1969 El Camino. Street Rod or 4X4?

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4X4 or Street rod

  • Street rod

  • 4X4

  • Restore to original

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M

madeuce

Member
Jul 22, 2010
194
0
0
Been sitting on a '69 El Camino for a few years. Car is in good shape and drivable. Been toying with both of the ideas since I got it. When I had the money to do it, I was working too much to have the time. When I had the time to do it, it was because I wasn't working enough to have the money :D Planning on getting things rolling soon and have it done by next summer. Maybe minus paint, I know a guy that does a great job on paint, but next winter will be the first opening.

I can go either route, probably cost roughly the same either way I go. Wife hates it anyway so she doesn't care :p I'm not a Chevy fan or an El Camino fan myself, but I'll be damned if I ever turn down a free 69 El Co that's in good shape.

Any thoughts? Anyone know anyone that's done a 4x4 El Co and had it turn out nice?

Put a restore option in, not really into original, but it's an opinion.
 
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Bignate603

Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
0
Street rod or restore, don't chop it up into a 4x4. I think you're underestimating how much it would take to turn it into a decent 4x4 and lift it. Either it would require a decent amount of custom work to do it right or you'd end up with something chewed to pieces by a sawzall and covered with booger welds. Putting a drive axle in the front of a car that never came with one is not a trivial task, you'd have to throw out the whole suspension and start over. On top of that, you'd need to figure out how to fit a transfer case in there under the car and route a drive shaft to the axle without it being able to hit anything at any point during the suspension's travel. Often when you see cars that never came as a 4x4 that have been converted they took the body of the car and dropped it onto a frame of a vehicle that was originally a 4x4. It simplifies everything but you basically need another whole vehicle to pull it off and even then you're probably looking at lengthening or shortening the frame to make the wheelbase match up. It would be kind of stupid to throw away a decent frame and drive train on the El Camino if its already running.

For a restoration or a street rod you'll have plenty of options out there for appearance and drive train. It would be relatively easy to build a very nice car without too much difficult work. It would also mean that you wouldn't have to hack a classic to pieces while doing it, the body would remain pretty much the same.
 
M

MikeMike

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
45,885
66
91
street rod... these things have no weight in the back... think of the possibilities...

anyways, uncle has one, with a 305 in it, and a shift kit... car just GOES... there is no sensation of speed, it's just there, and the thing isnt insane at all...
 
M

madeuce

Member
Jul 22, 2010
194
0
0
Bignate603 said:
Often when you see cars that never came as a 4x4 that have been converted they took the body of the car and dropped it onto a frame of a vehicle that was originally a 4x4. It simplifies everything but you basically need another whole vehicle to pull it off and even then you're probably looking at lengthening or shortening the frame to make the wheelbase match up.
Click to expand...


The guy that is going to help me with the project is insanely great at metal work. He's done custom frames before. I've been trying to find a perfect 4X4 frame with the same wheelbase for a while that way it's an easy switch.

Most of the custom 4X4s with car bodies look terrible to me. Only one that I've ever seen come out looking great was an old 2 door Grenada on a Jeep truck frame.

If I go the street rod route I'm thinking of tubing it out. Place in detroit(if I remember right) that makes the entire back half for the car and it's not terribly expensive. So either way I've got some frame work to do.
 
cardiac

cardiac

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,082
14
81
There is a '71 El Camino running around NW Indiana that looks pretty good. He put the body on a 1974 Chevy K1500 shortbed chassis. Lots of parts inter-changeability there.... He kept it sitting pretty low to the ground which really makes it look pretty cool...

Bob
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,622
5,730
146
my old partner had a 71 that was a very very nice 4x4. I think he had ford running gear on it. It drove fine and was easy to get into, not jacked up at all.
 
hanoverphist

hanoverphist

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2006
9,867
23
76
madeuce said:
Any thoughts? Anyone know anyone that's done a 4x4 El Co and had it turn out nice?

Put a restore option in, not really into original, but it's an opinion.
Click to expand...

there was one in mesa for a long time. he put it on the frame and drove it as he built it, so i got to see the different stages. it was pretty cool overall, not sure what 4X4 frame he stared with. it ended up with a 8" lift and huge tires to fit, custom roll cage and everything. sucker looked like a monster truck with all the suspension work, he made it overkill for average 4X4ing.

i still voted for street rod, i think that has much more "weekend run" capabilities.
 
M

madeuce

Member
Jul 22, 2010
194
0
0
Hell yeah he does. 'Cause it's authentic.

Going to pull the motor and body off hopefully on my next days off. Take a good look at the frame and go from there.
 
Malak

Malak

Lifer
Dec 4, 2004
14,696
2
0
Raduque said:
4x4 an El Camino? ...wat?

That's so much fail.
Click to expand...

lolwut?

72elcamino.jpg
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,622
5,730
146
My buddy's rig had about 3" less tire, and narrower. It was very tasteful, but the one pictured above is a little much IMO.
 
P

Painman

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2000
3,728
29
86
Stock resto, if it were mine. '69s look pretty sweet vanilla, IMO.

4x4ing it would be a sin.
 
TehMac

TehMac

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2006
9,976
3
71
You know, I used to be sort of ambivalent to the Chevelle and El Camino, but both those chevys have grown on me a lot.
 
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