![]() The rebuild included a slightly hotter cam, giving the motor a very nice sound through the Waldron’s “driver controlled exhaust” duals. Mike spent many years working at Year One and has been on many of Chip Foose’s “Overhaulin’” shows. The 327 has been rebuilt by my good friend and master mechanic, Mike Evans. ![]() Shortly after I took ownership, I began to make many improvements. It came from the factory in “DD” paint code “Grotto Blue” with the blue deluxe interior. Other selected options are power steering and power brakes (drum). After doing some research, I found out that this El Camino has the “Custom” option upgrades like hidden wipers, factory clock, and lighted glove box. It had around 100,000 miles and had never been touched. It still had the original 275 hp 327 motor and a column-shifted Powerglide. It’s nice to see a non-SS model occasionally. SS models seem to be the ones restored most often. I wasn’t negatively affected by the fact it wasn’t an SS model. It was still fairly original and I liked that it hadn’t been modified over the years, with the exception of a massive sound system and 17” Cragar S/S mag wheels. I found this 1968 El Camino sitting for sale on the oval track at the Charlotte Auto Fair in the Spring of 2011 and it won me over. I went without an El Camino for about 15 years and realized I was really missing having one. That was one amazing ride– a high performance “winged” truck! One of the ’60 models had a 348 cubic-inch 3X2 engine with a 4-speed from the factory. Over the ’80s and ’90s, I was lucky enough to own 2 different 1960 El Caminos. After I got my driver’s license I was finally able to buy my first used ’72 Red El Camino. And then in my Hot Wheels collection as a kid, my favorite car was the burnt orange “Custom Fleetside” that appeared to be an El Camino, but was actually designed after a ’67-’68 Chevy truck front clip with an El Camino style roof line and bed.įast forward a number of years to the late ’70s. I can remember my next door neighbor in the early ’60s, who worked for the phone company, had a “work truck” 1957 Ranchero that I always loved. My infatuation with El Caminos and the concept of a car-truck hybrid design started at a very young age of probably 7-8 years old. Chevrolet introduced the El Camino in 1959.Subtle mods and a stunning paint job make this 1968 El Camino unique It was Chevy’s response to the Ford Ranchero, which had been selling well as the lone representative of the big three American manufacturers in the ute niche. The El Camino would go on to dominate the niche, even with increasing competition. ![]() It would eventually be named the clear winner of the ute category in the United States. What is a ute?Ī ute is a car platform that has a bed integrated with the cabin. Then, in the back, it has a place for cargo to be carried that looks like a pickup truck bed. 1964 Chevy El Camino | GM Utes in the United States The ute niche has been around since the 1930s in Australia. ![]() In the United States, Ford was the first to launch the ute category. It took two model years before Chevrolet would have a competitor ready in 1959. It immediately outsold the Ford Ranchero. In the United States, over time, there would be challenges by competitors that would come and go.īy 1987, the small pickup truck category was increasing in influence. This affected sales of the ute category as a whole. The El Camino and the Subaru Brat were the only ones left. Although the El Camino outsold the Brat, both would be end production that year. There would be a small attempt by Subaru in 2003, to produce at a ute, this time called the Baja. But, it would be shortlived, as the ute category never regained popularity as it did before. Ultimately, the El Camino would have the longest history of model year production, spanning five generations of iterations. To this day, the El Camino is loved by its fans. Its resale value has been climbing in recent times due to the fans and the demand. Recent media exposure to the departed marque has also helped. Richard Rawlings, from the Discovery Channel show, Fast-N-Lound, documented for his show how his team built a Ranchero and sold it at auction for $50,000. Danny Koker, from the History Channel show, Counting Cars, also documented building an El Camino. 2012 Holden HSV Maloo | Left Hand Utes The revival that died And, Chip Foose, from the hit show, Overhaulin, also built one. Just before the financial crisis of 2007-2008, General Motors was considering reviving the El Camino. Rumors were floated that GM was going to build it atop of the Pontiac G8 platform. Rumors also indicated that testing was being carried out in Australia under the Holden brand.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |