I handed the gears over to Weckmann and he disappeared into the back where the Camino was on jacks. He came back too quickly and uttered those hateful words, "Well, I got your good news and your bad news. The good news is the gears are a perfect fit for a 12-bolt. The bad news is that obviously none of you guys can count because that El Camino has a 10-bolt . You guys weren't counting the inspection cover bolts when we were testing the purge valve on the nitrous were you?" he asked. Martin, myself and the rest of the group retired to O'Connell's to rehearse our alibi and salve our wounds.

 

While waiting for the gears we made some progress getting the El Camino street and strip worthy. Since we are going to use NOS nitrous and have an MSD HEI distributor and MSD plug wires on the engine, we decided it would be best to replace the 1967 vintage generator and regulator to give the ignition a chance. We also installed a Moroso air cleaner assembly, replacing the 2.5-inch thick stock air filter with a 1.5 inch replacement, because the medium riser intake combined with the nitrous plate raised the carb up enough that the hood hit it.
Since the engine had been running a little rough, before we replaced the charging system and installed the air cleaner it was decided that a quick test lap out in front of the garage was called for and that Weckman would be the wheelman.

Bill fired up the 402, rolled the Camino out in front of the shop, applied a little brake and then floored it. The Camino moved hard, leaving two distinct black tracks and tire smoke behind it. Bill stayed on the pedal until the Turbo 400 shifted to second, producing an

audible chirp from the tires. We can't wait to try this with the 3:73 gears. Bill quickly turned the car around and drove back into thegarage. We closed the doors, and turned out the lights. Someone suggested we test the nitrous purge again. Fortunately, the bottle was empty. (After the testthe transmission sprung a small leak and is going back to the shop for a little tune-up).

One of the jobs that we couldn't scam was replacing the post-30-year-old interior that had obviously been the liner of a chicken coop. With much grumbling, I paid a pro to do the job. Unfortunately, the upholstery guy got paid in advance and is still not quite finishedwith the job after more than a year. In the meantime, we've installed the new rubber and felt we got from Gary Anderson's SoffsSeal Co. on the windows and doors.

While working on the interior we discovered that the controls for the heater-defroster were in-op. Upon removal, we found that the cables were frozen with rust and that some goon had broken off one of the control levers. We're working to repair that unit instead of replacing it because it’s a real lone ranger--no new or repro parts readily available. (Ed note: we have since found and installed a lever from of a '67 SS Chevelle.)

Also, some El Camino experts have told us that the car is an original big-block car because of the numbers on the VIN tag and the factory Posi. The Camino also has a bench seat and a column-shifted Turbo 400, which another El Camino expert told us he had never seen before. Anybody out there got info?

Oh by the way, the MC El Camino gang has adopted its own version of NHRA's 90 percent rule. Ours works like this: if the temperature, humidity or heat factor get over the 90 degree or 90 percent mark in the St. Louis area, we have to stop working and check into O'Connell’s for re-hydration. It's July in St. Louis. Call us at O'Connell's.  

© 2006-2008, MaxChevy and RacingNetSource