The "66 El Camino that I finally own" Thread

The "66 El Camino that I finally own" Thread

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Discussion

iva cosworth

44,044 posts

162 months

Wednesday 5th August 2015
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Yay.....now the thread can really start.

Possible stupid question but How long till you think it'll be UK roadworthy,MOTed etc ?

5potTurbo

12,482 posts

167 months

Thursday 6th August 2015
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Really looking forward to seeing progress on this! thumbup


I always thought that should I ever move to the U.S., I'd quite fancy having an old ratty looking pick-up, like this one



- but with a very powerful V8 in it. Just cool



So, any more updates?
No? Too soon?
wink

CAPP0

19,532 posts

202 months

Thursday 6th August 2015
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5potTurbo said:
Really looking forward to seeing progress on this! thumbup


I always thought that should I ever move to the U.S., I'd quite fancy having an old ratty looking pick-up, like this one



- but with a very powerful V8 in it. Just cool
Buy that one then! Clearcoat it, get Sue's UK cousin to do the interior, and Richard Rawlings is your uncle biggrin If I hadn't completely run out of drive and garage space already, I'd be tempted myself!

v8.jimmy

44 posts

104 months

Friday 7th August 2015
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First I need to say thanks to Mark for following through with this from start to finish. For many guys who latch onto something whilst it is one the way over, it is only a talking point with their mates and all sorts of excuses happen a few days before a vehicle lands. Not with Mark though, a thoroughly decent guy to deal with and no haggling on the pre agreed price. I stuck it on the ramp so he could have a look underneath and he put the money in my hands before we even went for a road test! We had a cuppa, a blether and I loaded it up and secured it for him and he was on his way. A pleasure to deal mate!
To answer the guys asking what it will take to make it to MOT standard. Well on a quick look, it needs UK headlights, then put the front sidelights into the headlights which is a simple wiring conversion so it doesn't have amber front sidelights. The rear indicators are red and need to be amber, so the usual way is to rewire the reversing lights as indicators and put orange bulbs in them. The screen washers weren't working which we didn't check as it may be out of water or a hose off. Failing that, a bag kit with pump is about a tenner on ebay. Steering column top bush just below the wheel has a little play. From a quick look, that's about it, but of course it's best to pull the brake drums and wheel bearings for a check over, clean and refit if all is well. One tyre would attract an advisory. So, basically if wiring isn't a problem (it is for me, I get my bro to do it) the truck could be MOT ready in a weekend with all the checks done. Certainly, even if anything was found in brakes, wheel bearings etc, it would still be less than a weekend after parts arrive.
Longest part could be waiting for HMRC to produce the NOVA letter required for registering it, though it can still be MOTd whilst waiting for the letter to come. I'll be doing the reg application forms for Mark and sending him all the docs he needs as soon as I have them all here.

Edited by v8.jimmy on Friday 7th August 10:21

v8.jimmy

44 posts

104 months

Friday 7th August 2015
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all loaded up ready to go

99t

Original Poster:

996 posts

208 months

Friday 7th August 2015
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Ha! Thanks Jim, could have caught me smiling at least!! smile

Ok, so now the dust of mid-week collection has settled, what have I ended up with?

Let's start with the basics - the body trim tag. Chevrolet bodies of this era were made and trimmed for GM by Fisher. If original, this tag tells us where and when the body was made and what the original colour and trim options were.

Note that in 1966 this tag doesn't contain mechanical information, it isn't going to tell us that it was originally an SS396 or a 6 cylinder base model. Later tags do contain information that allows certain assumptions as to the model to be made - i.e. my '67 Camaro tag specifies that it is an RS (Rallye Sport) model and also implies it is an SS (Super Sport) due to the codes being present for a 4-speed manual transmission and rear traction bar which were SS specific.

Back to the Elk then and first things first, the trim tag fixings look to be original. They are the correct style and the tag shows no signs of tampering. No guarantees of course but it would appear reasonable to assume that this is the original tag for the car.



It decodes as follows:

06B - body manufactured second week of June, 1966

66-13680 - 1966 model, Malibu (base) series El Camino

BF07926 - Freemont, California plant and body production series number

710 - Medium Fawn interior, Light Fawn imitation leather (bench seat)

TT - Sandalwood Tan paint upper and lower (i.e. not two tone)

079897 - body broadcast sheet number

So straight away we have proved that the car started and ended its American life in California. No guarantees it spent all its time there, but it certainly hasn't spent many years away from the "dry state" if any.

We have also proved that as a base series El Camino, the chrome trim around the arches, gutters etc., isn't missing, it was simply never fitted from new.

The bodywork has had a refurb a good few years ago, and this is likely when the colour was changed. The original Sandalwood Tan can be seen here and there where the paint is chipped. There is some evidence of a little filler in a few places, but I don't think it will be much grot hiding underneath. The paint is old enough that anything nasty would be showing itself by now.

The seat trims, door cards and carpets are clearly new, whilst the kick panels have been painted (quite well) and are black underneath the paint.

In terms of timescale for the MOT, I have ordered the headlights locally, and although I could have gone for a cheaper option, I have ordered the correct parts necessary to make the windscreen washers operational. As these need to come from the US I doubt it will be ready for an MOT before my holidays later this month...

v8.jimmy

44 posts

104 months

Saturday 8th August 2015
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regarding the car starting and ending its American life in California, I can tell from the black reg plates that it was never ever registered outside California and that those plates will bear the original number given to the car when new, this is what they mean when you hear anybody mention "California black plate car"

N5 NRO

258 posts

155 months

Saturday 8th August 2015
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Enjoyed following this thread and glad to see you've finally got the car! Seeing the info about it being made in Freemont reminded me of a podcast I heard recently on thisamericanlife about GM's Nummi plant in Freemont. If you're interested you can listed to it here: http://m.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episo...

Gives quite and interesting background into the people making cars there.

99t

Original Poster:

996 posts

208 months

Saturday 8th August 2015
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Thanks for that, it was very interesting and informative.

Pretty amazing that my Elk got built at all considering what the workers got up to when they should have been building cars! Even more amazing it has lasted nearly fifty years when by all accounts many workers daily entertainment was to sabotage the product in whatever inventive ways they could find...

iva cosworth

44,044 posts

162 months

Saturday 8th August 2015
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I saw a 1960s Creg Elk today near work,it was different to this one.

Would it have been an earlier truck ?

99t

Original Poster:

996 posts

208 months

Saturday 8th August 2015
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iva cosworth said:
I saw a 1960s Creg Elk today near work,it was different to this one.

Would it have been an earlier truck ?
C reg would be '65 (assuming it was a suffix) which is a very similar vehicle, just an annual facelift earlier really




Otherwise if a C prefix it would be '85, and quite different (although you said 60's so I guess not...)



iva cosworth

44,044 posts

162 months

Sunday 9th August 2015
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Fairly sure it was like the first you posted,with more chrome grille than your truck......thumbup

99t

Original Poster:

996 posts

208 months

Sunday 9th August 2015
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Spent a little while this morning having a good nose around the car. Of course with close examination you inevitably find a mixture of good and bad, but so far the important things all seem to fall into the "good" category, whilst the bad things are, so far, trivial - e.g. missing the little spring that tensions the check link on the drivers door, missing the glove box lock etc.

Some of the hinges were looking and sounding a little dry, so broke out the spray grease and gave the doors, tailgate and bonnet hinges a good going over. All now operate nicely and the doors close amazingly well, maybe not quite like a Golf, but cleanly and without needing a slam. Bonnet keepy uppy springs are slightly weak and do need the assistance of a broom handle.

I then turned my attention to the engine bay, seems there has been some money spent in there recently...

Not very old alternator



Pretty recent water pump (and coolant looks suitably fresh)



New looking bottom hose



Clean air filter



The oil filter looks almost new and has November 2014 written on it. The colour of the oil suggests it hasn't done many miles since then

The carburettor isn't new, but doesn't look decades old



Battery tray is a pretty new repro one, although already starting to flake its rather thin coat of paint, so I treated and painted that







Fuel lines and filter look pretty new too



This is all good news as it means it has been serviced at least once in the last fifty years, and fairly recently at that.

It does however make the state of the spark plugs rather inexplicable (and they all look the same)



Actually, although I say inexplicable, I suspect the explanation may be a simple one - maybe the buggers ain't for coming out...?

Regardless of the above, Jimmy had advised me not to pump the throttle because the car starts instantly when the key is turned, and so it does. I don't think it completes a full rotation before firing and settling to a steady if slightly fast idle. Part of me wonders whether the plugs should be allowed to fall into the "if it ain't broke..." category??

Whilst considering the issue I spotted a breather hose that was a) split and b) not oil resistant as it was starting to dissolve at the rocker cover. Replacing this seems to have immediately dropped the idle by a couple of hundred rpm to a much more acceptable level.



I had just about decided to go and find a socket to investigate the plugs, when the postie arrived with a box of shiny new headlights biggrin so suddenly that seemed like a better idea!

iva cosworth

44,044 posts

162 months

Sunday 9th August 2015
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Well,that was quick,with your UK headlights and the other light mods Jimmy listed you'll be ready to go in no time at all...cool

v8.jimmy

44 posts

104 months

Sunday 9th August 2015
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plugs will come out easy mate, haven't ever broken one in a sbc engine. I think it's been dampness sitting on them as the rust is very orange and almost wet looking. Weird how they are all exactly the same! Good spotting that knackered hose, better than messing about with the carb only to find that it wasn't the carb at fault....
Front sidelights are easy enough to sort out as there is a facility and bulb holder with the new units and it's only a case of locating the sidelight wires to the indicator units, cutting them and diverting to the dip beam units. The rears are a different story as the way it is just now, one bulb does brakes, indicators and sidelights and if you simply do the same at the rear as at the front, then the brake lights will flash with the indicators. If you're not sure how to do that, I'll ask my bro what he does for me.

99t

Original Poster:

996 posts

208 months

Monday 10th August 2015
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v8.jimmy said:
The rears are a different story as the way it is just now, one bulb does brakes, indicators and sidelights and if you simply do the same at the rear as at the front, then the brake lights will flash with the indicators. If you're not sure how to do that, I'll ask my bro what he does for me.
Thanks Jim, I'll see how I get on as I'm not too bad with electrics, but if I get stuck I may take you up on that. beer

99t

Original Poster:

996 posts

208 months

Monday 10th August 2015
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Bit of progress over the weekend.

Headlights were straightforward, as Jim said, just needed to identify the side light feed wire (purple) and divert it to the bulb in the new light unit, and add an earth.

All nice and solid behind the headlight trim and light buckets.



I had to take a small section out of the light buckets to clear the sidelight bulb holder and wires - where the "U16" can be seen on the numberplate.



All refitted and working, side, dip and main on outer units plus main on inner ones - although these are still the original sealed beams for now.

The side light is on in this pic although it isn't very obvious in bright sunlight!





Next up was the play in the upper steering column bearing. A quick web search indicated that the bearing might not be as easy to get hold of as I expected - none of the usual sources seemed to list one and ebay didn't turn one up either.

However, reading around the subject, it appears that rather than being a plain bearing, it requires a pre-load on it to set the correct clearance - a bit like a conical wheel bearing but in this case tensioned by a spring between the wheel boss and the horn contact ring, which in turn is shaped to fit and press on the inner race.

Armed with this information I stripped the wheel and horn contact assembly, hoping perhaps that the spring would be a bit weak rather than the bearing worn out.

Instead I found the spring to be entirely absent!! Without the preload from the spring the bearing had easily 5mm lateral play so no wonder the upper column felt a bit rattly! yikes

I raided my spare parts collection and found two possible springs of unknown origin, both the same size but one a bit stiffer than the other. Tried the soft one first, much better but still a bit of play. Stiffer one - perfect, no play at all biggrin



Cleaned and repacked the bearing and reassembled. All good!


However, I will confess I did have a bit of a panic during the above!!

I had to loosen the lower column clamp to free the wiring loom to give me some wriggle room, meaning the entire column could rotate. What I didn't know was that the split pin retaining the shift lever on the column shift was making a simultaneous bid for freedom.

Everything was thus aligned so that all it needed was for some schmuck to catch the shift lever with their arm for:

a) the column to rotate (putting the shift linkage out of position) and
b) the shift lever itself to drop off with a clunk and a twang that sounded much like a complicated linkage falling apart!! censored

My heart was down in the footwell at this point with visions of having to strip and rebuild and reset the entire column and linkage assembly. However I re-fitted the shift lever and rotated the column back to roughly where it was and tried to select all gears. A little further tweak to enable "L" to be selected and it all seems to be ok. Fingers crossed!

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Monday 10th August 2015
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99t said:
I don't know why, but I really like that big fugly lump.

v8.jimmy

44 posts

104 months

Tuesday 11th August 2015
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TooMany2cvs said:
I don't know why, but I really like that big fugly lump.
fugly is the new fkool smile
A really practical old thing for somebody who needs a 'shop truck type thing

skyrover

12,668 posts

203 months

Tuesday 11th August 2015
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still a common fitment to modern pickups in the sates