I am 16, got my license in november and my aunt and uncle gave me my first car for a b-day present, a 94 grand am. i have driven it for a while, and i always talk about how bad i want an elky. recently my grandmother got a divorce :-( , she now has a b/f. when he heard that i liked el caminos, he said he might know someone who had one. a week or so later, he tells me his friend has an 86. it is not out for sale yet on the street so no one else knows. he was going to sell it for $2500 or B/O. he said i can have it for $1500! O YAY. This afternoon, i go have dinner at my gramms house and she says she wants to tell me something. i go sit near her. she tells me that the divorce is over and finalized, and she tells me she wants to get me a gift, says she always wanted to give me more than she has but hasnt had the money. i knew what she was going to say. " I always wanted to buy you a car" she says. i told her no that i was not going to let her buy it for me because she should save her money, but she insists. so sometime in the near future i will be getting my first elky, a pic of it is in my avatar. info on it: 1986, automatic, 99K original miles, V8, sunroof(looked like it may nedd new molding), great interior except the center console is loose, one little rust spot on the corner of a wheel well, comes with a tonno cover with a little rip in it, runs good. when i get it, and i know it runs good, i will most likely sell my grand am and use the money for parts. what are some realy cool mods you can do to make it look realy cool? also, how do you make a car sound cool, like make it louder, is it the exhaust?

thanks guys and hope to hear some input
David

*edit* check my profile for a bigger pic.

This is so far off the charts that you can't call it a "score."

The Elky looks great. Give that woman a huge hug! And join us at a Region 2 gathering here in New England soon.

kewl. it did look like it neede a little work, theres a dent in the rear quater apnnel. dose anyone know roughly how much it would cost to get an elky repainted?

*edit* come on guys i want your votes

um this probably sounds stupid but what in neoca? i am just realy confused as to what this is.

First of all...WELCOME!!! http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Wave.gif And CONGRATS!!! That's a sweet lookin Elky!!!


um this probably sounds stupid but what in neoca? i am just realy confused as to what this is.

NECOA is US! http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/wink.gif Just a group of idjets with a common interest in El Caminos! It's a great place, with LOTS of knowledge and experiance in all aspects of Elkys...so feel free to ask questions when the time comes.

ok thanks. dose anyone know roughly the price it would cost for maaco or some paint place to repaint the whole car?

don't use maaco if you plan on keeping it. They are ok if you are wanting to sell a car. They do minimal prep work if any and not usually that good on taping, etc. You usually get what you pay for on paint. They charge 300-500 while a good repaint should run 1500-2000 unless you have some contacts.

Looks like a good find so far.

NECOA - National El Camino Owners Association

hopefully i will get it buy this weekend. the guy im getting it from works 3pm-12pm, but luckily my grams b/f works with him. when i get it, ill get some better pics and an overveiw of the first drive!

TTYL
Dave

I'd say you scored pretty good.

Words cannot tell how happy i feel right now. my grammy got the guy the check yesterday, my mom insured it lastnight, my grammy is gana register it today(she works at the town hall), and ill get it this weekend! what sux is i wont have time to get it until sunday. i have to work saturday. But i am so happy

i woke up this morning, get up and my mom tells me i droped one of my backpacks outside, i look outside by my car, Boom! there was my elky. it is so awsome, i took it for a drive just a min ago, in my trailer park, this thing is awsome!! i go from driving my quad grand am to a V8 elky! it is so awsome. only this is it needs to be inspected. cant wait to take it on the highway. how hard is it to out the tonneao cover on an elcamino? i got the sides all snaped in, realy tight fit though, then i couldnt get the back snaps to fit, is this normal?

Congrats David on getting your Elky. As far as the rear snaps go, I would park it in the sun for a few hours to loosen it up. Then I bet you will be able to snap the rear in place.

ok thanks. tonight i took it for a little highway drive, it was a little scarry because the front shocks are crap. i have new shocks in my smugglers box and need to get them installed. the whole front end was rocking back and forth, and side to side.

tommorow i plan on washing it up, maybee getting some turtle wax and cleaning it all up. I will take some better pics of it tommorow and post them.

I just hate laws! i cant drive my car yet because its not inspected. i called a bunch of places and theres noone that can do it today, or even this week.

check out some new pics i took of my car! tell me what you think

My album (http://www.elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?set_albumName=delete-this-plaese&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php)

Hmm…Just my opinion but you can do what you want with the money from selling the Grand Am to add upgrades to your new Elky.

If I were you instead of thinking about upgrades I would be thinking about Grandma. I would pay her back as soon as I could. My first concern would be to pay her back even if it were over time. Believe me you will appreciate your car even more if you pay for it. I know at only 16 this may be the last thing on your mind besides cool things for the Elky and an upcoming date. But it would show an awful a lot about one’s character and responsibility.

Either way enjoy your new El Camino but enjoy the time with Grandma even more. She sounds like one special lady! Welcome to our site!

Dave

ends up im not selling the grand am, my parents want me too drive the grand am in the winter and the elky in the summer.

YAY my car passed inspection, it only needed a hose and a clamp by the catilitic converter. im gana drive it to school for the first time today. i was just woundering if someone could tell me something, how do i make the car sound cool, you know like louder but not breaking the law loud. do i just put an exhaust tip on it or is it the whole exhaust?

thanks
David

Normally I'd say its unreasonable to dump a reliable car and replace it with a project car but I can understand the youthful enthusiasm.

Of course that assumes the grand am is reliable which could be questionable. I owned two of them one had the quad4 one with the 3.0 V6. THe Quad4 just about shook the car apart but was pleasantly quick. The V6 wasn't very reliable and expensive to fix so the El may be a better deal as far as keeping it running. But according to your last post that's been decided anyway.

I would have to agree with 70 Elco on the subject of your granny tho. Moms and grandmoms always seem to want those they love to be happy no matter what the consequences. It's their nature and sometimes not very reasonable. Even if she won't take the money find a way to pay her back some other way like free oil changes for life or something.

Enjoy your ride and for heavens sakes don't put no big ol' wing on it!

:D

I say good job!! At least its a V8 car to start with...no V6. Lots of possiabilities with a V8!

Congrats on the new ride. If your like me, this well be the first of many Elky's.
I have a sixteen your old son who is in Elky heaven right now too. We just sold the 85 Caballero and bought a 59 Elky.

Ok, now that you're almost over the excitement of getting your elky, slow down and think a bit. The front end first - does it shake at any speed, or does it shake intermittently? It might be anything from a lost tire weight to a complete front-end rebuild. I noticed you said it had over 90,000 miles on it - at the very least it needs shocks and maybe a new set of tires.

Much like you, I just got an elky, and I'm as excited as hell about it. But I've played the "old car" game before. Before you buy the turtlewax, check with a company called The Wax Shop. They sell a product called Cleaner Wax that works like a miracle. It's all carnuba based, and cleans up really easily, but the difference in color and the shine cannot be beat. I get mine at my local Car Quest. It beats the hell out of anything Maguires has - just my opinion.

Energy Suspension sells a urethane bushing kit for Elkys that just kicks ass on most everything else out there. If you're thinking about a front end rebuild, I'd seriously consider checking them out. The results I got on my '82 are the difference between night and day - tight, but not harsh.

Basically, you scored bigtime, and have made more than a few people here jealous. Get it into shape, then post lots of pics - we love to see 'em.

Congrats to you!! If you are wanting a better sound out of the exhaust, headers is your answer. Make sure you check your local laws though. If you need info on headers, check in other forums. There are alot of owners in there that can give you great advice. Also, NECOA stands for National El Camino Owners Association.

Good lookin' Elky. Thanx for posting the pix. Treat it right and take care of it and you will have a classic for many years to come. Coming to this online community is an excellent start. Feel free to ask any questions you want, cause someone here has probably been thru it before. I understand your excitement. My grandad gave me my first car, a '77 Elky. I was able to work on it over the summer, and by the time I was ready to roll to school for the start of my senior year, I had it done. That was back in '86. Good memories, good times, and it made me an Elky addict for life. Enjoy your addiction! :D

Congrats C'tiger! you must be a pretty great grandson.
I joined for pretty much the same reason, -got a killer deal, I rescued two '79 El Caminos from the crusher yesterday. Between the two I'll have one good runner, with a nearly straight body. (#1 has grapefruit/canteloupe sized dent on the right front fender, and a couple more little dings here and there) I won't have #2 delivered until next week, but she has the parts I need to get #1 on the road.
I picked up the two of them for the price of the tow bill. (which is a smokin' deal in itself, driver had to travel 130 mile RT, but only charged me 100$ per car) *HOW COOL IS THAT?!!!*
My boyfriend (who has about 15 years experience as a body tech) hooked me up with the deal, he wanted them, but couldn't justify, as he just bought a '68 charger. So, Congrats to you , Congrats to me, 8) -and good luck on your project!

Re: your tonneu cover. The sun helps, but not practical in the winter or when it's dark... Here's a tip that works for me. After you have it started (under the window) go to the tailgate and snap the rear corners FIRST, then go along the tail gate, then finish the side snaps.

8) I know how you feel about your new to you Elki. When I bought mine I was like a kid in a toy store and I was 38 then! Nice find!

Congrats on the new El, I just received my 85 from my Grandfather; he's had it since Jan 86. I've had to do a lot so far and will be doing much more with time. This is my 3rd El, the other were 78 & 79. The parts are the same for Monti Carlo, Regale, Cutlass Supreme and Malibu - 78 to 87. You were wondering about sound, even adding a cat back system will make it sound much better and still be legal. A good web site for you suspension would be (www.performancesuspension.com), they have complete rebuild kits or suspension upgrades for the El, another piece of info you El is a G-body. Take it easy and have fun 8-)