The next owner of this 1959 Chevrolet El Camino has some decisions to make. The vehicle is very original and is rust-free. It runs and drives well, so it could easily be left exactly as it stands. Alternatively, the next owner might also choose to treat the car to a bit of a performance boost. As you look at the El Camino, you will find that there are solid arguments for following either pathway. I suspect that in the end, it will come down to the next owner’s personal preferences. The Chevy is located in Cleveland, Missouri, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $13,433 at the time of writing, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
Speaking of personal preference, I’m going to go out on a limb here. While I generally am quite partial to Tuxedo Black as a color, I don’t think that it is a shade that does the styling of the El Camino any real favors. It tends to disguise the sculptured appearance of the car, which to me, is one of its truly great strengths. Lighter colors tend to allow you to see the curves more easily, but having said all of that, there is very little to be critical of with this one. The panels look nice and straight, with no signs of any dings or dents. It has received at least a partial repaint at some point because the owner acknowledges the fact that both lower rear quarter panels have been replaced to address some rust problems. He also says that the floors have received some patches, but doesn’t indicate what sort of quality these patches are, or whether there are any further rust problems. What he does say is that all of the glass is new, and from our own observations, all of the trim and chrome appears to be present and in good condition.
Someone has been more than happy to spend a penny or two on the El Camino because the interior is all new. There’s not a lot to be critical of here, with it all presenting so nicely. It is obvious in this photo that the kick panels are not installed. The owner does have them but hasn’t managed to get around to the installation at this point. What does surprise me is that while the old interior was removed for the refurbishment, someone didn’t go to the trouble of painting the steel on the pedals. With the rest of it looking so good, the aged appearance of the pedals is a disappointment. The wheel also has some cracks and would need to be restored or replaced to really finish it off. As I’ve said in the past, these sorts of issues are pretty insignificant, but it is the attention to the finest of details that separates a good restoration from a great one.
The owner provides no engine photos, but we do know that the Chevy comes equipped with a 235ci 6-cylinder engine and a 3-speed manual transmission. This engine produced an honest 135hp, which made the El Camino quite capable of hauling its designed loads. The good news here is that the car is said to run and drive quite nicely, with the engine not producing any smoke. However, when it first starts from cold, there is a top-end noise in the engine which the owner identifies as rocker noise. He does say that it settles down after a few moments of running. That’s an interesting one because to me that sounds like there might be somewhere in the top of the motor that oil isn’t finding its way to quite fast enough. It would certainly be worth investigating. This is the issue that made me raise my initial question about originality. There would seem to be no reason why this problem couldn’t be fixed, maintaining the car’s originality. The next owner could also choose to slot something a bit more potent under the hood. Given the multitude of choices on offer in 1959, it would be possible to slot a fairly potent 283ci or 348ci V8 into the engine bay, but still be able to pay homage to the El Camino’s roots. Decisions, decisions!
I’ve never shied away from admitting just how much I like the 1959 El Camino because I have always felt that the styling was something very special. We have seen a few examples pop up on the desks here at Barn Finds in recent times, and their condition has ranged from the very impressive right through to the pretty awful. This one would appear to be a good one, and that would explain why the bidding has been strong up to this point. It makes me wonder whether the next owner will leave the car as it currently stands, or whether something with a few additional ponies might find its way under the hood. I wouldn’t be inclined to criticize that person if they did choose to perform such an upgrade, but it will be interesting to see what our readers think.
There isn’t really much that beats the attraction of the 1st gen Elkys in the pickup world. Looks like a great example though the new interior doesn’t look like the OE stuff and wheel covers seem to be off a ’64 but they don’t really distract from the overall impression. I love it has a manual tranny and I’d definately have a hard time deciding whether I’d hot up the I-6 or go for a V8 that’d offer more oomph. Somehow I’m leaning towards the six…
Definitely keep the six. I’m deep into a ’59 Biscayne 2 door post, and it came with a 6/3 speed but the six was gone and a ’68 SBC in its place.
A hotted-up 6 with period induction, exhaust etc. would be cooler and pull reasonably well.
Yes, the black does no justus to this car.
I do not like a black car or motorcycle.
After months of special design and balance, much of the design is not visible due to the final black colour.
As the author says:
“It tends to disguise the sculptured appearance of the car”
Finally someone has said it so perfectly.
I don’t remember seeing a ’59 in black. It just doesn’t fit the “cartoon character” of these cars. Bright is right. Nice car.
I too would go with the 6
But
The 6 speed in back of the so famous and powerful LS
New brakes , new suspension
No need to touch the redt of it
Its beautiful as it stands but to enjoy the drive, you have to go modern …
Seems these 59/60 Camino’s are coming out of the wood work. Looks like a nice one,
Hope y’all aren’t tired of my uncle’s he bought new along with his new bride – my aunt Betty Annette……
Sweet..Stillrunners………..ridin high!
This 59 looks quite good. I am wondering why there is cardboard under the engine. Something dripping /leaking under the hood?
Beautiful! Although, it seems to be begging for some version of a W motor and a 4 speed.
With this stupid virus thing and being in lockdown, no one willl ever get to see my Elcamino, so here it is. I have owned it since 1978.
The six cylinder is probably what has saved this car as long as it has!! No V-8 to hot rod or burn out with!! Just a cruiser that wouldn’t win any races!! So with that being said I say keep the original six a cruise it all over!!!
Well Tim depends on what kind of race. Say two people filled their TANKS and drove until the first one ran out of gas–lost. I almost won a bronco like that. I was gonna race a guy from W.Va to St.Louse,Mo . I have 3 tanks in my old ford . I had the guy really built up until his uncle told him NOT to run with me. Then he told the guuy. and he backed out. hahaha I think mine holds 58 gallon total and his held 25. Yes, I could have used that bronco. hahaha This is a really nice El Camino. I ,d keep the 6 more many reasons. Gas mileage–easy to work on ,less expense to keep up–they run good. Yes,I really like it. I,d like to have it and thik its a really sharp car. I like the black to.
Leave it just like that and only drive it on days the ice cream shop is open.
I would want to keep the 3 on the tree. It’s becoming more rare by the day and just very cool. Had one on a 49 Hudson and it adds a bunch of character. And even if some thievin’ jerk had a basic understanding of a manual tranny this would leave him scratching his head!
I like 59 Cheveroet’s, I just have a feeling about this car, something just seems off! I always get, a vibe about a car, I guess I think, I am the Car whispper, and this one seems to be saying, you had better look closer.
Nah, I’d upset everyone, do a chassis upgrade, sink the 6 and 3 on the tree, do some suspension brakes, now don’t take this wrong, I’m strictly old school, but a pure Pontiac man, we have to use Older motors, but in a Chevy, I’d probably LS it, 6 speed Tremec add A/C and some options like power windows and tilt wheel, small tubs in the rear to utilize all that wheel well
The 59 El Camino is a gorgeous design. If it were mine and I had the available funds (stand-by, haters) I would pull the original engine/trans and store them safely away for a future rebuild to stock specs. In their place, I would install a stock, year-correct 348 with a factory tri-power setup. Behind it would be a Muncie 4-speed, probably an M20 with Hurst shifter. All other associated components would be similarly upgraded (cooling, suspension, brakes, exhaust, wiring, etc.). Not too modern, but maybe to a late-60’s standard. I would want it to look as factory correct as possible, with the exception of headers.
I know that may rub some of you the wrong way, and I don’t mean for it to. To me, a ’59 with a 348, tri-power and 4-speed is, for me, the ultimate El Camino.
I’m my opinion uncle hulka doing a period correct upgrade is much better on a car like this than putting in a modern aluminum LS out of a newer car!! To me that is like your wife decorating your house in country style and putting a modern sectional sofa in the room!! It just doesn’t go!!! To each his own but your plan is period correct!!!
This thing has been for sale for more than two years. It appears like it has had some cosmetic issues dealt with, so no the price is going up. As with any late 50’s/early 60’s vehicles, beware of rust.
What is more rare? The El Camino or the 2 door wagon in my picture?
I think the 2 door wagon and the sedan delivery. Chevy produced over 22,000 ElCaminos