2008
Oct 4, 2008
I finally picked up my El Camino yesterday. I bought it on ebay for $3300. The engine has a rod knock and probably shouldn't be driven 50 miles on the highway, so we trailered it home.
Anyways, here it is.
1969 Chevrolet El Camino
305 engine
Saginaw 4 speed
10 bolt open rear end
15' inch wheels
New tires
Black interior with bench seat
Needs new floors
Could use a new bed (it's banged up)
The rear bumper is in so-so shape. I got a new one from the seller for $100 and will put it on eventually.
Door locks need to be fixed
Parking brake needs to be fixed
Needs a new tie rod up front
And various other things. I have about a page long list of things to do.
Nov 19, 2008
New camshaft and valve springs for a spare 350 engine waiting to be swapped in
Nov 29, 2008
Drove up to Columbus, OH to pick up these seats. These are from a Mazda3, got them for $75 on eBay. We just barely squeezed them into the trunk and back seat of the Mazda6.
Dec 29, 2008
Got more goodies today! This time from NPD.
- floorboards (and floor support)
- locks
- door sills
- glovebox
Dec 30, 2008
I found a leak under the windshield. I'm glad I found it before I put the new floorboards and carpet in.
Feb 14, 2009
Picked up a transmission input shaft bearing today, for the 350 engine to accept a manual transmission instead of automatic.
Mar 21, 2009
350 engine dropped off at the machine shop to inspect and rebuild
Apr 4, 2009
Called the machine shop today. They've checked out the block and it's all good. They want to bore it to clean up the cylinder walls, but that's about it. He said they will check out the heads this week and call me after that.
I fixed the windshield leak and got the car to start. And I found out why the driver's door won't stay open - it's missing the hinge with the grooves. Plus I need to replace 3 of the dash lights.
May 2, 2009
The machine shop said the heads on the spare 350 needed too much work, they did not have hardened valve seats necessary for unleaded gas. We decided to give them the engine as payment for the work they did tearing it apart and inspecting it. We then drove up to Columbus and picked up a Goodwrench 350 crate engine from Jegs to swap instead.
The old engine is now ready to be pulled on Monday. Spent a couple hours taking off almost all the parts I could to make it a quick pull.
Jul 9, 2009
I've had the new engine in it for awhile now. It was a pretty easy job - just took the hood off and put it in. I've put most of the accessories on, just need to hook up the power steering, battery, and starter. Also need to clean up the headers and put them on. Then it should be able to run!
Looks much better than the other engine.
Planned to use these Edelbrock valve covers. Just have to strip all the paint and polish them up.
