New owner of a '78 EL Camino Conquista

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Aug 30, 2022
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Hey Guys! First time actually owning a G-Body, Was given to me by my grandfather (unless you count my destroyed 79 Caprice Estate, *Insert G/A body joke here*) Let me list some specs:

- 350 with a Quadrajet from some 80's Camaro (80k miles), My grandfather doesn't remember specific year, It has a light unknown lift cam (Im replacing it with a stock NOS 305)
-TH350R4 transmission, 60k miles
-Skylark rear end, gearing is extreeemely low but again, my grandfather doesn't know the gearing
-Surprisingly rust free body, the red under the paint is actually the red primer
-no rust under the rear window
-Notice the conquista side trim with no two tone or decals? the last paint job in '94 literally painted over the "Unleaded Fuel" sticker
-dash is simply a pile of brittle dust with some air vents and a fuel gauge
-A/C is a conglomeration from a Ford LTD Wagon, a caprice, and a Monte Carlo (Courtesy of my grandfather) blows ice cold right through the nut-chiller and defrost vents (Vacuum control am I right?)
-All new hoses and cooling system parts

As for overall condition, the truck runs great! doesn't miss, shut off, anything strange. I have some grounding issues but you can see the lack of a body ground...
I don't have alot of plans for this truck, I'm going to "restore" it (New paint, Clean up the electrical, replace the stereo, basic car alarm, install power locks (I'm keeping the crank windows, too reliable to remove), New seals for everything all around, and thats about it.
The truck gets 23mpg with the stock rear end, but the skylark gets me at best 15mpg, so that has become somewhat of a priority aswell. I want to make the truck easier on the eyes and daily driveable with the standard amenities. i dont need much to be happy with a v8
under the hood and a truck bed.
 

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SS_Malibu

Royal Smart Person
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Sep 27, 2021
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Welcome to the GBodyForum!
Nice start. Sounds like you have a solid plan. Execute and enjoy it.
 
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Ugly1

Royal Smart Person
Oct 26, 2021
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Lost in the woods of NH
Welcome ! Sounds like the low gears and that type of gas mileage is 3.42 to 3.73. Most regular g-bodies had 2.41 to 2.73 gears (IE: highway gears) for the fuel saving. Sounds like a solid start to the project!! Not really sure where on an ElCamino but you might find the build sheet and it will tell you a lot about the original parts the car had.
 
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