Whoa Nelley, an "El C" and it might be over for thee...... Of course, no 1982 El Camino (or the GMC Caballero cousin) came with a big block from the factory. Young Chevrolet is still in business at 9301 ERL Thorton Freeway, Dallas TX 75228. Starting with the 1985 model year, all El Camino and Caballero models were assembled at Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. They are easily spotted by the VIN starting with a "3", whereas 1 denotes US assembled, 2 for Canadian assembled (this is for 1981 and newer models which use a 17 digit VIN format, which is still used today). Earlier than 1981, you have to know the plant codes and they were mostly made in the US and Canada. We got the VIN, we win: 1GC for US made Chevrolet truck, C for 4,001 to 5,000 gross vehicle weight rating with hydraulic brake system, W80 for pickup/delivery style body (El Camino), J for 267 V8 with two-barrel, Chevrolet produced aka RPO code "L39", 8 is a check digit, C for the 1982 model year, R for Arlington, TX assembly and the rest is the production sequence. Arlington GMAD today assembles trucks and has for several years. It would have likely been paired with the RPO code MX1 transmission which was a THM350C (with lock-up torque converter, done for better fuel economy). The 4.4L (267) engine had about 115 HP and about 205 Lb-ft of torque for 1982. The rear end ratio was a 2.56 and I do not see that there was any optional ratio when you got the 267. You could also get the VIN code "K" 229 CID Chevrolet produced V6 (RPO code "LC3") or the optional RPO code "LG4" 305 V8 with four-barrel (VIN code "H"). Both the 267 and the 305 were optional engines. No tag, cannot brag but it should be code 29 Dark Blue Metallic exterior paint with a possible Silver Gray bench seat (assuming that's the original seat color/type). "Pass" on the heads mean that those heads were originally designed and installed in a passenger car application. Those are "781" (casting number 336781) and were used from 1973 to 1985 on the 454 engine. They are likely from a 1970s passenger car if I had to guess. They are oval port 113cc heads with a 2.06 intake and a 1.72 exhaust valve setup. Whoa Nelley, it had "un fuego" and that's no "bueno". Toasty and roasty. That's it, time to quit. Big block took a flop. 1982 and it's over for you. 267 and going to Heaven. MX1 and it's done. Going to be flat and that's that. L39 is out of time. Paint code 29 and not so fine. Watch your step when you "schlep". Elk Dog turned into a big hog. 454 and soon to be out the door. Going to get squished and the A and G body faithful along with the Google Man are going to be pretty pissed.
I had an 87 with the 305 electronic Quadrajet , bought off my former boss in Florida for 500 dollars but I never got the carburetor right , should have replaced it with a Holley and a aluminum intake and a HEI because it was in great shape.
@@garymckee448 Nope. The Holley would have done you zero justice. Unfortunately, The Q-Jet is a very misunderstood carburetor and much like the Tecumseh small engines, they are all considered by many as "junk". However, most times it's the "mechanics" that are attempting to "fix" them that are the real problems. A properly running Q-Jet is unbeatable for fuel economy, power and idle quality. 1987 would have had HEI, I think you meant "non-feedback" HEI which means the timing was adjustable the old fashioned way. That would have typically been a 1980 and older Chevrolet V8 distributor.
@@googleusergp Most Quadrajet's l had on vehicles were great carburetors but this one was junk , installed the best rebuild kit and still worthless. The carburetor had a mind of it's own would work great and most of the time not.
@@garymckee448 There is a chance it was not the carburetor. Something else may have been causing the issue. They can be very pesky to track down, that's for sure. I can't tell you the amount of small engines I have saved from the scrap pile that had Tecumseh engines on them where their previous owners billed them as "junk". I usually put some time, effort and TLC in them and they run like new for a very long time. One lawn mower (a 1996 AYP made Craftsman self-propelled) I use at my grandfather's property came off the curb in 2011 and I've been using it pretty much ever since. I have my choice of what to use when I need to cut the lawn. LOL. I don't know what brand of kit you used to rebuild it, but some of them billed as "premium kits" were nothing but junk with a lot of shortcuts taken with regard to the parts provided in the kit. By the 1980s, carburetion was beginning to wane a bit and the quality of the kits supplied to the aftermarket weren't all that good. Many suffered from problems with oxygenated fuel and the parts turned to mush and dust in no time flat.
@@googleusergp I bought the best rebuild kit available and it was a 100 dollars in 2001. The guy l sold it to did what I wrote in my previous post and the vehicle ran well.
This one's a "fire sale" edition. Most people would have their work cut out for them, just with the engine compartment. I prefer the '68-'72 model years myself.
I remember my neighbor in ELA bought a 1978 or 79 El Camino SS it was nice I liked it because it was smaller than the previous models. My neighbor used it as a pickup and didn't really take care of it and about a year later it started to show wear and tear he moved and I never saw it again.
Electrical fires. Yeesh. They'll get you if not too careful. That's why it's good practice to keep a fire extinguisher within reach when working on a project. Fire damaged cars are a hard sell on the Marketplace. I hope this one gets all its useful parts saved, sad to see an el Camino here. Wonder what's the story of the Bullnose crew cab? Old crew cabs go for a lot of money due to their rarity and cool factor!
Need to see if that Big block still turns over. They bring big money still. Its a shame to see it go down like that. Had one years ago and have regretted ever since I got rid of it
Not sure if there’s much to save with this one. Always felt these appealed to people who’s wife wanted a car but they wanted a truck. Kind of like someone I went to school with, wore the most beautiful prom dresses you ever saw, but he insisted on leading when he danced
@@googleusergp yes, it sucks and it dumb. I think people watch the auctions on TV and see these classics and want a lot of money for the junk that the have.
@@chevylandt.v I tried to buy a 1981 Trans Am Nascar Pace car late last year. I doubled the guy's money from what he paid in 2012 and we were about $500 apart. No dice. He (claims to have) sold it for $5k over where we were in price. I ran the numbers a million ways before making my offer and I was in the solid territory for it. It was all original, in nice shape, but it needed a lot. Even with me having a lot of the parts it needed, I couldn't be upside down in it. I'll leave that for the guy that overpaid for it to deal with. LOL.
It looks like someone tried to modify the engine and it caught fire. Is it savable? Probably...if that is someones favorite car or if they sell her dirt cheap. Can she be used for parts? Yep.
Those were basically cars that you could use like a truck. My dad owned three of them. A 72 I think. And a 60 something model. and the last one was an 78 I could be wrong about the 60 something and the 72 but I would bet my life on the 78 model
