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After figuring out a way to remove the lock lug from the truck, I inspected the front driver's side rotor. It was beyond repair. I purchased a new rotor and wheel
bearings, seal and grease. The removal was not difficult although, I did notice that the bearing nut had been tightened real tight. It should have been just hand
tightened. With the new bearings packed with grease and the new seal in place on the new rotor I reinstalled it. I replaced the brake pads and reinstalled the caliper and
wheel. I then moved to the passenger side and removed the rotor, re-packed the wheel bearings and replaced that rotor, it was in good condition although I noted that
the grease seal in the rotor was looking a little worn. I replaced the disk pads on the passenger side, re-installed the caliper and mounted the wheel. I set about the task
of bleeding the brakes. The light on the dash had been coming on for about a week and I was hoping that it was just air in the lines from all of the replacement that
had taken place over the past several months. I noticed that the rear brakes had a lot of air in the lines. These had most of the work done to them. Once the replacing
and bleeding were completed, I tested the new systems. For once, I had a full stiff pedal.
bearings, seal and grease. The removal was not difficult although, I did notice that the bearing nut had been tightened real tight. It should have been just hand
tightened. With the new bearings packed with grease and the new seal in place on the new rotor I reinstalled it. I replaced the brake pads and reinstalled the caliper and
wheel. I then moved to the passenger side and removed the rotor, re-packed the wheel bearings and replaced that rotor, it was in good condition although I noted that
the grease seal in the rotor was looking a little worn. I replaced the disk pads on the passenger side, re-installed the caliper and mounted the wheel. I set about the task
of bleeding the brakes. The light on the dash had been coming on for about a week and I was hoping that it was just air in the lines from all of the replacement that
had taken place over the past several months. I noticed that the rear brakes had a lot of air in the lines. These had most of the work done to them. Once the replacing
and bleeding were completed, I tested the new systems. For once, I had a full stiff pedal.
Daddy's got a paint shop! From the top, once the major mechanical work was completed it was time to start work
on the body of the El Camino. Surveying the damages I noted several things that required attention. Snaps had been
installed for a bed cover that needed to be removed, an antenna had been installed through the rear of the cab that
was no longer any good or needed along with several large screws that had been installed through the back of the
cab to hold up some carpet.
The front passenger side fender was bent the front and the rear bumper needed to be replaced. The paint on the
hood was gone and had tiny holes that penetrated the paint to the metal. The doors rattled. A large bunch of paint
had been removed from the rear quarter panel that was now rusting badly. The bed of the truck had some rust that
was going to have to be removed.
After some talks with paint people the conclusion was that I would have to remove all the paint from the truck
before it could be painted. So I started removing the trim. The rear window trim had some parts that were holding it
down that had rusted over the years and could not be removed intact and couldn't be left on because they were
useless.
So away we went, removing the paint. We purchased a chemical stripper to do the bulk of the removing. After
applying the chemical we scraped the stuff off then used a wire wheel to remove the excess. Once that was done
we sanded the outside down all over and removing more of the chemical and preparing the surface for paint.
The right side front fender was then removed and straightened. The molding clips were also removed. The inside of
the fender was sprayed with an under coating compound for rust protection. So being somewhat satisfied with the
work we replaced the fender. Only this time it didn't line up with the fender extension on the right side. What the hell
a little Bondo and it will look fine and match up. We had to do some major Bondo work any way, on the fender,
were we had beaten it straighter. It doesn't have pounds of bondo in the fender, it actually has very little but I was
learning about bodywork at the time so it took me several attempts.
The left side cab rear extension had Bondo cracks. At that time we couldn't figure why someone had bodywork that
high up on the car. Later after removing all of the finish and Bondo we found that that quarter had been damaged
sometime earlier and replaced. The replacement work was second rate. The cut was done midway up the cab and
the braise job had no consistent bead throughout its "mating." The bead was like they had never even tried to smooth
it out. We took a DeWalt hand grinder ground down the bead, or what we could, to give a smoother surface. The
holes in the back of the cab were also ground smooth so that they could be patched.
What the color scheme looked like before, for this truck. Firethorn Red and Beige White.
I started experimenting with this line drawing using several schemes
After working our asses off getting the paint off and sanding the body down, I decided the bed would not be a
restore, it would just be sanded and painted and what holes I had to fix I would, later that all changes. So we
purchased a metal primer and went about spraying the first of what was going to many coats of primer paint. Red
Oxide. After the initial coat the door dings stood out like a bad penny. So methodically one by one the paint was
removed from the affected areas and the Bondo work started. El Camino's doors were very large and had many
door dings and small imperfections that had to be worked out and made straight.
on the body of the El Camino. Surveying the damages I noted several things that required attention. Snaps had been
installed for a bed cover that needed to be removed, an antenna had been installed through the rear of the cab that
was no longer any good or needed along with several large screws that had been installed through the back of the
cab to hold up some carpet.
The front passenger side fender was bent the front and the rear bumper needed to be replaced. The paint on the
hood was gone and had tiny holes that penetrated the paint to the metal. The doors rattled. A large bunch of paint
had been removed from the rear quarter panel that was now rusting badly. The bed of the truck had some rust that
was going to have to be removed.
After some talks with paint people the conclusion was that I would have to remove all the paint from the truck
before it could be painted. So I started removing the trim. The rear window trim had some parts that were holding it
down that had rusted over the years and could not be removed intact and couldn't be left on because they were
useless.
So away we went, removing the paint. We purchased a chemical stripper to do the bulk of the removing. After
applying the chemical we scraped the stuff off then used a wire wheel to remove the excess. Once that was done
we sanded the outside down all over and removing more of the chemical and preparing the surface for paint.
The right side front fender was then removed and straightened. The molding clips were also removed. The inside of
the fender was sprayed with an under coating compound for rust protection. So being somewhat satisfied with the
work we replaced the fender. Only this time it didn't line up with the fender extension on the right side. What the hell
a little Bondo and it will look fine and match up. We had to do some major Bondo work any way, on the fender,
were we had beaten it straighter. It doesn't have pounds of bondo in the fender, it actually has very little but I was
learning about bodywork at the time so it took me several attempts.
The left side cab rear extension had Bondo cracks. At that time we couldn't figure why someone had bodywork that
high up on the car. Later after removing all of the finish and Bondo we found that that quarter had been damaged
sometime earlier and replaced. The replacement work was second rate. The cut was done midway up the cab and
the braise job had no consistent bead throughout its "mating." The bead was like they had never even tried to smooth
it out. We took a DeWalt hand grinder ground down the bead, or what we could, to give a smoother surface. The
holes in the back of the cab were also ground smooth so that they could be patched.
What the color scheme looked like before, for this truck. Firethorn Red and Beige White.
I started experimenting with this line drawing using several schemes
After working our asses off getting the paint off and sanding the body down, I decided the bed would not be a
restore, it would just be sanded and painted and what holes I had to fix I would, later that all changes. So we
purchased a metal primer and went about spraying the first of what was going to many coats of primer paint. Red
Oxide. After the initial coat the door dings stood out like a bad penny. So methodically one by one the paint was
removed from the affected areas and the Bondo work started. El Camino's doors were very large and had many
door dings and small imperfections that had to be worked out and made straight.
| Right side view while I was working on the body. |
| From the back and inside the bed of the 76 |
| Close up of some of the work on the front fender. The big stuff has already been hammered out and smooth. |
During the course of the bodywork I used some spray primer purchased at an auto supply. That would later prove to be a bad
decision. First the cab was fixed where the body had been patched. This was to be the first bodywork I have done. Don't worry I
am a quick study!
I applied the Bondo in several thin layers. I was trying to avoid the problem that had occurred the first time it was patched. I learned
a lot about Bondo and how it worked. Once I built up sufficient layers I set about shaping the patch to look "normal." I had some
idea of the finished shape so it was all sanding from here. After being satisfied with the shape I used a gray Krylon sandable spray
primer. The weather was dry, summer in Texas, so moisture would not be a factor but I learned that heat would. The hotter the
metal the faster that Bondo sets up.
"Things learned"; Smooth the Bondo and keep out the air bubbles. This makes life much better once the time comes to do the
finishing. Air bubbles are not only a pain in the ass to work out but will allow moisture into the Bondo causing problems later down
the road. I guess that the worst of the problems could be the chance of moisture causing rust under the work. The least of the
problems, yet sill a big problem, is finishing. Tiny bubbles in the Bondo would show up in the finish as holes so you have to use a
filler again to remove the holes. This causes the same work to be performed again. Keep all the tools clean while doing the work.
Debris on the blade of the tool leaves sometimes-huge lines in the Bondo.
After being satisfied with the body I turned my attention to the bed. I know that I said that I would leave sleeping dogs' lay. I was
fixing on the back of the cab and patching those holes when I noticed the work that had been done to repair the rust and corrosion
where the bed pan had been replaced an decided to strip the paint in the rest of the bed.
I got a chemical stripping compound and set about the stripping. I didn't follow instructions and applied the compound to the entire
bed at once. This turned out to be a four-day task. Finally I had removed the paint and wire wheeled the bed clean. I started
sanding. I used #80 grit sandpaper and started on the driver's side bed wall. I worked my way to the to the back of the cab and then
to the floor of the bed. I applied spray primer to the whole thing.
After the primer had been applied I decided to go back and repair some holes in the bed. There had been holes punched in the bed
where tie-downs had been installed and the cover bow mounts were. All these holes needed to be plugged. I quickly found out that
the spray primer was not sticking to the metal. When I started to remove the paint from around the surface where I was to patch
the paint started to flake instead of sanding and feathering around the sanded area. I am not sure if the metal was too cold or the
chemical stripper was still on the metal or what was the exact problem. It just didn't bond as it should have, to the metal
I found many areas that I had worked and sprayed with the can spray primer was bad too. Some of the primer would tack-up the
sandpaper within minutes. It all had to go! Everywhere I had put on that spray primer had to be taken down to the metal and good
primer applied.
"Things learned"; there are no easy ways to remove bad primer that don't screw up the work down underneath! After we thought
that we were through with the bodywork, we found a painter. We would do the intense labor and he would paint the truck the color
and pattern I wanted for a decent price. We showed him the truck and he showed us the problems that still existed with the finish.
So back to the body for some more refinements. It had deep scratches in the metal, perhaps from the wire brush we used to
remove the paint and residue after stripping the paint. Some bodywork that still stood out in the right light. He gave us some filler
and some primer to spray on the truck once we thought that we were finished -AGAIN.
Some of the work was just a smooth sanding to remove imperfections that had gotten into the primer when we sprayed and some
was more serious stuff. The canned spray primer patches were our biggest foe! The colors I selected for the paint dictated the
necessity for a perfect or close to perfect body. Any small imperfection on the body would stand out.
decision. First the cab was fixed where the body had been patched. This was to be the first bodywork I have done. Don't worry I
am a quick study!
I applied the Bondo in several thin layers. I was trying to avoid the problem that had occurred the first time it was patched. I learned
a lot about Bondo and how it worked. Once I built up sufficient layers I set about shaping the patch to look "normal." I had some
idea of the finished shape so it was all sanding from here. After being satisfied with the shape I used a gray Krylon sandable spray
primer. The weather was dry, summer in Texas, so moisture would not be a factor but I learned that heat would. The hotter the
metal the faster that Bondo sets up.
"Things learned"; Smooth the Bondo and keep out the air bubbles. This makes life much better once the time comes to do the
finishing. Air bubbles are not only a pain in the ass to work out but will allow moisture into the Bondo causing problems later down
the road. I guess that the worst of the problems could be the chance of moisture causing rust under the work. The least of the
problems, yet sill a big problem, is finishing. Tiny bubbles in the Bondo would show up in the finish as holes so you have to use a
filler again to remove the holes. This causes the same work to be performed again. Keep all the tools clean while doing the work.
Debris on the blade of the tool leaves sometimes-huge lines in the Bondo.
After being satisfied with the body I turned my attention to the bed. I know that I said that I would leave sleeping dogs' lay. I was
fixing on the back of the cab and patching those holes when I noticed the work that had been done to repair the rust and corrosion
where the bed pan had been replaced an decided to strip the paint in the rest of the bed.
I got a chemical stripping compound and set about the stripping. I didn't follow instructions and applied the compound to the entire
bed at once. This turned out to be a four-day task. Finally I had removed the paint and wire wheeled the bed clean. I started
sanding. I used #80 grit sandpaper and started on the driver's side bed wall. I worked my way to the to the back of the cab and then
to the floor of the bed. I applied spray primer to the whole thing.
After the primer had been applied I decided to go back and repair some holes in the bed. There had been holes punched in the bed
where tie-downs had been installed and the cover bow mounts were. All these holes needed to be plugged. I quickly found out that
the spray primer was not sticking to the metal. When I started to remove the paint from around the surface where I was to patch
the paint started to flake instead of sanding and feathering around the sanded area. I am not sure if the metal was too cold or the
chemical stripper was still on the metal or what was the exact problem. It just didn't bond as it should have, to the metal
I found many areas that I had worked and sprayed with the can spray primer was bad too. Some of the primer would tack-up the
sandpaper within minutes. It all had to go! Everywhere I had put on that spray primer had to be taken down to the metal and good
primer applied.
"Things learned"; there are no easy ways to remove bad primer that don't screw up the work down underneath! After we thought
that we were through with the bodywork, we found a painter. We would do the intense labor and he would paint the truck the color
and pattern I wanted for a decent price. We showed him the truck and he showed us the problems that still existed with the finish.
So back to the body for some more refinements. It had deep scratches in the metal, perhaps from the wire brush we used to
remove the paint and residue after stripping the paint. Some bodywork that still stood out in the right light. He gave us some filler
and some primer to spray on the truck once we thought that we were finished -AGAIN.
Some of the work was just a smooth sanding to remove imperfections that had gotten into the primer when we sprayed and some
was more serious stuff. The canned spray primer patches were our biggest foe! The colors I selected for the paint dictated the
necessity for a perfect or close to perfect body. Any small imperfection on the body would stand out.
| Showing the transition from the Purple to the Navy Blue |
| This shot I was trying to capture the flop of the Chromalusion Paint. Pictures don't really do it all that well. |
 |
I wanted to have a two-tone paint job mostly because I really have never owned a car with two colors. I selected a burgundy type red metallic called Toreador Red
Metallic Pearl for the first and primary color and a Navy Blue Metallic Pearl for the second color. The finish was to be a PPG Clear-Coat. The clear would have a
red pearl mixed into it to round out an illusion that I was looking for.
Next I would have to decide in a pattern. I had already decided to do a fade from one color to the next. It would be a sort of overlap as opposed to a defined line
somewhere on the truck. Now would the fade be horizontal or would it vertical? The decision was to over lap the blue with the red. The division was to be horizontal
at the brake in the body along the sides of the truck. This is an unconventional paint scheme for an El Camino but I have a picture in my head of the truck finished
and it will look fine.
After some discussions with Mitch, the painter, we had decided to add a transition color to the paint. This color would be purple and would complete the fade. I
also decided that we'd go from horizontal to a vertical transition. Later Mitch had discovered a new paint that he was excited about that, DuPont manufactured called
Chromalusion(TM).
Description:
A palette of twenty-four basecoat/clear coat CHROMAPREMIER(TM) factory package colors that use DuPont’s revolutionary MIRROMETRIC(TM) technology.
I finally settled on a color layout that I liked and though would be unique.
The pigment has no color of its own but creates color with a prism effect by refracting or bending light through a five-layer flake constructed of transparent metal
oxides using a semiconductor process.
We eagerly went to see the samples. Donny, my brother-in-law, had already seen them and was impressed. On a Saturday evening we piled in to the Lumina and
away we went to the Mitch's place. The samples DuPont had sent him were great looking. Unlike the Pearl finishes this paint would change color, not depending on
the light, but as you changed your position of view and also as the light changed. Mitch wanted to use them and he suggested that we use this on the El Camino.
Well it didn't take much to convince me, I was very impressed and it really would make the Elky a unique one.
Later Mitch had suggested that we go with painting a third of the truck with this new paint so it was decided that the front of the truck would be Red, then the cab
and the angle through the doors would be the ChromaLusion(TM) "Pure Purpleen" and then the Navy Blue for the bed and back of the Elky. I trusted Mitch he
was the painter. From the day I decided that I wanted this to be different I had a picture in my head of just what it would look like when it was completed. Now I
was in unfamiliar territory I sort of had an idea of the layout but instead of the purple color being a transition color, minor in the overall scheme, it became a major
player. Now I was wondering if the layout would work out. This worked out fantastic! It came out far better than I could have ever imagined. We were all
impressed when we first got to see the truck in the paint booth
When we got the call that the El Camino was ready to go see, first impressions, I was excited. I looked at it as being closer now than ever to being finished. My first
thoughts were not "How does the paint job look?" it was more on the lines of thinking how close I was to being able to drive the truck again. Then as we got closer
to the shop that is when I started wondering about how everything was going to look all put together. I guess a million and one thoughts passed through my head
about this project. I did a little reflecting back at all the things I had done to get to this point. It seemed nothing short of a miracle that I even got this far. Nothing I
had ever toyed with was this involved or complicated.
So we get to the shop and Mitch meets us at the gate. I guess we looked pretty strange walking up to the shop. Me and my brother-in-law. We chatted a little on the
way in Mitch all the wile telling me that he was not finished but to a point that he wanted me to look. He was making sure that I liked what had been done to this
point in the painting process. I just can't describe just how I felt when Mitch opened the door to the booth and lit it up. Man, the Elky was so pretty! It was "A whole
nother Truck!" It was amazing just what the chromalusion paint and the overall colors looked like together. I was truly speechless at that point. Let me tell you, it is
nothing like going to pick up a car or truck that has been in the body shop for repairs. Its not even like buying a new car off the showroom floor, not even the
prettiest one there. It is a feeling of satisfaction, completion, exhilaration and fascination all rolled up into one big "WOW!
Metallic Pearl for the first and primary color and a Navy Blue Metallic Pearl for the second color. The finish was to be a PPG Clear-Coat. The clear would have a
red pearl mixed into it to round out an illusion that I was looking for.
Next I would have to decide in a pattern. I had already decided to do a fade from one color to the next. It would be a sort of overlap as opposed to a defined line
somewhere on the truck. Now would the fade be horizontal or would it vertical? The decision was to over lap the blue with the red. The division was to be horizontal
at the brake in the body along the sides of the truck. This is an unconventional paint scheme for an El Camino but I have a picture in my head of the truck finished
and it will look fine.
After some discussions with Mitch, the painter, we had decided to add a transition color to the paint. This color would be purple and would complete the fade. I
also decided that we'd go from horizontal to a vertical transition. Later Mitch had discovered a new paint that he was excited about that, DuPont manufactured called
Chromalusion(TM).
Description:
A palette of twenty-four basecoat/clear coat CHROMAPREMIER(TM) factory package colors that use DuPont’s revolutionary MIRROMETRIC(TM) technology.
I finally settled on a color layout that I liked and though would be unique.
The pigment has no color of its own but creates color with a prism effect by refracting or bending light through a five-layer flake constructed of transparent metal
oxides using a semiconductor process.
We eagerly went to see the samples. Donny, my brother-in-law, had already seen them and was impressed. On a Saturday evening we piled in to the Lumina and
away we went to the Mitch's place. The samples DuPont had sent him were great looking. Unlike the Pearl finishes this paint would change color, not depending on
the light, but as you changed your position of view and also as the light changed. Mitch wanted to use them and he suggested that we use this on the El Camino.
Well it didn't take much to convince me, I was very impressed and it really would make the Elky a unique one.
Later Mitch had suggested that we go with painting a third of the truck with this new paint so it was decided that the front of the truck would be Red, then the cab
and the angle through the doors would be the ChromaLusion(TM) "Pure Purpleen" and then the Navy Blue for the bed and back of the Elky. I trusted Mitch he
was the painter. From the day I decided that I wanted this to be different I had a picture in my head of just what it would look like when it was completed. Now I
was in unfamiliar territory I sort of had an idea of the layout but instead of the purple color being a transition color, minor in the overall scheme, it became a major
player. Now I was wondering if the layout would work out. This worked out fantastic! It came out far better than I could have ever imagined. We were all
impressed when we first got to see the truck in the paint booth
When we got the call that the El Camino was ready to go see, first impressions, I was excited. I looked at it as being closer now than ever to being finished. My first
thoughts were not "How does the paint job look?" it was more on the lines of thinking how close I was to being able to drive the truck again. Then as we got closer
to the shop that is when I started wondering about how everything was going to look all put together. I guess a million and one thoughts passed through my head
about this project. I did a little reflecting back at all the things I had done to get to this point. It seemed nothing short of a miracle that I even got this far. Nothing I
had ever toyed with was this involved or complicated.
So we get to the shop and Mitch meets us at the gate. I guess we looked pretty strange walking up to the shop. Me and my brother-in-law. We chatted a little on the
way in Mitch all the wile telling me that he was not finished but to a point that he wanted me to look. He was making sure that I liked what had been done to this
point in the painting process. I just can't describe just how I felt when Mitch opened the door to the booth and lit it up. Man, the Elky was so pretty! It was "A whole
nother Truck!" It was amazing just what the chromalusion paint and the overall colors looked like together. I was truly speechless at that point. Let me tell you, it is
nothing like going to pick up a car or truck that has been in the body shop for repairs. Its not even like buying a new car off the showroom floor, not even the
prettiest one there. It is a feeling of satisfaction, completion, exhilaration and fascination all rolled up into one big "WOW!
 |
| Trying to show the pearls in the Navy blue. It has seven different pearls mixed in. |
| Last Revised: Monday June 18th, 2007 5:50 PM CST Copyright © 1998-2007, V. R. Engstrom, elcaminoplace.com is a Registered Trademark All Rights Reserved |