To anyone out there looking for a street/track car, this is the car for you. Found on here on craigslist in Lancaster, Pa, this El Camino has been in storage since 1994. But do not let the dirt fool you; she has a few trophies from Maple Grove Raceway from back in the day. The ad also mentions that it had 400 horsepower too! This car may not be show ready but with a little work it could definitely be ready to light up the drag strip once more.
Taking a look under the hood, we can see there isn’t much rust to speak of. The black may be dusty but it definitely been inside. The car has a 350 that has been toyed with. Complete with headers, what looks to be an Edelbrock intake, a Holley 4bbl, and those performance valve covers, I would expect a few goodies inside. Mated to the factory 4 speed and hopefully a 12 bolt posi, it can most certainly smoke a set of tires.
Unfortunately, the location of the car does not leave room to take good pictures of the quarters and fenders. The passenger side has quite obviously been patched and the driver side looks worse, having rusted through on the wheel arch. There is no expectation of perfection here. The body looks straight and there only seems to be one missing piece of chrome. There is no visible flaking and cracking on the vinyl top, so it may be in good shape. And with the snaps along the bed, this car/truck is ready for a snap tonneau cover. This car is also sporting a nice set of Chevy rally wheels. There are no pictures of the undercarriage or the pans, which are important for any Chevelle or El Camino. They are known for their rusty frames.
The interior would not take much. It has the classic wood steering wheel and the much desired center console and bucket seats. The carpets could use a little cleaning and the seats need to be reupholstered, but I hope I look this good when I’m 47 years old. No cracks in the dash, no broken glass, no live animals living in the seats, this car a win in my books. So at this price does this this El Camino strike your fancy?
Not only a ‘71 Elco, but 99% sure that it’s an SS by the dash, though the hood is gone. Neat find for sure!
Unfortunately it’s not and SS. This car has the optional gauge package which was not exclusive to the SS. Any non-SS ordered with tach and gauges, option code U-14 got this dash. It also has the lower body trim, manual drum brakes, power disc brakes were standard on SS’s. It’s a well optioned El Camino, but not an SS.
Steve R
Dash could also be out of 70 Monte Carlo .
Not for nothing, but who puts a for sale sign on a vehicle parked in a garage?
Having said that, I’d love to have this beast.
Not a Chevy guy but I like this–depending on the condition of the underbelly and frame, looks like a hot deal! Love the 4 speed!
Good luck and hopefully it will see the Grove again!!!
if rust has not destroyed it under the vinyl top then it would be a nice elco, but tread carefully!
Itt’rom Pa.I would check the frame real good as they had a habit of rotting out on the upper side.The way the bed body wwraps them it is almost inpossable to clean up in there.I had a 70 with that problem.I found out when a kid road a bike out in front of me.I hit the breaks and the rear frame and rear end ended up setting on the road behind me.
Is it just me or do a disproportionate number of classic cars come from owners who live in Pennsylvania?
My wife is passionate about her absolute hate for El Caminos. I asked her if she had a bad memory about one. “No, I just think they look HORRIBLE”. Whenever she sees one she cries out in disgust. It cracks me up every time.
My wife, who hates my love of cars, actually went to Spring Carlisle with me – and she told me that a 1959 or a 1969-71 era El Camino are the only cars I could buy…
Since I currently have a Charger SRT392 and an 85 Monte, I don’t see another car in my immediate future, but that was good information to know for future reference!
The worst part is that this car is only an hour from me… must resist!!
Already needs quarters, probably needs floors, too. If there are no pix of the bottom, then they probably don’t want you to see it.
ACZ sometimes but there are also plenty of people who just do not know cars. If you are smart and know what to look for, you can protect yourself. It can’t be as bad as this thing.
I had an ’80 el Camino that started life as a 229 V6 with a 3 spd. stick on the floor it was painted an ugly not quite orange ” Cinnabar ” . It didnt take long for the 350/350 to get transplanted along with the BW Super T-10. Then a nice coat of Jet Black paint. It was my mid-life crisis hot rod & it made me very happy !