Vehicle Description
Clean 1981 El Camino. Mid-80s Camaro LB9 TBI 5.0-liter V8 and
4-speed automatic transmission. SS-style body kit. Spotless bed,
bucket seats, extensive recent service. A cool El Camino that's
ready to play.It's a shame the versatile El Camino is out of
production, because there seems to be a pretty strong market for
trucks that can work yet off the advantages of a car. Guys are
cutting up Chargers and VW Beetles to make neat little pickups, so
it's clear that the idea has staying power. Maybe that's why we
aren't able to keep El Caminos in stock for very long?they remain
eminently popular today. We expect the same for this 1981 Chevrolet
El Camino, which offers a neat blend of customization, upgrades,
and practicality. Dressed in white, it has a clean '80s look that
makes us nostalgic, and it has been enhanced by an SS-style body
kit from Choo-Choo Customs (you know, the guys who actually built
the early El Camino SS for GM). The kit does a great job of making
the formal El Camino look sporty, ditching the chrome grille and
bumper for a one-piece unit with a deep chin spoiler, adding those
side skirts, and finishing the rear with a custom roll pan with
Corvette-style taillights. The whole car was repainted, and we'd
guess that the work was probably done in the 1980s when it was
fairly new. It's holding up extremely well and aside from a few
nicks from debris coming off the tires, the finish is in great
shape. There's a snap-on tonneau cover and a set of chrome bed
rails, which are actually quite practical, and please take an extra
moment to examine the bed itself, which doesn't look like it has
ever had to do a hard day's work. It's really nice.Exterior notes:
Really nice paint for being 40 years old. Body kits fits well.
Tonneau cover uses snaps and is tight when cold. Bed in nice
condition. No signs of bad bodywork. A few nicks on the rockers
behind the front wheels.The bucket seat interior is likewise a nice
upgrade from the original bench seat, and when they were pilfering
parts from the Camaro, they added a center console and shifter for
the 4-speed automatic transmission underneath. Clue cloth buckets
are in very good condition and the carpets are surely newer than
the rest because they're in great shape. Original door panels are
quite nice with none of the usual cracking that you see on the
armrests, and the dash hasn't been baked in the sun. A custom
3-spoke steering wheel frames a complete set of gauges, all of
which are operational. An aftermarket AM/FM/cassette stereo takes
the place of the original Delco unit, but the installation is clean
and it sounds decent. And we have to give it to the guys who did
the swap?they even kept the A/C functional. The original headliner
is in excellent shape with no tears or sagging and there's a bit of
storage behind the seats.Interior notes: Nice seats and carpets,
headliner not sagging or torn. A/C works but blows mostly out of
defroster ducts. Cracked dome light lens. Non-original wiper
switch. Storage areas behind seats solid with no rust issues.Most
of these El Caminos came with a wheezing 305 with a 2-barrel carb,
but someone has cleverly swapped in a 5.0-liter LB9 V8 from a
mid-80s Camaro. That means Tuned Port electronic fuel injection for
great manners and more than 200 horsepower on tap, which is a nice
jump from stock. The TBI engines are famous for their torque
production, and this is no exception, making the El Camino feel
like a proper muscle car on the street. The installation is very
clean, using OEM equipment wherever possible and keeping factory
functionality. Power steering, power brakes, A/C, and all that is
still intact and working properly?if you didn't know better, you'd
swear this was the factory engine. There's a big aluminum radiator
up front to keep it cool and the A/C system has been converted to
R134a refrigerant for easy maintenance in the future. The same
Camaro donated its 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission, and with
an overdrive gear, this El Camino is just effortless on the
highway. We believe there are 3.08 gears out back, so it's just
effortless and the fuel injected small block pulls down decent (if
not great) fuel economy. The front suspension and brakes have just
been fully rebuilt, including new brake calipers, A-arms, and ball
joints, so it rides and handles great. It uses a factory-style dual
exhaust system with a nice rumble, and there are air shocks out
back to help handle heavier loads. There's no sign of accident
damage or rot and the floors themselves are quite clean. And the
stance is exactly right on those 15-inch Corvette aluminum wheels,
which wear staggered 245/60/15 front and 255/60/15 rear BFGoodrich
T/A radials.Mechanical notes: Engine starts, runs, and drives
great. Seamless transplant. Transmission shifts properly. Rides and
handles nicely with new front end. Exhaust sounds good. Light rash
on wheels, probably from old wheel weights. Lots of life left in
tires.This isn't a show car or a car to preserve for the future,
but rather a cool custom with some upgraded hardware that makes it
a lot of fun to drive. Someone obviously was sweating the details
when it went together and worked hard to keep OEM levels of
functionality. If you like the '80s vibe from the paint and body
kit, then you'll love the way this thing goes down the road. It's
clean, solid, and the bed is in great shape, so it has clearly led
an easy life. Just a cool all-around truck/car with a reasonable
price. Call today!Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes
personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our
inventory prior to purchase.
