I started this project back in March of 2017 and did a build thread for it over on the elcaminocentral site. I wished I had done a concurrent build thread on this site also but it was too late by the time I thought of it.
Anyway, now that I've got it completed, I'd like to share what I've done with a set of photos I just took of it.
First of all, I bought this genuine '83 Choo Choo SS in 1993. I bought it from the original owner in all original condition. It had just 50K miles on it then and even now it's only about 76K miles. It was black with sand beige interior.
In 1998, I changed the 305 out for a '96 LT1 engine with it's 4L60e transmission. It was a new factory take-out from a '96 Impala SS. At the same time I upgraded the rear to a 3.42 posi.
The following year I re-painted it the original black. I did paint the dash, change the carpet and headliner but the seats and door panels were still original.
For many years after that I kind of neglected the car but used it for hauling stuff when I needed to. Even though I only put 26K more miles on the car everything was showing it's age. So last year I decided to give it the attention it deserved and here is a list of all the big things I've done during this upgrade process:
Colors:
Exterior color change from black to white
Interior color change from Sand Beige to black
Bodywork:
Correct bad quality factory gaps at hood, fenders, doors and tailgate.
Change fuel door lid to open from bottom open to side open.
Repair dents on both sides of tailgate.
Strip entire car to bare metal
New windshield and door glass both sides
Upgrades:
Dakota Digital VHX dash panel
Dakota Digital radiator fan controller
Complete front suspension rebuild using Moog Problem Solver parts
Rear spring air bags
New Gas-A-Just shock absorbers
New Header and dual exhaust system
New fuel tank with internal Walbro pump
Front brake conversion to '98-'02 Camaro "LS1" brakes
New 1" Riviera brake master cylinder and 11" Caprice vacuum booster
New 16" GTA wheels and new tires
Of course there are a lot of details and photos to go along with all these things and here is the link to my build thread if anyone is interested:
https://www.elcaminocentral.com/showthread.php?t=200250
Photos I took at home yesterday and the day before:
Anyway, now that I've got it completed, I'd like to share what I've done with a set of photos I just took of it.
First of all, I bought this genuine '83 Choo Choo SS in 1993. I bought it from the original owner in all original condition. It had just 50K miles on it then and even now it's only about 76K miles. It was black with sand beige interior.
In 1998, I changed the 305 out for a '96 LT1 engine with it's 4L60e transmission. It was a new factory take-out from a '96 Impala SS. At the same time I upgraded the rear to a 3.42 posi.
The following year I re-painted it the original black. I did paint the dash, change the carpet and headliner but the seats and door panels were still original.
For many years after that I kind of neglected the car but used it for hauling stuff when I needed to. Even though I only put 26K more miles on the car everything was showing it's age. So last year I decided to give it the attention it deserved and here is a list of all the big things I've done during this upgrade process:
Colors:
Exterior color change from black to white
Interior color change from Sand Beige to black
Bodywork:
Correct bad quality factory gaps at hood, fenders, doors and tailgate.
Change fuel door lid to open from bottom open to side open.
Repair dents on both sides of tailgate.
Strip entire car to bare metal
New windshield and door glass both sides
Upgrades:
Dakota Digital VHX dash panel
Dakota Digital radiator fan controller
Complete front suspension rebuild using Moog Problem Solver parts
Rear spring air bags
New Gas-A-Just shock absorbers
New Header and dual exhaust system
New fuel tank with internal Walbro pump
Front brake conversion to '98-'02 Camaro "LS1" brakes
New 1" Riviera brake master cylinder and 11" Caprice vacuum booster
New 16" GTA wheels and new tires
Of course there are a lot of details and photos to go along with all these things and here is the link to my build thread if anyone is interested:
https://www.elcaminocentral.com/showthread.php?t=200250
Photos I took at home yesterday and the day before:
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