Vehicle Description
With the handsome good looks of a Chevelle and the utility of a
pickup, the El Camino offers the best of both worlds: performance
and practicality. This 1970 El Camino has been built to further
blur the lines that separate vehicles: big performance, great
looks, and a lot of comfort.
The bodywork is nicely finished and the workmanship is shown to
great effect thanks to brilliant, glossy black paint. These
vehicles typically led harder lives than your average Chevelle, and
finding a clean one, let alone investing enough to bring it to this
condition, is tough. Gaps are good and a lot of time was invested
in getting the body panels this straight, and that black paint
leaves no place for inferior workmanship to hide. It's not perfect,
of course, but there's nothing major on this car that should keep
you from showing it proudly just about anywhere. A cowl-induction
hood was installed during the build, but otherwise it's fairly
stock and it's nice to see they resisted the temptation to add some
stripes. Trim is bright and well maintained, with sparkling chrome
on the bumpers, a blacked-out SS grille, and the trim around the
bed is very nice with no obvious dings or damage from use. There's
a spray-in bedliner, just in case you do want to do a few chores
around the house, but it looks so good I'm sure you'll think twice
before playing rough with this one.
A black bench seat anchors the interior, which is a nice mixture of
restoration pieces and aftermarket upgrades. Carpets, headliner,
and door panels are reproduction pieces that look good and fit
right, and there's a black cloth seat cover that is a lot more
comfortable than the original vinyl. The dash is original with only
a basic set of factory gauges, which cover speed and fuel level,
plus an auxiliary ammeter tucked in next to the radio. That AM/FM
stereo head unit lives in the original AM radio's slot in the dash
and looks right because it's a later head unit from a GM product,
although it's not currently operational. This car is also equipped
with factory A/C, which is always a nice find, and with a service
this one could be ready to hit the road at a moment's notice.
If your idea of entertainment runs more towards G-forces rather
than decibels, you'll be relieved to know that the engine is
packing heat. The warmed-over 350 cubic inch V8 offers an Edelbrock
aluminum intake, matching 4-barrel carburetor, and an open-element
air cleaner. The engine bay is sanitary and clean, with a few
dress-up items such as chrome valve covers and traditional Chevy
Orange paint on the block itself. The transmission is a TH350
3-speed automatic and lives between the pipes of a nice-sounding
dual exhaust system with turn-downs just ahead of the rear axle
(which is a heavy-duty 12-bolt, by the way). The stock suspension
has been lowered a bit to give it a low, mean look that is still
fully functional on the street. Handsome polished 15-inch Torque
Thrusts stuff the wheel wells, wearing tallish 235/60/15 BFGoodrich
T/A radials that look right.
This is a really nice car, er, truck. None of the upgrades have
compromised its utility, but its drivability and performance have
been greatly enhanced. That stout small block sounds awesome and
you won't be keeping a low profile with that shiny black paint.
Call it a truck, call it a car, either way you're going to love
this El Camino. Call us today!