1966 Chevrolet El Camino

Description

Wow, this 1966 El Camino definitely hits all the right buttons! Bright red, big block, bucket seats and restoration receipts, what more do you need? I could probably stop right there and the phone would still start ringing immediately, because this is obviously a super nice Elky.

Just looking down the bright, shiny flanks of this El Camino, you can see that the money was spent wisely, because the sheetmetal is straight and the paint looks right on the 50-year-old truck/car. These can be challenging vehicles to restore if they've been used hard and put away wet, but this one sure looks like it lived the good life someplace warm. Panel fit and body gaps are about what you would have gotten when it was new back in 1966, and it's always nice to see a Chevrolet muscle car that hasn't been dressed up in fake SS badges or stripes. In back, it's still ready to help out around the homestead with a spray-in bedliner floor that has been painted to match the bodywork, as well as a protective panel over the tailgate. Chrome and trim is good to very good throughout, with nice bumpers and excellent stainless trim, particularly around the pickup bed where it usually takes a beating, but this one remains quite nice.

Buckets seats in an El Camino is always a pleasant surprise, and the black chairs in this bright red pickup have been restored using correct seat covers that give it a very upscale look. New dash trim surrounds a comprehensive set of factory instruments, with a wide speedometer right in the center of the two-tier dashboard. A sporty two-spoke woodgrained steering wheel seems like the right choice in this car, and even the factory AM radio is still living in the dash. Carpets, door panels, and even the headliner are in very good condition, all thoroughly brought back during the restoration. The center console houses the optional factory clock in its own neat little pod, as well as the chrome T-handle shifter for the TH350 3-speed automatic transmission living behind the big block. Looking at this very nice interior, that price tag looks even more appealing, doesn't it?

The big block V8 was borrowed from a '71 or '72 Monte Carlo, but looks right at home in the El Camino's engine bay. Ostensibly it's called a 396, but it's actually a CLB-code 402, which adds a few extra cubes and even GM was still calling it a 396. Regardless, it looks quite stock wearing its Chevy Orange paint, chrome valve covers, and reproduction stickers that claim 350 horsepower, suggesting it was built to L34 specs. What we know for certain is that it runs superbly and moves the relatively lightweight El Camino with genuine authority thanks to a Rochester 4-barrel carb and long-tube headers for a nice, fat torque curve. Those headers feed a recent dual exhaust system with discreet chrome tips under the rear bumper, and the system flanks a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission and a 10-bolt rear end. The undercarriage is quite clean and tidy, reinforcing the idea that this car came from someplace warm. 14-inch Cragar wheels with 215/75/14 Cocker Redline radials complete the look.

This is an awful lot of big block Chevy muscle for a bargain price. Like so many other cars, it's always better to buy someone else's finished project than undertake it yourself, and this Elky is proof. Call today!