1971 Chevrolet El Camino

Description

History matters in cars, and this 1971 Chevrolet El Camino has plenty of it. Owned from new by just one family, it's a clean, honest car with recent paint, a fresh driveline, and tons of character. And take a good look at it; that green paint is pretty cool, isn't it?

Code 43 is Lime Green, and if there's an official color for 1971, this is it. Repainted two years ago, it has an awesome shine and a great look that's really slick. The two-stage urethane shines like nothing in the '70s ever could and with the black vinyl top, it actually looks kind of upscale. It hasn't worked hard, that much is obvious from its one-family ownership, but one look in the bed will offer plenty of proof, too. Workmanship on the paint job is quite good, but having good base stock to work with makes it easy, and I like how they kept the woodgrained insert on the tailgate and the chrome bed rails just for some contrast. Then there's the gray lower rockers that give it a long, sleek look and as an original owner car, they didn't see the need to dress it up like a fake SS, either. It's just a clean, straight, great-looking Elky.

The extraordinary medium green interior is almost entirely original, including the immaculate bench seat, door panels, and dash pad. New carpets were installed a few years ago and the lovely woodgrained steering wheel warms things up inside and offers some welcome relief from the factory plastic wheel. The gauges are original, but just to be safe, they added auxiliary gauges underneath the dash, as well as a remote control for the rear-mounted air shocks. Factory A/C is welcome and probably mandatory on a lifetime southern car and works well thanks to an R134a upgrade when the system was rebuilt. It also includes an original and somewhat rare factory AM/FM radio in the dash and there's even a full-sized spare behind the seat, complete with a custom cover.

When the car was being painted, they decided to pull the original small block and replace it with a 350 cubic inch crate motor, which was an easy fit in the Elky's engine bay. Wearing bright Chevy Orange paint, a factory air cleaner with snorkel, it's really clean and tidy and has only been driven 1730 miles since it was finished. And as long as they were at it, the TH350 3-speed automatic transmission and 10-bolt rear end were rebuilt, so mechanically it's quite fresh. It wasn't a frame-off restoration, but the underside is in great shape and it's easy to see that this car was loved from the start. There's also a recent dual exhaust system that gives it a throaty sound and a cool look with a pair of chrome pipes peeking out from under the rear bumper. Power steering and brakes are probably mandatory on a vehicle that can work this hard and the Eagle Alloy wheels add a vintage performance look that removes the El Camino's workaday look. Four 225/70/15 Goodyears were fitted that give it a sporty look with their raised white letters.

One family. Low miles. Fresh drivetrain. Cool colors. How much more can we say? This is a really nice El Camino with a great story to tell. Call now!