El Camino project car

[hotrodalex]

For a mild V8 it's getting mileage more akin to a hopped up V8. I'd be happy with 15-16 mpg instead of 10-12...

[hotrodalex]

Since I'll be going to Nashville for carshow/autocross this weekend I decided to do all sorts of things that if not completed make my car undriveable. Genius, right?

Replaced the power steering pump today, which ended up being a pain since the reservoir from the pump I bought (from an '88 Monte Carlo) won't fit. So I had to go back to AutoZone and get my stock reservoir off the bad pump in the middle of the store. But it's all on, now I can finally eat dinner at 9:30 at night. Good thing, since I'm going to the tire store at 8 am tomorrow.

Yesterday the car was running like dog doodoo and I couldn't figure out why. Wasn't showing signs of a botched carb tune or timing, which were the obvious answers since I was messing with that stuff the day before. Took forever but finally figured out the #6 cylinder wasn't firing because the plug wire had popped off a little bit. Runs beautifully now.

[hotrodalex]

After much trial and tribulation, BIG THINGS ARE HERE!

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Looks great! 

[FoMoJo]

After much trial and tribulation, BIG THINGS ARE HERE!

Seems you made the right choice .

[hotrodalex]

From the back

[hotrodalex]

$1743.82 to get 18" versions of the old wheels.

[hotrodalex]

Tapped a few cones on the autocross... (Only knocked one down)

[hotrodalex]

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/4479462870.html

[hotrodalex]

Wheels sold for $375 only 9 hours after I put them on craigslist. Apparently I should have priced them higher (listed at $450) since I got a text earlier in the day (offering to trade for a handgun, no) and three phone calls while I was eating dinner. Was expecting it would take longer than that.

[Rupert]

I am a huge fan of pricing things cheaply. Sells much much faster.

[hotrodalex]

[hotrodalex]

Got the parking brake working, for now. I think the front cable stretched out, put some spacers on it and it works now. Will probably snap somewhere down the line, so I'll get a new one soon.

[hotrodalex]

Wired up a headlight warning buzzer so I won't leave the parking lights on like a dummy. Also replaced the headlight switch itself - it decided to wear out this month and wouldn't turn on the gauge lights without a lot of twisting and pulling and such. New one works fantastic and gauge lights are actually bright enough to see now.

[hotrodalex]

Got my car weighed today - 3,673 lbs total (with 1/4 tank of gas, a few tools in the bed)

front - 2,036 total
left front - 1,024
right front  - 1,012

rear - 1,637 total
left rear - 805
right rear - 832

front percentage - 55.43%
rear percentage - 44.57%

Interesting that my left front corner is heavier - battery is on the right side. Also very happy with the weight distribution front/rear. It appears that the rumor that El Caminos have better distribution than Chevelle coupes is true.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

What type of finish is that on the car. Is it a urethane semi-gloss or flat?

I'm curious about how well it cleans up, like those cone marks and stuff like that.

[hotrodalex]

Kinda like a urethane.

Cleans up fine with soap and water. Can't really use a quick finish spray or anything, since it doesn't have a clearcoat and pulls fibers off the cloth sometimes. So if it's dirty it gets a bath.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

what about scratches? you cant polish it so do they just accumulate?

[hotrodalex]

Yeah not a whole lot you can do. It's pretty tough though so you don't have to worry about it quite as much.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

cool, the cone thing just got me thinking about it.

I took a rag with some polish on it to clean up my evo before I sold it. Took about 20 minutes of rubbing to get all the scuffs and marks out on the rockers and lower doors.

I guess with the black finish they might not stand out so bad.

[hotrodalex]

I've also learned to just accept some things.

[hotrodalex]

The rear window leaks, only option to fix it seems to be take it to a glass shop and have them reinstall it. But I'm kind of nervous to do that - not sure what they will find, if it will be impossible to put back on or something.

[hotrodalex]

Want to swap to a transmission with a decent overdrive at some point, was thinking either a T-5 or T-56. Just found a way to add an overdrive to my Saginaw, however.

http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/overdrive.htm

Will have to decide which option is easiest and most cost effective. With the current rear end gears (3.08), I'd be spinning at 2100 rpm at 75 mph. Will probably change that to 3.43 or 3.73.

[hotrodalex]

I think I'm going to do my exhaust sometime this month. What mufflers should I go with? Flowmaster 40 series delta flow is a safe choice, but anything else I should consider? Want something that sounds cool and has moderate volume, but obviously no open headers since it's a driver.

Also, x pipe or h pipe?

[hotrodalex]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/flo-17119/overview/year/1969/make/chevrolet/model/el-camino

That's one option.

Not sure if I want to do it myself or take it to a shop. I'll have to get a quote from some local places.

[280Z Turbo]

I prefer magnaflow. I don't like the Flowmaster baffling system.

[hotrodalex]

It's nice for longevity however.

I like Magnaflow's sound on new Mustangs, not sure if it would fit my car as well. Kinda hard to tell since I'd have to find a car with the same engine setup to really know...

Also, I think it might be a better idea to hold off on exhaust and install a Posi this month, maybe new exhaust at the end of summer. Thoughts? Posi would be a performance gain, exhaust is mainly just fun noise. And it already sounds decent.

[280Z Turbo]

It's nice for longevity however.

I like Magnaflow's sound on new Mustangs, not sure if it would fit my car as well. Kinda hard to tell since I'd have to find a car with the same engine setup to really know...

Also, I think it might be a better idea to hold off on exhaust and install a Posi this month, maybe new exhaust at the end of summer. Thoughts? Posi would be a performance gain, exhaust is mainly just fun noise. And it already sounds decent.

Longevity?

As long as it doesn't sound like a hillbilly truck (sloppy blap-blap-blap exhaust note) I'm sure the exhaust is fine.

[hotrodalex]

Baffles don't burn out.

[280Z Turbo]

Magnaflows are packed with stainless steel. How does that burn out?