Hi, I own a TR and a 328 GTS. I might be interested in a 69 El Camino. Since I don't know much about American Iron what should I look for when lurking around these beasts? How to know I am in front of a good example? Are there things to avoid at all cost? Comments, experience, 2 cents are welcome. TIA.
When I was in high school, I had a '69 ElCamino with the SS interior, which meant bucket seats, no column shift, but floor shift and factory air conditioning. These cars are a Chevelle underneath, only with a bed. That also means it only has a car suspension, not a truck suspension. When you disassemble the bed plate toward the cabin, that's where the rear seat buckets are for the Chevelle body. If you are creative, you can use it as a secret compartment, though I never did. Driving and owning the car was great, coupled with an Edelbrock Power Package 350 and TH400 trans, my car had some zip to it. American 60's muscle was easy to maintain, didn't require allot of fussing with it, the car just drove forever. Granted, the handling was everything you'd expect from a 60's muscle car, not real precision on had some lean in the corners. Though the car is heavy and controllable, that went away very quickly in the rain. It took nothing to fumble the accelerator at the wrong moment and spin the rear out from under you. 3 sand bags cured that. Keep in mind, the car is front heavy, so you will chew through front tires quickly. I averaged around 2 front sets per 1 rear set. And I did not do allot of peeling out despite my high school days. Straight line, out on the highway, the car was a dream. Overall, I had no complaints. If there was anything I could have done different about the car, I wish I could have upgraded the front brakes to larger discs, added an aftermarket anti-lock distribution valve for the rear/front brakes. Installed poly bushings in the front suspension. The car had some nasty wheel camber on turns. The '69 has a massive engine bay to accommodate both small and big blocks. Just remember, if you install a big block, you need to change the front springs accordingly.
Mike Finnegan (of Hot Rod Magazine) has a 1969 Elky. A search on YouTube will give you some ideas of what is possible with the A/G body platform. My first car was a small block 355cid/TH350 El Camino. It was great, though I would have upgraded brakes if that was available at the time. Smugglers compartment behind seats holds a Nitrous bottle BTW.
El Camino Buyer's Guide - 1968-1987 (Does not include Conquista or Choo Choo models) The Chevrolet El Camino has enjoyed increased collector interest in recent years, both as a sister to the Chevelle, and in a niche of its own. Buying your first El Camino can be daunting, with all of the possibilities and choices that come with such a long-running model, but never fear: This comprehensive buyer's guide will take the guesswork out of it, and you'll be able to identify the best examples before parolees and cult leaders forming militias snap them all up. Body - Check underside for rust, paying particular attention for sections of road signs used to patch the floor. Aluminum road sign patches, while easy to work with, can still corrode. Liberal amounts of "Rubberized Undercoating" from AutoZone is your best protectant against road sign patch rot. - Check doors and fenders to ensure holes were filled with real bondo and window screen, not paper mâché. Use a magnet to find the patches, and then use the "finger-push method" to check for paper mâché (you are most likely to find it in the rear quarters). - To verify whether primer spots are genuine or have been hastily applied just to dress the car up for a quick sale, Eastwood's "Primer Depth Gauge" is an affordable alternative to expensive professional primer spot depth testers. - Add if doors/fenders/hood are the same color as the rest of the car - Subtract for rattle can paint finish Mechanical - Check engine oil dip stick to see if it is slippery from various forms of snake oil additives. Blue smoke from the tailpipe is a potential indicator of bad piston rings; white to light gray smoke, on the other hand, can be considered normal, as it is most likely from recent application of Seafoam by the seller. - Check radiator for excessive amounts of stop-leak (glittery metallic oily swirls); deduct if there is so much stop leak that it inhibits coolant flow to the point of rendering the car unsuitable for highway trips. - Check differential for sawdust - Exhaust system patches of Miller High Life and Genesee Cream Ale are preferable over Milwaukee's Best or Natural Light due to can metallurgy and lining. In any case, noting the logo graphic on the can can help determine the age of the patch, and thus how soon it will need to be redone. Deduct for dryer hose sections longer than 12 inches as they will flex excessively under the weight of the exhaust pipe; coat hangers should be doubled up on 1973-77 "Colonnade" models. Electrical - Check electrical system for repairs made with speaker wire. Deduct for use of 18-ga or smaller as this is likely to introduce too much resistance, possibly melting the insulation and causing a fire; add for Romex, given its comparative heft. All connections comprised of ends of wire twisted together should have UL Listed electrical tape folded over them to prevent shorting. - Check fuse box for coins in the fuse slots. Make sure coins are only used for non-essential functions, like the heater blower or power windows, and ensure coins are clean for good conductivity. Interior - Check interior for used needles, unused bullets, and illegal recreational drugs, as all of these are a potential hazard given the right conditions. - Deduct from price for excessive cigarette burn holes (about 8 cigarette burns per 10k miles driven is considered normal). Be wary of an El Camino with few or no cigarette burns, as this may be indicative of having sat unused for a long period of time, which can bring with it more serious mechanical issues. - Deduct for prison tattoo ink stains in the upholstery, as burned and blackened baby oil is both difficult to remove and weakens the synthetic fibers in both the carpets and the optional cloth seats (although it can be cleaned safely from factory vinyl and genuine aftermarket Naugahyde with no ill effects). - Add for usable cassette/8-Track copies of Head East, Artful Dodger, or Ram Jam albums found under or behind the seats - Add for period correct saddle blanket seat covers Conclusion A knowledgeable, detailed inspection of a classic car is a must for most buyers, and the pointers above should help you to distinguish a desirable and "authentic" El Camino from one that is to be avoided. But when all is said and done, as with any car, after taking a close look, sometimes the best thing to do is to take a step back and just observe the whole car, letting its essence sink in. It's stance, it's aura, how it presents itself, how it looks from five feet away . . . and ten. If you are uncertain about the El Camino you are looking at, it's best to tell the seller you want the car, ask him to hold it until Friday when you get paid, and go home to watch The Black Oak Conspiracy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k-Qtv6aKBg and 1997's Black Dawn, starring Lorenzo Lamas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm8IvS7jXPM . . . and decide whether you have the cojones to rock an El Camino.
^^^ ** laughing ** Sure, and check every used Ferrari for hidden cocaine and wads of cash stuffed in compartments. Be extra weary of Ferrari's with hidden g-strings and panties embroidered with "Bambi". Most clean Elks have been gone through, because most everything has failed and needed restoration. The above is for buying a potential Elk out in the tall weeded yard of the home on the other side of the tracks...
Country singer Elizabeth Cook sings El Camino. "This is a song I wrote about a car that really creeps me out." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5yt0gXLkh0
