The "66 El Camino that I finally own" Thread
Discussion
Hopefully Jim won't mind me pinching this picture of an earlier shipment from his Facebook page, gives an idea how it is achieved...
I'm not worried, but I'll be glad when it is out in one piece!!
Meanwhile, Seaboard Patriot has spend the last 24 hours or so moving from dock to dock at Antwerp, including the very one that Romulus was moored at yesterday
She's now on her way to Rotterdam
I'm not worried, but I'll be glad when it is out in one piece!!
Meanwhile, Seaboard Patriot has spend the last 24 hours or so moving from dock to dock at Antwerp, including the very one that Romulus was moored at yesterday
She's now on her way to Rotterdam
Ok quick update, just had a long chat with Jim as he did a walk around the Elk describing all the bits and pieces in detail.
In a nutshell it is as described, completely solid in all the key areas, starts, runs, steers and stops well. He has spotted one bed support that has some rust and would be an MOT fail as it is close to a body mount, so he is going to sort that prior to collection. Other than that he is really happy with it.
Unfortunately that means I can't collect tomorrow which is a shame, but overall it sounds as though it is worth waiting a few more days for
Pics to follow soon!!!
In a nutshell it is as described, completely solid in all the key areas, starts, runs, steers and stops well. He has spotted one bed support that has some rust and would be an MOT fail as it is close to a body mount, so he is going to sort that prior to collection. Other than that he is really happy with it.
Unfortunately that means I can't collect tomorrow which is a shame, but overall it sounds as though it is worth waiting a few more days for
Pics to follow soon!!!
Hooli said:
so...........
Well it's been a long day, I had hospital visiting duties to perform once I'd got the Elk safely home, and the transporter returned, and time was getting rather tight...So my apologies for the late update, but it couldn't have really gone any better today
Jim, absolute pleasure to meet you today, you're a gent and I can't fault your description of the car or your hospitality. Really rather jealous of the setup you have up there, and wish I'd had more time to have a really good poke around your stock-list / collection!
Really looking forward to getting stuck in to the work on the Elk. The more I look around it the more new parts I see, someone was definitely spending some money on it in the US.
Not many pics from today unfortunately, just didn't have the time, so just a few for now...
Welcome to Britain!!
Ha! Thanks Jim, could have caught me smiling at least!!
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...
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...
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...
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 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 reallyWould it have been an earlier truck ?
Otherwise if a C prefix it would be '85, and quite different (although you said 60's so I guess not...)
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 so suddenly that seemed like a better idea!
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
so suddenly that seemed like a better idea!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. 
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