Well, I've been doing some searches today. Since I knew VERY little about the El Camino/Sprint/Caballero, I tried to learn a little about 'em.
It seems that the '73-'77 models share a lot of parts with the '73-'77 Chevelle. And, I assume many of the '73-'77 Pontiac A-body parts will also interchange. But, I know very little about those models. So, I need to ask some dummy questions.
(1) Do all '73-'77 A-bodies have the 8.5 rear end ?
(2) Do any of these have bolt-in axles ?
(3) How about wagons & GP's--any bolt-ins ?
(4) Are the 8.5 wagon rears wider than the A-body rears ?
(5) Are the rears from any other years, direct bolt-ins for the '73-'77 A-body 8.5 ?
(6) I have an 8.5 in a mid '80's Safari wagon. Any chance it might bolt into a '73-'77 A-body ? Don't know if the control arm brackets & ears are the same or not ?
Some of you guys might be wondering why all these questions about El Caminos & '73-'77 A-bodies. Well, during my search today, I saw a pic of an El Camino with what appeared to be a Grand Am front cap. I thought it looked pretty cool.
So, I began to think of the possibilities of a street/strip Pontiac powered El Camino or Sprint. Talk about an all purpose ride. It would do all my light hauling, including engines, trans, and other parts, as well as just hauling off trash and junk. Plus, it would burn rubber when desired, and do a little bracket racing on weekends. Hey, if the body is decent, you could even take it to a few shows.
So far, I think I like the '74-'75 models the most. The '73-'75's have 2 round headlights. The '76-'77's have 4 rectangle headlights.
The '78-'87 models actually look better. IMO But, they have the 7.5 rear. I think you'd need a G-body 8.5, to bolt in. i think those came only in the Buick GN, the '80's 442's, and maybe another model or 2. Probably high dollar rears nowadays.
So, I think the '73-'75 models would be the best way to go. I was surprised to find quite a few of these online, for a reasonable price. Looks like around $4k or less will buy one with a decent body. Might be able to buy a roller, or one with a bad(or no) engine and/or trans, a bit cheaper.
Any of you guys know where a good buy is on one like this, anywhere within say about 500 miles or so from North Louisiana ?
Anybody own one you might swap for some of my Pontiac stuff ?