Old new guy, Space Coast, '85 El Camino

[Z48LT1]

Finally, at 71, getting a G body, an 85 Elco that looks to be in pretty good shape. Medium blue and black top with no visible rust. The black needs refreshing but still shines nicely. Blue velour - split bench - interior is spotless.

Drive train is something of a story. I'll be transplanting a '95 LT1 and 4L60E out of my unfinished 48 Chevy Aerosedan I burned out on before I lose my *ss on the whole project. Engine and transmission (I have never had them running) have only 33K on them and were out of a Roadmaster or Fleetwood, according to the power steering pump. I swapped in a ZZ4 cam and put a TransGo shift kit in the transmission. Now one of my challenges is to adapt the leaf spring 8.5" rear axle that I paid a bundle to get a 3.23:1 posi unit in into the Elco's coil spring rear suspension.

Anybody want a '48 Chevy street rod project? Some assembly required. PM me.

Me? I'm a retired AF officer living the good life on the Space Coast in Florida, three miles from the original Ron Jon's surf shop. It's a rough life but so far, I'm holding up under the strain. ;-)

 

[Clutch]

Greetings from dirty Jersey good luck with it there's a lot of good information on this site

 

[Texas82GP]

Welcome to the site from Houston. Let's see some pics of that Elco!

 

[ItsnotaGN]

You are replicating the driveline I am installing in my 86 Monte SS. Mine was liberated from a 95 Impala SS, mileage unknown as the cluster was junk.

 

[Longroof79]

Welcome aboard!
It's good to see another "young at heart" hot rodder join the club. You've got a few years on me, but I'm not far behind.
We would like to see pics of your El Camino project....and the '48 Chevy Aero sedan. Is it a Fleetline?
Thanks for the cool introduction.

 

[airboatgreg]

Welcome from SW Georgia.
I have a 82 El C

 

[Wraith]

Welcome to the site. Would love to see pics of both cars.

 

[Z48LT1]

Thanks for the greetings. I'm gonna take my barstool over to the engine swaps area because I think that's where it belongs. Meanwhile, here are a few questions for my new best buds here in New Users:

ItsnotaGN: How far along are you in your LT1 swap? Have you begun the wiring goat square dance yet? I've got the unmolested harness and 'puter from the original drivetrain and two other harnesses from F bodies I bought from the classifieds off other forums when I expected I'd want to put the PCM on the firewall in front of the passenger on the Fleetline (yes I think that's what it is but it's just a shell so I don't really know). Now that I'm building the G body I'll put it behind the driver's headlights like the B body had it so I'll use the bulk of the original wiring harness. I have the complete '95 B body shop manual as well as a ream of stuff I've printed off the net so I think I can understand how the wiring goes together and what wires I can delete. In my former life I was an engineer...

Longroof79: I think I've got the same rear axle you have but in a leaf spring configuration. I don't know how easy it will be to find a competent shop to convert it to the four link coil spring '86 G body setup. OTOH, I don't know anything about the rear axle in the vehicle now; it may be a posi with a decent gear ratio so I may not need the axle off my other project. Frankly I don't know much about it, either, except it's an 8.5" 10 bolt GM that I spent $1400 to get 3.23 gears and a new Eaton posi unit installed in. I don't ever seem to do things in the correct sequence.

Here's a curious thing I've found on the '86: it appears for all the world like it's been professionally equipped for fuel injection. The guy I'm buying it from (he's flipping it) removed the throttle body injection unit from the high rise single plane 4 bbl intake before I ever saw it and when I looked at it on a lift, back at the fuel tank it had plumbing that looked very factory-like, including a manufactured fixture with three plumbing fittings, one for fuel feed, one for fuel return, and one for tank vent. The rest of the fuel piping was hard lines that also looked factory. The seller alleged that in '86 the Elco was factory equipped with fuel injection. I was ignorant at the time but since then my research says that's bullshit. He's a general purpose garage owner/mechanic and probably didn't know he was making sh*t up. The Elco is what it is. I'm going into it with eyes semi wide open but there are some interesting questions here.

Underneath it looked straight with no rust or molestations, as it does on the shiny side. The engine and transmission are obvious replacements - 350 200R4 - so the immediate previous owner was an enthusiast.

Did you notice I've been saying '86? I screwed up in my intro when I called it an '85. I'll come clean when I introduce the project over at Engine swaps etc. I promise pictures.

Stay safe, use your turn signals, close cover before striking - Gary

 

[Longroof79]

Gary,
It sounds like a nice car. The guy isn't entirely wrong regarding fuel injection. I believe the late model El Caminos did come equipped with throttle body injection and tank mounted fuel pump.
As you suggested, it might already have a posi unit in the stock 7.5 rear axle. Is the 8.5 in your other project car?

As for modifying the leaf spring rear axle for 4-link suspension. There may be experienced fabricators within our state. Try to find a copy of Cruise News, which includes a car event's throughout Florida..car shows, swapmeets, etc. There's usually ads for various custom shops. Also, check with your local speed shop. I'm sure they can recommend someone who's up to the task.

 

[Z48LT1]

Thanks, Longroof,
I had some confusion about the FI because RockAuto does offer an FI in-tank fuel pump for the last year of either the Elco or the Monte, but everywhere else I looked there was nothing about FI for either Chevy G body. The internet is a wonderful source of info but it really depends on how dedicated the sources are. I even found one "encyclopedic" source that didn't have the El Camino listed at all! The FI fuel pump in the tank is kind of academic because the throttle body pump (comparing RockAuto specs here) doesn't put out anywhere near the psi the LT1 pump does. It would be slick if I could simply replace the throttle body fuel pump with one from an LT1's tank... We'll see.

Right, the 8.5 rear was in the '48 when I got it, an abandoned project from some guy in El Paso (I was living in San Antonio at the time). The car had had a lot of work done: Mustang II front suspension with disc brakes, blasted and painted frame, smoothed firewall, etc., but was just missing too many parts which I figured out when I came to my senses.

I just read the Cruise News web site and it's a wealth of sources. Thanks! There's an annual shindig over on Merritt Island as we speak and I'm going to try to get over there.

Cheers - Gary