1966 Chevrolet El Camino

My wife’s (Kathi) grandfather purchased this 66 El Camino in late 65. Grandpa Chuck took good care of the car for a long time and kept a record book of all the oil changes and repairs in the glove box. In his later years his failing health prevented him from driving so the EC fell into dis-repair and ended up sitting in his back yard in Colorado Springs. There it sat for years and after Grandpa passed 14 years ago Grandma refused to part with it. It was the only new car he ever had. It had a tough life in that yard, being used for storage of old newspapers and magazines, living quarters for stray cats and target practice by neighborhood kids and their BB guns. I began work on it in 2005 with the idea of building it kind of retro to my high school days (1960s) and like most project cars it is never really finished. And, Yes, old guys play with cars too. I have taken it to numerous shows in the area over the past 3 years and enjoy driving it. Some of the mods include shaved doors, re-located gas filler and reshaped rear fenders to fit bigger tires without sub-framing. I also replaced the RR quarter, both front fender extensions and front and rear lower window channels to deal with rust, and repaired 37 BB dings in the left side. All of the rubber, body hardware and chrome was replaced with the help of The El Camino Store in Goletta, Ca. It also sports 4 wheel disk brakes from Stainless Steel Brakes and power rack and pinion steering from Unisteer. Suspension components include Hotchkis roll bars and Eibach springs. A 355 SB with a Comp Cams 280 h, 202-160 heads, Edelbrock Air Gap Performer, Edelbrock carb and Taylor Vertex ignition an M21 4 speed and 3.73 posi get it down the road. Hooker Ceramic coated headers and Flowmaster American Thunder exhaust dispense the hot gases while an Afco aluminum radiator with electric fans and stainless hoses handle the cooling. It rolls on American Racing Torque-Thrust II wheels, 15X8.5 fronts and 15X10 rear with BF Goodrich TA's all around, 205/60 front and 295/50 rear. Most of the goodies came from Summit Racing and were ordered on-line. On the inside are APC racing seats, custom door panels and center console, a 600-watt amp with 10" subs in a custom enclosure behind the seats, Stewart Warner gauges, speedo and tach. All of the work was done at home in my garage including the paint, 4 coats of burgundy metallic, graphics and 4 coats of clear. I ordered the paint from Trinity Paint Co. and shot it with HVLP in my garage at home. The graphics were done with burgundy purple metal flake and rosetta red pearl. The only work I didn't do myself was assembly of the short block (S&S Engines in Spokane, Wa) and the Rhino Lining. (Robbins Automotive, Farmington, NM)