Fine Lines: 1964-77 Chevy El Camino....

The car / truck hybrid El Camino was actually introduced in 1959 on the Impala Chassis. It was discontinued after 1960. It re-appeared in 1964 on the Chevelle platform. Engines included a 230 inch six-cylinder and the 283 and 327 V8s. After the GTO burst onto the scene the other GM divisions scrambled to fight back. Olds responded in 1965 by doing exactly what Pontiac did-stuffing the 400 inch "big car" V8 ( Pontiac's was 389 inches ) into the Cutlass 442. ( 1964 442s had 330 inch V8s ). Chevrolet only built 200 396 Chevelles in 1965. In 1966 they sold 77,000 SS396 models. It's hard to say how many El Caminos were sold with this engine because until the mid-'70's GM lumped Elky sales in with Chevelle numbers. But anything that was available on a Chevelle was available on an El Camino. Curiously-not many people used them as trucks, but they did have quite a following with the musclecar crowd. 1967 saw only minor changes-mainly the grille-and for the first time the excellent TH400 automatic was available-a huge improvement over the old two-speed Powerglide. 1968 brought a major restyling for the Chevelle / El Camino line and this body ran with minor changes through 1972. These are the most popular models. The TH350 3-speed automatic debuted this year and was used behind the small-block V8s. The 396s got TH400s. 3 and 4-speed manuals were available as well. Front disc brakes were a much-needed option. 1969 was a carryover year. The 350 replaced the 327 as the workhorse small-block. The 325 hp and 375 hp 396s were optional. The big news for 1970 was the introduction of the 454. The base 454 was rated at 360 hp and the mighty LS6 was rated at 450. Again-I can't say how many LS6 Elkys were built because their counted as Chevelle sales-but there were some built. In 1971-compression ratios were lowered to run on low-lead fuels and hp ratings dropped. Pontiac / GMC dealers starting selling "Sprints"-which were basically an El Camino with GMC badging. All the engines were available including the 454. Their kind of a novelty-you don't see a lot of them-but their not worth any more or less than a same-year El Camino-like I've said many times rare disn't automatically mean valuable. But if you find one in decent shape at a reasonable price their certainly worth having. '72 was a carryover year. In 1973 GM re-designed all the "A" bodies-Chevelle, Cutlass, LeMans, Skylark, etc. And that included the El Camino. The 396 / 402 was dropped, but the 454 was still optional. You could also get swivel bucket seats. This bodystyle, with minor trim changes would last through 1977. In 1974 the 400 small-block became an option on top the 350s. In '75 the 454 was dropped, and catalytic converters killed everyone's performance. 1976-77 were basically unchanged. In 1978 the mid-sizes were downsized and the party was over. The standard engine was a 3.8 liter V6 with a 2-bbl, the upgrades were a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp and a 350 that wheezed out 160. After '79 the 350 was dropped. The line soldiered on until 1987-the GMC's were called "Caballeros" instead of Sprints-but there was never another performance version. ( I don't consider a 170 hp 305 powered Elky with a Monte Carlo SS front clip a performance car). Anyhow-if you want one for a hot rod-the '64-77 models are an excellent base for a street machine. Their engine bays will accept any GM engine up to and including the 720 hp GMPP 572, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit the Elky. I always wanted to buy a beater '68-72 Elky, put a GTO front clip on it, drop in a 400 or 455 Pontiac and make a "Judge" "Sprint". Or do a Cutlass 442 / Hurst / Olds Elky.... Anyhow their a great base for a street machine. Mastermind