Thread: Just starting

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I don't know where to start , I am in the middle position of maybe knowing enough to get into trouble. Hope I know enough to get out of it.

I am redoing a 76 El Camino SS, 400 sb. As you all know in 76 they were taking
factory muscle cars out of the picture. I can't afford to or have the space to completely dissassemble the body from the frame. I am rebuilding the engine and
trying to bondo the body where needed. It has been 30 yrs since I built an engine and I find I have a lot to learn and remember. I have never done body work before and don't have a real talent for it. But so far with the dual piston
bar sander I have done what I feared to try to do. My body work looks pretty good to me hehehe.

The engine had been previously bored to .30, so I had the shop bar hone the cylinders and polish up the crank. This is all stock crank , rods , etc. The numbers match for the vehicle and are original. I'm putting in new flat pistons, and have the 76 cc heads. The crank I got it Comp Cams 270H Magnum hydraulic cam and lifter kit for 262-265-283-302-327-350-400 small block chevy.
I have a 795 Edlebroch carb, and am going to put on a edlebroch intake.

Does anyone have an idea of how much hp I will be putting out?

Welcome aboard. You don't see enough of these El Caminos around, they are pretty cars (trucks?).

That carb number you cite, I am not familiar with it. Is that the cfm's or a part number. If it is the cfm's it might be a little on the large side. About a 600 cfm is right for the 350 Chevy. As for HP, some of the smarter guys on here will have that answer, but I would guess about an honest 300. (but I arrived at that figure using all my fingers and toes, so it may not be reliable.)


Funny the skills you have to learn to build a car,huh? Of all of them, I hate body work the worst. How body men sand and prep bodies all day long I will never understand. It's tough work, and you have no finger prints left from the sandpaper.

Don