This 1972 Chevrolet El Camino is a rust-free classic that seems to tick many of the right boxes for enthusiasts. It is tidy, it features a healthy 350ci V8 under the hood, and the buyer can kick back in air-conditioned comfort whenever they hit the road. The owner has decided to part with the El Camino, and it appears that there might be some flexibility in this deal. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, you will find this fine Chevy listed for sale here on craigslist. The owner has set the sale price at $19,000, but he may be open to the idea of considering trades.
The El Camino combines the versatility of a light pickup with the comfort of a family sedan. This one looks like a beauty, and it’s sure to garner attention wherever it goes. The yellow paint it is wearing isn’t original but looks similar to Daytona Yellow from some angles. It shines beautifully, with no significant flaws that are worth noting. The panels are straight, but the striking thing with this classic is its lack of rust problems. The exterior looks extremely clean, as does the bed. The owner says that he has not found an issue anywhere and no evidence of previous repairs. The chrome and glass are in excellent order, and the El Camino rolls on a newer set of American Racing wheels with new tires.
Apart from a wrap on the wheel and a radio/cassette fitted into the dash, this Chevy’s interior appears to be original and unmolested. It is also in exceptional condition for a vehicle of this type and age. The dash and pad show no issues, while the cloth upholstery on the seat is free from wear and staining. The remaining upholstered surfaces are in excellent order, and factory air conditioning is a bonus for the next owner on those hot summer days.
It isn’t clear whether the El Camino is numbers-matching, but it does feature a 350ci V8, a Turbo 350 transmission, power steering, and power disc brakes. In stock form, this small block should be producing 175hp. At 3,438lbs, the El Camino is significantly lighter than the Chevelle, making the 16.5-second ¼-mile ET of little surprise. The engine bay looks tidy and features the obligatory dress-up items like valve covers and a chrome air cleaner. The owner has treated it to an HEI ignition and an aluminum radiator. He says that the Chevy runs and drives well, so it is ready to be used and enjoyed by its next owner.
For those readers who are quick to cast this El Camino aside, I urge you not to act too rashly. They might not have the carrying or towing capacity of an F-150, but they offer a very commendable compromise. If I am honest, I never used to give cars like this a sideways glance. They were bought by farmers and builders, and I thought they were a second-rate form of transport. However, my mind has been changed. I purchased a 1996 Australian Ford Falcon “ute” some years back to use as a tow vehicle for my race car. I’d hook the trailer on the back, load the bed with tires, spares, and tools, and hit the road. It would happily cruise all day at 60mph, which was far above my expectations. I sold the race car 6-years-ago, but I still have the Falcon. Thanks to its relatively low weight when compared to the sedan derivative, it offers surprising performance. It is comfortable, reasonably economical, and manages to turn heads. This 1972 El Camino has the potential to do all of these things, and that’s why I urge you not to dismiss it lightly.
It’s not because I love yellow on cars but this is a beautiful rig.
Great looking vehicle. If the car is as good as it looks in the pictures, it would make someone a great parts hauler.
That must be some aftermarket trim on the bedsides, it looks ok but it’s not OEM imho.
That side trim on the bed is indeed a factory option…it became an option on the later half of the 1972 models. Just do some search’s on any search engine on 1972 El Camino’s and some will pop up with that option…some were covered with vinyl…and some were simply painted either the same color or a diff body color. It was just a ploy to sell some more vehicles by giving people another choice.
Oh baby, sign me up! Always loved these cars/trucks? When I was a young teen my dad took me to work with him and we saw a 70 SS, 454, 4 speed with cowl induction, blue with black stripes. To this day I still dream about having that bad a** muscle truck.
Very pretty, good price, wrong state (for me, too far away).
I have the exact same car without the bedside trim. That is aftermarket. I didn’t see any mileage listed. Mine has 77K. I did all the interior ie. bench seat, dash and door panels in real Black leather with Yellow stitching. Looks pretty sharp. I have the original smoke grey Rally wheels and front end just completely re-done. His price here is very reasonable. I had mine for sale at 24,999 thinking I needed a bass boat. It drives so good I decided I would go ahead and keep it. It does get a lot of thumbs up signs from passerby’s. Good Luck.
I like it…I like too many of them,I just can’t have them all!
yeah, hada chuckly, thats me too~
They are practical. I just hauled 12 trash bags full of grass clippings and dirt to the dump. It kind of sagged a little, but had no issues hauling with its 350ci/th350. It has gas shocks (no more air shocks). Mine is an 81 with the bathtub bed. lol. I thought I needed to sell mine too after acquiring a B2000 so I posted it. I had quite a few responses to it. But I am still up in the air on whether or not to sell it. I just got the stereo in it to work which made for a whole new universe when cruising it down the road with its 9 in speakers in the rear storage.
Nice buy! These are going up recently. Just sold one not this nice same price. First looker snapped it up!
I know I am going to get hammered for this but here we go…
Where to start. One of my former bosses owned a ’68 El Camino SS, 327 365 HP. I did a lot of the work on it, so to say I am familiar with them is an understatement.
The wheels would HAVE to go and be replaced by the original Rallye Wheels. The aftermarket side trim would be gone too.
Now, about that Air Conditioning. In 1972, the El Camino used an A6 Compressor. It was HUGE and resided over the Power Steering Pump. I don’t see it in either one of the engine compartment photos.
In the article, the author states “factory air conditioning is a bonus for the next owner on those hot summer days”
The seller says it is a Factory AC car. Nowhere does he say that the AC works. In that vein, nobody is going to enjoy the AC until a couple thousand dollars are spent to make it work.
If I remember correctly, the SS had a non-functional Cowl induction hood with racing stripes on it. This one does not. It is also missing the SS Steering wheel and, unless ordered without them, it would have had bucket seats and a console shifter.
In short, this is NOT a 19,000 dollar car but rather a RestoRiceMobile and the author of the article needs to pay more attention to what he is writing about.
You’re right, but I don’t think he advertised it as an “SS” either……. Whether he’ll be able to get asking price ir not remains to be seen……there’s lot if them born every minute these days.
Agreed, in it’s mis- matched current configuration,and too far off from original nice ride but 9 grand truck
Kemark GT in the background of the first picture?
For the one’s saying that bed side trim is after market…it’s not. That was a side trim option offered after the middle 1972 builds. Just do search’s online for 1972 El Camino’s and look thru the ones that pops up….you will see some with that trim on them. Some tops were covered with vinyl that extended along both sides of the bed and some were painted a diff color than the main body. Why this one is painted the same color of the body is beyond me…it’s defeats the purpose of the trim lol.
“…far above my expectations…”
but we have nothing like the windsor or 4 oh in similar vehicles here. In fact we had no similar even by the same ford manufacturer. Sure wish we did (may be Y I keep my ol ’69/77 bronk).