The SS nose

After driving the Elky for 18 months things had gotten pretty dirty under the hood.

But a friend with a mobile pressure washing service sure helped clean stuff up.
Friends like this are good to have. :)

Here's the nose It looks a little flimsy, but it gets a lot of reinforement.

The rest of the stuff in the box. It just doesn't seem like a lot of stuff for the thousand dollar price tag.
I bought it from Choo Choo Customs, who were the makers of the original El Camino SS. They're no longer in business.

(04/15/00) Ok. It's in the garage and the operation is about to commence.

First the bumper came off.

Then the grille and light trim rings.

Finally the header and bumper brackets. Now it's time for some cleanup and prep work.

(04/16/00) I cleaned the radiator and then sprayed it with satin black enamel, then painted the rest of the stuff with POR-15.

The the instructions tell you to start assembling the sub-components. I'll tell ya, they must have had the instructions written by the same folks who do the VCR programming instructions. The kit's made in the US, but I swear the instructions were written on another planet.

Here a couple of homemade bolt retainers are holding a bracket in place inside the fascia.

Then the nose went on for its first test fitting. The bumper portion will give the center a LOT more shape and support.

A side shot. It looks a heck of a lot different from the stock nose. It may take a while to get used to.

Next page: fitting the bumper inside the fascia.

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