Vehicle Description
When I was a kid, the guy who took care of our yard drove a 1971
Chevrolet El Camino just like this one; it was even the same color.
With a limited vocabulary, I called it the "truck-car," but even my
4-year-old eyes knew it was way cool. A Chevelle with a bed, it's
great news for muscle car fans because it puts you behind the wheel
of one of GM's great machines with a trunk that'll carry anything
you can buy at Home Depot.
With so many of these being work trucks when they were new, like
the one owned by the gardener, finding a clean, straight, unabused
example like this is no easy task. The handsome paint is quite
close to the factory's Mulsanne Blue and it's holding up well,
although this is definitely not a trailer queen, and does show some
signs of having been driven and enjoyed. Those massive rear
quarters are not so easy to get lined up and flat, so you know
someone really cared about this Elky while it was being
resurrected. Black SS stripes and a cowl induction hood are always
welcome on an A-body and along with the black vinyl top, it looks a
lot more upscale than the beat up work truck I remember from my
childhood. Note that the bed has been finished with a sprayed-in
bedliner that will look great and last practically forever, and a
sizeable investment has been made in the chrome and trim, too.
The black bench seat makes the El Camino practical enough to carry
three passengers, just like any truck, but it's beautifully dressed
in Chevelle threads. Nicely detailed seat covers give it a fresh
look, the dash is nicely presented with updated Auto Meter gauges
cleverly arrayed in a custom panel, and they're framed by the
original wheel which has a leather wrap. This one comes complete
with factory A/C, a Lokar floor shifter, as well as a lot of fresh
upholstery, including a headliner that looks brand new. The door
panels are standard black, but I like the vent windows, which do a
fine job of funneling air into the passenger compartment and
they're sorely missed on today's cars. Tinted windows also help
with the performance vibe.
The engine is a rebuilt 350 taken from a later model, and upgraded
with standard hot-rod upgrades like an Edelbrock carburetor and a
matching intake manifold. Dress-up is limited to Chevy Orange
paint, a set of Edelbrock finned valve covers, and a K&N
open-element air cleaner, but it runs well and pulls the relatively
lightweight Elky around with a great V8 burble. A 700R4 4-speed
automatic overdrive transmission shuttles horsepower back to a
10-bolt rear, and this powertrain is about as reliable as they
come. The chassis is solid, the floors are clean, and the exhaust
system sounds great. It's cool to see the Chevelle's coil springs
under a pickup truck, but they endow the El Camino with wonderful
road manners and a pleasant ride, and all the upgrades available
for Chevelles are virtual bolt-ons. Finally, a set of polished
Keystone mag wheels wear a set of 215/70/15 Dunlop radials.
Old or young, El Caminos are just plain cool. This one has a great
color combination, a very user-friendly powertrain, and plenty of
utility to match its performance. Call today!