Where is the EC headed?

First of all, out of my garage! Since it sat for a long time without operating, I have a lot of work to do just to get it road worthy. I have changed the plugs, distributer cap, rotor, fuel filter, air/oil filters, PCV valve, and Idle Air Control Valve over the last few weeks. I still need to repair much of the vaccuum system, replace the EGR and transmission filter/gasket, and clean the entire throttle body. Hopefully that will get me close to a fully functioning engine. So, what other repairs are needed? Easy...air conditioning, wiper fluid pump, cruise control, shift indicator, and steering column repair. That will make the EC fully functional.

Once all of that is finished, I will replace the entire dash, convert the interior to black and gray, switch to power locks/windows and upgrade to satellite radio. I am still debating replacing the bench seats with buckets.

Once I have the beast overhauled, the last step will be painting the exterior, adding a bedliner and bed lid, and then driving everywhere to show it off. I know you still have one question...what color will it be? I have decided to go with ultramarine blue. It is a color derived from the gemstone lapis lazuli. The sample below should give you an idea of what it will look like.

Finally got it started...

Both the car and the blog! This truck is important. It belonged to my uncle, who is an El Camino enthusiast. He ended up selling it to my dad. I drove it for a while in college and got hooked. My brother took his turn at the wheel after that. Family connections aside, my brother is what makes this car important. He loved it. My dad was going to fix it up for him as a gift when he got back from a deployment overseas. My brother didn't make it back.

My dad called me some time later and asked if I would take the car. It was sitting in the garage, a constant reminder that his son never came home. He made me promise that I would restore it...finish the car that he wanted my brother to have.

Unfortunately, it sat in my garage for years too. Overseas tours and kids kept me from gaining much ground with the truck. All I had to show for three years of work was a new door handle, rear compartment carpet, and upgraded wheels and tires. That changed when I sold my primary vehicle to pay for the EC project. Now it has to work, or I won't be able to drive to work!

I've wanted to blog about the project for some time, and my wife helped me get it started on Memorial Day. It was a great day to start it. My kids helped me work on the "elky". I got to explain to my oldest why the truck is so important and why we remember guys like my brother. I honored him this year the best way I could...I worked on my brother's truck.