First time for an El Camino

[Csilvy2000]

I've been tearing this El Camino down for the last two days. The drivetrain is out. That's a factory 350 with an added 700 transmission. The motor ran okay, but acted like a little rebuild may be in order. The transmission shifted good from 1st to 2nd, however, it acted like it went into neutral once it shifted into 3rd.
After I tore the drivetrain out, I discovered the dash mounted switch for overdrive was disconnected. That is the wiring had come apart at some time in the past. I'm not real familiar with converting to an overdrive, so could this have any effect on the fact that it wouldn't go into 3rd and of course 4th didn't even get a chance?

As you'll see in the pictures, I've put this car on a diet. All the side trim is coming off and will be for sale. The bedrails that look like they belong on a marine vessel of some sort are in very gook condition and are also for sale. The factory seats are for sale as well. They appear to be optional seats and were probably really comfortable back in 1978, however, not so much now. The driver side is power!

It's amazing the amount of dirt, grease and grime this car collected over the years. I've been scraping the engine bay and suspension for hours. I swear this thing has dropped about 30 pounds and that's just on the drivers side of the suspension. A man could spend a lot of time making this thing perfect. This man, however, is not. I'll get it looking decent and operational, but show quality it is not.

The suspension is getting new coil springs, new upper ball joints, sway bar end links, front brake hoses, new shocks (the shocks I pulled had AC Delco tags so I'm assuming they were factory shocks), and new engine mounts.

Check out my pics!

 

[liquidh8]

did you just stop with this? Any more progress?

 

[Csilvy2000]

Hey! How's it going?

I didn't quit the project. It's been coming along nicely. Thanks for checking into it and asking. As I stated earlier it's not a show car resto, so I'm a little reluctant to fill the website with something many members may see as a waste. That and I'm a little lazy when it comes to posting. You've inspired me so I'll bring those who want to know up to date and post some pictures later on today.

I've solved my rusty floor pan with some welded in patches and a little fiberglass work. Both methods were first time experiences for me, but I'm pleased with the results. I've moved my shifter from the column to the floor using a mid-80's Monte Carlo shifter, originally bolted to an 4r200, or whatever the correct terminology is.

I've got my SBC 400 sitting on new engine mounts, bolted to a used 700r4. Not sure how the transmission will work, but my prediction is it probably won't hold up very long behind the 400. I've got the 400 cranked and running and it sounds really nasty. I'll fill y'all in on what it's made of after my pics.

I fabbed up a custom transmission crossmember from a Ford Crown Vic. Worked very well and was simple to modify.

I've rebuilt my rear brakes, which included replacing both wheel cylinders. Passenger side cylinder was missing one of the little pistons that pushes out, needless to say, it wasn't very effective. It is now!

I also found a set of aftermarket chrome wheels in the junkyard. They were cheap and I think they're perfect for this low budget build. I've been keeping my eyes out for the S-10 wheels that everyone seems to want, but those are apparently hard to come by.

Lastly, I picked up a manual steering box to swap in. I'm afraid this will limit my tire choice for the front of the car, but it has to fit on the 8 inch wide wheels I spoke of earlier.

One more upgrade. I installed a factory 140 amp alternator on the car and wired it up. The difference is very evident and I shouldn't have any problems running any future electrical upgrades.

Again thanks for asking and I try to keep a little more updated on my posts.

 

[ssn696]

I hope you took some pictures while you were hard at work and not posting. I don't want to judge your work...I'd like to see the progress you've made, as my projects have been in 'park' due to family obligations. I've been a bad boy and have to clean up the yard and put my tools away. You know it's bad when you can't find a single 3/8" ratchet...but there is always time for a few minutes checking out another's efforts. 😀

 

[liquidh8]

I hope you took some pictures while you were hard at work and not posting. I don't want to judge your work...I'd like to see the progress you've made, as my projects have been in 'park' due to family obligations. I've been a bad boy and have to clean up the yard and put my tools away. You know it's bad when you can't find a single 3/8" ratchet...but there is always time for a few minutes checking out another's efforts. 😀

I agree. I like to look at the pictures, I'm am not here to judge. Just glad to see some progress was made. 😀

 

[Csilvy2000]

Progress!

 

[Csilvy2000]

I'll get some more pics up later. For some reason I have a hard time downloading pics. I think you can get the idea of how things are going. Thanks for checking it out and any comments are taken into consideration.

 

[Csilvy2000]

Today I finally drove the El Camino. I've been putting the car together since July of last year. The front end is rebuilt. The engine and transmission are hooked up, except my lockup on the torque converter. Bucket seats installed. Center console installed. New stereo installed. New brakes all the way around.
The solo brake bleeder was a pain in the butt. Of course it was a cheap Harbor Freight make, but it got me what I needed.

The car rides great with the S-10 springs. I still have to install my manual steering box, but as stated I'm happy with the way it goes down the road.

Next up are the expensive items. Windshield, tires, paint job. I've got some pics in my next post. Let me know what you think.

 

[Csilvy2000]

Everybody likes pictures.

 

[Csilvy2000]

TROUBLE DOWNLOADING