El Camino Ass Kicking

halfmile

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No work on the XS650 project last week.:( I drove my trusty 459K miles El Camino to the bank drive up teller and noticed when I left the transmission slipped for the first time ever.:yikes: I pulled into the parking lot and when I opened the hood I noticed the radiator overflow tank puking out a muddy brown sludge. This can`t be good. AAA to the rescue as always. The trans cooler part of the radiator has ruptured letting antifreeze into the trans and trans fluid into the engine cooling system and so on. I drained the engine and trans and bought a new radiator and filled the system with water and cleaned the overflow tank and left it unhooked from the radiator and ran a hose from the radiator overflow down to the ground in case it overflowed. No drain plug on the trans pan or converter so its put the truck on jack stands and remove the trans pan each time I changed the fluid. (7) times in all. After the 4th radiator change the water was almost clear and I added some radiator-block flush. The trans started to clear up on about the 5th fluid change. Each time I changed fluid I let the engine warm up to operating temp and drove it around the neighborhood close to my shop. The trans shifted just fine each time even with contaminated fluid. On the 7th change I added new antifreeze and a new trans filter and gasket. I`ve driven it about 150 miles this weekend and no issues. Transmission fluid is still a transparent red like it should be. I`ll change it again at 500 miles. Looks like I dodged the bullet so far.:thumbsup: This little venture cost me $260.15 so far. It could have been much worse. I`m going to milk a half million miles out of this truck if it kills me and putting it up on jack stands 7 times and crawling under it for each fluid change almost did.:shrug:
 
Good fix.
You didn't say what year your ElCo is. Fifth generation equals good. Fourth gen is a boat. Third gen -- that's the one everyone wants. I have a 4th and a 5th gen. Been looking for a third gen for years. But, now I don't think the 3rd gen will ever happen -- because I am about to take delivery of an 84 Rampage -- Dodge's mini version of the Elky, AKA the trucklet.

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This is how I'd like to eventually get it done up. Black and gold -- to match my 1975 tins. Picture this with the XS650 in it...
 
What`s left of my El Camino is a 1982. My dad bought it new. I`ve owned every year of El Camino except a 1973. None of them had a BBC. Lots of Black Knight`s and Royal Knight`s and SS`s. I had a 1960 with a 348 tri-power 4spd. Not factory though. Originally a 283 truck. I`m 73 yrs old now and have had a El Camino every year of my life since I was 16. Can`t imagine being without one.:thumbsup:
 
What`s left of my El Camino is a 1982. My dad bought it new. I`ve owned every year of El Camino except a 1973. None of them had a BBC. Lots of Black Knight`s and Royal Knight`s and SS`s. I had a 1960 with a 348 tri-power 4spd. Not factory though. Originally a 283 truck. I`m 73 yrs old now and have had a El Camino every year of my life since I was 16. Can`t imagine being without one.:thumbsup:
Wow, interesting history. Don't you wish that you still had them all?
 
Once in a while at the weekly cruise night a 1957 Ranchero that is black and yellow 2 tone with yellow and black interior shows up. WOW! It has a 390 engine (not stock I`m sure) and automatic trans. Stock hub caps and whitewalls. Simply Gorgeous.:yikes:
 
I had a 57 Ranchero. 292 with big valve 312 Thunderbird heads. Crane cam and Holly 4B. Three on the tree that I converted to a Hurst floor shifter....Thought I was Joe Hotrod....:smoke:
Prolly pushin' 150 ponies. :lmao:
 
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Memory lane......
Me Pops had a '58 Edsel wagon, had a '57 ford front clip on it (huh?), 352 c.i. and a three speed on the floor.....first car I drove.
He pulled the drivetrain out of it and dropped it into a '60 Fairlane Tudor, three on the tree. Vacuum operated windshield wipers, you didn't put your foot to it in a heavy rain......if only we had known and had put them up in a pole barn for later.......all them Studebaker Hawks and that '50 Merc.....sigh
 
Glad you got it back on the road.. I had a 1987 Elky that I built when I was in HS in 2008. Being young and dumb I pulled the engine and it never got back on the road. I sold it a few years ago knowing I'd never have time to finish it. I did complete the motor and would love to find a Camaro to put it in.
 
I never owned a Studebaker but they were and still are my all time favorite salt flats car.
The Avanti is still one of my all time favorites. Drive it off the showroom floor and do 178mph box stock. That's impressive today, it 1962 it was amazing.

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Stumbled upon this today. It's a 250cc 1963 Suzuki T10, AKA the El Camino in the U.S. Lasted for two years, 1962-63. 1963 was the first year that Suzuki operated in the U.S.
Would be cool to have a 1963 Suzuki El Camino in the bed of your blue 1963 Chevy El Camino.
 
Would have been even cooler if they had made a 1961-62-or-63 El Camino. That would have been on the full size chassis. In 1964 the El Camino was downsized to the Chevelle/Malibu chassis. One of my favorites was the 1965 of Newbomb Turk`s brother in the Hollywood Knights.
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