Projects My '59 El Camino - 8-13-11 - It's Finally Done

Hey Boones,
Thanks a million for the photos. I've saved them. I'd give my left nut for the air duct on the left side of the injector. I've got a replacement piece that's close but not quite exact. I won't quit 'til I get it......Your Dad had nice taste........Mike

 

Here's a current photo of my '59 Rochester factory fuel injection installation on my '59 El Camino. Excuse the dangling wires. Hopefully it will be done shortly as I'm handicapped and my technician runs a full time non-automotive company, therefore his time is at a premium. I've recently found original factory fuel injection nameplates (thanks to HAMBER J.Fishbeck) and I found original factory fuel injection flags and they're being restored...Mike

 

The Elky is looking really good Mike. Maybe I can talk you into giving me a ride this summer

 

If you can talk Mike into giving you a ride,I'll buy the gas!Just to see Mike out and about and enjoying his El Camino!!!!!! COME ON MIKE!!!

 

Jake, that Buick gonna be ready for Billetproof ??? Maybe Mikes waitin on you!

 

Jake's gonna be at Billetproof, but not with his cool Buick project. He drives Al Bergler's car hauler semi with Al's vintage nitro dragsters, "Motown Shaker" and "More Aggravation" . I think they will have Bruce Elmer's new vintage nitro dragster just built by Bergler with them in the hauler as well. This beauty is still in its natural aluminum finish. Stop by and look at Al's wonderful craftsmanship in its bare beauty. He's 73 years old and still going strong building these beautiful cars . Look them up. It's the Red/Black 53 foot car hauler sponsored by Dynamat and the N.H.R.A.

 

I missed this thread before, but WOW that's nice!

 

Great car! I love black cars, with black rims and dog dish hubcaps

 

Thanks, we're buttoning up the fuel injection installation so it should be back on the road soon.......Mike

Thanks DD. I'm a fan of black cars, wheels and dog dish as well. Many of my cars have run this combo except my '65 Plymouth hemi Belvedere sedan (where I got my HAMB name) which was all white with white rims and factory dog dish caps.

 

KILLER!!! Love it!!! Congrats!!!

 

Thanks Ian, I'm a big fan of your car as well. My El Camino should be done in about 10 days.........Mike

 

This is one of my favorite cars ever. I love it man and I would cut off my left arm to have it. So cool.

 

Not to be a picky asshole......but your car is like 100% period correct for 1959 down to just about everything. Why are there radials instead of standard Bias Ply on the car? Just a personal preference?

 

Well, if you've read any of my build posts you should know that I build all of my cars the way I want to build them. I don't consider you being picky. I consider you to have a taste that's different than mine. My '65 hemi Belvedere had bias ply because the front tires called for 7:10X15 narrow, tall wheels for the period look .
My El Camino came factory stock with 8:00X14 tires which were the largest tires for them. I couldn't fit disc brakes with 14" wheels and the 8:00X14 bias ply tires have a tread width of a whopping 4.75 inches. I have a new set of 8:00X14 whitewalls, correct 4 nub wheels and 4 N.O.S. full wheeel covers with knockoffs just sitting in my building.
If you've ever noticed wheel openings on '59 Chevys you would have seen they're huge and those small biased ply tires are lost in there. Had I wanted the low rider look, I might have gone that way.I absolutely did not want that look! A '59 Chevrolet is within 1/4" of being the same width as the '59 Cadillac and the little bias ply width looks out of place to me.
My cars, to me, MUST have an aesthetically pleasing look to them. This one, as far as I'm concerned, hit the bullseye right in the middle. To me, the best looking cars don't have any one thing that stands out. They must look good all over, no matter where you look at them. Their is no period look to my car. There's the Mike Farris look and if you look at a couple of my other builds in my profile you'll understand.
I'm curious, what "period look" are you talking about? What period ran blackwalls, dog dish caps,stock paint, stock interiors and all emblems and handles? Not '59 as you stated. My Father and I built my first period look car in 1959 and completed it in time for me to drive in 1961 when I turned 16. It was a '40 Ford sedan that had the correct period look of wide whitewall tires (bigs and littles), deep dish chrome reverse wheels, chrome baby moon hubcaps, red and white rolled naughahyde interior with a white headliner with red piping, Buick Tahitian Red paint, 348 tri power Chevrolet, '39 Ford trans (weak) and a Moon tach strapped to the left lower side of my steering column.
I appreciate the fact that you like my car. As we all know on this site, they become a labor of love. I'm pretty much handicapped now that I'm getting older. It bugs me as I have a lot of other cars waiting for the "Mike Farris" touch..........

 

Holy crap, you told him!

 

Gotta say that may be the best looking camino I've seen in well... forever. That stance is killer

 

that is one freaking sexy 59 !!!

fuel injection is a great add on, nice.
i'm always amazed of how thick the tailgate is on the 59

just an idea for the side emblems...
these are airbrushed on by a local artist "shaggy''

 

Hi Nads, It was not meant to be a put down at all. I hope it doesn't seem that way, and I hope he doesn't take it that way. I'm an old salty dog and I was just answering his question by telling him how I feel. I like Jeffrey and his posts.........Mike

 

The '59, '32, and '34 are all BITCHIN!! I love the interior in the Elky, as well as everything else about it too.

 

Thanks , I like your wagon as well...........Mike

 

Really nice El Camino, not sure how I missed it the first several times posted and replied to. Makes me miss my 59 even more, should have never sold that car, it went to Sewden. But then it gave me money and motivation to build my 49 Ford COE. I will have another 59-60 El Camino someday, just like them too much.

 

Thank you,
It took me forever to find a nice El Camino worthy of building the way I wanted to. I'd been a fan of the early generation El Camino since I rode in Paul Hatton's new 1960 348 tri-power/4 speed in 1960 at age 15. He had already applied one of his famous scallop paint jobs on it. I was hooked after that............Mike

 

that car is amazing I love el cos and that is one nice nice nice one.

 

Thanks for the compliment. I read on another thread about your girlfriend's Thunderbird. That's too bad but thankfully everyone is ok.........Mike

 

always love to see elco of any yaer.
you have done a vry good sir!
thanks for sharing you car with us

 

Thanks for the compliment. I was done with it in January then decided I wanted to add an original '59 Chevrolet Rochester fuel injection system. We're finally finishing it. I kinda wished I had not gotten involved. It's costing an absolute fortune to do it the right way. I'm not bitchin' though. I'm an old man and my children are grown. The fun is building them for me............Mike

 

Very clean im digging it! 59 El Caminos definately have one of the nicest Dash's ever!

 

The last good looking dash, Chevrolet made.. if you ask me!

 

I agree. To me, 1959 was one of the best years for GM styling. Every line was totally new, somewhat gaudy and totally "in excess" with chrome and glitz.