My daily driver project 81 ElCamino

[HAFROD]

Got the old motor back in and it runs great. Will not be swapping in another engine.

 

[DRIVEN]

I just wanted to take a minute and commend you on your threads. It's great to read all the details, both rewarding and disappointing. In fact, the "failures" are the most informative in my opinion. In real-world builds we're bound to run across bad parts, get a distributor installed backwards, or forget to hook something up. By posting the problems and then the solutions you're probably helping many of us out more than you know. Besides that, a build thread that just chronicles bolting parts together with no actual info is pretty boring. Anyway, thanks for the honesty and keep up the great work.

 

[HAFROD]

I just wanted to take a minute and commend you on your threads. It's great to read all the details, both rewarding and disappointing. In fact, the "failures" are the most informative in my opinion. In real-world builds we're bound to run across bad parts, get a distributor installed backwards, or forget to hook something up. By posting the problems and then the solutions you're probably helping many of us out more than you know. Besides that, a build thread that just chronicles bolting parts together with no actual info is pretty boring. Anyway, thanks for the honesty and keep up the great work.

I never looked at it that way but you are correct. It sucks using a Google search and reading pages of replies on a tech problem only to find it never resolved. Thanks for the commendation. Lol

 

[HAFROD]

I'm getting FED UP with people talking $hit about my El Camino. 2 days ago at my work a customer referred to my El Camino as a ratty *ss piece. Kept my cool and walked away. He meant it to be funny but in a crowd of people it burned me up inside. Today at work a guy walks in and asked me if it was for sale. Told him no. Then he tells me how rough it looks. The bosses son told me last week that he parked beside me so he wouldn't ding the guy I work with. Also he said he did not think I'd mind. Pissed me off. My work is closing the last week of June for Vacation which gives me 11 days off in a row. I'm thinking about buying some Aircraft stripper and getting it clean metal. The paint is checked really bad and chips are everywhere. There's only a few big dents and a few dings but no major damage. No rust at all to repair either. Thinking of doing an outside respray the original colors. Leaving all the jambs alone and taping off most everything. Probably remove the window trim, door handles and locks, grille, headlight bezels, etc. I actually think its doable weather permitting. The truck runs and drives fantastic especially with cold AC. I already bought a new carpet kit and a full dash cover but really need a new seat cover and upper door panels. Guess I could order them tomorrow from Dixie Monte. The bad part is, I have saved up two full paychecks but made an offer this morning on a pair of vintage 80s Honda Interceptors. If the guy takes my offer, I would not have the money to buy all the paint supplies for the El Camino. I will not know till Saturday on the bikes. If he does not take my offer I will have one hell of an 11 day thrash to post on here. Lol.

 

[Judge Mills]

Even a clean Elk will have its share of haters. Keep up the good work! Either way, it sounds like you are going to have a great weekend.

 

[DRIVEN]

Yup, El Camino owners' curse. I get the same with my '66.

 

[HAFROD]

I went to Tulsa this morning and got my favorite vinyl sign shop designer to look at my Super Sport logos on the doors and tail gate. He came up with a design that looks close to stock but custom. He said he would start on them next week. I drove on over to Hub Cap Kingdom and purchased a set of chrome plated stainless 14" beauty rings for my stock steel wheels. They had many styles to choose from but got a set that are close to stock. I wanted a little bling but keep the stock rims. They even test fit some for me so I could stand back and look. Tried polished stainless but the chrome looked better in my opinion. They were $65 for the set. I can't have fresh paint and dinged, dull, and scratched beauty rings. Going to repaint the rims black and silver and already have brand new center caps.

 

[Blake442]

Just because you made an offer on the bikes doesn't mean you need to buy them.
Call the guy up and say you changed your mind...

Here's a little story for you about my last El Camino...
In Oct. '04 I bought a brown '81 for $500 that was a TOTAL beater... I mean legit sh*t-box.
Well I was hanging out with some buddies who were all sophomores/juniors in college. I was already working full time.
The 7 of us (5 guys and 2 girls) were going to head over to another friends house party.
I offered to drive everybody since the guys didn't mind riding in the back for only a mile, and it was about 40* out...
On the way outside, not knowing which car was mine, one of the girls said something to my friend who immediately burst out laughing...
"Blake, did you hear that? She just called your car a piece of sh*t! haha"
Me- "Oh, what kind of car do you have?"
Her- "I don't have one."
Me- "Well have fun walking!"
I laughed for days!

 

[HAFROD]

No way I'm not buying them bikes if he takes my offer. I can paint the El Camino at another time but the bikes are harder to find

 

[HAFROD]

I called Dixie Monte yesterday to order the seat cover and two extra yards of material so I can do my upper door panels. He said he'd call the company for a price on the material and call me back to complete the order. He never called me back. I'm assuming the company may have been closed for holiday weekend but a call back would have been more polite.