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At the start of this little project I had never actually done what I was planning. I had planned
to tear down this whole truck to it most basic pieces and then clean and rebuild it. I "kinda
sorta" figured I'd learn what I needed to know I mean how hard can it be to tear apart a
truck? Putting things back together and in the correct way, well now, that is a little different
but I had some good information sources and I can follow instruction very well.
I guess in all it took me around 3 days to get the truck to a point where we could separate
the body from the rolling chassis. For doing the actual separating we used a 50 ton overhead
crane. Sometimes it pays to know someone! I had completely stripped out everything off the
truck so the only two pieces were the frame and the body. We used a big impact wrench on
the body bolts to brake them loose. One stubborn bolt at the front passenger side needed to
be cut out. If at first you don't succeed the get a torch and cut it out! Well it was actually the
only choice we had. So we put a 2" cast pipe through the cab of the truck and then
connected the crane to either side and "Viola" off came the body. There were lots of trash
and the mounts looks like hell but all in all the chassis and body were in rust free condition.
to tear down this whole truck to it most basic pieces and then clean and rebuild it. I "kinda
sorta" figured I'd learn what I needed to know I mean how hard can it be to tear apart a
truck? Putting things back together and in the correct way, well now, that is a little different
but I had some good information sources and I can follow instruction very well.
I guess in all it took me around 3 days to get the truck to a point where we could separate
the body from the rolling chassis. For doing the actual separating we used a 50 ton overhead
crane. Sometimes it pays to know someone! I had completely stripped out everything off the
truck so the only two pieces were the frame and the body. We used a big impact wrench on
the body bolts to brake them loose. One stubborn bolt at the front passenger side needed to
be cut out. If at first you don't succeed the get a torch and cut it out! Well it was actually the
only choice we had. So we put a 2" cast pipe through the cab of the truck and then
connected the crane to either side and "Viola" off came the body. There were lots of trash
and the mounts looks like hell but all in all the chassis and body were in rust free condition.
| The 80 El Camino Frame Click on Image to enlarge |
Once the frame and body were separated then I decided to work from the ground up so the frame was the first piece to start on. I moved it back away from
everything so that I could do some sand blasting on the frame. There were lots of spots on the frame where the dealer installed undercoating was really think and
places there was none at all. I got out the sand blaster and I started working on it. The time frame this was happening in was around June of 2000. It was a hot
summer and even hotter have to dress up so that I wouldn't get blasted by the sand myself. I would wok about a bag then I'd take a brake and cool off, get some
water and rest up some. It was hot and sweaty work. I worked on the frame for about two to three days, well partial days. I would work on the Elky on weekends
and after work on the week days when I could. So progress moved slowly but progress is progress so every little bit counts. The good part about the summer time
is that you have daylight up to around 9 o'clock at night. So from about 4:30 pm to about 8:30 I'd work on the truck.
Using a sand blaster may seem like a really easy job but it is pretty grueling work all things being considered. Most of the crap and trash was coming off using the
sand blaster but some of the undercoating was on really thick. I had spots where I ended up having to use my 4" offset Die-grinder with a wire wheel to power
away the undercoating and after three days, give or take, of work it was completed. I had gotten the frame stripped down to the bare metal. The next step was to
move the cleaned frame back in the shop and start the final disassembly of the frame. I had the body off but I needed the wheels on so I could move the frame
easy. So I moved the frame into the shop and sat up some jack stands so that I could get on with the cleaning and disassembling. I got the tires off and then the rear
wheels and the frame was totally sitting on jack stands. I started disassembling the front control arms and steering linkage. All the steering linkage was going to be
trashed. I had decided that anything that was wearable and replaceable would be trashed and replaced with new parts so I wasn't going to bother with cleaning
pieces that I had already decided were not going to be going back on the Elky when we reassemble it.
everything so that I could do some sand blasting on the frame. There were lots of spots on the frame where the dealer installed undercoating was really think and
places there was none at all. I got out the sand blaster and I started working on it. The time frame this was happening in was around June of 2000. It was a hot
summer and even hotter have to dress up so that I wouldn't get blasted by the sand myself. I would wok about a bag then I'd take a brake and cool off, get some
water and rest up some. It was hot and sweaty work. I worked on the frame for about two to three days, well partial days. I would work on the Elky on weekends
and after work on the week days when I could. So progress moved slowly but progress is progress so every little bit counts. The good part about the summer time
is that you have daylight up to around 9 o'clock at night. So from about 4:30 pm to about 8:30 I'd work on the truck.
Using a sand blaster may seem like a really easy job but it is pretty grueling work all things being considered. Most of the crap and trash was coming off using the
sand blaster but some of the undercoating was on really thick. I had spots where I ended up having to use my 4" offset Die-grinder with a wire wheel to power
away the undercoating and after three days, give or take, of work it was completed. I had gotten the frame stripped down to the bare metal. The next step was to
move the cleaned frame back in the shop and start the final disassembly of the frame. I had the body off but I needed the wheels on so I could move the frame
easy. So I moved the frame into the shop and sat up some jack stands so that I could get on with the cleaning and disassembling. I got the tires off and then the rear
wheels and the frame was totally sitting on jack stands. I started disassembling the front control arms and steering linkage. All the steering linkage was going to be
trashed. I had decided that anything that was wearable and replaceable would be trashed and replaced with new parts so I wasn't going to bother with cleaning
pieces that I had already decided were not going to be going back on the Elky when we reassemble it.
Once I got the last pieces off the chassis I took those pieces and using the sand blaster and a wire wheel I finished cleaning those
places that I couldn't get to while they were still on the frame. The upper and lower control arms for the rear end and the Upper
and Lower Front control arms the springs and the steering gearbox. I trashed the Ball joints and the old rubber stops and
insulators, tie rod ends pitman arm and idler arm. The cross member I didn't mess with because I wasn't going to reuse it
anyway. I also wasn't going to reuse the e-brake cables so those get trashed as well. On the rear end I removed all the brake lines
and junction block from it and cleaned it also. I went to an Auto Parts Store and picked up some automotive grade spray on paint
stripper. I used that on the really nasty tight greasy areas around the differential and the wheels. By the time I had finished most
all the metal looked like it had just been stamped at the factory.
Now that all the little parts were separate and off the chassis and cleaned we used a product by DuPont called Veriprime 615.
Veriprime is a base rust inhibitor coating. It is commonly use in aircraft applications to protect the spars and other metal pieces of
the frames to gard against corrosion and rust. It was a yellowish color but still after coating the frame and other small pieces that
I had left they were on their way to looking more like a finished product. After letting all the pieces set for a while and the
Veriprime cured I scored that up a bit with a Scotch-bright pad and applied the Sealer Primer to the parts. Now the pieces were
starting to look really good and I could start to imagine a finished truck. Also for the first time, even though I had a very, very
long way to go I felt like it was starting to be complete. For the previous months I had been tearing things apart and grinding and
blasting it just seemed like it was never going to stop for a while so, this little bit of progress seem bigger than it was to me and
the project as a whole.
I needed to decide on what color I would end up painting the frame at this point. I had a world of colors available. I initially had
thought about using a Silver paint. Mitch, a friend and at times, and instructor, and the owner of the shop suggested we do
something a little more radical with the color. Make it an unusual color. Everyone paints their frames black and if we painted this
one silver, he said, it would basically just look like metal. That would not be unique and I did say I wanted this to be unique a one
of a kind. We tossed around a lot of colors while going through the books and color charts. some coating were just too expensive
and some too wild. Finally we both agreed on a color for the frame. We'd use an Isuzu Ultra Violet Pearl Metallic paint that is a
Base coat / Clear coat DuPont paint. It was a really nice coating and it would look good on any vehicle under or as a paint job. I
really wouldn't grasp the full potential of this color and type until after I started assembling the engine and other things. We had
decided on the paint and I had made a decision that I'd do the frame and it's pieces and the Engine, Transmission, the core
support and the Crossmember. Then we discussed another radical idea, we'd paint the bottom of the body a different eye popping
color to contrast the frame when looking under the truck, more on that later on.
places that I couldn't get to while they were still on the frame. The upper and lower control arms for the rear end and the Upper
and Lower Front control arms the springs and the steering gearbox. I trashed the Ball joints and the old rubber stops and
insulators, tie rod ends pitman arm and idler arm. The cross member I didn't mess with because I wasn't going to reuse it
anyway. I also wasn't going to reuse the e-brake cables so those get trashed as well. On the rear end I removed all the brake lines
and junction block from it and cleaned it also. I went to an Auto Parts Store and picked up some automotive grade spray on paint
stripper. I used that on the really nasty tight greasy areas around the differential and the wheels. By the time I had finished most
all the metal looked like it had just been stamped at the factory.
Now that all the little parts were separate and off the chassis and cleaned we used a product by DuPont called Veriprime 615.
Veriprime is a base rust inhibitor coating. It is commonly use in aircraft applications to protect the spars and other metal pieces of
the frames to gard against corrosion and rust. It was a yellowish color but still after coating the frame and other small pieces that
I had left they were on their way to looking more like a finished product. After letting all the pieces set for a while and the
Veriprime cured I scored that up a bit with a Scotch-bright pad and applied the Sealer Primer to the parts. Now the pieces were
starting to look really good and I could start to imagine a finished truck. Also for the first time, even though I had a very, very
long way to go I felt like it was starting to be complete. For the previous months I had been tearing things apart and grinding and
blasting it just seemed like it was never going to stop for a while so, this little bit of progress seem bigger than it was to me and
the project as a whole.
I needed to decide on what color I would end up painting the frame at this point. I had a world of colors available. I initially had
thought about using a Silver paint. Mitch, a friend and at times, and instructor, and the owner of the shop suggested we do
something a little more radical with the color. Make it an unusual color. Everyone paints their frames black and if we painted this
one silver, he said, it would basically just look like metal. That would not be unique and I did say I wanted this to be unique a one
of a kind. We tossed around a lot of colors while going through the books and color charts. some coating were just too expensive
and some too wild. Finally we both agreed on a color for the frame. We'd use an Isuzu Ultra Violet Pearl Metallic paint that is a
Base coat / Clear coat DuPont paint. It was a really nice coating and it would look good on any vehicle under or as a paint job. I
really wouldn't grasp the full potential of this color and type until after I started assembling the engine and other things. We had
decided on the paint and I had made a decision that I'd do the frame and it's pieces and the Engine, Transmission, the core
support and the Crossmember. Then we discussed another radical idea, we'd paint the bottom of the body a different eye popping
color to contrast the frame when looking under the truck, more on that later on.
| The frame after painting |
This would be the first of many clean, repair, repaint and reassemble parts to this whole project. After getting all the pieces
painted I now needed to get the frame back to a condition where it could be moved pretty easy. At this point it is pretty difficult
to move around. So, I started re-assembling the pieces and installing the new stuff. I had purchased a PST Suspension kit for
the Elky which included all new Tie Rod Ends, Ball Joints and Bushings for the truck. Pretty much everything needed to rebuild
the suspension and body mounts were in the box that it came in. I went to Auto Zone by my house and purchased the other
Center Link, Tie Rods, Pitman Arm, Idler arm and other pieces necessary that didn't come in the kit. This was the first time I
would run into a problem with the truck also. After painting the rods and center link and stuff like that to match the frame I put
it all together. First issue is Auto Zone gave me the wrong center link. What a waste of time and money! I had already painted
the pieces so that was a waste of materials and I couldn't take the part back. So, I went to a different Auto Parts house for the
replacement and then I checked it before I painted this one. It was good so I could continue with the assembly.
I took the Control arms (Front and Rear) and installed the new bushings in those and for the front I installed the new ball joints.
Everything else went together with little or no additional issues. I installed the rear end and its pieces and was ready to move the
chassis to a new home so that I could free up the paint booth and start working on other parts of the truck. I still needed to
clean and strip the body down, do any and all bodywork necessary to make that look good as new and so forth. I wasn't by any
means finished with this assembly just yet but for now I was at a stopping point.
painted I now needed to get the frame back to a condition where it could be moved pretty easy. At this point it is pretty difficult
to move around. So, I started re-assembling the pieces and installing the new stuff. I had purchased a PST Suspension kit for
the Elky which included all new Tie Rod Ends, Ball Joints and Bushings for the truck. Pretty much everything needed to rebuild
the suspension and body mounts were in the box that it came in. I went to Auto Zone by my house and purchased the other
Center Link, Tie Rods, Pitman Arm, Idler arm and other pieces necessary that didn't come in the kit. This was the first time I
would run into a problem with the truck also. After painting the rods and center link and stuff like that to match the frame I put
it all together. First issue is Auto Zone gave me the wrong center link. What a waste of time and money! I had already painted
the pieces so that was a waste of materials and I couldn't take the part back. So, I went to a different Auto Parts house for the
replacement and then I checked it before I painted this one. It was good so I could continue with the assembly.
I took the Control arms (Front and Rear) and installed the new bushings in those and for the front I installed the new ball joints.
Everything else went together with little or no additional issues. I installed the rear end and its pieces and was ready to move the
chassis to a new home so that I could free up the paint booth and start working on other parts of the truck. I still needed to
clean and strip the body down, do any and all bodywork necessary to make that look good as new and so forth. I wasn't by any
means finished with this assembly just yet but for now I was at a stopping point.
 |
I had most of the parts fitted and all of it was painted. I had some work to do now while the chassis was separated from the
body still. I unpacked the FlowMaster American Thunder Dual Exhaust System and laid that out inside the frame. I needed to
make some holes for the hangers to hold up the exhaust system. At this point it was a simple task to mark and drill the holes in
the rear crossmember and on the rear of the frame for the hangers. Needless to say installation was almost a piece of cake. I had
a minor issue. The Mufflers didn't want to fit inside the frame really well I had to do some adjusting and wiggling and shoving to
get it all in and still have proper clearance around everything. I couldn't see laying on my back trying that stuff. If I had known
the only adjustment I needed to make was order the system without mufflers and get a different type, like Borla or something
that has a smaller overall housing. I installed the 2.5" Dual Exhaust System from FlowMaster. This is a nice setup and comes
complete. I also fit one easily on my 1976 El Camino. They are the exact same part number systems. The 76 has a much wider
frame overall and it is a bit longer by something like 3" or 4" I think.
After hanging the system I moved on to the rear suspension. I had tossed around changing from a stock stance spring to
something that would give a good launch response and still be something like 1" lower than stock height. I wasn't sure just how
that would sit. Up front I used Stock height springs and spindle hight, I also removed several hundred pounds off the engine and
front end with modifications. Pretty much all aluminum top half of the engine and all the accessories are aluminum, no heavy
fan or clutch. Maybe the weight of the fiberglass front end will compensate for some of the loss and it will sit properly. I may
have to go ahead and change out the front suspension to drop it about 1.5", give or take a little.
I did delete using air shocks in the rear, this truck wasn't going to haul much of anything anymore so I really didn't see the
necessity. I did decide to upgrade the suspension in the rear with Air Bags. These little jobs go in the rear coil springs and have
all the necessary connections and line to hook them up. I ran the lines through the frame rails to the back where later I will
incorporate the nozzles into the rear bumper or the gas tank opening. The advantage to having air bags is the ability to set axel
preload for better launching. Pre-loading compensates some for the torque twist associated with the axel at take off. Air Shocks
can't do this because of their minimum air pressure ratings. Air Bags can and can be used to help with normal driving, ride and
handling conditions. So overall they are a good upgrade addition to this truck.
body still. I unpacked the FlowMaster American Thunder Dual Exhaust System and laid that out inside the frame. I needed to
make some holes for the hangers to hold up the exhaust system. At this point it was a simple task to mark and drill the holes in
the rear crossmember and on the rear of the frame for the hangers. Needless to say installation was almost a piece of cake. I had
a minor issue. The Mufflers didn't want to fit inside the frame really well I had to do some adjusting and wiggling and shoving to
get it all in and still have proper clearance around everything. I couldn't see laying on my back trying that stuff. If I had known
the only adjustment I needed to make was order the system without mufflers and get a different type, like Borla or something
that has a smaller overall housing. I installed the 2.5" Dual Exhaust System from FlowMaster. This is a nice setup and comes
complete. I also fit one easily on my 1976 El Camino. They are the exact same part number systems. The 76 has a much wider
frame overall and it is a bit longer by something like 3" or 4" I think.
After hanging the system I moved on to the rear suspension. I had tossed around changing from a stock stance spring to
something that would give a good launch response and still be something like 1" lower than stock height. I wasn't sure just how
that would sit. Up front I used Stock height springs and spindle hight, I also removed several hundred pounds off the engine and
front end with modifications. Pretty much all aluminum top half of the engine and all the accessories are aluminum, no heavy
fan or clutch. Maybe the weight of the fiberglass front end will compensate for some of the loss and it will sit properly. I may
have to go ahead and change out the front suspension to drop it about 1.5", give or take a little.
I did delete using air shocks in the rear, this truck wasn't going to haul much of anything anymore so I really didn't see the
necessity. I did decide to upgrade the suspension in the rear with Air Bags. These little jobs go in the rear coil springs and have
all the necessary connections and line to hook them up. I ran the lines through the frame rails to the back where later I will
incorporate the nozzles into the rear bumper or the gas tank opening. The advantage to having air bags is the ability to set axel
preload for better launching. Pre-loading compensates some for the torque twist associated with the axel at take off. Air Shocks
can't do this because of their minimum air pressure ratings. Air Bags can and can be used to help with normal driving, ride and
handling conditions. So overall they are a good upgrade addition to this truck.
With all the major tear down and cleaning done
on the frame the body was the next bit of
cleaning I would need to do. I installed the Brake
lines both steel and the flexible lines on the frame
and I installed the fuel and vapor return lines.
I installed the steering gearbox and then went to
work on the rear end and brakes in the back and
front all needed to be installed. Everything on the
rear drums was replaced with new parts.
on the frame the body was the next bit of
cleaning I would need to do. I installed the Brake
lines both steel and the flexible lines on the frame
and I installed the fuel and vapor return lines.
I installed the steering gearbox and then went to
work on the rear end and brakes in the back and
front all needed to be installed. Everything on the
rear drums was replaced with new parts.
| Rear End Detail Click Image |
I purchased new brake parts to go back on the truck. I got new e-brake cables, springs and hardware, pads, wheel cylinders and
flex line for the rear and on the front I installed new disks, rebuilt the calipers, put on new pads and installed new flex lines along
with all new hardware for the calipers inner and outer bearings and seals. I detailed the steel lines that I put back on the truck. At
this point the chassis is pretty much ready to have the body sat down on it. I will install the engine, transmission and driveshaft all
installed prior to setting the body one to the frame. I still need to got through the exhaust and weld up the connections but that is
after I install the engine and transmission. This way it is custom fit and completely sealed with no need for the pipe clamps that
completely cover everything. So, I still have a little to do but I have some other assemblies I need to prep and make ready first!
flex line for the rear and on the front I installed new disks, rebuilt the calipers, put on new pads and installed new flex lines along
with all new hardware for the calipers inner and outer bearings and seals. I detailed the steel lines that I put back on the truck. At
this point the chassis is pretty much ready to have the body sat down on it. I will install the engine, transmission and driveshaft all
installed prior to setting the body one to the frame. I still need to got through the exhaust and weld up the connections but that is
after I install the engine and transmission. This way it is custom fit and completely sealed with no need for the pipe clamps that
completely cover everything. So, I still have a little to do but I have some other assemblies I need to prep and make ready first!
| Rear Brake Detail Click Image |
| 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 |
 |
