Posted: 6/2/2025 7:21:16 AM EDT
[Last Edit: 68MUDSTUD][Edited]
Well I finally found an old El Camino. I've been looking for about a year now. lots of bondo and rust in this one, but it will make a good project. bought this on May 3rd for 5200 delivered. While I have been working on it, I've been trying to figure out what my plate should read. My last name is Lei (pronounced "Lee"), and it is kind of tradition to have it on my plate some how... for this I am thinking either "BADLEI, SIKLEI, or MOTLEI". Anyways, heres some pics of when I first got it, and starting the build.  New hood was first.   Got driver side floor pan in this weekend. hopefully I will get pass side done during the week or next weekend.  
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Gun totin redneck fool
Gun totin redneck fool
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I bought a Hot Wheels 67 Elkie at the grocery store yesterday, due to this thread this one |
Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
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What was it originally built as? Engine? Transmission? Rear end? A/C truck? I had a 1968 SS396 (325 hp) El Camino I bought off a friends older brother when I was a junior in high school. It had a TH400, 12 bolt main, power disc brakes, power steering, power windows, bench seat. It came with a lot of rust and bondo. |
Grab a fence post, hold it tight, womp your partner with all your might, hit him in the shin, hit him in the head, hit him again the critter ain't dead!
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Originally Posted By User55645: Hey, buddy. Nice to see you've got some free time and a great way to spend it  How about LEIWAY ALEIV8 SLEIK Thanks man, Hope you are doing good. Originally Posted By Striker: tagged and set so it won't archive because projects always take longer than planned.  much appreciated. For now, the plan is to just get it road worthy, and be able to drive it sometime this year before snow flies. Edit: kind of leaning toward "LEITHL" this week. Originally Posted By KA3B: What was it originally built as? Engine? Transmission? Rear end? A/C truck? I had a 1968 SS396 (325 hp) El Camino I bought off a friends older brother when I was a junior in high school. It had a TH400, 12 bolt main, power disc brakes, power steering, power windows, bench seat. It came with a lot of rust and bondo. Not sure how to tell if it had a big block, as there were no SS 396s in '67. Cowl tag says it was born the second week of June, Tinted Glass, A/C, TH400, deluxe seat belts. Has a 67-68 327 in it now. |
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Originally Posted By sefus: I Dukes of Hazard-ed a so straight and so clean 71 back in the day. Been looking for another recently but man have those prices gone up Keep the updates coming! Did we live the same life? Did the same thing a couple times with my 70 or 71, can't remember, back in high school. My first car. |
| Love the ElMeanO’s! Tagging this to live vicariously through you. I did a lot of work like this in my younger days. Now that I’m retired I’m too broken down and too busy to get in trouble with car projects. Well, not having a shop or big enough garage also dictates I can’t do it now. |
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Originally Posted By Ndenway1twicetimes: Barelei Or Bearlei My cousin's name is bear, and his reads "barelei" lol Lots of progress today... Floor is done, and got the heater/AC box out. Tomorrow I'll start making a patch for the firewall if I can find some half straight sheet metal around here...  
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Gun totin redneck fool
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Originally Posted By Striker: Any serious rust under the windshield? The floor looks great. I'm not sure yet. nothing I can see anyway. I'll find out when I replace the glass. Anyone here ever replaced windshields? I want to buy the best tools I can. And thanks, I just hope my bucket seat brackets and unknown (A-body I THINK) bucket seats work. I just really hope they arent too high. Read: I am part Giraffe. |
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I guess if you live in Montana, you can do without A/C. Might not want to do without a heater. When you eventually fall out of love with it, working HVAC system will bring a good return on investment. Cool project. Put A/C in it. If you REALLY want a race car, your money will be better spent on a vehicle that is already a running race car. Of course then you will need a vehicle to tow the race car, and a trailer and all sorts of race car stuff, and room to store all the race car stuff. And the willingness to drive hundreds of miles to racetracks. And then you gotta decide whether to do hotels or R/V park. Which then you will need an R/V. And probably a second driver who is competent to drive the R/V while you drive the F-350 and the trailer. Don't worry. It won't be expensive. |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Replacing window glass is easy. There's a million videos on how to do it. Rot around the sealing surfaces has to be dealt with. Dealing with rust-rot is less fun than installing cams and blowers. |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Originally Posted By 68MUDSTUD: I'm not sure yet. nothing I can see anyway. I'll find out when I replace the glass. Anyone here ever replaced windshields? I want to buy the best tools I can. And thanks, I just hope my bucket seat brackets and unknown (A-body I THINK) bucket seats work. I just really hope they arent too high. Read: I am part Giraffe. Pretty sure that’s the old butyl tape seal on those years. I’ve done many of them back in the day. I think a lot of places use the modern techniques of the catalyzed urethane like Safelite uses. Only tool you need to remove it is some piano wire to cut the old seal and a bunch of single edge razor blades and a good holder to scrape out the window channel. If any of your chrome clip posts are broken or rotted off, they sell replacements that are tiny screws with a #1 Phillips head on them. But to do it like original you’ll need the butyl primer, the butyl rope, probably 3/8” diameter, and a couple of caulking tubes of the raw butyl to pack in around the glass after it’s seated. Get yourself some solvent based wax and grease remover to clean up the raw butyl after the chrome goes back on. If you don’t pack it slam ass full where it’s oozing out all over the body, you’re not using enough. You want that entire gap between the glass and the body where it’s sitting on the 3/8 tape completely filled with the butyl caulk. If not, water will sit in there and rot out the channel. Related story. My son is restomodding early C2 corvettes. I’ve tried to talk him through the process, but he keeps believing the shit he hears on YouTube from 30 something’s doing this and saying there is no way to install these without them leaking. These guys never drive the cars in the rain so they don’t worry about it. I told him they just don’t have an old boomer showing them how. I keep telling him it’s a nasty, messy job. So I think he’d rather go with the trend of popularity. My ‘66 Mustang has the rubber seal like the corvettes. You fill the gap the glass goes in with the raw caulk, press the seal on the glass and clean up the excess. Then you install a clothesline rope around the seal and then place a small bead of caulk (raw butyl) outside of that and install. Once it’s seated, you them fill it more. That shit gets everywhere. |
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Remediate all rust-rot around the windshield and the cowl-drain. If you miss a spot, might as well not even bother with carpet. Attached File |
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They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin, 1775
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Joined:
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Posts:
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WA, USA
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Originally Posted By 68MUDSTUD: Not sure how to tell if it had a big block, as there were no SS 396s in '67. Cowl tag says it was born the second week of June, Tinted Glass, A/C, TH400, deluxe seat belts. Has a 67-68 327 in it now. I forgot that Chevy VIN tags are worthless for identifying specifics. My El Camino had the build sheet and the window tag when I bought it. What kind of shape is the smugglers box in? |
Grab a fence post, hold it tight, womp your partner with all your might, hit him in the shin, hit him in the head, hit him again the critter ain't dead!
|
Originally Posted By W_E_G: I guess if you live in Montana, you can do without A/C. Might not want to do without a heater. When you eventually fall out of love with it, working HVAC system will bring a good return on investment. Cool project. Put A/C in it. If you REALLY want a race car, your money will be better spent on a vehicle that is already a running race car. Of course then you will need a vehicle to tow the race car, and a trailer and all sorts of race car stuff, and room to store all the race car stuff. And the willingness to drive hundreds of miles to racetracks. And then you gotta decide whether to do hotels or R/V park. Which then you will need an R/V. And probably a second driver who is competent to drive the R/V while you drive the F-350 and the trailer. Don't worry. It won't be expensive. I took the ac and heat box out because that was all that was left of the AC system. I never said I wanted a race car. Originally Posted By W_E_G: Replacing window glass is easy. There's a million videos on how to do it. Rot around the sealing surfaces has to be dealt with. Dealing with rust-rot is less fun than installing cams and blowers. I know it is easy, and I know all about rust. I asked about tools to DIY. Originally Posted By W_E_G: Remediate all rust-rot around the windshield and the cowl-drain. If you miss a spot, might as well not even bother with carpet. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/105614/IMG_8653_jpeg-3559570.JPG I understand that. |
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Gun totin redneck fool
Gun totin redneck fool
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Originally Posted By ScottsGT: Pretty sure that’s the old butyl tape seal on those years. I’ve done many of them back in the day. I think a lot of places use the modern techniques of the catalyzed urethane like Safelite uses. Only tool you need to remove it is some piano wire to cut the old seal and a bunch of single edge razor blades and a good holder to scrape out the window channel. If any of your chrome clip posts are broken or rotted off, they sell replacements that are tiny screws with a #1 Phillips head on them. But to do it like original you’ll need the butyl primer, the butyl rope, probably 3/8” diameter, and a couple of caulking tubes of the raw butyl to pack in around the glass after it’s seated. Get yourself some solvent based wax and grease remover to clean up the raw butyl after the chrome goes back on. If you don’t pack it slam ass full where it’s oozing out all over the body, you’re not using enough. You want that entire gap between the glass and the body where it’s sitting on the 3/8 tape completely filled with the butyl caulk. If not, water will sit in there and rot out the channel. Related story. My son is restomodding early C2 corvettes. I’ve tried to talk him through the process, but he keeps believing the shit he hears on YouTube from 30 something’s doing this and saying there is no way to install these without them leaking. These guys never drive the cars in the rain so they don’t worry about it. I told him they just don’t have an old boomer showing them how. I keep telling him it’s a nasty, messy job. So I think he’d rather go with the trend of popularity. My ‘66 Mustang has the rubber seal like the corvettes. You fill the gap the glass goes in with the raw caulk, press the seal on the glass and clean up the excess. Then you install a clothesline rope around the seal and then place a small bead of caulk (raw butyl) outside of that and install. Once it’s seated, you them fill it more. That shit gets everywhere. Thanks for the info, but I am not looking to do it like the factory. I have no interest in driving this in the rain or snow once I get it done. |
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Gun totin redneck fool
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Originally Posted By 68MUDSTUD: Thanks for the info, but I am not looking to do it like the factory. I have no interest in driving this in the rain or snow once I get it done. But if it’s butyl, that’s your only seal. I think they can do the modern stuff they use to install in modern cars. You’ll be gtg washing your car then. And keep in mind, summer car shows = summer rain showers that pop up. |
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Originally Posted By Butternut: Dayum, you ain't messing around OP.  To quote my driver's ed instructor from high school, "mess around, mess around, soon you won't be around". Lol I am pretty famous for jumping in with both feet when I get a new project. |
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Well, one of my buddies from work dropped off a set of a-body seats for me a month ago or so, just gave them to me... I finally got my new foam yesterday in the mail so I figured I'd give it a shot ... Just finished the first one. Turned out pretty damn good for diy. New on left, old on right.
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Gun totin redneck fool
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Attached File Attached File Attached File Thought you might enjoy! |
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Originally Posted By EDDIECRUM: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_0774_jpeg-3597277.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_0777_jpeg-3597278.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/84774/IMG_0776_jpeg-3597279.JPG Thought you might enjoy! |
Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
|
Originally Posted By 68MUDSTUD: It's happening! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/111611/1000000101-3590652.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/111611/1000000102-3590653.jpg 
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Proud and grateful Tennessee Squire
flgfish: "Low mileage cars piss me off. You saving your girlfriend for the next guy? Drive the car and enjoy it. A 911 is damn near bulletproof."
flgfish: "Low mileage cars piss me off. You saving your girlfriend for the next guy? Drive the car and enjoy it. A 911 is damn near bulletproof."
