Parking Lot Engine Swap! Hot Rod Magazine Performs One at Summit Racing

Hot Rod Magazine’s 1969 El Camino was running on seven cylinders and burning three quarts of oil every hundred miles. So they’re doing what any self-respecting gearhead would do–taking the El Camino on a road trip from Los Angeles to Sparks, NV and performing an engine swap right in the Summit Racing parking lot.

I mean, that’s what you’d do, right?

The way Hot Rod magazine’s David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan see it, there are countless part store runs involved with an engine swap anyway. So why not just park the ailing Elco at the Summit Racing store and have everything you need just a few steps away?

Of course, Summit Racing has all the parts, tools, and equipment you need to do an engine swap and can deliver them right to your home garage. But Hot Rod’s road trip has a lot of merit, too—adventure, risk, lots of wrenching, and a great story to share.

That’s all the convincing we need that it’s a great idea.

The only remaining question: Will the car actually make it there? Check back for updates!