Tim,
Perhaps you should consider having them check the whole drive train. This way, you might have less surprises? I don't know for sure if that is a viable sort of thing to do, as I am not a car person. I just want to get from point "a" to point "b".
I don't know what you paid for the car, but if you consider a car payment, and compare it to how long the Camaro will last, after repairs, it may turn out that you will have the repair bills paid off long before you paid off another car loan? Just a thought. Best of luck with this. If it makes you feel any better, I am paying about 30K in medical bills right now, so it could be worse, bro. Keep your head up.
I also agree with keeping the car stock. The extra work, fuel costs, and possibly insurance differance will make it much more painful.