Is it possible on an El Camino?

Question

Is it possible to put an engine in the bed of an El Camino. Make it a mid or rear engine car? If there is one could you show me a pic

Answer 1

yea i have helped a buddy do it to a s-10 same deal though pretty much you will have to have the engine as far up as possible then the auto trans then the drive shaft(very small less then a foot to allow for suspension movement)then the axle--the engine will have to be tilted up at a angle so the drive train is in a straight line(on a angle though)

You will have to reinforce the bed and cut at least a 2'wide hold down the middle and also fab a  engine/trans mount cross member(s) to support the engine and loosen up the axle u bolts to pull the axle up to meet the angle set by the engine and relocate the shock mounts

you should be able to fab everything except the drive shaft with basic welding tools

I recommend sending the drive shaft out and having as much draw as possible put on it

not real expensive requires extending a lot of stuff and relocating the gas tank behind the axel or under the hood but basic stuff the axel will run around $300 and you will probally a couple hundred in pipes/steel.

it really will hook up a lot better it is a lot of work though

goodluck

Answer 2

The trick is going to be running the drive shaft.

Can it be done. Yes

Is it impractical. Yes. For the money you will spend doing this you could buy a new F-350 ford truck or a corvet. And if you do it yourself you will spend ALOT of time in the garage. This is not a weekend thing.  

Answer 3

It really wouldn't be that difficult as long as you had the right equipment and can do basic measuring and some welding. After you cut a hole in the bed floor, motor mounts could be fabbed from plate steel and welded to the frame. This is where the measuring starts. you could cut a round hole in the plate and weld a piece of pipe through it, but you have to be sure the plate is close enough to the block and the pipe is long enough but not too long to fit inside the stock block mount. The trans mount could be made from C-channel bolted or welded to the frame flat side up/open side down with holes drilled in it for the trans mount bolt to pass through using the stock mount and rubber isolator. Then you just have to measure for drive shaft length and have one made. The cooling system would be the trickiest part. It would have to be mounted in the bed with electric fans cooling the radiator. A frame to mount the radiator would be no problem to design, but, it would most likely have to go behind the engine, you would probably have to use braided hoses since there are none made for an application like this and they would be so long. The radiator would have to be mounted on an angle since it can't be lower than the engine. If it wasn't angled, it would be higher than the roof line. All the steel can be bought from any scrap yard. It shouldn't run mor than a couple hundred bucks for the materials.

One other option would be to use the engine/drive train from a '70's-early '80's Cadillac Eldorado or OldsmobileTornado. They were front wheel drive but the engine/transaxle was mounted front to rear not side to side like they are now.

Sounds like an interesting project. Good Luck with it.

Answer 4

Anything is possible if your willing to invest the time and money.

check this one out http://www.performancecylinderheads.com/...

sorry first link was wrong

I had the same idea, and my thought was to get the engine and drive train from a front wheel drive Cadillac with the 32 valve Northstar engine. And change the rear of the El Camino over to independent suspension.

Answer 5

It is possible and very costly.  You can search the web for pictures.

Answer 6

its not only possible, it has been done. there was a report done on one by the powerblock on spike tv in their musclecar show a few months back. unfortunately i have no pictures. but for the most part, if you can think of a thing to do to an automobile, it has likely already been done.

Answer 7

I can't give you a picture, but I know it can be done, and relative to other custom engine swaps, pretty easily. I'd put it as close to the passenger compartment as possible, maybe even intruding a bit. I'd get an independent rear suspension, but you could go with a solid axle as well. Solid would be easier, but independent would be trick. I can't see any problem you would have at all. You could keep the cooling system up front, switching to electric fans and electric water pumps like hot rodders do. Same with air conditioner.  You could even go dry sump oil with a cooler up front as well. Other than all the fabrication and bracing, I see no downside. I have to tell you though, a lot of people will be sad to see an El Camino cut up. Whatever.  

Answer 8

I could swear that there were a few mid-engined El Camino funny cars in the 60's, but the only thing I could find with a quick Google search was a mid-engined El Camino Hot Wheel (see the 1st link below).

You could probably create your own mid-engined El Camino, but it would probably be lots of work and be very rear heavy.

You should probably be asking this question on an El Camino enthusiasts website, such at El Camino Central, El Camino Classics, etc.

Answer 9

All it takes is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

With enough money you can do it.