Whether it's an SS or not remains to be seen. The bottom line is, I like the car/truck, (What DO I call this?). I probably paid too much for it. But it has had a lot of work with receipts that almost double my price.

It's a 72 El Camino probably an SS 350. Possibly originally a 4 speed car.

Here's the VIN.
1D80J2L569582

Hope these pictures aren't too big...

He's a pict of the cowl tag
http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-036.JPG

And the car.

http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-026.JPG

http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-018.JPG

http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-039.JPG

http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-029.JPG

http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-030.JPG

The motor is strong, (new and now a 402 BB). Now a TH400 with 12bolt posi. Seats are now buckets, but who knows what was in there orignally. No build sheet over the gas tank, (tank replaced with a car tank). The fueling neck now relocated to the area between the bed and the tailgate.

I'll need to do some work to it. It came with a new dash piece to replace the cracked one where someone stole the radio. I want to clean up the interior with a hidden AC unit. Need to remove the roll bar, and a few other things, not to mention removing the old paint and spreading on some new. Not too sure if it will be the original yellow or now. (that's about the only thing I could extract from the cowl tag..)

That's enough for now, I think I'll go sit in the caruck again.

WOW, So that's what torque feels like, and the Secondarys aren't even kicking in yet.
Dan

Very nice find. What did you pay?

Hmm, I thought I replied. I must not have clicked the right button.

Thanks,
I should have known that messge was going to come up.
It was $6k. I was hoping to avoid the dreaded, "you got took" messages.

I'm looking foward to a summer of crusing, car shows, track events and going to the dump...

6K for as clean straight "A" body is a screamin' deal. The fact that it runs AND has a big block are just added bonus'.

Thanks for the confirmation.
We went over the body with magnets, they stuck everywhere. It just has 3 paint jobs plus some added primer on it. So it's starting to crack in places. Lot's of work ahead when we want to put paint down. I'm hoping we can get it straight enough for black. But the grey primer makes me think silver will be my second choice. It does have some floor pan rust, carpets are wet from the rain. So we're not out of the woods, but My Son has a 914 Porsche and he's well versed with rust repair.

My head's spinning...

Looks great.Body looks straight.And the doors and hood looks gapped even.Maybe lose the wheel trim,but thats just me.Great find.

I'm the same way with wheel trim. But for now it keeps the attention off the primer. :)
I found some rust... The smlugglers tray is pretty bad. Explains the water and rust in the floor board.
Still trying to figure out why it's down on power. Feels like the vaccum secondarys aren't kicking in.
The adventure continues.

Looks cool! The hidden gas tank flapper in the bed is cool! (i cheated and peaked at all the pics)

I like the wheels... Low, but not TOO low :)

I'm fighting with the decision to go with 17"s on my new 68 elky or stick to tried and true 15"s... Your's is one of the first I've seen that has it setup the way I like (not too low, but not too high)

Anyway, have fun with it!
:D

I'd try to match the color in pic 3. It looks like a medium charcoal gray. Either way. 6K is a steal. Great Elky

I want to clean up the interior with a hidden AC unit. Need to remove the roll bar, and a few other things, not to mention removing the old paint and spreading on some new. Not too sure if it will be the original yellow or now. (that's about the only thing I could extract from the cowl tag..)
Dan

For $6K,you definitely didn't get hurt. Looks like the start of a good project.
Any photos of the rollbar? Wish you were closer as I would've helped you remove it.

Neat El camino, is that a Ford a/c compressor?!?

Thanks Guys. I keep finding good and bad. But, that's the adventure...

The hidden gas tank flapper in the bed is cool!
Actually they didn't use the one in the bed. They located the filler in the space between the bed and the tailgate. It's imbedded into the backside of the bed.

http://www.teamgracer.com/cars/Elcamino/ElCamino-71SS-055.jpg

We'll probably patch the one in the bed once we know the other one works ok without getting in the way. Can you imagine having a load of plywood or other garbage in there and having to stop for gas? Planning ahead is in order.

I like the height, but I actually want it lower with wider tires. I need to figure out how wide I can go on 8x17 rims. Then trash the air shocks in favor of some bags or some coil overs. Still have a lot of research to do on the end. I replace the upper control arm bushings and tightened the steering box. That made for a much more stable ride and quieter :^)

I'd try to match the color in pic 3. It looks like a medium charcoal gray

I'm liking the grey as well. I'm wondering how the primer looks polished? Is that from having it on there a long time with occasional washes.

Any photos of the rollbar? Wish you were closer as I would've helped you remove it.

I think you'll need a plasma cutter and you'll have to battle my Son for it. He want to put it in his Porsche 914 V8. We'll be doing some track days which is the main reason for the 'Caruck' (it's named..)

Neat El Camino, is that a Ford a/c compressor?!?

Thanks, I don't know. It looks like a generic kit. My Son's Porsche actually had a compressor like this on it. So I don't think it's specific to any brand.

Sorry, I need to resize those pictures makes it hard to read...

He's my adventures for today. Still researching the low power situation.
Pulled a valve cover and found some nice 353049 oval port heads. Called the engine builder and found out that the engine had 195# compression when it was built. I did a compression test and found between 125# and 143#. I also did a leakdown and surprisingly it only had 2%-3% leakdown. That seemed to indicate rings as the leaks were going into the crankcase.

I have another thread in the Engine section so I'll keep these comments to that thread.
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?p=895881

Tried to take it down to an exhaust shop to add 3" tailpipes to the existing 3" system. They talked their way out of it. Quoted me $175 for 2 1/2" and we walked. I'll find another shop.

I don't mind a little work to get it right. I just don't have a bunch of money after the purchase. I need to sell a car before I can get serious on fixup.

Dan

Not many Exhaust shops can bend 3" tailpipes for these cars unless they have a mandrel bender. Very few shops can afford the cost. You might have to buy your own bends and let a shop weld it up for you.
However,I ran 3" and 2.5" plumbing on my former 68 Elky with healthy 468" and was happy with the results. A 2.5" mandrel-bent system will outflow a compression-bent 3".

Thanks Clint.
I see some other threads that back your suggestions. I may just put my Son to work making some tailpipes. At this point the size probably won't make much difference the way I'm using the Caruck.

I really like the stance of your 69. Can you provide some secrets on suspension? Expecially the rear, since it's hurting right now and I need to figure out what direction to go. What size tires and wheels are you using?

Thanks Clint.
I see some other threads that back your suggestions. I may just put my Son to work making some tailpipes. At this point the size probably won't make much difference the way I'm using the Caruck.

I really like the stance of your 69. Can you provide some secrets on suspension? Expecially the rear, since it's hurting right now and I need to figure out what direction to go. What size tires and wheels are you using?
My suggestion would be to check SC&C's suspension components. Marcus has some really good set-ups for our cars. My car was a former prosteeter that I threw away everything and rebuilt like I wanted it. My wheels are 17x9 & 17x13 PS Engineering pin-drive knockoffs and at the moment,I'm running 275/40 & 335/35 Kumho V700 Victoracers. Front suspension is handled by Global West tubular a-arms and Air Ride Shockwave coilovers. Rear suspension is by a CE parallel four link and Air Ride Shockwaves.

I'm the same way with wheel trim. But for now it keeps the attention off the primer. :)

If/when you get ready to duke the trim, will you let us know? Some of us are in need of decent trim, and the pics look like they're decent.

BTW, nice car!

[QUOTE=Clint44]My suggestion would be to check SC&C's suspension components. QUOTE]

Thanks Clint, I see I have a lot to learn about the Chevys that I thought I already knew. The adjustable rods for the rear are something we already considered. We (my Brother in Law) and I noticed that it was dog walking just slightly down the freeway. So maybe we can correct that using the adjustable arms. Hey the price is pretty good. That's one think I like about working on these Chevys vs the semi-vintage Porsches I'm used to.

I'm thinking of taking the air shocks off and replacing them with a good adjustable shock like a QA1. Then adding bags in the coil springs. The only other thing I need to do is lower it a bit. So maybe some heavyer lowering springs will be necessary. I plan to use it to tow a car trailer, so I need to have some pretty stout capacity back there.

I think as far as wheels go, I'll stick with the 17x8s that i have on there. Then add some 275x55x17 tires. I'm hoping to get the highway RPMS down a bit. Right now there running around 3200. This tire would allow a drop of 12% RPM at the same speed. Then when I visit the strip, I can put a small diameter wide slick that would get my gears back to a more optimal ratio. I think an overdrive is in order, but I have too much other things to deal with.

If/when you get ready to duke the trim, will you let us know? Some of us are in need of decent trim, and the pics look like they're decent.

BTW, nice car!

It will depend on which color I go with. Likely that if I stay with a light color, they will stay on. But, if I go with Black, they'll make a visit to the classifieds.

Dan,

Nice project. I like the trim on my black Elky, but to each his own.....

Good luck, sounds like you're going to have a real nice 'Caruck' on your hands when you are finished.

I'm starting to like Black :)

Do you have any more/larger pictures of your car?
Looks real nice.
Dan

Dan......you've got mail.

Dan......you've got mail.

I do!
THANKS

(after I un-spammed myself)