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Classic Cars Restoration Advice
220 messages, Last post on May 31, 2009 at 5:49 PM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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How about a car like my fintail...which realistically needs everything to be perfect, but does pretty well as-is. The brakes and tires both on it are now maybe 7-8 years old...those'll need to be done sometime. I had the coolant flushed this year and the transmission serviced a few years ago. It's got some kind of small oil leak, but it's so minor I won't bother spending what will surely be a grand to fix it. When it gets hot it smokes some, but not enough to notice on the dipstick, so I just ignore it...I suppose she'll need a valve job sometime. There is barely any rust and the body is a good 10-20-footer, so I am not too concerned there. The interior is also pretty sound. |
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Replying to: nosirrahg (Aug 27, 2006 6:29 pm) But for the trip, carry some water at least in case you bust a hose. You can drive home on battery power if you break an alternator belt but you'll need water if you have a leak. |
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does your El Camino have? IIRC, that year you could get the 229 V-6, 267 V-8, or 305 V-8, all of 'em Chevy units. I know you could get the 350 in '78-79, but I dunno if it was still offered in 1980, as GM really started cutting back their larger displacement engines around that time. And I'm guessing it's not an Olds Diesel, because, well, it probably wouldn't still be running if it was.  The Chevy smallblock is a pretty good engine, fairly durable. I'm not suggesting you test this out, but they'll survive overheating much better than most modern engines will!
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Replying to: andre1969 (Aug 30, 2006 11:00 am) |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Aug 30, 2006 11:00 am) From a little more research I've done on the Web, it sounds like my bigger concern will be if the truck rusts in half before I get it home! 
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Got the El Camino home in one piece; the only major problem I've noticed thus far is a coolant leak (probably the water pump from what I can tell). Once I get the coolant problem fixed, it looks like I'll have plenty of other things to keep me busy: shocks, water leaks around all the glass (I discovered at the car wash on the way home), valve cover gasket leak, etc. But overall the truck is in pretty good shape. The AC cools just a little, but is clearly low on freon; I'd love to get that fixed first so it would be more comfortable to drive, but I figure I'm better off getting it in good running condition before I burden the engine with the AC running.
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with the 229 V-6. Its water pump went out in the summer of 1989. My Granddad replaced it for me. I don't think it was really that major of a job. The 229 sits back pretty far from the radiator, so there was plenty of room for him to work as I recall.
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Replying to: nosirrahg (Sep 02, 2006 5:51 pm) Water pump is easy, valve cover is easy (don't use sealant, just buy a new gasket and spread some white grease on the gasket, then apply it...and don't tighten the valve covers very tightly or you'll bend them (maybe someone has already) and it'll never seal. Shocks are easy and cheap and the AC should be dealt with by a shop specializing in AC. They'll test for leaks as there is no sense putting expensive R12 in a system that's going to vent it in two weeks. You're only $500 bucks away from a great ride sounds like.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Sep 03, 2006 8:01 am) |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Sep 03, 2006 9:36 am) When I backed it into the garage this morning, I noticed a trail of red fluid as well...thought it was transmission fluid at first, but my dad and I checked it out and it's power steering fluid. Don't know if that's an easy fix or not, but for now I'll just make sure to keep the fluid topped off while I tackle the more pressing items. I posted a few photos on my CarSpace page, but I'll try to post one here to give you an idea of what the truck looks like:  See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com
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