El Camino project car

Started by hotrodalex, October 04, 2008, 12:49:56 PM

Gotta-Qik-C7

Quote from: CaminoRacer on March 18, 2017, 06:40:44 PM
Finally replaced the bent fuel pump yesterday. Went ahead and upgraded from a rubber line to an aluminum hard line while I was at it. Much pretty, very like.


Whats the Coke bottle for???????
2014 C7 Vert, 2002 Silverado, 2005 Road Glide

Soup DeVille

Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

CaminoRacer

Windshield washer fluid.

Radiator overflow is at the bottom of the pic, round black half circle
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV


CaminoRacer

I think I fixed the poor radio reception. I have a little black box antenna stuck on the windshield next to the passenger A-pillar. Reception has always been so-so unless you're within 10 miles of the station. My two suspicions were the location and the power/ground wire. I tried to pull out the Motorola plug from the headunit and the wire pulled out, so I think a poor solder connection was the culprit. Ordered a non-solder plug from RadioShack and reception seems much improved. :praise:
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

Radio reception is not improved. Might try a different antenna.

Bigger issue: One of the brackets for the clutch Z-bar broke while I was driving this evening, rendering the clutch pedal useless. Was able to get it home without too much trouble, but obviously turning the car off at every stop light is not a good solution. :lol: I think I found the correct bracket on Summit so I went ahead and ordered it. Hopefully it'll just bolt in.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

Fun fact: clutchless upshifts were actually way smoother than when I use the clutch. Downshifts were horrible though.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

shp4man

Z bar. My truck has one of those!  ;)

CaminoRacer

New bracket is on. A little annoying to access but not terrible. She lives again!
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

Couple new things under the hood:



New air filter element that fills out the air cleaner better (full 14" diameter instead of like 13.5") and the red matches the new breather I put on last month.

Also a chrome radiator top support. Old black was always dirty looking.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

The other yellow fog light went out. Apparently they don't last very long. Should I replace it with another yellow, or put the white lights back on? I'm probably gonna install LED low/high beams as the outside lights, so the center lights are mostly just for looks.

Current look, with yellow fogs:



Stock look, white hi beams:

2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

giant_mtb

I like the look of the yellows.

FoMoJo

Quote from: CaminoRacer on June 14, 2017, 10:57:06 PM
The other yellow fog light went out. Apparently they don't last very long. Should I replace it with another yellow, or put the white lights back on? I'm probably gonna install LED low/high beams as the outside lights, so the center lights are mostly just for looks.

Current look, with yellow fogs:



Stock look, white hi beams:


I think you should put the clear lights back and paint the car a bright shiny red. :huh:
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

Gotta-Qik-C7

I like the Yellows! And good call on the LEDs! I find that the LEDs in my fogs are just as bright as any HID Kit I've had! All while not melting the housing in the process!
2014 C7 Vert, 2002 Silverado, 2005 Road Glide

CaminoRacer

Quote from: Gotta-Qik-C6 on June 17, 2017, 09:18:39 AM
I like the Yellows! And good call on the LEDs! I find that the LEDs in my fogs are just as bright as any HID Kit I've had! All while not melting the housing in the process!

Yeah, the LEDs should be a huge upgrade. The housings have a much sharper cutoff and beam spread, plus the LEDs are bright and won't draw as much power.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

This is one of the best upgrades I've installed. It's just a simple frame brace that ties the front frame rails together and also triangulates them with the engine crossmember. The test drive showed markedly improved ride quality. There's less crashiness over bumps as the frame can't twist. The steering is less affected as well.

2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

Just got the brace back from the powder coater.

2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

Final install. Much easier to see in this pic.

2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

I had a little fun coming home from work last week and went maybe 3/4 throttle in 2nd gear, coming out of a corner. Since then, it's been a bit difficult to get it into 2nd or 3rd when I'm not just upshifting normally. Double clutching is now necessary to downshift into 2nd. And it's making a lot of gear whine in 1st-3rd. Apparently this is a sign of input shaft bearing wear. 4th is unaffected since it's 1:1 and locks the input shaft to the output.

I'm now trying to figure out what to do. I could

1. try to rebuild current transmission, not 100% sure I can get the correct parts. If I can, it'd be $200 + time and hoping I don't screw it up
2. get an already rebuilt Saginaw for ~$300-400
3. get a Muncie for $900, same size and everything, but stronger. Negative: taller 1st & still no overdrive
4. get a TKO500 for $2400 + cut floorboards up and shorten the driveshaft and get a new 26 spline clutch
5. switch to an automatic. 700R4 gives me a lower 1st and an overdrive gear. would need a torque converter, trans cooler, shifter, and little bits and pieces, but $2k seems possible. http://www.monstertransmission.com/700R4-HD-Transmission-Master-Conversion-Package-2WD_p_5055.html

I'm leaning toward #5.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

Cookie Monster

You're going to automatic swap your car? :cry:
RWD > FWD
President of the "I survived the Volvo S80 Thread" Club
2007 Mazda MX-5 | 1999 Honda Nighthawk 750 | 1989 Volvo 240 | 1991 Toyota 4Runner | 2006 Honda CBR600F4i | 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 | 1999 Honda CBR600F4 | 2009 Yamaha WR250X | 1985 Mazda RX-7 | 2000 Yamaha YZ426F | 2006 Yamaha FZ1 | 2002 Honda CBR954RR | 1996 Subaru Outback | 2018 Subaru Crosstrek | 1986 Toyota MR2
Quote from: 68_427 on November 27, 2016, 07:43:14 AM
Or order from fortune auto and when lyft rider asks why your car feels bumpy you can show them the dyno curve
1 3 5
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2 4 R

FoMoJo

I guess the girl wants to drive it :huh:.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

CaminoRacer

#1371
When you have a 400 hp V8, the transmission doesn't really matter - it's a ton of fun either way. The current manual isn't really all that great - long throws and not much precision. A TKO would be better, but I'm not really in the mood to cut up the floorboards.

I'm also spoiled by the VW and my bike, which both rev faster and make it fun. I never do blip-throttle downshifts in the El Camino because it revs too slowly. A lighter flywheel might solve that, but I wouldn't know until after spending $2800
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

An auto swap is gonna be a lot of work and still a lot of money - about $3k. A TKO600 would be about $4k.

Might just find a Muncie. M20 or a M22W if I wanna be a cool kid with a rock crusher.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

I also got a Hurst shifter and linkage from the guy. No clue what car it's meant for, but it should work. It's not like my car is stock. Neither the current shift location or floorboards were original...
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

FoMoJo

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

CaminoRacer

#1376
Son, I am disappoint.

It's a wide ratio Muncie. Pretty fresh rebuild. Should swap right in without any changes.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

FoMoJo

Quote from: CaminoRacer on August 12, 2017, 01:22:08 PM
Son, I am disappoint.

It's a wide ratio Muncie. Pretty fresh rebuild. Should swap right in without any changes.
Okay, good for you.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

CaminoRacer

From the ad:

"M-20 4 speed with less than 800 miles. Rebuilt per specs. The following are new parts: syncros, reverse main shaft gear, reverse idler, torque lock sliders, cluster gear shaft (1"), main shaft plug, gland nut, shifter fork, thick front bearing retainer, all new bearings, syncro key set, gaskets and seals. Main housing number = 3885010, tail housing = 3857584, side cover = 3884685. No cracks and no stripped threads."

I think it's out of a 1967 model year vehicle. Has studs for the shift linkage instead of bolts.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

CaminoRacer

Took the Saginaw out yesterday and got the Muncie installed today. Not a particularly tough job. They're both pretty light, so I just bench pressed the old one out and basically benched the new one in too (I did use the jack to hold it up after I got it in the general area - needed both hands for aligning and wiggling it into place)

The new shifter is about half an inch further back, so I need to trim the shifter hump a little bit. Currently can't get into 2nd or 4th :lol: That + another bottle of gear oil and it'll be ready to go.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV