Hey I have recently bought a fixer upper and I plan on working on it to learn and I want to make it a drag/street car but I have no clue how to really start on it should I can get a 454 BBC but then again it needs bodywork I was just wondering if I could get some people's advice and input
Help with 81 El Camino build
- Thread starter zpeters81elco
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Pics? Budget? Skills and tools you have? These all factor in. Is this your only car? And others might disagree but in my mind a drag / street car dont go hand in hand. Now a daily driver you take to the drag strip that does. Difference is safety and comfort. I see you say you are willing to learn. ... do you have a garage to work out of?
If so how about tools?
A good craftsman set will go only so far.
You said it has body issues. ...
What kind?
Do you have the required tools to preform the work? Friends that do or will help? If not start buyin tools. Or makin better friends.lol
This is why I said pics posted will help.
But before you start buyin anything make it safe if you are going to drive it. Then worry about the other stuff. Also going fast in a straight line is only fun for so long... drag... build a car that can go fast and take a turn and stop just as good imo.
So many before me have cound the ways to make our cars handle and stop so much better by using parts from other cars. Like doing c5 corvette front disk brakes. Because after you go fast you still gotta stop ya know. And also Welcome. This Is a great place to find Info and make friends.
If so how about tools?
A good craftsman set will go only so far.
You said it has body issues. ...
What kind?
Do you have the required tools to preform the work? Friends that do or will help? If not start buyin tools. Or makin better friends.lol
This is why I said pics posted will help.
But before you start buyin anything make it safe if you are going to drive it. Then worry about the other stuff. Also going fast in a straight line is only fun for so long... drag... build a car that can go fast and take a turn and stop just as good imo.
So many before me have cound the ways to make our cars handle and stop so much better by using parts from other cars. Like doing c5 corvette front disk brakes. Because after you go fast you still gotta stop ya know. And also Welcome. This Is a great place to find Info and make friends.
Welcome from Florida !
I did a Street/Strip build on a 83 Camino. I built mine to do Saturday Summit Series E.T. Bracket Racing (sportsman's Class) at my local track & drive around town on weekends.
You need to decide on what you want to do most & How Much money you want to spend.
There is a lot of things that can be done for street & strip !
I built mine with a few friends without a garage.
Drove it home for $1400
AFTER
I did a Street/Strip build on a 83 Camino. I built mine to do Saturday Summit Series E.T. Bracket Racing (sportsman's Class) at my local track & drive around town on weekends.
You need to decide on what you want to do most & How Much money you want to spend.
There is a lot of things that can be done for street & strip !
I built mine with a few friends without a garage.
Drove it home for $1400
AFTER
Putting a BBC 454 in a el camino is going to be allot harder than just dropping in a 350.
On you tube Car Warriors did a competition rebuilding 2 1986 El Caminos. One has a 350 the other a 454. There is allot of additional BS but they talk about some of the obstacles facing putting the 454 in that year El Camino compared to the 350. I included the link below. Hope this helps.
Go to
On you tube Car Warriors did a competition rebuilding 2 1986 El Caminos. One has a 350 the other a 454. There is allot of additional BS but they talk about some of the obstacles facing putting the 454 in that year El Camino compared to the 350. I included the link below. Hope this helps.
Go to
I have been building/restoring cars and trucks since 1992 and can give a little advice. It will cost way more than you think in the end. If your going to do most everything yourself, that will save you a lot of money. Youtube videos for certain aspects of fixing/working on vehicles is abundant. Joining a specific forum to your vehicle is most important which you did here. To give you an idea on unforeseen costs=I just went to sand/buff my car and my cheap harbor freight buffer was not working correctly. It cost me $220 just for a new quality buffer. I bought sandpaper, 3 different buffing compounds, and several buffing pads and it was nearly $300. Not at all trying to discourage you because G-bodys need to be brought back to life. If you spread out your project over a few years, it does not seem like you've spent that much. A car that's been sitting for years will need a front suspension rebuild, new shocks, rubber brake hoses, radiator cleaned (I always replace for same amount), gas tank cleaned, axle seals and fresh fluid, tires, and engine/trans tune up crap (hoses, belts, plugs, wires, etc.). This will on average be around $1500-2000. If your lacking mechanical abilities I'd suggest buying a nicer running driving car to start with. Again, not trying to discourage. If the thought of diving into a major project head first does not intimidate you, I say go for it. You will never learn till you try. There is absolutely no reason you cannot learn how to work on these cars. They are not complicated. Lots of guys here that know these cars more than me but we're all here to help. One thing I learned about 78-87 El Camino's, they are trucks. I've had a 1980 and an 86. I had a long standing argument with my friend until I showed him my Oklahoma title. It says truck on the title. He always said it was a car. Lol
When I was a kid I read a story about this cat named arlen ness. He was a machinist, welder, fabricator, bodyman, painter and did his own seats. What he didnt know he learned. Now this guy has his own line of motorcycle parts and does work with victory motorcycles. A true craftsman imo. He was and is the reason I built my 1st chop. I have been riding that same bike now for almost 20yrs. And every time I got jammed up and ready to quit I took a break and remembered reading about guys like Arlen. The best advice I ever had was learn.learn.learn.oh and listen. I believe reading your bio you are 18? Then you have a life time to make this ride your own cool car. Don't get discouraged at all. Just make a plan and stick to it. Try to find a shop that will let you learn as you go and maybe along the way you will be able to work on your car to. This will also allow you to build a tool box and knowledge you will need. And I agree utube vids are a great source of info. Almost anything you need to know is out there and done a million times already.
My first car that I built was a 79 Monte Carlo rolling chassis. My car I couldn't afford so I sold it and this was all I could find. I bought a junk yard engine, a 700r4 transmission for $120 dollars (it was cheap because 3rd gear was blown out so it could only go to second), and a new carburetor. I went back and forth to the junk yard and took pics of how things looked so I remember at home. I learn better by seeing it then reading it. But now I would have used youtube also. Back then I had a flip phone. But I learned as I went and it took 2 years before I got the car running correctly and wasn't leaking water through under the front dash.
It seemed at times over whelming with everything that needed to be done but just focus on doing one thing at a time. Ex: Brake System, Engine hoses, fuel system !! Just a little advice that I learned the hard way there are two possibly three short rubber hoses located on top of the gas tank connected to the fuel sending unit. Make sure you replace these as they are probably old and cracked and will leak gas. All there together are less than $10. It is worth it.
It seemed at times over whelming with everything that needed to be done but just focus on doing one thing at a time. Ex: Brake System, Engine hoses, fuel system !! Just a little advice that I learned the hard way there are two possibly three short rubber hoses located on top of the gas tank connected to the fuel sending unit. Make sure you replace these as they are probably old and cracked and will leak gas. All there together are less than $10. It is worth it.
I appreciate everyone for the advice pretty much I'm on sort of a tight budget the rear quarter panels and rear bumper need to be replaced. Pretty much I am somewhat new to all of this I won't lie but my whole plan for the car is to put a 496 into it with a powerglide trans with a Ford 9 ich rear end with 4.10 gears. I know it will be a lot of work and I do have friends with shops to help but it is I want to hear other people's opinions before I really go heavy hitting. Like I know I am going to need all new suspension and I have no clue what to really look for and I know I have no money to get coilovers or anything
I had a Plymouth Duster for 15 years where I tried to tackle everything at once. body, suspension, axle, transmission, engine, interior. I never finished the project, as it was just overwhelming. I picked up my El Camino a year ago, and just tackle one thing at a time. It was already running, but first I did the front brakes, then spark plugs, then rear suspension. This winter I'll tackle the front suspension. I have a 350 waiting to go in, but I'll wait until the suspension is done. My new philosophy is to keep it running/driving as much as possible, because you'll become distracted and not work on it as much if you can't drive it once in a while. I'd tackle the suspension, brakes, etc first while you are building your BBC. Don't tear the engine out first thing. For me, body work is last, as it is what I'm least skilled in. Luckily, Roadkill is a cool show and everybody likes the "beat up" look. 😉
The way I look at it, there's nothing you can't learn if you're willing and determined to do so.
If you have little to no experience working on cars, perhaps you can enroll in night classes at your local community college, if they offer automotive training classes. Even with instructional courses, you'll learn a lot from practical hands-on experience. Investing in manuals and how-to books will also be a great help.
If you have little to no experience working on cars, perhaps you can enroll in night classes at your local community college, if they offer automotive training classes. Even with instructional courses, you'll learn a lot from practical hands-on experience. Investing in manuals and how-to books will also be a great help.
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