Got 'er home!! 10 hours, 45 minutes on Thurs from WXO's house to Barry, the broker/storer's house in Apalachin, NY. LOTS of debate about the best route. One wants I-95, two hate I-95. One prefers I-64. One prefers I-66. WXO was appointed Commander in Chief of Routes. Didn't help much because everyone still has "input".
Beautiful sun rise and HARD rain from Scranton, PA to Barry's house in Apalachin, NY. Since the rain was supposed to stop in an hour or so, we went to dinner at Bud's Place in Apalachin, NY. In attendance were the three transporters, the inspector, the broker/storer, JImM the Master of Ceremonies for all events, and me. Very lively and fun time.
By the time dinner was over, the rain had stopped. We drove 30 minutes to the garage where the El Camino was stored only to find out the keys were NOT hidden in the car.
So we waited an hour while Barry returned home to get the keys. Car started right up but the electric choke on the Edelbrock carb did not open when the engine started. Choke pull off wasn't working. Had to hold the choke open till the electric choke opened up then, off to the Comfort Inn. But, no reservation for us.
Showed the clerk my papers and she calmly pointed out the reservation was for the Quality Inn next door. Everyone was pointing out I'd said "Comfort inn". in the "Plan". Tried to claim I said "Comfortable Inn" but couldn't make it stick.
Lots of good natured criticism of my "plan" because it didn't include specifics on just how the car was to get from storage to us. What genius could predict our arrival time, the marginal weather events, and some other variables? But, that argument got me no relief.
Anyway, over to the Quality Inn and pull out the license plate to install it ... no screws. Barry goes BACK to his house to retrieve some license plates screws, Ahh!! Plate installed and off to bed.
Up at 5 AM today and lucked out. The hotel complimentary breakfast that wasn't scheduled till 6:30 was available to us before 6. I intended to adjust the choke to prevent warm up issues but it had metric Allen screws and my little tool kit doesn't contain metric Allen wrench.
OK!! We're on our way. A wrong turn got us a pre-dawn tour of downtown Binghamton. Not the highlight of the trip.
On the way home, the Commander of Routes got his way and we COMPLETELY avoided I-95 by heading down US-15. Turns out it was a very pleasant route. More divided highway and limited access highway than I expected. Very relaxing compared to the Interstates. BEAUTIFUL sunset over the lake in VA.
The El Camino has some really good points and some disappointments. There are more rust issues than advertised, e.g., bubbling on the hood lip and a little on the roof. The TH350 is great! Firm but not harsh shifts. Upshifts and downshifts are very well timed. The engine used/leaked 2 quarts of oil on the 600 mile trip home. That will take some investigation. There was a one-inch puddle of oil in 30 minutes under the center of the engine. Pan gasket? I'll do a compression test and leak-down test to get some idea of what's up with the engine. It runs smooth and quiet kinda hard starting. Brakes work very well. Steerng has a little play but it tracks straight and stable. Corners well. Tires have great tread but were on the El Camino when the seller bought the car in 2009. (Glad they held together for the trip home.) I'll look for a date code. Gas gauge is unpredictable. Voltmeter shows 12V or less most of the time. Clock runs intermittently. Speedometer is 10-15% slow, maybe from a smaller drive gear in the replaced TH350? Driver's door needs work. It takes a SLAM to get it shut. Window rattles dangerously. Exhaust system is cobbled up. Headers leading to about 1 1/2" pipe under the trans cross member.
Sounds leaky and harsh from the outside but good on the inside. Basically, I'd say it's what should be expected from a 35 year-old vehicle with 100K+ miles and not much use (or tinkering?) in the last few years. I would have offered him less If I'd seen it in person.
I didn't take any pictures. If I come across any I'll add them to the thread.
I'm sure a good time was had by all. I really appreciate all the help in getting the deal done and the El Camino transported home. I have lots to keep me busy for a long time. But, tonight I'm REALLY tired.