themselves. The only visible rust is on the gas tank. Minor dings here and there. There is a dent on the passenger’s side front lower side rail – these are the thick, heavy, black-painted rails that only convertible J-bodies have. See pics. I’m guessing someone slid into a curb. It doesn’t affect how the car drives. I’m including the buyer’s choice of two different styles of left and right side skirts (Z24 and custom) that could be used to cover it up.

The front air dam is not installed and has some repairable damage as shown. The car ran fine without it.

Exterior rubber window wipes are deteriorated and need to be replaced.

I am including replacement door and trunk lock cylinders that are keyed alike (with keys) because the original door key was lost, but you’d have to install them, which is a pain in the butt. Easiest solution would be to see if a dealer can simply make you a new door key. The trunk does have an electric release in the glove box that works fine.

HOOD: The original hood was replaced with a functional cowl-induction hood from an ’86 Z24; the appropriate air intake hardware was also installed. Obviously, it needs painted to match.

WEATHERSTRIPPING: Not bad. Some of the weatherstripping around the quarter windows hasn’t yet been installed, but it’s included with the car. I’ve also included spare trunk weatherstripping that I pulled from another car.

GLASS: All power windows operate. The windshield is cracked and needs replaced.

INTERIOR: Fair. The interior door panels were removed to replace the window motors; I wasn’t going to reinstall them until they were cleaned water-damaged cardboard underneath the fabric could be replaced. The driver’s side seat has rips. Back seat and passenger’s seat are fine. Seat belts are grimy. No cracks in the dash. Carpet is worn out; driver’s side was cut out and dropped back in for some reason. However, new carpet is included at no extra cost to the winning bidder; it’s a darker brown than the original. New (aftermarket) floor mats are also included. The LED instrument cluster works fine; but if you know these cars, you also know that if you ever need to replace that cluster, it’s expensive. I’m including a used cluster as a spare. The interior door handles and other bits of trim that were removed are included with the car.

TIRES/RIMS: The front two rims are the original 13-inch alloys and the tires aren’t great but do hold air. They’re very old and I wouldn’t trust them. The back two rims are Chevrolet 14-inch aluminum alloys that were used on some Celebrities and Citations. They were restored, painted and clearcoated. The tires on the back rims were new in 2002 or so and probably have less than 1000 miles on them, but obviously, they are now old. However, they have always been stored off the ground in a garage and have no dry rot. A matching set of 14-inch Chevrolet aluminum alloys are included with the car; they have been restored but need painted. A matching set of 14-inch tires also will be included with the car and are the same age and condition as the back ones. All 4 center caps are included, but they need painted.

EXHAUST: Back around 2002 or so, I had a new catalytic converter installed along with new downstream piping. The piping has a Y after the rear axle and feeds into two glasspack mufflers. It sounds great. All of the new exhaust equipment was protected with high-temp paint to stay looking nice.

Again, this car will need a lot of work. It hasn't been driven in more than 10 years. I’ll answer any questions to the best of my ability.

On Jun-20-17 at 19:09:19 PDT, seller added the following information:

I noted that there's a photo of the damage to the front air dam, but I neglected to include it and eBay won't allow me to add another photo. If you'd like me to email you that photo, I'd be happy to. I'm reachable at bryanloop@gmail.com.