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 1969 El Camino has been built to further
blur the lines that separate most 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 the awesome burgundy paint. These vehicles
typically led harder lives than your average Chevelle, and finding
a clean one, let along 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. The builders opted to pay
respect to originality, so they didn't go crazy with stripes or
fake SS badges, which makes this one look especially clean. The bed
was refinished with color-matched spray-in bedliner, so you can
still use it as intended. Trim is bright and well maintained, with
good chrome on the bumpers, a stock grille, and the brightwork
around the bed is very nice with no obvious dings or damage from
use.
A familiar black bench seat anchors the interior, which is a nice
mixture of restoration pieces and original components. Carpets,
headliner, and door panels appear to be original pieces that look
good and fit right, and the Malibu wheel is a nice addition to the
usually bare-bones El Camino. The dash is original, including the
gauges which show some age, but they all work as they should.
There's also an upgraded AM/FM/8-track stereo system, and with a
little service and elbow grease that factory A/C system will be
freezing the cab again soon enough. It's not exotic or flashy, but
from behind the wheel, it definitely looks and feels like a vintage
muscle car, which is the whole point.
A 350 cubic inch V8 is certainly appropriate in a Chevy like this,
and with an original intake and stock 4-barrel carburetor, it
remains a blast to drive, just like it was in '69. The engine bay
is sanitary and clean, with an original snorkeled air cleaner and
Chevy orange paint on the block and valve covers. A big radiator
keeps it cool and stock-style exhaust manifolds feed a
deep-sounding Flowmaster dual exhaust system. The TH400 3-speed
automatic shifts smoothly and is always on its toes, spinning a
big-boy 12-bolt rear-end. The stock suspension shows-off tons of
recent maintenance and is fully functional on the street, aided
greatly with the help of power steering and power front disc
brakes. Shiny Mag-style wheels look right and carry 225/70/14
BFGoodrich radials that fills the fenders properly.
This is a really nice car, er, truck. None of the restoration has
compromised its utility, but its drivability and performance have
been greatly enhanced. Call it a truck, call it a car, either way
you're going to love to call this El Camino yours. Call us
today!