Ultra Clean Texas Car, Factory SS, Cold A/C, Stunning.

Description

If you want to know one of the best-kept secrets in the old car hobby, it’s the Chevrolet El Camino. Chevy’s “Chevelle with a bed” is so grossly under-valued in the market that you can get tons of performance, style, and practicality for pennies on the dollar compared to a garden-variety Chevelle. And in many cases, like this stunning 1969 El Camino SS396, they’re actually better-looking than their automotive counterparts. Go ahead and take a good, long look at this beautiful truck/car and see if you don’t find a way to fall in love. Add in a thundering big block, ice cold factory A/C, and a great color combination, and you get a hauler that will be welcome at any show and still puts a smile on its owner’s face every time he turns the key.

Hailing from warm, dry Texas, this laser-straight Elky has been treated to a comprehensive restoration that has turned it into one of the finest we’ve ever seen. It is wearing 100% of its original sheetmetal with zero patches, repairs, or filler, and the results speak for themselves. The sizzling red paint is beautifully done and accurately replicates Garnet Red, although this one was originally code 65 Olympic Gold with a code E Parchment top. Yeah, I like the red much better, too. I also have to say that I like the look of the ’69 El Camino better than the ‘70s, although I prefer the ’70 Chevelle. Why? Look at the angle of the fender behind the headlight and the angle of the B-pillar. That works beautifully, giving the El Camino a much more integrated look than some of the later designs. And it sure is pretty. Sight down the sides and you’ll find no ripples, no signs of botched bodywork, and a shine that’s so deep you can swim in it. It’s also quite stock, with nothing more than the black side stripes and some badges to denote the SS model. No cowl induction hood, no chin spoiler, just clean OEM lines. We like it a lot.

You’ll also note it’s correctly detailed with a black SS grille, proper ‘SS396’ emblems, and the black insert on the tailgate. All the chrome is exceptionally nice, with beautiful bumpers, polished trim around the bed, and correct wheel arch moldings. Fit and finish are exemplary and even the bed is beautifully finished with no signs of use since it was finished (a heavy-duty rubber mat is included). The gentleman who restored this El Camino bought it simply because it was the straightest big block Chevy of any kind he’d ever seen, and the finished result speaks for itself.

The all-new interior is full of correct reproduction equipment, including a fresh seat covers, accurate SS door panels, and a restored dash with new dash pad. Plush black carpets make you forget that there’s a bed out back when you’re behind the wheel and the view out the front is pure Chevelle. You’ll also note this Elky has some great options, including ice cold factory A/C (fully rebuilt and still using R12 refrigerant) and a tilt steering column, which wears a correct SS wheel. Factory gauges cover only the basics, so a trio of aftermarket dials was added under the dash, but even the original AM radio is in place and yes, it still works. Buckets are cool, but the bench seat in this car is far more practical in the real world, allowing three-across seating in a pinch and making it feel more spacious when it’s just one or two. There’s a bit of storage space behind the seat, which is useful when everything else is out in the open, and as I said, once you’re inside, it’s almost impossible to tell you’re not in a standard Chevelle.

This is a factory big block El Camino, but the original 396 has been replaced by a built 461 cubic inch big block V8 with all the upgrades. On the bottom there’s a steel crank from an LS7 crate motor, reconditioned rods, and fresh forged aluminum pistons with 10.75:1 compression to be friendly on pump gas. The entire rotating assembly was balanced and installed in the seasoned block, along with a Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft, roller rockers, and a pair of 990 square port heads by Michael’s Racing Engines. On top you’ll find a Winters aluminum intake from a 427/425 as well as an 850 CFM AED carburetor and a Pertronix electronic ignition system to light it up. For durability, there’s a new high-flow water pump and a giant new radiator, and the engine itself has been disguised as an L78 396/375 (although we all know you couldn’t get A/C on the 375 horsepower engine—this was a 325 horsepower car originally). Everything was finished with Chevy Orange paint, there are correct hoses and clamps, a new wiring harness, and a brand new Frigidaire A6 compressor and new lines for the A/C system. Hooker long-tube headers with 2-inch primaries were ceramic-coated and lead to a 2.5-inch exhaust system that sounds wicked but never annoying. Key it up and it starts easily, although this is a man’s engine, so there’s a lope to the idle that’s sure to attract attention, and with only about 200 miles on the build, it’s still extremely fresh. It pulls clean at any speed and with the relatively lightweight El Camino behind it, it’s ferociously fast. Nevertheless, it never gets cranky, never gets hot or fussy, and is happy to idle in traffic with the A/C blasting—that’s the result of careful tuning by guys who know their stuff. If you want one to drive with confidence, this one shouldn’t be overlooked.

Underneath, it’s nicely detailed and shows off more of that super clean steel that came from the desert. Obviously the suspension has been fully rebuilt, the brakes are all new, and all the components have been painted to look their best. The TH400 3-speed automatic transmission was rebuilt with a 6-bolt factory torque converter and a modest shift kit feeding a fresh Strange drive shaft and heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end with 3.36 gears inside. Please take a few moments to review the undercarriage shots so you know exactly how clean this Elky really is—check out the inner rockers, which are 100% original! The rear suspension was also rebuilt and there are air shocks to help out if you actually decide to use this as a truck. Full tailpipes ensure it’s quiet on the road and exit under the rear bumper, as they should. There’s a new gas tank out back and it sits on fresh Magnum 500s with 225/70/15 front and 255/70/15 rear Firestone radials that give it a bit of a rake.

This is a spectacular car in every way that matters, and it’s about 30% cheaper than it would be if it were a garden-variety Chevelle. I don’t know how that makes sense, but the bottom-line is that this El Camino delivers in every way that matters. Fast, fun, comfortable, and beautifully finished, it is ready to enjoy without an extra moment of work required on your part. If you don’t know how rare that is, you must not have been in this hobby very long. Cars this good rarely show up on the open market.