1959 Chevrolet El Camino

Finding "Nemo"

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On this page, there are "before" photos of my 1959 El Camino purchased in May 2010. I found the car (or is it a truck?) in El Paso Texas, near the airport, abandoned in a field with weeds up to the belt line (top left photo). I happened to see the back of the vehicle over the fence as I was driving by (top right photo).

After a two month search for the owner, I located him and he agreed to sell his "classic" vehicle. The license plates had 1988 stickers on them, so the truck had been resting in the storage lot for over 20 years. Rip Van El Camino? Now, I call him Nemo El Camino.

 

May 7, 2010 - The Retrieval

Since Nemo had four flat tires, I borrowed some wheels and tires and recruited a couple of friends from the Southwest Classic Car Club, Jerry Sanders and Luis Hernandez, to help me go get Nemo and bring him home. Jerry brought along his homemade trailer and jacks.

We jacked up the car and replaced all four wheels and flat tires with "rollers." However, the front brake shoes had "welded" themselves to the brake drums, so we had to drag Nemo out of his 22-year old resting place.

After some head-scratching, we jacked up the car and Jerry backed the trailer under the front wheels. We then moved the jacks to the end of the trailer, jacking the car up just enough so that we could winch it up on the bed of the trailer, rolling on the two floor jacks.

After 30 minutes out in the hot May sun, Nemo was resting on the trailer and we cinched him down for the drive home. On the way, we stopped at What-a-Burger for drinks to cool off and then I spent $5 at the quarter car wash cleaning off 22 years of dirt and dust.

The drive home was uneventful. Jerry backed his trailer up into our driveway and unhooked it from his van. After I get the front wheels to turn, I'll ask him to come back and we'll roll Nemo into the garage.

I couldn't resist getting a can of rubbing compound and rubbing the left-front fender. Hey, there's still some shiny stuff under that faded skin.

May 14, 2010 - I got my tools out and started working on the front end. Using a crowbar, screw drivers, clippers, and brute force, I was able to get the left-front brake drum off. The "trick" was cutting the clip that holds the brake shoes to the backing plate, which then let me bend the shoes off their track. Wrecked the shoes, but got the drum loose.

Went around to the other side and repeated the steps; this time, only took 90 minutes. I put all the brake parts in a box and left the drums on and then reinstalled the wheels. We're now ready to roll.

May 23, 2010 - Jerry came over and we got El Camino off the trailer and pushed into the garage (Nemo's a long sucker!) Propped up the hood; cleaned the engine; pulled plugs, hoses, spark plug wires, air cleaner. Need lots of parts.

June 12, 2010 - Spent the previous couple of weeks cleaning the engine compartment and replacing some obviously tired parts (spark plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor, etc.) I tried to start up the car by priming the carburetor - it coughed and sputtered.

June 19, 2010 - Lloyd Bohn came over and we dropped the gas tank. Spilled a bit of gas (oops). Repainted the straps black. Spent a few weeks trying to figure how to clean the tank out. Ordered a replacement sending unit as the original one looks like it was dipped in tar.

July 9, 2010 - borrowed Bob D's compression tester and checked compression:
Dry: 137 135 135 135 135 135
Wet: 155 150 155 152 160 170
Not bad!

July 16, 2010 - I dropped off gas tank at El Paso Radiator. Est. $75. 4-5 days. Spent the next few weeks searching for radiator hoses. Steve Hoeller at Horizon Tubes and Hoses searched high and low and found the upper hose, which no one else had. Ordered the other one from Eckler's El Camino back east.

The next couple of weekends, we headed for Medford Oregon for Dana's Dad's 90th birthday celebration, then the next week we spent in Vancouver BC with the Model A Ford Club's International Convention.

August 15 - This weekend, I rinsed out the tank with a couple of quarts of gasoline to remove any remaining particles of dirt. Then I fitted a new gas gauge sending unit into the tank - that looked pretty good. Then left it alone until Sunday. Lloyd Bohn came over and we began the reinstallation of the tank.We made up new wires for the sending unit and spliced them into the existing wire loom, then lifted the tank back into position and connected the fuel line, wiring, and filler pipe hoses (big one for gasoline, small one for venting.) We were done by lunch time.

Then put in a couple of gallons of gasoline in the tank (no leaks yet) and tried to fire the engine. It wouldn't start without priming the carburetor, but it ran for 10 seconds or so - sounded good. The 50-year carburetor probably needs an overhaul - I already have a rebuild kit so that will be my project for next week. Meanwhile, I'm going to build a replacement fuel line from the fuel pump to the carb with an inline fuel filter to gobble up the remaining dirt coming up through the gas lines. Between that filter and the new one in the tank, we should be good to go in no time. Once the car's running well, I'll reinstall the factory gas line and filter.

September - Time flies! There were several weekend activities in September that took up our time, and little was done on Nemo. I did, however, rebuild the carburetor without much documentation (I've since acquired the Chevrolet Shop Manual). The kit I purchased didn't have the correct accelerator pump, so another few weeks to locate one (got it on eBay.) I attended a swap meet south of Albuquerque and located an accessory oil filter. It didn't take too much to clean it up and repaint it. Now, I just have to find the original Fram decals for it.

October - the first two weeks of the month were spent on vacation on the West Coast, as we visited family in Oregon and California. The carburetor was torn apart and inspected - I left out one spring and totally overlooked the Power Jet (discovered thanks to the good instructions in the Chevy Shop Manual). It's now ready to be reinstalled. I also purchased a pair of 1959 Texas Truck license plates, and I have been getting them ready to be repainted. They're in pretty good shape and don't need any metal work other than sanding off the rusty spots.

November 7 - I'm finally going to get around to put the carburetor back on the car (truck?) and see if I can get it started. I'll let you know.

December - Thanksgiving came and went - weather turning cooler so not much fun working in an unheated shop. I tell myself "Self, if you're not having fun here, go do something else." Did get the carb back together but then spent a couple of weeks with fuel leaks between the fuel pump and carb. Got a NOS AC fuel pump and installed that, then used LockTite on the threads and after a few minor leaks, it looks like it's going to work. Put back all the pieces and turned over the key and, voila, she runs! Tappets were a little clattery - will take some time for oil to work its way into all those crevices, but no bad noises, yet. Don't have water in the radiator yet (another unknown) so shut it down, but man that was music to my ears.

2011

January - New year - Still cold but I did get a new gasket fabricated for the master cylinder to firewall - used my Yankee ingenuity to make one out of flat stock, as new ones are no longer available. I now have the front brakes all rebuilt - new everything! Later this month, I tackle the rear brakes. Stay tuned.

February 1 - Weather warmed up. FINALLY found the correct rear wheel cylinders after ordering a pair from Eilers for $28 each and them sending me one right one and one wrong one! I got the Centric number off the good one and went shopping in El Paso. Found them at CarBoys on Alameda for $7 each! Turns out they weren't Centric made (China) but made in New Jersey. They fit like a glove! However, in reassembling the brakes, I lost one of the wave lock washers used on the emergency brake mechanism. Got a replacement at Lowe's but it's not right.

March 13 - This weekend, I made some progress on the brake job. After checking for weeks at many places to locate the spring wave washer missing from the emergency brake bracket inside the rear brake, I stumbled into Rudolph Chevrolet and asked the parts guys. At first they brought out some standard flat washers, but then one of the guys said to the other one "look in the old washer drawers." Bingo – they came up with three! Made my day. Went home and today installed the washer, reassembled the left-rear brake, lubed it up, put the tires back on and am now ready to install the brake lines and bleed the brakes.

March 27 - after a couple of weekends installing the rest of the brake parts, I was ready to bleed the brakes. Need to get a one-man bleeder tool. Jerry Sanders said he'd bring one to the next meeting.

May 1 - got Jerry's bleeder tool at the SW Classic meeting last month and decided to try it out. Wouldn't work. It seemed like no suction was happening. So I decided to do it the old fashioned way. I pumped up the brakes and went under the car to bleed the first wheel cylinder - there was a pool of brake fluid all over the floor. Evidently, the old brake lines had damaged fittings and they were no longer leak proof. Began to shop for replacement brake lines.

June - Purchased new front brake lines from Eckler's - when I compared them to the originals, I noticed the shape wasn't quite the same but I bent them into shape. However, I couldn't get them to mate up with the distribution blocks on the frame sides. I gave up and asked Dave Daniels to tow Nemo to DMS in Canutillo, where Dennis and Rick and his guys would install them. Three weeks later, they called me to "come get it - it now starts, runs, and stops." I did. Drove Nemo for the first time. What a blast. Front end made a lot of noise and wandered a bit, but she's rolling. Took him out every 3-4 days for rides around the block, listening and testing.

June 15 - got the 1959 License plates I purchased on eBay approved from the DMV and got Nemo registered. He's now legal! I checked all the lights, horn, etc. Everything worked except the tail lights. Found a bad socket that was shorting out and blowing the fuse. Fixed it temporarily and it's working fine now.

July 1 - Purchased my insurance policy from Hagerty. I got quotes from them and JC Taylor and Grundy. Hagerty's rates were the highest by about 25%, but from talking to people, Hagerty's customer service and company integrity can't be beat.

July 9 - Dropped Nemo off at DMS again; there were a few drips coming from the front, middle and rear. Front problem was a worn oil pan plug; middle was the speedometer gear housing, and the rear was a pinion seal and sleeve. They were able to fix the first two things pretty quickly, but they had to order the pinion parts.

August 8 - Picked up El Camino from DMS today. They went through the front suspension - new ball joints, tie rods, springs, shocks, etc. Nemo rides and steers SO MUCH BETTER now. Just about the only thing I have left to do is replace the rear shocks (already bought them) and get new tires. Sooner or later, I will have to replace the clutch; that may be something I can tackle with the help of friends and save a few $$$. My plan is to be able to tour this fall.

So far, the engine, electrical system, and cooling system seem to be just fine. I'll probably remove the radiator this winter and have it cleaned out, just to be sure. I already have a new water pump that I can install around the same time. Right after the first of the year, with all the mechanical details dealt with, perhaps a visit to the "beauty salon" for paint and upholstery will be in order. Oh yes, and the chrome shop.

August 15 - Ordered wide whitewall tires from Jegs in Ohio - BF Goodrich Silvertown 800x14s. Wow, tires are expensive. Luis Hernandez gave me the 14" wheels from his 1960 Bel Air since they won't fit any longer now that he's put disk brakes on the front. 1959-60 wheels had special notches in them to keep the wheel covers in place. Found a sandblaster and they cleaned up very well. Also ordered the special exhaust hangers from Dr 409 in Wisconsin. Nemo's muffler has a hole in it and all of the hangers are broken, tail pipe almost dragging on the ground.

September - Got the wheels back, cleaned and painted them with aerosol cans of red paint. Spent a week on this project first priming, then drying, then top coat, then drying. I will wait a week or so before I have the tires mounted to give the paint time to dry thoroughly.

Took tires and wheels to Martin Tire in El Paso who mounted and balanced them. Cleaned them up when I got home, getting the blue protection film off. Hot soapy water did the trick. He's starting to look great. The exhaust hangers from Dr 409 arrived, but unfortunately only the front one looks like the right one. I'll just have to go with universal hangers for the rear two until I can find the originals. Ernie's Muffler installed an entirely new exhaust system from the engine to the rear tailpipe. He's really quiet now.
October 29 - Joined the Southwest Classic Car Club on a drive to a Corn Maze in nearby La Union New Mexico. Nemo performed admirably. Putting some miles on Nemo; he's running fairly well. But the carburetor I rebuilt is leaking so I need to remove it and rebuild again. Current projects include rebuilding the license plate light; you wouldn't think that was such a big deal, except finding replacement parts is difficult. I'm stuck trying to get a gasket that seals the glass lens from the base. I'll probably end up making a duplicate if I can find gasket stock the same size.

November - Visited a wrecking yard in Las Cruces, ironically called Black's Auto Salvage, but alas no El Caminos. But did find a couple of 59-60 Bel Air sedans; I also need the plastic housings for the cowl vents (the ones that let cool air come in at your feet) as both of mine are broken. I also need to fix the heater controls - a piece is broken and that prevents moving the temperature control from cold to hot. These items will probably have to come from donor cars, as no reproductions are possible. The search goes on.

December 18 - Finally getting around to taking the carburetor apart and trying for another rebuild. One friend suggested that the leak could have been caused by war page of the two halves of the carburetor, so I'm going to try to hone them flat and make sure I tighten up the screws to make a leak-proof seal. If it's not too cold between now and New Year's Day, I'll try to get this finished so that I can make the NYD cruise to Horizon City for Brunch.

2012

January - June - I was happy to drive Nemo around El Paso, sometimes on the freeway but mostly on city streets. He's running great with the major problems being the noisy clutch and rear end. The carburetor still drains itself if he sits for more than 4-5 days; DNS Technologies said that the bowl had a crack. Guess I need to find another carb and rebuild it.

July - Preparing to move back to Oregon, I put gas in Nemo and drove him into the United Van Lines trailer for the trip West.

 

August - I rejoined the Rogue Valley Old Time Auto Club and drove to a couple of their meetings. It was good to renew my friendships with all of my old friends in this multi-car, multi-year club.
September-December - My father in law Clair (92) went into hospice and Dana and I spent most of our free time driving to nearby Ashland to be with him. Sadly, he passed on December 12.

2013

January - June - New year and I was able to get a little work done on the truck. I had the original radio rebuilt with solid state components, so now it's an AM/FM stereo with MP3 output in an original 59 Chevy radio container. Works great. I finally purchased a rebuilt carburetor and he no longer leaks fuel. In February's car show at the Jackson County Expo, I met a fellow who polishes stainless and aluminum. He straightened out Nemo's grille and tail light trim pieces and polished them out. They look great

July - September - Where does the time go? Three months passed and I accomplished little. I did remove the front seat and fix the adjusting mechanism - the wire that releases the passenger side lock had stretched out and no longer functioned. It was easy to shorten the slack. While I was in there I noticed the rear floors are rotted so I need to get patch panels. Brother-in-law Jeff may help me get those welded in. A fall project.

 
a picture

October - As the month starts, the leaves on the trees are starting to turn. I took Nemo nearby Blue Heron Park in Phoenix and snapped this photo. Before the end of the year, I'm going to try to get the rear floors repaired and clean up the entire floor so that I can think about getting him painted.

I've researched the original upholstery materials and found a company near Portland that has the original fabrics. I may have them stitch up the interior or just send the material to a local upholstery shop and let them do it here in town.

Come back soon.

Last Updated: 10/06/2013