My 1996 z28 Camaro temp gage moves into the red.

Thats definitely the fan. Camaros are designed to have maximum cooling while moving. The stock fans really aren't enough to keep them cool in high temp zones. Anything over 220F is too hot. If it starts to get over 220 you have a problem somewhere. Check your fuses, fan relay and fan motor itself. You can check the fan motor by jumping 2 wires directly to the fan motor. If your car has AC try turning that on and see if your fan turns on. When the AC is on, the fan should be on. If you have to get a new motor, save time and money and upgrade to a higher cfm motor. Most F-Body people change out the entire fan and shroud to a 90's model Ford Taurus fan. It takes so slight modification but well worth it. In short. Your fan either isnt working period or not coming on at the right temp.