West Virginia
Man Drives to West Virginia To Buy a Camaro IROC-Z, Finds Really Bad News Under the Hood
Photo: WD Detailing | YouTube
This 1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z has been trapped under cardboard boxes and whatever the family threw on top of it for ages. The detailing expert found it online and just had to have it. It’s got the original hood and gold wheels. But it won’t be easy to drag it out of its entrapment.
First, he has to dislocate tons of cardboard boxes sitting on top of the poor Camaro. Trash buried it alive. The owner is giving a helping hand. They try to pull it, but it doesn’t work. They try to push it, but it doesn’t work, either. So, the next attempt is with the help of a Snatch Block pulley. And it finally works. The Camaro is out in broad daylight for the first time in over 20 years.
RJ drove all the way from Cleveland to West Virginia, which is at least a five-hour drive away, to get this Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z but did not expect such a high price for a car that has been sitting in a barn for 23 years. The owner, John, is asking $7,000 for it. But RJ plans to make a final offer of $5,000. However, he will start low. Very low.
Photo: WD Detailing | YouTube
The Chevy does, however, have sentimental value for John. It was his high school project. He rebuilt it with his father and friends. It was originally red over a gold interior. But John hated everything about that color combo, no matter how special it was at the time. You know, teenagers have their ways…
The 1986 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z went from red to black
So, he chose to paint it black and put in a gray interior, with many components donated by a newer Camaro model, but doesn’t say which one. They also retuned the suspension and put in a new auto box. The IROC-Z was already sitting 5 inches lower to the ground than the standard Camaro. So, the aggressive styling is something that made both RJ want one of their own.
But John had a family later on, kids came, and the car was not family-appropriate. He parked it in the barn in 2021 and never took it out again. John also gives RJ the bad news. The 350-cubic-inch V8 engine caught fire once because the fuel pressure regulator was leaking. In its good old days, the V8 pumped out 220 horsepower (223 metric horsepower) and 320 pound-feet (434 Newton meters of torque). The owner says that it still ran after the fire. But he hasn’t started it, let alone drive it, in over 20 years.
With that bad news in mind, RJ starts negotiating at $2,500 and ends up with the car paying $4,500. The hood lifted up on the wall is included in the price. He pays cash and drives away.
Photo: WD Detailing | YouTube
Once in their detailing studio, RJ and Mike find a lot of surprises. First, the front wheels are marked with the “FRONT” lettering. As expected, the rear wheels read “REAR.” The wheels are where the detailing begins. Pressure wash comes next. It will reveal all the issues that have shown up on the body of the Camaro over all these years.
They remove the insulation under the hood. Since it was affected by fire, they no longer need it. However, the cabin turns out to be somewhat confusing. The seller did tell them that there were parts from a newer Camaro in there but did not tell them which. The speedometer scaled up to 115 mph (185 kph) might be one of them, as well as the CD player. The odometer reads 14,445 miles (23,247 kilometers), just switching to 46. The low mileage confirms the 23-year-long parking.
They want to have the Camaro IROC-Z up and running
The seats are terribly dirty, but the stain extractor works miracles on them. The leather center console cleans up nicely, and there are hardly signs of the wear and tear you would normally expect from a car that rolled off the production line almost 40 years ago. That’s because it wasn’t driven, of course.
Photo: WD Detailing | YouTube
The IROC-Z is missing the wheel center caps, but RJ and Mike have already ordered four of them. The original hood finally goes back on the car.
Once the detailing is completed, RJ and Mike take the 1985 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z to experts to have all the mechanicals fixed and get it running. The best-case scenario is driving it back to their detailing studio. The worst-case scenario is probably paying for the fix more than they paid for the whole car.
Once they lift it, they see rust all over, wires hanging, holes in the floor, and some leaks. The best part is that they did not run any power on it. The last thing they wanted was to have it on fire once again. They are going to leave the car with Adam and his team and come back for it when it’s ready. Ready for the best-case scenario. For the moment, an engine swap is out of the question.
— Story by David Walsh, Photo gallery by Will Wotring
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Divisions I and II are going as expected after Thursday night’s opening round in the 78th West Virginia High School State Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Health Network Arena. University, seeking a third straight large school title, and Parkersburg found themselves in the top two in the standings on a night dominated by pins as No. 1 seeds would beat up on No. 4 seeds.
University started the event minus two competitors. One did not make weight and the other, who won a state title a year ago, is not competing as he’s recovering from a football injury.
One competitor delivering big for the Hawks is Maximus Fortier, a junior who transferred in from Fairmont Senior. While there, he won the state title as a freshman at 144 with a final record of 41-1. He competes at 165 now and is 36-2 after winning with a first-round pin Thursday night.
“Come down, support the team and try to win,” Fortier said of his battle plan. “Wrestle the way we know how.”
Fortier and the Hawks won the Ron Mauck OVAC title, the WSAZ Invitational and West Virginia Duals during the season. He competed in two major tournaments as well. He went 2-2 in the Ironman and won his weight class in the Powerade Tournament which attracts the top teams in the nation.
“Wasn’t ready,” he said about the Ironman. “Did my thing at Powerade. It was big.”
Fortier said support at his new school grows every day.
“They treat me like family,” he said.
Strategy for the State Tournament is simple.
“Wrestle the way we know how to wrestle,” Fortier said.
University capitalized on a strong finish in the heavier weights and leads with 47 points. Parkersburg, which finished second here last year, trails with 39.5. Cabell Midland is third with 37.5 and Huntington fourth with 32.5.
Ripley is in year two in Division II. The Vikings placed sixth a year ago. They came to town as the Region 4 winner and qualified 11 with nine taking first and the other two second. Ripley leads after Thursday with 38 points thanks to wins by pin or major fall. Independence is second with 27 and Keyser third with 25.5. Cameron is the leader in Division III with 16 points.
The tournament continues Friday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the girls have their state with action starting at 8 a.m. The boys begin at 10:30.
Championship finals are Saturday night at 6:30. Wrestlers are now seeded prior to the tournament and the pill breaks deadlocks.
During the season, Ripley won the West Virginia Duals, beat Herbert Hoover twice, Point Pleasant and also got wins over Parkersburg South and Huntington.
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
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