1971 Chevrolet El Camino

Description

If you're unhappy with your Chevelle's lack of trunk space, allow us to suggest an alternative: this awesome Rally Red 1971 El Camino, complete with a 396 cubic inch big block under the hood and a 4-speed between the seats. Styling was a high-water mark for the 1971 A-bodies and many find them to be the most attractive of all. With a recent restoration that looks and drives extremely well, this El Camino belongs at the top of your shopping list if you're looking for inexpensive, practical fun.

Looking extremely handsome in basic black with bright red SS stripes, this El Camino was repainted not too long ago and it's holding up very well. Thanks to limited use and great care by a hobbyist, its working days are probably over, so shining up the paint on a Saturday afternoon is routine. Panel gaps are pretty good considering that this is half truck, and the cowl induction hood gives it an aggressive look. Red SS stripes were added, along with appropriate SS badges in all the correct locations, completing the transformation. All the chrome and stainless, including the trim around the pickup bed, is in very good condition with few signs of hard labor behind it. A blacked-out SS grille up front looks correct and is in excellent condition. And just in case you do have a few errands to run, the bed was coated with a spray-in bed liner that looks great and really cleans things up in the cargo bay.

The black interior is as nice as the body, with a pair of late-model buckets and plenty of legroom up front. Accurate door panels and new black carpets and headliner were installed at the same time and give the interior a sporty vibe; from behind the wheel, you can't tell it's not a Chevelle. The dash is original, with functional gauges and a beautiful dash pad, and in the spirit of performance, there's a column-mounted tach and auxiliary gauges underneath, just ahead of the 4-speed Hurst shifter with cue ball knob. It's also got ice cold Vintage Air A/C, a powerful AM/FM/CD stereo system, and a small console between the seats so it's great for long highway trips. The steering wheel is a handsome wood-rimmed piece that fits well in the vintage passenger compartment, giving it an upscale look.

The engine is a stout 396 cubic inch V8, fully dressed for duty in the El Camino. With chrome valve covers, factory open-element air cleaner, and original style exhaust manifolds, it could easily pass for an OEM installation. However, under the air cleaner lives an Edelbrock 454 Performance Package that includes an upgraded cam and intake manifold, all fed by an MSD fuel injection system. A full 3-inch X-pipe exhaust system with MagnaFlow mufflers gives it a fantastic big block bark, and the slick-shifting Richmond 4-speed doesn't mind the occasional hard shift in the heat of combat. A heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end doesn't mind the horsepower one bit and the brakes were recently overhauled and new shocks were fitted at all four corners. It rolls on a set of handsome 15-inch Rally wheels wearing 235/60/15 front and 255/60/15 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials.

Look at the photos again, then the price. This is a clean, solid El Camino with big block power and a great paint job. For a fun, big block muscle car with enough practicality to work for a living, you could hardly do better than this great-looking '71 El Camino. Call today!