HamsElco
03-07-2010, 01:43 AM
Greeting Elky's! Just wanted to drop in here and introduce myself. Just picked up a '70 Custom about two weeks ago and I've been getting some grease under my nails gettin' her to run right. Just about got it going decent for now, but it's a long way from being pretty. So here's my story on how I acquired it.
Saw an ad here in the local Craigslist describing it as in good, original condition with a rebuilt 350 with the seller trying to sell it to buy a sportbike. The photos in the ad were small and grainy and the wheels it was sporting was umm....not my style. Well, whaddayaknow! I just happened to have a sportbike that wasn't being used (a 2004 Honda VFR Interceptor for all you motorcycle junkies out there, loaded to the T, with 30k miles). So I sent the seller an email offering a trade along with a few photo's of the bike. He responds with interest and we arrange to meet. I'm pretty dead serious at this point so I bring all the extras I have for the bike, along with the extra set of keys, and the pink slip.
Turns out the 19-year old kid was just itching to hop back on a bike after going nearly a year without one from his last accident. I understand his withdrawal feelings. So I give the El Camino a walk around. Body's pretty straight and appears to have all original panels and no bondo. Small dent on the bumpers, rust on the lower portion of the front fender just aft of the wheel well, no big deal. Some minor rust around the windshield and rear window trim, not a deal breaker yet. Cracked, dry rotted mixmatched tires with a spare from the 70's on it. Surprised it still held air pressure. I look underneath, no leaks! I ask if I can fire her up and he tells me the battery is gettin' charged at the Autozone. So I tell him I can wait for it to be charged. Finally we pick up the battery and fire her up. Started up instantly, but had belt squeal...no big deal. Brake pedal went all the way to the floor...no big deal. Closed the door and it was at this moment I knew the car was mine. The latch didn't ride the strikers at all!!! A clean sound of a shutting door. If it had decent weatherstriping, it would put Mercedes and BMW door shuts to shame! Passenger side door, same deal....solid! Took a slow lap around the block and she was running rough, but the motor was quiet.
Deal time. The kid wanted $1000 on top of the trade. No can do. After some wheelin' and dealin' and a consistent reminder that he could be riding a shiny, red, awesome sportbike, we had a deal with me giving him $300 since he still owed some money to his neighbor who he bought the car from. I remembered when I was 19 and broke. And he was a good kid going to school and working so I didn't feel bad giving him some money. I couldn't imagine him commuting with the Elco how it sat...with those dreadful brakes!
We get all the titles signed and what not and I'm sitting in the driver's seat pumping the brakes to get some sort of pressure. The brakes would grab intermittently...not good. Good thing I waited til sundown because getting this puppy home from one side of Los Angeles to the other end in traffic was not going to happen with those brakes.
As I'm sitting there, pumping the brakes, an older gentleman from across the street walk up to me and we start chattin'. Turned out he was the neighbor who sold the kid the El Camino. Friendly guy and he was really worried about the brakes and me gettin' home safe and sound. Told me to give him a call when I got home and I did. I asked him if he was the original owner and he told me almost. He owned it for a greater portion of its 40 year old life. I didn't get into how much he sold the Elco to the kid for. None of my business. Just glad that it was mine now.
Did some things to it already. Important things like changing out the master cylinder, oils, tune-up, getting some new wheels/alignment, and can't live without some sound bellowing from her, so got some stainless Magnaflows and ceramic coated Hedman Hedders also scored through Craigslist.
Well, I'll be looking forward to learning and sharing some knowledge here in these forums.
-Ham
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/hkbeamer2qq2/4-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/hkbeamer2qq2/11-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/hkbeamer2qq2/2-2.jpg
Saw an ad here in the local Craigslist describing it as in good, original condition with a rebuilt 350 with the seller trying to sell it to buy a sportbike. The photos in the ad were small and grainy and the wheels it was sporting was umm....not my style. Well, whaddayaknow! I just happened to have a sportbike that wasn't being used (a 2004 Honda VFR Interceptor for all you motorcycle junkies out there, loaded to the T, with 30k miles). So I sent the seller an email offering a trade along with a few photo's of the bike. He responds with interest and we arrange to meet. I'm pretty dead serious at this point so I bring all the extras I have for the bike, along with the extra set of keys, and the pink slip.
Turns out the 19-year old kid was just itching to hop back on a bike after going nearly a year without one from his last accident. I understand his withdrawal feelings. So I give the El Camino a walk around. Body's pretty straight and appears to have all original panels and no bondo. Small dent on the bumpers, rust on the lower portion of the front fender just aft of the wheel well, no big deal. Some minor rust around the windshield and rear window trim, not a deal breaker yet. Cracked, dry rotted mixmatched tires with a spare from the 70's on it. Surprised it still held air pressure. I look underneath, no leaks! I ask if I can fire her up and he tells me the battery is gettin' charged at the Autozone. So I tell him I can wait for it to be charged. Finally we pick up the battery and fire her up. Started up instantly, but had belt squeal...no big deal. Brake pedal went all the way to the floor...no big deal. Closed the door and it was at this moment I knew the car was mine. The latch didn't ride the strikers at all!!! A clean sound of a shutting door. If it had decent weatherstriping, it would put Mercedes and BMW door shuts to shame! Passenger side door, same deal....solid! Took a slow lap around the block and she was running rough, but the motor was quiet.
Deal time. The kid wanted $1000 on top of the trade. No can do. After some wheelin' and dealin' and a consistent reminder that he could be riding a shiny, red, awesome sportbike, we had a deal with me giving him $300 since he still owed some money to his neighbor who he bought the car from. I remembered when I was 19 and broke. And he was a good kid going to school and working so I didn't feel bad giving him some money. I couldn't imagine him commuting with the Elco how it sat...with those dreadful brakes!
We get all the titles signed and what not and I'm sitting in the driver's seat pumping the brakes to get some sort of pressure. The brakes would grab intermittently...not good. Good thing I waited til sundown because getting this puppy home from one side of Los Angeles to the other end in traffic was not going to happen with those brakes.
As I'm sitting there, pumping the brakes, an older gentleman from across the street walk up to me and we start chattin'. Turned out he was the neighbor who sold the kid the El Camino. Friendly guy and he was really worried about the brakes and me gettin' home safe and sound. Told me to give him a call when I got home and I did. I asked him if he was the original owner and he told me almost. He owned it for a greater portion of its 40 year old life. I didn't get into how much he sold the Elco to the kid for. None of my business. Just glad that it was mine now.
Did some things to it already. Important things like changing out the master cylinder, oils, tune-up, getting some new wheels/alignment, and can't live without some sound bellowing from her, so got some stainless Magnaflows and ceramic coated Hedman Hedders also scored through Craigslist.
Well, I'll be looking forward to learning and sharing some knowledge here in these forums.
-Ham
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/hkbeamer2qq2/4-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/hkbeamer2qq2/11-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v511/hkbeamer2qq2/2-2.jpg