Description
What you are looking at is a rare GMC Sprint survivor. These are basically Chevrolet El Caminos in GMC clothes, but not made in anywhere near the same quantity. This 1972 example has the bullet-proof GM 350 V8 engine and is one of less than 700 made that way. Car is fitted with factory air conditioning which is all there but needs servicing. Factory 12-bolt rear end. Factory-style air shocks in the rear. Holley 4 bbl carburetor on Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold (electric choke fitted but needs tinkering to work properly). Some upgrades have been made in the last few years, including fitment of serpentine belt drive-type engine accessories, coil-over shocks on the front, MB Motoring alloy wheels, Sprint SP 4-spoke steering wheel, new headliner and carpet set. An aggressive sounding cam has been fitted by previous owner. I was told and believe, but have not verified, that the engine & transmission are numbers-matching to the car. Previous owner had removed a lot of the original chrome body moldings, but they are all present, in good condition, labelled and included in the sale (see pictures). Car is currently fitted with some later-model GMC leather seats and a complete set of 'Marshall Instruments' gauges. All glass is good. Official GMC Service/Shop manual and Factory Assembly Manuals are included.
Car runs and drives well (when warmed up - see electric choke note above) and sounds great. When I bought the car I drove it from Dallas to Chicago without any troubles. It has been stored indoors for all 5 years I have owned it and driven sparingly. Tires have a lot of tread but are not fresh, so they should be carefully inspected before any long drive. Car has a clear Illinois title in my name.
I had intended to upgrade it to resemble the even rarer GMC Sprint 'SP' version (GMC's version of Chev's SS), but my interest in the project waned in the last few years. Included in the sale are all of the items I had acquired to make the upgrade but have not yet fitted:
- new complete SS style dashboard (by itself this is worth $1,500+) with all gauges, tachometer and new working clock
- all new dashboard wiring harness & fuse panel (another $300)
- age & vehicle appropriate working AM radio
- vehicle appropriate used center console with horseshoe-style floor shifter & cable linkage
- an El Camino steering column correct for the console/floor shift model
- Correct body-side Sprint SP decals
- new, never installed white tonneau bed cover
- El Camino Strato bucket seat frames with new springs, new seat foams and correct new upholstery (one seat has had re-upholstery started and the other not - see pics). No headrests.
What lets this car down is the condition of the paint job - it's an older re-paint and so is far from perfect. It has quite a few 'daily driver' nicks and chips that you should expect on a car of its age.
Body is remarkably straight but has a couple of minor scrapes from moving in and out of storage.
Mileage is around 95,000. Speedometer was replaced about 1,600 miles ago (as shown on the new unit currently installed). I have a pic of the original speedo when it was removed with 93,264.6 miles.
I am including all other extra parts I have related to the car (as my hobby is moving away from GM vehicles and going back to British cars) such as 2 extra side windows, Holley 4bbl double pump carburetor (in as-removed condition), professionally rebuilt (by National Carburetors) but never installed Rochester 4bbl carburetor, electric choke conversion mechanism, a used dash cap in fair condition and other bits and bobs. I need to clear out my garage.
By bidding, you acknowledge that you are buying as is, where is (in the Chicago metropolitan area) with no warranty or refund.
Upon full payment, you can pick it up and take it home or I can help load to your shipper. To protect everyone, if picking up in person the final exchange of funds for keys, title and vehicle will be made at the local police station "Safe Exchange" zone.