1979 Chevy El Camino - The Ultimate Sleeper

After the hood was removed,... 

   

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After the hood was removed, the old 305 was disconnected and removed transmission in all.

As you roll up to the burnout box, the flamed '69 Chevelle pulls up next to you. All you can hear is the lopey sound of his over-cammed engine. Then there are the thoughts of your car pulling ahead in the last few feet. Some 12.50 seconds later, you realize you've won and are pleased to say the least. If only the guy in the other lane knew what you had hiding under the shy sheetmetal of your otherwise stock-looking '79 El Camino, he'd have never toyed with you in the first place.

No, this didn't actually happen, but it seemed logical to make up the story. It represents everything that Mike Lambert, owner of the Elky, was going after when he decided to build the Ultimate Sleeper. Mike's intensions were simple: Build a fast, smog-legal street machine that can haul, tow and spank every 17-year-old kid in a Mustang 5.0, but it had to look and sound stock.

Mike began the project almost 2 years ago when he started collecting parts. While most guys would probably make one change at a time, still keeping their machines drivable, Mike decided to acquire parts first and do all the swapping of parts in one very, very long weekend. Lucky for Mike he had Michael, the cylinder head expert, Craig, the skydiver with an affinity for cars, Marty, the neurologist, and Dave, the owner of the garage where the swap was to take place. We know they sound like a motley crew, but they did the work of a small army of mechanics and they did it in one weekend.

The 406 powerplant, TH400 transmission and all the necessary components were catalogued and ready for installation. It was a simple matter of removing the old and installing the new, but as we all know the word "simple" hardly ever plays into a project.

After the candle had been burned at both ends, the crew was ready to see her run; unfortunately they forgot one minor detail, a driveshaft. Fortunately for Mike, Inland Empire Driveline Service works quickly. The next business day, a brand new cool looking aluminum driveshaft was delivered by the UPS man. As our lead burnout picture shows, this G-body is back on the road, mean as ever. Can anyone build a 440hp street machine overnight? Sure, all it takes is four experts and a truckload of parts.

The rest of the driveline...        read full caption The rest of the driveline was dropped, including the original rearend and driveshaft.	Once all the old powertrain...        read full caption Once all the old powertrain had been removed, they set out all the new components deciding where to begin.	With the upper control arms...        read full caption With the upper control arms exposed, the OE arms were removed and the Global West arms were installed.
The new 9-inch was lifted...        read full caption The new 9-inch was lifted into place and secured.	With the modifications complete...        read full caption With the modifications complete to the front end the 406 SB was connected to the TH400 and lowered into the G-body.	The Currie axles and drum...        read full caption The Currie axles and drum brakes were installed along with the 4.11:1 center section.
The new upper and lower rear...        read full caption The new upper and lower rear arms were installed and snugged into place.	With the new powerplant in...        read full caption With the new powerplant in place, we measured for the new aluminum Inland Empire Driveline driveshaft.	With the driveshaft in place...        read full caption With the driveshaft in place we're ready to rock!