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| ELKY - Year Two |
My second year of owning Elky began by addressing a pair of pet peeves: the gas & temperature gauges. After having the fuel tank & sending unit replaced, my gas gauge never worked properly (anything over a quarter tank read as "full"); it was discovered that the wrong sender had been installed. So a replacement was ordered from National Parts Depot, along with a sender for the temperature gauge. While the fuel sender fixed my problem with the gas gauge, the after-market temp gauge didn't respond to the OEM sending unit. As I would later discover, that temp gauge was essentially defective. Being concerned with The Camino's fuel consumption on freeways, I pondered how much wind resistance could be reduced if the tailgate was left down at high speeds. I heard from some folks how the California Highway Patrol pulls folks over for doing such a thing--usually because the potential hazard of nothing to hold in whatever might be in your truck's bed (regardless of it being empty)...or something like that. Not wanting to risk a ticket, I opted to have a GatorNet installed. Can't say for sure that I notice any difference; but it provides some peace of mind just in case local CHiPs are in an unforgiving mood. The most interesting crisis of this year occurred while driving home one afternoon. Half a mile from my residence, the accelerator cable broke; and I was suddenly unable to even maintain my speed. I was headed in the direction of Home, anyway; and thankfully had already built up enough speed for the momentum to get me there. The height of my good fortune was a break in on-coming traffic large enough to make the critical left turn into my home carport...which saved me from having to push this heavy thing into a parking space. Thankfully, not only was Purrfect Auto able to replace that cable the next day, but did so in a way to make it stronger--a necessary thing when considering how the configuration from accelerator pedal to carburetor is different now with a newer engine under the hood than the original 1969 motor the car had come with. Speaking of Purrfect Auto... During my three years of going there, its ownership changed hands an equal number of times. Since May 2005, Matthew had been the owner/manager, and the one whom I became comfortable communicating with when getting Elky repaired. However, within weeks after his guys repaired that accelerator cable, he sold the business; so when showing up with a new distributor & wiring harnesses in September, I was met with unfamiliar faces. I'd chosen to have a new H.E.I. distributor installed at that time, along with brand new engine & front lighting wire harnesses; and even though the new owner was unfamiliar to me, he brought in a crew that was eager to work. So, along with the new parts, I provided manuals & wiring diagrams for my car; and they got it all installed. The job straightened out most of my wiring under the hood and provided both front fenders with sockets for side marker lights. Is nice to finally have those working. October is when the real mechanic I'd been in search of finally happened along. Enter Sean Mitchell: a longtime friend of TOBY's, whom has owned & operated a few auto mechanic shops over the years--and is also the proud owner of both a 1970 Camino & '72 Chevelle SS convertible. In fact, as an experienced mechanic, he is well versed in all the mechanical & electrical operations of Chevys--especially when it comes to the Chevelle/Camino models. With one look under Elky's hood, he immediately spotted things that needed tweaking or fixing and knew exactly how to do it. The only drawback: he operates out of Santa Paula, some 50 miles away. Undeterred by the distance, I started taking The Camino out there--first for only minor work...like properly grounding the battery by connecting it to the frame in addition to the engine block. Then he adjusted the carburetor and also installed a fuel hardline that is not only safer, but provides better gas flow. During follow-up visits, he solved the problem with my overrevving transmission by reconnecting a modulator hose, and also repaired a broken exhaust pipe by welding it back together. The difference in Elky's performance was like night & day: suddenly it shifted much more smoothly and unleashed hidden horsepower I'd always suspected was there...somewhere. These positive results made Sean my go-to guy for all things Camino. The holidays and certain bills forced me to put further work on hold, however. November was about gift shopping, and December's big expense was renewing my car insurance; so it wasn't until January that I could start saving up money again. When ready to get some more work done in February, I immediately focused on getting new back-up lights & a rear wiring harness installed. Sean installed both of them--along with a neutral safety switch (courtesy of Original Parts Group) in the steering column, which turned out to be an integral part of the process. He also set up a brace for the starter, and another for the accelerator cable, which greatly extend the life of both items. During the subsequent visit, both an intermediate and dome light wiring harness were installed. With momentum in our favor (and a need to pull up the cab's carpeting to access intermediate wiring), new carpet was purchased along with a soundproofing kit. However, something was discovered under the carpet that I'd been dreading: rust. And plenty of it. The rust had eaten through the metal in the floorpans at certain points where you could see the ground outside beneath it. Not good news; but then, with Sean, it was little more than another challenge he was very willing to tackle. So, what started out as new intermediate wiring & carpeting for the cab turned into a frame-off restoration after noting how new floorpans were required and how much easier it would be to get certain work done while the body is lifted up off the frame. This level of effort essentially closed out my second year of owning Elky; but will make for a great beginning to Year 3. As was hoped for, I finally got the opportunity to go on cruises & poker runs with The Southern California Chevelle/Camino Club. The first that Jill & I participated in was actually a group drive in April from Porter Ranch out to a Club meeting at the Ventura County Sherrif's station in Simi Valley, which was followed by a jaunt over to The Reagan Library with members of the local GTO car club. Then there was a beach cruise in October which started in Culver City, went through South Bay cities and ended at a great eatery called Ricky & Ronnie's in Torrance. A November poker run for SCCCC members started in Calabasas, went through the Santa Monica Mountains, then out to Point Mugu before bringing us all back into Simi. And February's run took us from Northridge through Simi and into Moorpark, up to the train station in Fillmore, then out to Chuy's in Ventura via The 126. It was fun to finally participate in some runs & cruises, with some of the best scenery around Southern California there is to see being taken in as a rewarding byproduct of each drive. |
| Work Done: H.E.I. Distributor Wiring Harnesses ~ Front Lighting ~ Engine ~ Intermediate ~ Rear Back-Up Lights Fuel Gauge Sending Unit Accelerator Cable Fuel Hardline Gatornet Costs = $2,000+ Photos: April / October 2006 |