EL CAMINO 1983 El Camino 5.3 Swap / Build Thread

[83StreetMachine]

Nice. I see a limited slip tag. That's a bonus. Do you know the gear ratio? 2.41? 2.73? 3.08?

I'd personally just replace the brake lines, hard and soft. It's one of those "might as well since I'm in here" type moments.

NiCopp and never look back

 

[JohnIL]

Nice. I see a limited slip tag. That's a bonus. Do you know the gear ratio? 2.41? 2.73? 3.08?

I'd personally just replace the brake lines, hard and soft. It's one of those "might as well since I'm in here" type moments.

NiCopp and never look back

I didn't know it was a limited slip until I jacked it up for the first time. This diesel didn't have enough power to spin one tire, much less both tires! Sadly, there is no ratio tag. So, I won't know what gears it has until I open the cover and count some teeth.

 

[JohnIL]

Update - More Suspension Work & Brakes

I spent the day yesterday under the rear of the El Camino.

First, I installed a Hellwig 5815 Anti-Sway Bar. This was possibly the easiest suspension component installation I've ever done. It simply bolts through existing holes between the lower control arms. 10 minutes tops. It took longer to clean the surface rust off and repaint the control arms than it did to install the sway bar. I'm really interested to see how this simple upgrade effects body roll.

Second (and for the rest of the day!), I reworked the back brakes. You can see from the "before" picture below what shape the brakes were in. This is the reason my Dad parked this car 17 years ago. The rear brakes were shot and he was tired of fiddling around with the car. My goal was to replace the brake cylinders and shoes. I've never been a fan of working on drum brakes, but I had my self psyched up for the job until I realized that the brake cylinders were clipped in place instead of bolted. I haven't messed with cylinder retaining clips since I reworked the rear brakes on my own El Camino 25 years ago. I had forgotten how much of a pain in the <insert foul language here> those retaining clips are. As with most brake jobs, the first side took hours and the second side took minutes. I had to relearn how to release the old retaining clips and fabricate a tool to reinstall the new retaining clips. I can see now why the back brakes weren't working. Both of the cylinders had seeping seals and both of the auto-adjusters where rusted. One was rusted solid enough that it required a bench vice and a pair of channel locks to disassemble. A little attention from a wire wheel and some lithium grease got both of the adjusters working smoothly again. On the plus side, I finally learned how to use a pair of drum brake spring pliers correctly. All these years, my Dad and I have been misusing them. It's a wonder that neither one of us has ever been hooked like a fish by a flying spring!

Today, I plan to turn my attention to the front of the car. I have new brake calipers and pads to install. Once that's knocked out, I'll replace the front sway bar end links. The old bushings are shot and one of the links is actually rusted in half!

Progress continues...

 

[5spdCab]

Update - More Suspension Work & Brakes

I spent the day yesterday under the rear of the El Camino.

First, I installed a Hellwig 5815 Anti-Sway Bar. This was possibly the easiest suspension component installation I've ever done. It simply bolts through existing holes between the lower control arms. 10 minutes tops. It took longer to clean the surface rust off and repaint the control arms than it did to install the sway bar. I'm really interested to see how this simple upgrade effects body roll.

Second (and for the rest of the day!), I reworked the back brakes. You can see from the "before" picture below what shape the brakes were in. This is the reason my Dad parked this car 17 years ago. The rear brakes were shot and he was tired of fiddling around with the car. My goal was to replace the brake cylinders and shoes. I've never been a fan of working on drum brakes, but I had my self psyched up for the job until I realized that the brake cylinders were clipped in place instead of bolted. I haven't messed with cylinder retaining clips since I reworked the rear brakes on my own El Camino 25 years ago. I had forgotten how much of a pain in the <insert foul language here> those retaining clips are. As with most brake jobs, the first side took hours and the second side took minutes. I had to relearn how to release the old retaining clips and fabricate a tool to reinstall the new retaining clips. I can see now why the back brakes weren't working. Both of the cylinders had seeping seals and both of the auto-adjusters where rusted. One was rusted solid enough that it required a bench vice and a pair of channel locks to disassemble. A little attention from a wire wheel and some lithium grease got both of the adjusters working smoothly again. On the plus side, I finally learned how to use a pair of drum brake spring pliers correctly. All these years, my Dad and I have been misusing them. It's a wonder that neither one of us has ever been hooked like a fish by a flying spring!

Today, I plan to turn my attention to the front of the car. I have new brake calipers and pads to install. Once that's knocked out, I'll replace the front sway bar end links. The old bushings are shot and one of the links is actually rusted in half!

Progress continues...

You will definitely like the upgraded handling that the anti sway bars add.
Did you add spacers inside the rear lower arms to prevent crushing them when tightening the bolts?

 

[Max Headroom]

Yep, it's a factory SS with a diesel. My uncle even had the build sheet. It really was a strange order. SS trim, diesel engine, and the most boring color combination available.

I didn't even know there was a market for the Olds 350 Diesel. I really don't have any future plans for that engine. How much is it worth and where would one go to sell it? Is there a forum/classifieds for that particular engine?

Thanks for the advice on the oil pan and the speedometer. I already have both of them. My son is dead set on preserving the original dash, so we'll keep the speedometer adapter. As for the oil pan, we plan to run a stock ride height, but extra ground clearance is always a good thing. I will do some careful measuring before I install the pan. I can always return the one I have and order the Holley instead.

Keep the advice coming. I have a LOT to learn about this conversion. Thanks!

I have lived in the deep south since 1977 and for a long time, the Olds 350 diesel was a very popular item. Guys were putting them in everything, 1500 pickups, caminos, malibus, caprice, etc. It actually got hard to find one after a couple years. Chevy tried making a 350 diesel out of an sbc 350 block and it was a dismal failure.

 

[JohnIL]

You will definitely like the upgraded handling that the anti sway bars add.
Did you add spacers inside the rear lower arms to prevent crushing them when tightening the bolts?

Yep. The sway bar came with steel spacers. All good there.

 

[JohnIL]

I have lived in the deep south since 1977 and for a long time, the Olds 350 diesel was a very popular item. Guys were putting them in everything, 1500 pickups, caminos, malibus, caprice, etc. It actually got hard to find one after a couple years. Chevy tried making a 350 diesel out of an sbc 350 block and it was a dismal failure.

If anyone is looking for a decent Olds 350 Diesel, I just happen to have one on hand. I doubt it would take much work to get it running again.

 

[83StreetMachine]

Nicely done. Those wheel cylinder clips are sometimes an adventure.

I usually use a socket to install the new ones.


I'm probably in the minority but I actually enjoy doing drum brakes. I was always fascinated by how complex and simple they can be at the same time.

 

[JohnIL]

Nicely done. Those wheel cylinder clips are sometimes an adventure.

I usually use a socket to install the new ones.


I'm probably in the minority but I actually enjoy doing drum brakes. I was always fascinated by how complex and simple they can be at the same time.

You must have saint-like patience. I've always considered drum brakes to be one of those skills that you don't tell anyone about, for fear that they will ask you to do their brakes too! If I could justify the cost, I would have converted to rear disks. I read yesterday that GM introduced the auto-adjuster mechanism for the 1963 Corvette, Corvair, and Chevy II. It's hard to believe they were still using exactly the same design twenty years later. I don't know when/if they ever redesigned the auto-adjuster, but I know they were still using it G-bodies until at least 1987 when they discontinued the El Camino. That's a pretty good run for such as common device.

 

[JohnIL]

Update - More Brakes and More Suspension

More progress made today. I installed new front brake calipers and pads, repacked the wheel bearings, and installed new sway bar end links with poly bushings.

As you can see in the "before" picture, the calipers and pads were in sad shape. The amazing thing is, other than some surface rust, the rotors are good. And, despite being packed with grimy black grease, the wheel bearings are spotless. In case anyone is doing a survey, I vote for doing disk brake work over drum brake work any day!

The sway bar end links were a mess. The "good one" turned out to be a piece of common all-thread. The "bad one" appears to have been original to the car. It was a grade-8 bolt, but it was rusted completely through and the bushings were so dry that they fell apart when I removed them from the bolt. The new Energy Suspension links and poly bushings should be a vast improvement.

I only have half a day to work on the car tomorrow. I'm going to try to get the rear differential freshened up with a new pinion seal, a new diff cover and gasket, and fresh gear oil. While I have it open, I'll count the teeth and calculate what gears it has. Considering it was a diesel, I'm betting it's geared pretty high. It's probably 2.56:1. If it's geared lower than that, I'll be pleasantly surprised.