Projects 1959 El Camino Build

Here's my old kind of beater 60 El Camino with your wheel and tire thoughts to help you see how they look. This one just dropped with cut springs:



This 60 had a 307 and T350. I also had a 59 El Camino (notice this past tense on El Caminos) that had a 350 and 700R4. Traditional SBC works great in these, although you can fit just about anything. Here's my old 59, this one had dropped spindles and lesser cut springs.

 

Fun project. Grandson and I did one in the teens him. Took lots of in-progress photos so if you need any advice just ask. We ran a 305 SBC with 200R4 tranny. Car had a factory posi rear end. We did everything from the ground up.

 

Here is mine with 5 spokes International drag masters, soon to go to stock wheels and caps. It has a 62 327 and a Saginaw 4 speed. I could make it look stock if I cared

 

If I recall from your build that is not a factory seat. What did it come from?

 

It's as pre-2000 Cadillac power split bench. Can't remember if the center console came from that car or we adapted it from another. I seem to remember the latter.

 

I will have to look tomorrow after work and see! I hadn’t really thought about checking that out yet. I do believe it was one solid color, but I also have the chrome that splits the el Camino for a 2 tone paint job!

 

The stance is perfect on the 60! That’s exactly how I would like mine to sit, and I really do think I’m going to run astros and thin white walls.

 

I will definitely have questions! I want to split the body from the frame, and I have a spot behind the rear window that I’d like to see how it looks from the factory because mine looks a little odd. I also have a few parts I’m having a hard time finding

 

we took the spare tire out of the cab and put it under the rear bed where it belonged. We adapted a Dodge Dakota crank hoist for the spare. We then opened the bottom of the back wall into the 'smugglers compartment' under the bed for storage. They do have a small 'luggage tray' between the seat and rear window if that is what you are referring to? We notched ours so the seats could slide a bit farther back.

OOPS! You said behind the rear window. Are you referring to the hidden compartment beneath the bed panel? That is referred to as the 'smuggler's compartment'. It is there because to rush the truck to market to compete with the Ford Ranchero, Chevy just bolted Elky sheet metal to a station wagon platform. That space is the footwell for the 'wagon rear seat passengers. We welded a a sheet metal roof over it and opened it into the passenger compartment.

 

One of my friends had a nice custom done in black primer with white interior, bed cover and whitewalls, dual dummy spots, frenched antenna, shaved.
I can't find a photo of it but here are others

 

So I took a picture of the part I was curious about how it would look originally, it looks pretty rough

 

The spot behind the glass is just a trough and is under some trim.

 

I appreciate the info and the picture! I was nervous seeing the bondo/filler. Looks like I should be able to just clean up whatever the previous owner did and see how it looks underneath.

 

You can build almost anything and it will be covered by 3 pieces of trim. I believe it's to carry the water from under the glass and dump it into the bed, they rot quite often.

 

I live those "city-farmer" trucks !!!
350's should still be pretty plentiful in junkyards.
700R/4L-60 tranny behind it and you're golden (OD too)
A snotty-idling camshaft with turbo mufflers and headers will give it some attitude.
Edelbrock RPM intake and 650/700CFM eddy carb and you got a dependable skreet rod !!!
6sally6

 

The more I think about it, that does seem like a nice way to quickly get this car on the road!