Just another old truck.

[Clarance J]

Hey Rich. It certainly looks like you have been busy having fun. I have always liked the El Camino. Thanks for posting the pictures here. Your paint job looks real good along with the upholstery. I'm guessing you used your Consew. Tell me a little about what you did to it. What's the color?

I'm hoping that I can at least get the cab and front painted this year. The repairs and modifications eat up a lot of time.

Earl

[Baldeagle SR]

Earl I had to replace the complete floorboard that was rusted. There was some minor rust at the fenders, The Elcamino had the original 350 two barrel carb with single exauast No one had changed anything. The interior was a mess. It had a bench seat that was in bad shape. The floor shifter was lying in the bed. I made the console out of 1/4 ply covered it with 1/4 foam then black material.
The block was cracked even though it didn't leak water or oil anywhere..
The brown color is just one I picked out from NAPA 's fan colors. The bucket seats are out of a Nission that I redone. Yep the old Consew still works pretty good.
The motor is a little more than stock. Nothing radical. I just have to fix the speedometer and I will be pretty much done. The old pickup is running fine. Rich

[Clarance J]

Grand kids and old trucks . What could be better? Just going through my photos and I found this one of my great granddaughter helping paint Clarance J. Best paint job ever.

[Clarance J]

I have finally gotten back to work on the front clip. Just checking on the parts that have been repaired or changed to make sure it will all bolt back together. Still need to finish welding patches and lower grill area where fenders attach to lower valance on drivers side. Found some things that need to be corrected. Bolt holes that have to be realigned.

My shop is small so it had to go together vertically. Its all working out pretty good.

And Rich, Great job on the El Camino and glad the old truck is doing good.

Enough of this late night posting for now.

Earl

[Kim57]

Cool pics Earl.
Kim

[Advanced Design]

Earl, love the Great Granddaughter paint job! You should keep that.


Nice repairs and appreciate the update.

[Clarance J]

It's been awhile since my last post on here so this is an update on my updates. It seems the last pictures on here were the last pictures my computer would allow me to post. It must have caught a really bad cold. I couldn't do anything on the internet. Well I finally got a new computer so now I face the problem of getting some 6000 pictures out of the old computer and into the new. When I figure that out the updates will continue. Have been busy working on Clarance J.

Earl

[Advanced Design]

Earl, here is to a speedy picture transfer. Will enjoy your updates whenever you get to them.

[Clarance J]

Thanks AD. I've been busy on the old truck and have alot to post, old and new. This is where I am at the moment. This is from my tablet but most of my photos are still in the old computer. I'll figure it out. That picture of Clarance J getting painted was from a few years ago and just recently came off. It did last through the Back to the fiftys cruise last year. Still learning about body work and paint. The old paint (really not that old) was bc/cc. The new paint will be a single stage. Performance yellow from Summit. We'll see how that goes in a few days. Its the battery box color.

Earl

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[Clarance J]

Thanks Kim.

Earl

[Baldeagle SR]

Earl things are looking good. Can't wait to see the front clip finished, It is going to be nice. Rich

[Clarance J]

Hey Rich, Thank you. I'm trying to slow down the "Well while I'm here" stuff and get these vent patches and firewall holes filled and done. I'm glad that I got the battery box in and working. Should be back on the road in a couple of weeks so I can get some summer driving in. Then tear it back down again for more things that I want to do this winter. Like a few guys on here the heat has slowed me down. Can't tolerate the heat as well as I used to.

Earl

[Clarance J]

OK, Lets try this new computer out. Got most but not all of my pictures on here. These next few pictures are not an update but show how I worked out my problem of a small shop and big doors. They are from a few years back. It worked out really well for me and saved a lot of door wrestling.
What I'm going to do is mix up some of my old build pictures with more recent stuff. At least that's the plan.

Earl

[Advanced Design]

Earl, that was a very good idea. Good to see your posts and I really like the descriptions in the pictures.

[Clarance J]

Thanks AD. Awhile back the subject of arm rests came up. It reminded me that I didn't have any. I wanted something stock looking but also matched the rest off my upholstery colors. I looked at what the vendors had to offer but nothing worked for me. Clarance J has never had arm rests that I know off. The doors had the mounting holes and captive nuts in place but the inside door panels were blank. Fab time again. Used a 2x4 as the base to start. I cut the pieces out and used a big rasp to shape them then sanded them smooth.

[Clarance J]

Next

[Clarance J]

The final product installed. So thats one more thing I can check off the list.

Earl

[Kim57]

Very nice.
Love the engine stand door holder.
Kim

[oldman3]

Nice job, looks good...Jim

[Advanced Design]

Very nice work on the arm rests! They certainly don't have to be bought from a catalog.

[Stepside Jim]

Hey Earl, I'm catching up on build threads and I see you're still doing a great job of not only doing hand fabrication but also still keeping the tradition of showing the steps of doing hand fabrication.

Always a pleasure to check in, Jim

[Clarance J]

Kim57. Thank you. I'm working on the pictures of the door work that was done.

Also oldman3, Thank you.

Advanced Design, Thank you. This is one of the things that I like about this forum. There are so many ideas on here that do not come out of a catalog.
The captions. It takes a little more work on my part but I like to explain what I am doing an what is going on in the picture.

Stepside Jim. Thank you. It's always good when mind and hands are busy. And just maybe a spark of inspiration for someone.

Earl

[Clarance J]

Its been awhile since I've posted any progress on my truck Clarance J. But progress has been made. Battery box relocated--done. Firewall holes welded up filled and finished--done. Cab vent holes and rusted areas patched filled and finished--done. Firewall primered, sanded, and painted--done.
The time finally arrived to work on the front clip. Since I'm making the front clip tilt it needs to go on as one unit. The radiator support is a stand alone unit so the fenders can not be bolted to it. What I needed was a stand to hold everything in place so I could assemble all the different parts into one unit.
Seeing the cab carts built on here I got the idea to build a front clip cart. First thought was wood but looking at my stock supply that was a no-go. Used most of it this summer on raised boxes for the garden. But I did find a bunch of 3" pvc tubing my brother gave me from his house build. So thats what I'll use.

[Clarance J]

Next was getting cart screwed together and lifting the clip onto the cart. So now that I have it off the ground and able to roll it around I can finish some things I'd like to do. I can put the bracing under the hood and square it all up to fit the cab. The back half of the fenders are bolted to the cab. Fall is on the way and that means cooler temps so I need to get it epoxy primered in the next couple of weeks. At least that's the plan.