I dig the "final" wheel tire combo. maybe I missed it, but what rear tire/wheel did you wind up with?
15x8 with a 275/60. The outside currently rubs the wheel tub but however I end up doing it, the rear end will be narrower to make them fit.
Now that you've washed your hands of doing anymore work on the roadster and you going to get back to the El Camino?
It’s hard to work on other peoples car and come home and work on yours. I always worked on mine for the first couple of hours before I started working on customer pay. A good friend of mine taught it to me because at the end of the day he was to burned out to work on his.
I have a 29 roadster I am finishing up and a 80 ElCamino SS with factory 4 speed and a 410 small block. I did my own louvers.
I change my mind about as often as I change my shirt. With the roadster gone and money in the bank I think I feel a little less overwhelmed. I also got rid of my XB and picked up a new (not real? apparently...) Maverick "truck" that is pretty bitchin'. I was then very close to spending money on that thing for wheels/tires/lowering when I got cold feet and decided that was a bad idea and that I need to leave it alone. Haven't even made the first payment on it yet. But then I woke up today and still had to scratch that itch...so I ordered a rear end for the El Camino from Quick Performance. I don't have the bandwidth to figure out that 8.8 conversion. With it warming up I hope I'll feel a little more motivated to be in the garage too. So, I'm keeping this one a little while longer I guess.
Glad to hear the that. Awesome El Camino, you certainly have knowledge, talent, and vision. Best wishes for whatever your final decision is.
I put a 9in. Under my 80 model ElCamino years ago when I put the 410 ci. In it and never had a problem with it
It took about 8 weeks for the rear end to show up, but I did have them make it a custom width and powdercoat it for me. I was in no hurry either. They shipped the brakes within a couple days of ordering…third member showed up about a week later, then the axles shortly after that. Finally the housing this week. Looks great…and almost fits. The angle on the upper 4-link mounts is a bit off. I’ll probably end up modifying the UMI adjustable upper links to correct. Or maybe just swap the upper bushings out for swivel joints. And the lower coil-over brackets that fit the original rear end don’t fit this one because of the lower control arm bracket they make and use. But I really didn’t like those C/O brackets anyway, so I’m looking for a better option. Also got my hood mounted. The hood is pretty bad, the skin is warped and wavy like it was in a fire. It’ll do for now because ‘64 hoods in this area seem very hard to come by as I’ve been looking for a nicer one for the better part of 2 years. I also opted for Eddie Motorsport billet hinges with struts I picked up for a pretty good deal on eBay. I’ve had bad luck with stock ‘64 hinges weakening and the arms collapsing inward when closing. ‘64 was a one year only hinge too I believe, they must have beefed them up for ‘65. I had to cut a hole in part of the inner hood structure to clear the radiator cap…odd since this radiator is made to be a bolt in, and there’s no way for it to be lower. Not a big deal though. While it’s back up in the air I’m going to look at raising the back of the transmission a little. I’ll finish my fuel lines, do brake lines, parking brake cables and maybe exhaust.
Nearly 5 months later...finally got the rear end in. Switched the stock rubber bushings on the housing for swivel joints to work around the bracket misalignment. Shit-canned the coilovers for some Detroit Speed lowering springs and will use the adjustable coil overs (minus springs) for shocks. Got some under-hood stuff done and am closing in on chassis plumbing.
The Jalopy Journal
