Hey there,
A friend of mine is going to go look at 71 or 72 Elky on Tuesday. I offered to go with her because I already have a 67 (sorta) and I had a 65 as my first car in high school, five years ago. Anyway, I'm looking for any advise for this particular model year. Like any places on these years (71-2 Elky) that were prone to rust. Or any other things that seem to break or go wrong on this model, aside from the normal mechanical stuff.

My main concern is I have no experiance with the 68-72 models and I'm afriad I might skip over something that I should look for on these years.

Thanks for your time.

Dano

Elky's are prone to rust basically in all the same places as a Chevelle, especially around the rear window. Have seen some that actually leaked so bad around the rear window that it got down to the frame and rusted the top of the frame out. I always jack them up and crawl under.

Normal mechanical problems are cheaper and easier to repair than rust. The next biggest problem is missing equipment, like a/c brackets, spare tire mounts and jack, etc.

Another problem, albeit not a big one, is the door hinges. Seems like they're always sagging or the detent roller assembly is broken.

For rust, I would look hard at:
- lower rear quarters;
- lower front fenders (if these are nasty, it can go into lower cowl area.);
- rear floor (both inside the cab and under the smuggler's cover [get under car to view this one]);
- lower front and rear windows;
- bottom of tailgate;
- below "z" flashing at rear of bed;
- channel inside cab where the bed floor meets the cab wall;
- bottom of doors;
- bed floor bracing (look from underneath between the wheels)
- and pay particular attention to the metal where bed floor meets bed sidewalls.

If you don't have one already, get you one of those thin magnets that have printing on them (refrigerator magnets) to lay in different areas. When the seller sees you start to use it, he'll come real clean about rust repairs or bondo.

For a normal driver, these cars couldn't be any more bullet-proof.

[This message has been edited by pOps (edited 01-29-2001).]

All advice above is very good. The only thing else is if it has a vinyl Top. I had to replace the whole top on my Elky because of rust in this area. I knew there was some, but did not know how much until I removed the old vinyl. Good luck.

Also check under the carpets for dampness. The front window is prone to leaks as well as the back. Had to remove both and reseal them. Floor pan was rusted out on drivers side from leaks.

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Mike
My 70 SSCwww.chevelles.com/showroom/mherb_70ss.jgp (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/mherb_70ss.jgp)

Make sure you check under the floors. The floorpan of the El Camino extends past the front edge of the bed under the access cover. If this leaks no-one will notice since it isn't really part of the interior, and will eventually rust through. Also around the rear window, and behind the front and rear tires.

Steve R.

Hey....sounds like you guys saw my car before I finished http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif just kidding.

I would say buy the one that has the least amount of body and paint work required. That way the money can go into making it look nice instead of spending a ton on body work and driving around in a primered car forever.

Chuck
My 71 Elky project http://home1.gte.net/res096qi/elky.htm

Ok, i agree with all these guys, especially about the access cover in the bed. I have a 71, and here are some minor things you may wanna check.

Do the rollers for the vent windows work?

Start it about five or ten times....the Elkys are prone to the starter shim grinding now and again....not a big deal though.

The bright switch, it happend with mine, and my friends 72, sometimes the bright switch makes the headlights actually go off.

Cant emphasize that rear window thing enough.

And make sure the car has the right grill. actually, mine has the 72 grill, which for some reason people think is the same, but its not. Although i prefer the 72 grill, so i got lucky.

And if it has a holley....make sure the baseplate isnt leaking.

Have fun man!!!!

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Agent923@aol.com

71 El Camino 454
It may not be an SS, but it will eat your Honda.

Chuck C
VERY NICELY DONE!! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

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Philip Mullaly
72 TPI El Camino
"Hey Ya'll watch this...."

WOW! I never thought I'd get this much info.

We are going to look at the car in about four hours. I condensed the list and we studied it. I'll keep everyone up to date about the situation.

Again, thank you so much for taking time to reply, you saved us a lot of headaches down the road.

Dano

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As kids we’re told to always play fair, smile at your neighbor and share, share, share. In later years we’re taught to try and be the best “Look out for yourself, and @ all the rest" Well, I would say in many ways we learned much more in younger days. The obvious things were all so plain to see. Like two for you and two for me, if there are only four I don’t need three. That’s just how the world should be.