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72 El Camino

43K views 233 replies 51 participants last post by  olsparkey25 
#1 ·
So I guess this is where I'll update what I'm doing. Bought the car last Sunday August 12th, drove the car home about 100 miles. Car was restored around 1985 to the point where the owner showed the car a number of times. Step son inherited the car and repainted the red but didn't do much more to the car. I bought it because of how solid it is and overall very good condition.

This was taken after driving the car home




Disassembly time, trying to decide what chrome to keep, don't really like the two tone



Engine pulled, sending to a friend for some heads and a rebuild, engine runs great but want a bit more umph.


 
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#7 ·
SS hood showed up today and I ordered my suspension kit from UMI. I'm disassembled as far as I can go at my house so gonna tow it to the shop and take the body off.

Heading to the salvage yard tomorrow to pick up some buckets and a console with floor shifter.

Haven't had much time to work on it as we just got back from Canada, been there for 10 days. I leave Friday for KY for an early season bowhunt so won't get much done this month.

I'm itching to get busy though.
 
#8 ·
Just so wer're straight with the rules of this thread. This car is practically all stock, the car was originally a 350 2 bl and came in gold/white two tone. The only changes I know of are a diff intake and a 4 bl and a color change.

Plan is an engine overhaul with flat top pistons, a good pair of heads, intake, get rid of the Rochester carb, comp exhaust manifolds, stainless exhaust, cam work etc.

Suspension kit, springs, sway bars ft and rear, shocks, rear lower control arms. Build the rear end to a posi.

Frame off

New tires, wheels, disc brakes, lines etc.

Body work and paint

SS clone, including dash

Probably more that I can't think of

Drive the piss out of it..
 
#12 ·
You should really re-think the 2-tone thing.
Personally, the red & white just does not do it for that car (I hate red anyway).

Might have someone photoshop some different combos (or even look up GM's available combinations) to see what it may look like in a different color(s)

Even a single color would be okay----but keep the trim on the car
 
#14 ·


Frame is neckid and heading to the sandblasted Monday, gonna g the powdercoat way as a friend is doing it for $200, couldn't pass that up.

My Rotisserie was delivered today so tomorrow comes assembling that and hopefully mounting the body.

Just spent a stupid amount of money today so parts are on the way. Currie Track Nine rear end, Vari shocks, Helwig sway bars, AFX spindles with upper and lower SPC tubular c/a's, Baer brakes, Lee 670 steering box, Hotchkis spring, and UMI rear control arms.

Anyone have a doghouse I can borrow?
 
#20 ·
Update, in the middle of hunting season (I'm kinda nuts about archery) so my time for the truck is limited plus work has been crazy busy.

Frame is back from powder coating, looks really good, it's still sitting on the trailer waiting for room in the shop. Suspension parts are trickling in but I'm not in a huge rush as I'm trying to knock out the bodywork first. Stripped both quarters, one was replaced nicely the other looks like a typical dealership spot weld overlay. I've got some work to do there to get it right before reworking plastic.

This car was very straight and my hat it off to the guy that did the bondo work but I sure wish he had some skills in metal work. He just filled everything, 1/4+ was the norm. The right side quarter was 1/3 in bondo just for the sail panel spot weld, he blended his work out that far.




Enough of that, bed floor is out but know the fun of getting it back in, it's very heavy for one and won't fit in one piece. Guess I'm gonna cut off one side towards the back and weld it back, that doesn't help the front problem though. The inner wheelwells are wider about an inch from the bed floor so not sure how that's gonna work until I try and get it in.
 
#21 ·
Well after further digging today, the lower inner quarter needs replacing and the outer wheelhouse had an aluminum patch pop riveted in so it's gotta go too. Looks like I'm gonna have to pull the quarter skin off to do it right, the upside is I don't believe I'll have to cut up the bed floor panel now to make it fit.
 
#22 ·


Worked on bumpers today for a bit, welded holes and brackets on. Had them sandblasted a while back but that didn't work great, ended up 40 grit on a locked DA and then skin coated with polyester. Pic doesn't show but front one is ready for primer, might just go ahead and paint them early in the week if I get time. I need to see some green : )
 
#24 ·
You're gonna have a "new" Elky when you're done at the rate you're going. I wish I had the skills (and the space) to be able to do that kind of work.

Quarter is off, it's in pretty good shape but the outer wheelhouse is a mess. Quarter was overlayed, they left all the edging and brazed, spot welded and riveted on
Whomever had done the left quarter replacement on mine did that too. Nothing fits right because of that. Plus, there's an inner panel (picture) that forms the inside of the fuel filler that they just simply left out.
Auto part

Maybe there weren't any reproduced back when this was done... don't know.

On the right side, I also have a pretty sizable hole on the outer wheel house.
 
#26 ·
Well bed floor assy is in place, had to recruit my wife to help me set it in place. Ended up cutting off one side anyway, just couldn't make it fit otherwise. Gotta say its not a bad fit (Dynacorn), it is a bit off true but I can make it look good.



Other than that bumpers are waiting to be blocked, put them in Sikkens polysurfacer. Just need to find the time to block them and paint. Turns out the Synergy green that I'm going with is a two coat with no variants so that will help in painting parts off the car.
 
#28 ·
Dry fitting quarter inner pieces, had to play a bit to get them to fit but overall not too bad. Got a couple patches to make and weld in then I'm ready to start welding panels. Dry fitted quarter and everything looks good, it's nice to actually see some panels going on rather than coming off.



 
#31 ·
Well pic doesn't do this justice, spent a good weekend on it (except for church ; ) welded in the wheelhouse, lower quarter and half the floor. Quarter is pretty much ready to go back on, sleeves are welded in and it's been fit several times. Ground off surface rust, etch primed and a couple coats of trim black, probably throw some undercoating on it before welding in the quarter.

 
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