Just got this bad boy about a week ago. It’s my first classic? car and have noticed that there seems to be a lot of play in the wheel, I haven’t had time to really look into it yet but I was wondering if any of you guys have experienced any similar problems and what you did to fix it. Thanks.
I ordered this 22 gallon sending unit off eBay a while back as jegs was out of stock. Took it on a long road trip and while the gas gage would read at 1/4 full, it only used 10-11 gallons or the needle was almost on empty.
Now that I could finally ordered a jegs replacement, it finally reads correctly! At a 1/4 full on the gage, I just filled up 16 gallons! I used a Jegs 80-89 3-line sending unit so I could make it breath better from tank to charcoal canister.
eBay seller was so full of sh*t when I asked for help and asked if this was defective. It was! When the float arm was half way, it would only read 30-35 ohms out of 90. The Jegs 80-89 3-line sender unit would read perfectly at 45 ohms.
For those not following along in the saga, some context:
Grandfather parked this thing 20 years ago because it was too expensive to drive back in 2006 when gas broke $3 a gallon and the old El Camino was only managing 6-8 mpg.
As of today after rebuilding the carb and distributor, replacing the plugs and wires, retuning everything from scratch, and doing an oil change for good measure, the old Mino is officially getting 12.8 mpg!!!
I'm super impressed with this tired old car. 12.8 is WAY better than expected considering its got the big ol' 350 that my grandfather built.
I know it's getting greedy, but I'd love to see it break 15 if I could, but I not sure that's really possible without replacing the TH350 and swapping out the rear end.
The fuel economy is now good enough that I can drive it without immediately going bankrupt!
It’s a v6 with a bad 3-speed auto transmission. are the transmissions easy to replace, are the v6’s any good?
Hello everyone. As quite a few of yall know, I got into a not at fault wreck in my 87 el camino a few months ago, and I have been posting updates. A few people have asked for another, so I’d figure I’d just post one!
My car is at Kieth Hodges shop in tyler texas (Absolutely amazing people) and it should be done in about a week!
I’m getting a new cowl hood, headliner and a full paint job. Paints already down on everything, and everything has been polished and made all pretty. I can’t wait to have my car back, I’ll attach a picture of how it sits. All it needs is a little reassembly and she’s back to being mine.
Finally made up a reproduction window sticker for my 87 SS. Did it all in MS paint. Really easy to do, good rainy / slow day project.
Only took 4 months but its here. Just about every option imaginable except bucket seats and center console. Happy for it to be an actual Z16 car so its incredibly rare 🥰
My wipers quit working and I thought before replacing the motor I would check the fuse first. When I took a look at the box I noticed a few things that looked odd. First, this green wire just hanging there. I haven't traced it back to anything, yet, but I was hoping someone might have an idea what it does. Second, I noticed there aren't any circuit breakers where the diagram shows there should be. Also, two of the fuses seem to be the incorrect size, 30 amps instead of 20. I plan on replacing all of the fuses according to the diagram, but I'm wondering if I should grab 2 circuit breakers for these empty slots. I apologize for the obvious questions and appreciate all feedback. Cheers!
I was just sitting here, and i thought, this old beater still looks pretty good! Bask in the flat blue peeliness
Anyone know where I can get a replacement badge for my 72 El Camino? This is the one still on but the other fell off last week while driving.
Title is self-explanatory. Specific options are:
*lumped together due to fascia changes every year.
Long story short. Scooped up a barn find 86 for about 1000. Knew it was going to be a project.
took it to my trusted mechanic who would work on it in his spare time for a discount. Engine looked rough but he thought he would be able to get it running for less than 1000.
He called today and said it needs a whole rewire. Mice chewed through so much that he he would be crazy to try to fix it without gutting.
Do I throw in the towel and cut my losses and part it out (likely make a little bit)
Or do I pulled engine and try to start fresh. My thought was a crate motor and rewire it all.
The shell seems like it’s in pretty good shape. Needs a paint job or wrap obviously. Just feels like something I’ll end up spending 6-7K for it to be worth 5k
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If anyone has any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. It's my first car from USA so I'm completely new in that matter. I haven't had any time to work on it yet, but I honestly can't wait
I need to upgrade cooling because in almost 40°C weather, it reaches 105°C on red lights, and that scares me. Even on the highway, it feels a bit too warm at 95/97°C
I recently ordered some parts from gbodyparts.com for the first time and have been super disappointed with their service. They sent me the wrong parts twice, which has resulted in delays to repair an El Camino as well as the time and gas to send them back the wrong parts. Anyone else had these issues? Alternatively, can anyone recommend a better supplier? Mikesmonties? Dixie Restoration? I will need to purchase additional parts for a restoration and need better service to meet a deadline. Thanks!
Something I never expected when I bought a ratty G-Body El Camino was how much attention it was going to get. I've daily driven a C4 Corvette, an 80s Porsche, and even a 3-wheel Cushman Haulster. None of them got much more than 1 comment every 3-4 weeks.
I can't go ANYWHERE in the El Camino without someone wanting to talk to me about it. I can't remember the last time I drove somewhere without at least 1 person saying something in the parking lot or at a stoplight. Not that I mind at all - it's just quite unexpected. If I had a first, second, or third gen, or if the body was in better shape, then I'd be less surprised. Usually cars that get this much attention also come with much higher price tags, mine was $3800 plus about $2000 worth of parts I've sunk into it since I bought it, and it's in desperate need of paint.
So what has your experience been? Do you get a ton of attention in your El Camino?