El Camino project car

[Secret Chimp]

Like I said in the chat thread, car will be gone until the end of the month, gettin' all prettied up.

Cost: ~$5000.

Well ain't that naaaaaaaaaaas

[hotrodalex]

Went to the junkyard and got some electric fans from a ~2003 Windstar. $40 and about half an hour's worth of work.





Should fit fairly easily. Just have to figure out how to mount it once I get the car back.

[hotrodalex]

The car has no factory air conditioning. Should I get a Vintage Air kit? It'd definitely be nice, but $$$. Probably like $1200. That'd be about all of my spending money from my job this summer.

Basically, I could either get:

- air conditioning

or

- new 5 channel amp to drive all of the speakers instead of just the sub
- new iPod
- good pair of headphones
- whatever other stupid things I decide to buy

[Eye of the Tiger]

None of these.

$1200 can get you a nice set of aluminum heads with valves/springs and a posi rear end.

[280Z Turbo]

None of these.

$1200 can get you a nice set of aluminum heads with valves/springs and a posi rear end.

THIS IS A WISE MAN

Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers, you get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers

[CJ]

Air conditioning.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I mean, do you want it to be a luxury tourer, or a muscle ute?

[Laconian]

Luxury ute? No, wait, muscle tourer!

[2o6]

Luxury ute? No, wait, muscle tourer!

Coming soon to a BMW near you...

[hotrodalex]

None of these.

$1200 can get you a nice set of aluminum heads with valves/springs and a posi rear end.

Posi, maybe. The engine already has enough power for now. I'll probably upgrade it eventually, but there are other things that need attention first.

I mean, do you want it to be a luxury tourer, or a muscle ute?

Luxury muscle touring ute.

[hotrodalex]

Mike the bodyman said the rear quarter panels had like half an inch of bondo on them, so new replacement sheetmetal had to be ordered and put in. Can't say I'm surprised. Not sure if this will increase the price or not. Although at this point I don't really care. Just want to get it done, and done the right way.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Imma be honest! I would have ran out of patience with this car about 2 years ago! 

[Secret Chimp]

Mike the bodyman said the rear quarter panels had like half an inch of bondo on them, so new replacement sheetmetal had to be ordered and put in. Can't say I'm surprised. Not sure if this will increase the price or not. Although at this point I don't really care. Just want to get it done, and done the right way.

I'm pretty sure cutting out and replacing the entire rear quarters will increase the price a decent amount.

[hotrodalex]

Imma be honest! I would have ran out of patience with this car about 2 years ago! 

I pretty much did. Just never found anything better, so kept putting it together (slowly). Now it's actually to the point where I like it.

I'm pretty sure cutting out and replacing the entire rear quarters will increase the price a decent amount.

I'm not sure. He said he'd call if he ran into any large problems. I think he went ahead and started that without talking to me or my dad first, so it might be included with his original estimate. Or at least the labor price might not go up, might just have to pay for the cost of the panels. We'll see. Not too worried about it, he's definitely doing a good job. Much better than any regular bodyshop could do.

[hotrodalex]

Got the car back so I can go to the car show on Saturday. Here's what it looks likes at the moment:











Whole new passenger side quarter panel (driver's side will be replaced when I take it back), antenna removed and the hole filled, random other holes filled, random rust repair, doors and fenders aligned for the most part.

Still a lot of work to do. Can't wait to get it all done.

[hotrodalex]

Stereo is in, somewhat. 3 of the 6 panels are in, with the 6x9s and the subwoofer. Subwoofer isn't hooked up, though. Hooking up the amp would take too long, so it's just chillin there looking pretty at the moment.

Sounds pretty nice. Ipod hookup and aux cable both work, and I can get FM radio through my phone (I took out the antenna and haven't gotten a new one yet)

Also replaced the burnt out taillight and bought floor mats. Figured that's an easy way to get a little bit of carpet in the car and requires no work at all. And I'll need them once I put the carpet in anyway.

Tomorrow it'll all get washed. Body, wheels & tires, engine bay, and chrome bits.

I'll also put this in the back window at the show:

[hotrodalex]

First driving video I've taken:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro70Ut5TJuE

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I'm glad to see it's moving under its own power!

[hotrodalex]

I'm glad to see it's moving under its own power!

It has been!

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

It has been!

[hotrodalex]

Ordered a new fuel filler door and gave it to Mike the Bodyman to install this week.

http://www.haganauto.com/product_p/45rq.htm



Should look nicer than the stock one and it's more sturdy. The current filler neck's support is rusted, so it's just hanging there with no support. This one has the metal neck coming out of it, then connects to the gas tank's neck with a rubber fuel hose.

Apparently my dad also ordered the bed cover today. Should ship by Wednesday, hopefully it'll be here before I leave for vacation on Saturday.

https://www.craftecinc.com/index.php?main_page=gallery

Just go to the "El Camino 1968-1972" album and you can see all the pictures of it. Bolts into the front of the bed and uses gas struts to raise up. I've seen numerous on Caminos at car shows and they are definitely the best solution. Not heavy like a fiberglass cover and doesn't look tacky like snap-on covers.

[hotrodalex]

The painter has been a bit delayed the past few months (his dad had a stroke and passed away) so my project is behind. Still in the bodywork phase. My dad visited the shop on Saturday and took some pictures. He said Mike (the painter) will aim to finish by mid-December. That'd be perfect timing for me to switch cars over Christmas break, so hopefully it works out.

[hotrodalex]

If it does get done by Christmas, I'll have 2 weeks to work on it.

I think my goals would be:

- insulation and carpet
- install the electric fans
- install the whole sound system, including sub/amp
- assemble and install the bed cover
- maybe install the overhead console. I need to order the electric gauges for that.

[hotrodalex]

It's not going to be done in time for me to drive it to Utah. Oh well.

Went to the shop and helped him out today. I basically just sanded the sides of the tailgate and door jambs for a few hours. Might go back tomorrow to work on the door.

[hotrodalex]

Old hood wasn't worth keeping (rust spots above some of the supports), so I got a new one. Still the SS style, so it won't be any real difference.

Really just want to get it back. I need a car to mess around with again, or I'll just keep browsing craigslist for cars for my dad. Or motorcycles. Which I can't afford.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

You still going with red paint?

[hotrodalex]

It's gonna be a flat or satin black. I'll put some sort of pinstriping on it too.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

NICE!!!!

[hotrodalex]

Should look sweet with the gray graphite wheels.

Need to figure out a way to mount a surfboard on top of the tonneau cover. It's a metal frame with vinyl stretched around it and I don't think the frame can handle the weight of a board by itself, so I'll have to do a few modifications. Maybe some folding legs on the bottom side, so it can support the board when needed or fold up and allow me to haul stuff in the bed.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Did you get those subs installed?