It is the final part of the Cleetus Chevrolet El Camino story where the AMX engine swap comes to its conclusion. In the latest installment of Cleetus McFarland’s YouTube channel, the team was struggling to fit Steve Morris’ big block V8 into the engine bay of the ‘Mullet’.
Now, on the last day of the build and just one day before racing, the guys are preparing the Camino to see if the car will start.
Throughout the video you can see the final moments of trial and error before the muscle car it can set off under its own steam. If it gets going, that is.
Cleetus McFarland’s Chevy El Camino Mullet struggles
At the beginning of the video, Cleetus reminds everyone that the Chevy Tahoe giveaway car will soon go to a lucky new owner along with $10,000. It has an LT4 supercharger, a 10-speed automatic transmission and goes pretty fast in a straight line. They have also recently played with a 7.3 liter Ford Mustang Fox Body with a Godzilla engine.
Almost ready for the dyno, the car will need to get going first, which is still some way off. We can see the valves installed and the oil filter, but the car still needs water, oil and of course gas.
After filling the car with fluids, which involves Cleetus swinging the oil can, forcing the oil to the bottom of the bottle so it doesn’t spill when he flips it over, so he fills the car. Oil spills into the engine bay either way.
When it’s showtime, you can almost feel the tension as the team watches the YouTube host turn the key; except nothing happens, other than the sound of the starter motor.
The Cleetus McFarland Mullet is a Chevy El Camino, not a hairstyle
The Camino is reluctant to start, cementing doubt in everyone’s mind. Maybe it’s rejecting the new engine that replaces the broken old one. Even with the initial spray, it won’t come alive. One of the crew members suggests that it’s time, which turns out to be true, and with each modification it gets closer to the sweet spot. It finally begins.
When it does the sound is awesome and there are high fives all around, the culmination of many hours of work finally coming to fruition and the 9.3 liter AMX big block and twin turbos are up and running after many revs in U and trial and error to fit it.
The team will now have to fix some leaks that are becoming apparent, but with so much piping it will take time to diagnose, although leaks on a new engine swap are not uncommon.
A twin-turbocharged Chevrolet El Camino with an SMX engine will be capable of more than 3,000 hp, with the block capable of handling up to around 5,000 hp. The upcoming drag strips and test tracks are worth checking out.
