Vehicle Description
1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS Tribute
Elvis tribute artists are not impersonators, they emulate Elvis,
they're not trying to be him. They look a bit different, they might
not sing as well, and it's likely they don't have the charisma of
the King, no one does. But they give it their best shot and are
widely appreciated. Cars can be the same way, you can have one that
pays tribute to a special model and attains some of the attributes,
but the price of admission is going to be a fraction of the
cost.
For consignment, a 454ci V8 powered El Camino paying tribute to the
legend, the Elky Super Sport. It's got the right look with SS trim
elements, paying tribute to the 500 LS6 El Camino SS vehicles that
were built in 1970. Another 47,207 "regular" El Caminos hit the
road, mostly used as work trucks, work trucks with a muscle car
front end. Today, those that have survived are considered uncommon
collectibles and true SS Elkies are well into six figure
territory.
Note: VIN DATA shows a report of the vehicle being reported by
state DMV as declared by the insurance company to be a total loss
and the owner retaining possession of the vehicle on 12/03/2008
Note: After careful inspection, we are not able to find any hard
and fast evidence of a total loss on this vehicle. The above
statement covering a total loss may be due to a DMV clerical error
at some point.
Exterior
If you're going to copy a badass, you might as well put a black
suit on and make it two stages. The SS grille emblem and white
stripes are akin to Elvis' capes, making a mere mortal a virtual
superhero. Instead of rhinestones, we have "SS 454" emblems on
three sides, hood pins, and a cowl induction hood with bright
letters that glisten in the sun to let us know. The black vinyl top
is in excellent condition and its tiny flying buttresses embrace a
matching black tonneau cover. 15-inch Magnum 500 wheels with SS
center caps add muscular shoes to this truck car while bowtie
shaped exhaust tips define the brand. Restaurant style rubber mats
line the bed, and we like this creative solution as those mats are
tough stuff that will protect the bed. The tailgate looks like it
was in a baseball sized hail storm but is still glossy black. The
paint, chrome, and metal trim look great and in terms of flaws, we
note some bubbles around the wheel opening trim, and a crack in the
paint.
Interior
Black vinyl door cards with stitched panels look great and we note
some wear on the driver's armrest. Black vinyl seats with a weave
pattern look just fine with minor spots of some wear and some
scuffs on the shell, but in presentable condition. Behind the
seats, a pair of Custom Autosound speakers are mounted to the wall
below which a surprising amount of floor space for storage exists
in the seat's current position. A 3 spoke black rimmed steering
wheel properly lacks an SS center cap and whereas modern day cars
are replete with reminders, this was a common use of standard GM
equipment when most branding took place on the exterior. Hard black
plastic makes up the dash panel, housing round gauges, lights, and
knobs. The more modern gauges are backlit in blue adding some color
to the monochrome black interior while the AM/FM/Cassette radio
adds a touch of chrome under the standard climate control panel.
The never dull horseshoe automatic shifter sits high and proud on
the center console with big bold letters and numbers on the
indicator. Even if you're blinded by blistering speed, at least
you'll know what gear you're in. The armrest has a possible burn
mark in it but otherwise fine and the black loop carpet shows a
touch of wear but has a long life ahead. The stitched headliner
could use a bit of tightening but is intact, while the clothespin
clips for the visors would make Larry the Cable Guy proud.
Drivetrain
Pop the pins and we find a very clean 454ci V8 and this big boy has
aluminum heads and a 4-barrel carburetor on an aluminum intake
manifold. A TH400 handles the power and spins it back to the
12-bolt rear and 2.73 gears while power brakes halt the wheel spin
with disc up front and drums out back. Headers grab the spent gas
and send them down under.
Undercarriage
Generally clean and dry underneath with minor occurrences of
surface rust that is typical. The exhaust leaves the headers and
enters a pair of Magnaflow mufflers then up and around the rear
axle to exit via the bowtie tips. Coil springs are found up front
while a 4 link with coil springs is in back.
Drive-Ability
Vroooom! There are few sounds that warm the cockles of our hearts
like a big V8 through dual exhaust. We rumble down the ramp and
onto the test loop and it's immediately evident there's power on
tap. There's also something very satisfying about resting your hand
briefly on the horseshoe shifter. At any rate, the car ran,
handled, and braked well and the only thing that was a demerit on
our report was the heater blower was not working.
This is a well done, well running tribute to a rare legend and is
just a good looking El Camino all around. It's one you can enjoy,
drive, and even utilize the bed if need be. It's 1970 and you've
got your ticket to Elvis at the Hilton hotel. You're not in the
front row, but you're not in the balcony either. You're in the
room, and that's all that counts. This El Camino puts you soundly
in a room full of impressive muscle cars and you're gonna love the
show!
136800K182313
1-Chevrolet
36-Malibu V8
80-2 Door Sedan Pickup
0-1970
K-Kansas City, MO Assy Plant
182313-Sequential Unit Number
ST 70 13680-1970 Malibu 2 Door Sedan Pickup
BDY KAN868402-Kansas City Body #
TR 770-Antique Medium Saddle Coated Fabric Bench
PNT 48A-Forest Green, White Top
03C-3rd Week March
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collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
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