Things We Would Have Done Differently
• We paid too much for the trans and converter. Junkyard units might have been $50 total, and the risk isn't that much greater than with a swap meet unit. A stock converter would work better with the yukky 2.56 rear gears, but the one we have will be great if we swap to 3.73s.
• There wasn't a really good reason to swap the intake manifold for an initial just-get-it-running effort.
• Nearly anyone will tell you that our 800-cfm carb is totally wrong for this application, but you sure can't tell it by driving the car. Besides, we totally ripped off some guy when we paid only $50 for the sucker.
• The cam duration seems a bit too much for this engine, which has 8.5:1 compression at best. A duration of 214 at 0.050 may have been a wiser choice. Even with the 224-at-0.050 cam, it sucks 15 inches at idle.
• We're terrifically lame for (once again) not printing quarter-mile numbers for the Elco. It just plain didn't get done in time. Don't try and tell us that's never happened to you.
| The True Cost of Cheap |
| Item |
Source |
Price |
| '72 El Camino |
Geek friend moving to Florida |
$400.00 |
| Cam and lifters |
PAW |
$79.95 |
| Timing chain |
PAW |
$14.95 |
| Complete gasket set |
PAW |
$17.95 |
| Holley 4780 |
Long Beach Swap Meet |
$50.00 |
| 30cc accelerator pump Diaphragm |
PAW |
$3.95 |
| 50cc accelerator pump Diaphragm |
PAW |
$11.95 |
| Used Torker intake |
A buddy who knew it was junk |
$15.00 |
| Oversize carb stud |
Local parts store |
$1.19 |
| 1 1/4-inch freeze plug |
Local parts store |
$0.79 |
| Carb inlet nipple fittings |
Pep Boys |
$2.98 |
| Fuel filter |
Pep Boys |
$2.86 |
| 3/8-inch rubber fuel line |
Pep Boys |
$3.56 |
| Fuel tee |
Pep Boys |
$1.49 |
| Hose clamps |
Pep Boys |
$2.29 |
| Throttle ball stud |
Local parts store |
$1.19 |
| Air cleaner assembly |
Long Beach swap meet |
$5.00 |
| World's grungiest |
A buddy who really wanted |
| headers |
'em out of the yard |
$10.00 |
| Exhaust system |
Local muffler shop |
$200.00 |
| Used HEI-complete |
Pick-A-Part |
$15.94 |
| Spark plugs |
Chief Auto Parts |
$7.92 |
| Plug wires |
Pomoma Swap Meet |
$15.00 |
| TH350 trans and convetor |
Pomona Swap Meet |
$250.00 |
| Trans cooler fittings |
Local trans shop |
$4.00 |
| Trans mount |
local parts store |
$13.95 |
| 5/16-inch hardline (four lengths) |
Pep Boys |
$ 17.16 |
| Copper vacuum tubing (three ft.) |
Pep Boys |
$2.97 |
| Trans linkage |
Pick-A-Part |
$14.97 |
| Rebuilt battery |
Local battery shop |
$18.95 |
| Battery terminals |
Chief Auto Parts |
$1.98 |
| Fan belt (two of 'em) |
Chief Auto Parts |
$10.98 |
| Heater bypass caps (two packs) |
Pep Boys |
$4.10 |
| Radiator cap |
Pep Boys |
$5.99 |
| Miscellaneous bolts |
Orchard Supply Hardware |
$9.62 |
| 10-gauge wire |
Pep Boys |
$2.69 |
| Wire connectors (two packs) |
Pep Boys |
$3.98 |
| Oil (five qts.) |
Kragen Auto Parts |
$4.45 |
| Oil filter |
Kragen Auto Parts |
$2.99 |
| ATF (two big jugs) |
Pep Boys |
$8.64 |
| RTV silicone |
Pep Boys |
$2.99 |
| Spray paint (orange and black) |
Pep Boys |
$11.97 |
| TOTAL |
|
$1,256.34 |