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At one time, I was not very much interested in cars. Then one Sunday afternoon I went to the local fairgrounds expecting to see a gun show. I had made a mistake. The gun show had been the week before. On this particular Sunday, the fairgrounds was hosting a classic Chevy show. I decided to take a look around anyway. One car really caught my attention. Or was it a truck ? At the time, I didn't know much about El Caminos, but I did know that the domed hood with stripes and "COWL INDUCTION" emblems was something special. A few weeks later, for no apparent reason, I decided that I had to have one.For the next few months, I researched El Caminos. I looked into exactly what factory options were available for each model. Then I began searching. I concentrated on '68 - '72 models because I liked those body styles the best. (I am also partial to '66's however). I wanted a true original SS rather than a non-SS customized one. I also wanted the car to have its original engine. I also hoped to get one with a big block, bucket seats, console, and gauges.
For six months, I checked the local classified ads every day. I even spent some time searching in California after a business trip. No luck. I looked at several cars, but they were all priced more than I thought they were worth or they didn't have enough of the factory options I wanted. I began to realize that I should have purchased a couple of the cars I had passed on.
Then one Tuesday morning I saw an ad in the local paper. It simply read, "1972 El Camino, 454, $3,000". I immediately called and talked to the seller. He didn't seem to know much about El Caminos, so I asked if it had SS emblems. He said "It does on the front and the back". I asked if it had bucket seats and a console. He said "Yes". I asked if it had any gauges. He said "Yes". He also said that it was painted gold, but needed body work and new paint. I immediately made an appointment to see the car, but because of bad weather and his schedule, I wasn't able to go see it until the following Friday.
Friday finally arrived and my dad and I set out to take a look. Fortunately, we would be the first potential buyers to see it. Ironically, as we approached the house, I saw a beautiful, gold, 1972 El Camino SS in my rear view mirror following us. I was hoping that it was the one for sale, but it finally turned and went the other way. If it wasn't the one for sale, then perhaps it was an omen !
When we reached the house, I waited anxiously for the garage door to open. When the unveiling finally occurred, my first impression was that this El Camino was "not quite" as beautiful as the one I had just seen in my rear view mirror. There it was, sitting in the corner, surrounded by junk, and listing due to a flat tire.
The non-factory gold paint job was atrocious, especially the gaudy graphics on the SS hood. The primer was showing through, the vinyl top was trashed, the windshield was cracked, and the side windows were both smashed. The "454" and the "El Camino" emblems were gone, along with the right hand outside mirror. A lot of the chrome trim including the front bumper was not on the car, and most of the pieces were sitting in the bed. There were a few minor rust spots, but the worst problem was around the rear window. Apparently, water had gotten under the vinyl top (when it was still there) and caused some rust. The rust really wasn't very bad, but someone had tried to fix it and they did a horrible job. Other than this one problem, the sheet metal was basically straight. Apparently, it had been stored in a barn for a LONG time. It was absolutely full of cobwebs. The car was also full of bird seed and chunks of dog food. There was even some bird seed in the exhaust pipes.
I looked in the bed. It was remarkably free of dents and dings. I looked inside. The totally original black interior was nearly perfect. In addition to the automatic console shifter, bucket seats, and gauges, there was a bonus. There was a factory AM/FM radio, air conditioning, factory tachometer, a remote mirror, and even power door locks.
I then looked under the hood. Everything was there. The 365 BHP LS-5 454 engine LOOKED original. The air conditioning components were all hooked up, along with all the original smog equipment, power steering, and power brakes. It even had the factory Delco distributor cap and spark plug wires. I couldn't see the engine numbers, but I was sure that it was the original one. I checked underneath. It was rust free and in remarkably good shape except for a missing front shock absorber and a break in the exhaust pipe where it connected to the resonator. It looked like the car had never been raced or used for towing or heavy hauling. There were no stains on the floor except for a slight leak in the front seal of the original 12-bolt rear end. I couldn't tell if it had positraction or not. I then found out that the deal included no less than six of the correct factory 5-spoke SS wheels with trim rings and center caps.
I asked if the car would start. The seller said that the car had been started every week for as long as he could remember, but he didn't know if it would "drive". It was time for a test ! We pumped up the flat and rolled the car out of the garage down the driveway. Immediately, gasoline started pouring out of the rear.
After fixing the fuel line, I started it on the second try. I drove around the block. The odometer read 38,000 but the speedometer was broken (I still believe that reading is close to the actual mileage). The electrical system seemed OK except for the turn signals. When the headlights were off, they worked fine. But when the headlights were on, the turn signals would blink back and fourth (alternating between left and right). The handling was not too good due to the missing shock absorber and the bad bias-ply tires. Then the transmission started slipping. I barely made it back to the house. A check of the transmission fluid showed that it was nearly empty. We topped it off and I set out once again. The TH-400 transmission worked fine. The engine ran well and seemed good and tight. The power brakes with front discs also worked fine.
I asked about the history of the car. the seller said that it had been in the family since 1974. Under the seat, I found several old registrations to prove it. They had parked it long ago due to high gas prices and relatively low fuel economy. He said that his wife was the official owner and that her father had purchased it from the original owner. She wanted it OUT of the garage. The seller wanted to keep it but needed the money. I asked to see the title. It seemed in order and it was already notarized and ready to transfer.
The car was begging to be rescued so I offered him $2500 cash on the spot. He went into the house and finally came back after a lengthy phone conversation with his wife.
He (she) said "OK" ! After studying the car for over two hours we finally made the transaction and I was on my way with my dad following behind. Two blocks away I realized that I had forgotten the two extra SS wheels. I had to go back and retrieve them. I was wondering if we were ever going to get out of there.
We went to the local motor vehicle office and got a temporary license. The car had not been registered since 1987. The gas tank was almost empty so we stopped at a pump. I then saw the locking gas cap and I didn't have the key ! We called the seller and he came out and delivered the key.
FINALLY, I was on my way home with my "new" El Camino. It was very cold outside and since there were no side windows I had to drive with a hat, gloves, and a parka - even with the heater on full blast !
On the way home, something started burning and giving off a foul odor. My dad following behind had to suffer. I was afraid the car would catch fire. (I later would find out that there was a rat's nest in the muffler.)
Eventually, I had the car home. That evening, I cleaned out the cobwebs and decided to check the rattling inside the tailgate. It was full of dog biscuits ! So ended the day I bought my El Camino.
For the next two years I worked on restoring it. Not being a body person or a machinist, I enlisted the help of some local shops. I did all of the logistics, research, and some of the mechanical work and detailing.The body was stripped to bare metal using a plastic bead blasting method. The few bad spots in the body were replaced with new metal, including the rear window area. The bed is now nicely finished and totally dent free.
The original color was "Placer Gold" with a white vinyl top. I was not too fond of that color scheme, so I opted for mirror finish "Mulsanne Blue" with a white vinyl top and correct white SS hood stripes. This color combination was applied by the factory to a few 1972 El Caminos and Chevelles. I went a step further to slightly customize the look of my El Camino by having the lower body sides painted black. The lower body sides were often painted a different color than the upper body on non-SS 1972 El Caminos.
The body work, painting, and some of the detailing and mechanical work was performed by Nice Rides Restoration of Arvada, Colorado. They did an excellent job.
Under the hood, the engine was totally rebuilt and balanced using all the original components (block, 119cc high performance heads, manifolds, carburetor, steel crank, etc.). The cylinders were bored 0.030" over and the steel crank was ground 0.010" under. The heads, intake manifold, and exhaust manifolds were match ported. Align boring was also performed to accommodate steel 4-bolt main bearing caps.
Forged 10:1 pistons were added along with a new high performance GM camshaft, roller rockers, hardened rod bolts, and 3-angle hardened valves and seats. The QuadraJet carburetor was also completely rebuilt.
The undercarriage and engine compartment were completely detailed and the original valve covers were chrome plated.
The engine now generates 425+ horsepower and runs great on unleaded premium pump gas. The machine work on the engine was performed by Sigy's Machine of Denver, Colorado. An excellent job was done here as well.I had some additional factory options added including a complete functioning cowl induction system, a tilt column, map-light mirror, under-hood lamp, and dual horns. The original 12-bolt rear end was rebuilt using the factory's 3.31 ratio positraction gears. The original AM/FM mono radio was replaced with an AM/FM stereo unit from a 1972 Chevelle. The suspension was totally rebuilt and upgraded to F41 heavy duty specifications. Hidden no-hop traction bars were also installed.
I then went on to add numerous accessories including oil pressure, vacuum, and voltmeter gauges. I also added a fiberglas bed cover which I had painted blue with white SS stripes to match the hood. New 2.5" aluminized exhaust pipes with chrome tips and a crossover pipe were added.
I made sure that EVERYTHING was done right and worked right. I had the original factory clock converted to a quartz movement. I even spent 12 hours trying to figure out why the factory ammeter wasn't working (I finally was able to fix it).
In 1991, shortly after buying it, I offered to help a new co-worker move into an apartment. We had not met before, and I told her that I had a truck (but I didn't tell her what kind it was). When I showed up at the place she was moving out of, she and her friends couldn't understand why I was so protective of my "junky" looking old truck (I didn't want to haul any heavy sharp objects, only mattresses and stuff). Two years later, the restoration was finished, we got married, and took it with us on our honeymoon.
My wife and I call it "CARRGO" (I even had "CARRGO" vanity plates for a while). It just became old enough to get collector's plates here in Colorado. When I went to get the smog inspection, the operator said that it would pass the emissions standards for brand new 1996 cars ! I now try to drive it at least once a month, and to numerous shows and cruises during the summer. The rest of the time, it sits in the "CARRGO" bay in the garage.
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