Original Owner: This 1981 Chevy Camaro Z28 Has Always Delivered

You may not know Dave Fradkin, original owner of this 1981 Chevy Camaro Z28, but you have very likely benefitted from his work. When you order something online and track delivery status using your phone or computer, right to the moment the UPS driver places it at your doorstep, you can thank Fradkin. 

After joining UPS as a young man at a groundbreaking time in the computer industry, he rose through the ranks to become IT principal architect and was instrumental in developing an essential piece of the company’s logistics. “Everything was on paper. I got a project to start the tracking of packages with the barcodes and was involved in every aspect of that. Up until I left, I was working on automation and robotics.”

Treating himself to a new Z28 seemed a just reward. It also fulfilled a teenage dream to own a fast Chevy. At the time, he was living in Rockland County, New York, and still single, though just months away from marrying his fiancé, Carol.

“I’d been a car nut since I was a kid, and I always wanted a ’69 or ’70 Corvette,” he told Hagerty. “I also loved the early ’70s split-bumper Z28s. When I started moving up in my career, I was able to afford something. So, I started looking around.”

One spring day in 1981, he was driving by Jim Smith Chevrolet in Spring Valley, New York, 30 miles northwest of Manhattan, and spotted a Midnight Blue Metallic Camaro Z28 on the lot. “The plastic front bumper somehow reminded me of a split-bumper Camaro, and I loved the color.”

Stopping to check out the Z28, he saw the four-speed manual transmission he’d craved. 

“I loved everything about the car, so I went for it,” he said. “It was the last year for that design. I saw photos of the 1982 body and thought it looked like a doorstop. I didn’t like it at all.”

Less lovable was that getting the BorgWarner Super T-10 four speed in the 1981 Z28 required settling for the 305-cid (5.0-liter) small-block V-8 with just 165 horsepower. The 175-hp 350 (5.7-liter) wasn’t much better and was limited to the three-speed automatic, at least in the U.S. The culprit in the drop from 190 hp from the 1980 model’s 350 was the Camaro’s first electronic engine control unit, called Computer Command Control. In Canada, Z28 buyers could still get the 190-hp 350/four-speed combo carried over from 1980 and without the troublesome CCC. 

The Price Was Right

Buying the last of the second-generation Camaros presented an opportunity for a bargain. Fradkin remembered paying $7500 for a car that would have stickered at around $9500, based on the options on the build sheet:

• 1981 Camaro Z28: $8025
• Air conditioning: $525
• Aluminum wheels: $312
• AM/FM cassette stereo: $264
• Power windows: $133
• Rear window defroster: $99
• Tilt steering column: $75
• Soft-Ray tinted glass: $70
• Cloth upholstery: $26
• Windshield antenna: $25
• Total: $9554

Fradkin said the Camaro’s AC Delco–branded stereo still works. He had also installed an AC Delco equalizer-amplifier in the glove compartment. “Before 1981, the console had a space that you could put small stuff, but the ’81 used that for the engine’s electronic control unit,” he said. Years ago, he installed Pioneer 6×9 three-way speakers in the rear package shelf but later replaced them with Polk speakers.

Factory Basics: 1981 Camaro Z28

After sitting out the lineup for 1975 and 1976, the Z28 returned in mid-1977 on a milder version of the performance car.  And then a funny thing happened. Sales of the Camaro and its Pontiac Firebird cousin began to rise year by year. The Firebird Formula and Trans Am performance models defied car-enthusiast logic by becoming more popular even as engine output sank.

The reborn Z28 was now a separate model emphasizing handling and appearance. Unlike the 1973–74 Z28 Special Performance Package, the ’77 did not use the Corvette’s optional L82 version of the 350-cid small-block V8, but rather the same LM1 350 four-barrel that was optional in the standard Camaro and other Chevys. On the Z28 only, a cat-back semi-dual exhaust used two resonators but no mufflers to boost output to 185 net hp and 280 lb-ft of torque vs. 170 hp and 270 lb-ft.

The ’77 Z28 was not as quick as its more powerful predecessors. The four-speed model gave a 16.3-second quarter-mile at 83 mph in Motor Trend’s hands, a full second and 12 mph behind its L82-powered 1973–74 predecessor. Chevy built 14,349 Z28s for 1977, a few-hundred more than the ’74. The number was notable, however, because the ’77 Z28 came late in the model year and was constrained by parts supplies. 

Chevy was ready for the demand with the ’78, which debuted smoothly integrated urethane bumpers that deftly updated the second-gen Camaro body. The new look captivated buyers and sent Camaro sales soaring to nearly 273,000 to beat the Ford Mustang II for the first time in the pair’s rivalry—by 80,000 cars. A non-functional NACA-style hood scoop replaced the ’77 model’s hood decal. Turbine-style aluminum wheels and glass T-tops were new options. The Z28 also set a record that year, with 55,000 sold. That would jump by another 30,000 for 1979.

For 1980, the Z28 wore even bigger side stripes and model callout graphics. The functional fender vents were restyled, and over half of Z28 buyers chose the new five-spoke alloy wheels (RPO N90) that replaced the turbine-style. Chevy tweaked chassis tuning, and a variable-ratio steering box replaced the fixed-ratio unit.

A new functional Air Induction setup that recalled Chevy’s older Cowl Induction replaced the fake hood scoop. A narrow, rearward facing scoop opened electronically under full throttle, pulling intake air from the base of the windshield. The 350’s output was uprated slightly to 190 hp, though, as mentioned, that dropped back to 175 in the ’81. The LG4 305 four-barrel rated at 165 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque became the only choice in 1980 California Z28s. For 1981, it was the only choice in 49-state four-speed cars, paired with a 3.42 ratio in the Positraction differential, not 3.73 as previously used in 350/four-speed cars.

Sales fell back to about 45,000 in 1980 and dropped another 2000 for 1981. Total 1978–81 Z28 production reached around 228,200. That was quite a run for what was, compared to early 1970s Z28s, a “malaise” performance car. Curiously, while the 1977-and-up Z28 was a separate model, the build sheet still broke out the Z28 code as “SPEC PERF PAC.”

Rescued from the Malaise

From the very beginning, the Camaro served as Fradkin’s daily driver. But two months after buying the car, a Volkswagen Beetle crossed the double yellow line and hit the Z28 on the front right, damaging the nose, front suspension, and radiator. “Insurance covered repairs,” he said, “and they even touched it up where it had little dings. So, to me, it looked better than new.”

He continued to enjoy it, and despite his Z28’s lamentable power deficiency, he would drive it about 65 miles down to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, to compete in trophy drag racing. The multi-purpose track is still there, minus the drag strip that shut down in January 2018.

New, Fradkin’s Camaro ran a 16.8-second quarter-mile, nearly two seconds off the pace of early 1970s models in stock condition. After the car passed 12,000 miles and was out of warranty, Fradkin began adding speed parts with a little help from some mechanics he’d befriended at local car cruises.

“The first thing I did was remove the computer and put nitrous on it,” he recalled. “It was a Cheater 115-horsepower plate kit from NOS. My friends kept egging me on to do more. We’d hang out at their shop and do the work to it.”

They installed a “test pipe” that eliminated the catalytic converter, then added a different cam and lifters. An Edelbrock package brought the bigger carburetor, a new manifold, fuel pump, plus Accel Super Coil High Energy Ignition. Headers and a full dual-exhaust system followed, and then a street/strip clutch.

“After the modifications, I dropped it down to the low 14s, and mid-13s with nitrous. “That was without slicks, just letting some air out of the back tires,” he said. “Compared to modern cars, it’s not that fast, but it was quick for its day. I surprised a lot of people.”

Daily Driver for Years

Even with the modifications, Fradkin continued to use the Camaro as his daily. The commute to a job in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey included plenty of traffic and lights. The street/strip clutch became a bear.

“By the time I’d get to work, my left knee would be numb,” he said.

To save his knee and protect the Camaro, Fradkin bought a beater Mazda 323 hatchback and put the Camaro in the garage. Life changes came quickly … a house, kids. By the mid-1990s, the Z28 needed repairs, mostly mechanical things.

“I didn’t really have the budget to work on it, so I parked it and put a car cover on it,” Fradkin said. “Suddenly, 10 years went by. It was just sitting. The paint was starting to flake off. One day, I told my wife, ‘I have to sell it, because I can’t bear watching it deteriorate.’ She told me I should restore it instead.”

The Road Back to Fun

The couple worked out a budget for the car, and Fradkin restored it from the late 1990s through 2001. 

“I had it repainted the original color. They stripped it down to bare metal, and it came out great.”

Chassis work included a full new front end and rear leaf springs, new shocks, and thicker antiroll bars. The brakes were fully replaced, including lines. The interior got new carpet, headliner, and package tray. The Z28’s engine, however, did not need work.

“Then I enjoyed it, cruising it, going to car shows, doing Sunday drives,” he said. “I was storing it in the garage by then.”

After Fradkin’s retirement in 2018, the family moved to Effort, Pennsylvania, at the southern end of the Pocono Mountains, about 10 minutes from Pocono Raceway. They had a large garage built to house the family’s two RVs and the Camaro.

Camaro Memories

Hagerty: The Camaro looks great. Are you still working on it?

Fradkin: We budget to do one project a year on the car. A few years ago, I had the air conditioning restored. The compressor died in the ’90s, so I just cut the belt. A year after that, I had the four-speed rebuilt. Then I had the Posi rear end rebuilt and changed the gears from the stock 3.42 to 3.73.

Hagerty: You put many miles on as a daily driver. Were there any long road trips?

Fradkin: I never really drove it more than an hour or so from home. My brother-in-law lived in New Windsor, which was probably about an hour drive up the New York State Throughway. But I would take 9W instead. It runs by West Point military academy and it’s very twisty-turning, uphill-downhill. It’s a lot of fun.

Hagerty: You had the Z28 before you had a family. Do they dig it as much as you do?

Fradkin: I used to drive my kids around in it. They loved it. Everyone in the family loves it, but they don’t drive stick. So I’m the only one who can drive it. That’s fine with me. And friends who drive stick can’t even start it. With the mods, it’s a procedure to start. Also, to get reverse, you pull up on the shifter and move it left and up. I added a custom Z28 logo shifter ball that doesn’t show that, so other drivers don’t know what to do.

Hagerty: Are you still taking it to cruise nights? 

Fradkin: Yes. In my area, you could basically attend a car cruise or a show every day if you wanted. I do two or three a week. At most cruises I go to, it’s bring whatever cars that are in progress, even in primer or with missing parts. Everyone is chatting it up and helping each other out.

Hagerty: How about car shows? 

Fradkin: I don’t generally enter shows, but I did win a second-place trophy for a ’70s and ’80s muscle car class at one. I know they built a few hundred-thousand of these, but you don’t see many anymore. I often have the only second-gen Camaro. Almost every time someone will come up to me and say, ‘I had one of those. I never should have sold it.’ Or, ‘My dad had one of those.’

Hagerty: After nearly 45 years of ownership, is it safe to say selling is not an option?

Fradkin:  It’s been my faithful friend for many years. I’ve been through a lot with that car. I had a lot of fun and still do. I intend to pass it on to my children. They all grew up with the car.

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Car: 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Owner: David Fradkin

Home: Effort, Pennsylvania

Delivery Date: Spring 1981

Miles on car: About 91,000

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Are you the original owner of a classic car, or do you know someone who is? Send us a photo and a bit of background to tips@hagerty.com with ORIGINAL OWNER in the subject line—you might get featured in our next installment!