GMC Sprint: The Other El Camino 

I've never seen or even heard of a Sprint till now. Thanks !

Oohh, an Isuzu Amigo in the background.😳

I don't think anyone knows more about automobiles than Steve here! It's just amazing. I love watching the auto auctions just to hear him go through the details of every car. A true Automobile Historian💯🙌

Great video, Steve! I owned a 1973 GMC Sprint, dark forest green with a beige vinyl top. It had a 454 CID Rochester 4bbl., power windows, brakes, AC, and a 3 speed column shifted automatic. My father bought it at Hopkins Pontiac in Peterborough NH and I took over ownership when I was stationed at Holloman AFB New Mexico in 1976. Great car...drove it down to NM and back to NH. It was the only "hot rod" I ever owned- topped out at 115 mph on the straightaways outside Alamagodo NM!

I just bought a 1972 GMC Sprint all original matching numbers 350/350 2bbl. Can’t wait to go through it and bring it back to its former glory. You and the comments have blessed me with some much needed knowledge on these cars. I believe some 6473 or so were only produced in 72’ making this survivor a great rare gem.

That’s a great junkyard Steve. Right next to the Sprint was a rather rare Honda CB750A automatic.

Steve, you are so full of good information, but you missed something about the fenders. I had one of these that had a wrecked front end. I bought used fenders for a Chevelle and they didn't fit. The difference is the Chevelle fenders had pooched out pseudo fender flairs but the station wagons and El Caminos didn't. The Chevelle fenders won't match up with the leading edge of the of the El Camino doors. I bought a second front clip from a wagon and it fit right up. It was a great car. I just loved the GMC Sprint!

I love Steve's videos because they are very informative and short... sometimes being long is not good.

Your knowledge is beyond all Encyclopedias!!! I love when you get blind folded and can just tell a car from the rain rails! AMAZING!

My dad had a '71 Chevy Concours (Chevelle Wagon) that was Ascot Blue, when I was a kid. So the '71 has always held a special place with me. I have recently found it, 30 years after he sold it.

Lol, great video. I had a '71 307 three on the tree. The air cleaner cover said hi-torque 307. I was told all they did was add weight to the flywheel 😀. All i know is between me and my subsequent family members we put over 300k with only a timing chain and gears service/replacement. It had 112k when i dug it out of the weeds behind a building in an industrial park the business belonged to a painting contractor but they had gone belly up and this was the only vehicle that didnt sell at a liquidation auction 3 years earlier. Just sitting for three years and it was clear it had been a work vehicle. Had a big rack welded on from tailgate to front bumper. Could only open the hood about 2'. After removing the rack and some basic maintenance that sprint was indestructible. Was in my family after me for a decade. Greatest GM ever. 🙂

Always fun to learn from you Steve.

I love these little learning moments! I almost bought a sprint recently, but held off for a 70 elco that never materialized.

Very interesting . What caught my attention was at the end their is a motorcyle in the background that appears to be a honda 750 2 speed auto clutch that is also kind of rare and interesting .

Thank you Steve Get well soon

Awesome video, thanks for sharing this with us Steve. I purchased a 1971 GMC Sprint in 1987. I was the 3rd owned, it was mostly stock without the original wheels, had a 350 Invader, TH350 Trans (on the column shifter), functional cowl hood w/flap, The color was red with white stripes and white vinyl roof with beige tan interior. I rebuild the 350 motor to almost stock specs (spelling?) and added new heavy duty springs and shocks, ball joints and control arms with a 1 and a quarter inch front anti-sway bar and 1 inch stabilizer bar in the rear [painted blue, can't remember the brand now] which did not come with the truck new. I bought it for 7 grand, I put 14 grand into the truck with high end $3,000 stereo and a alarm system and paint & body work, shift kit, etc. Asked $14,000, sold the Sprint for $12,000, [without the stereo and alarm] in 1994. Had a lot of fun for 8 years and could keep up with Porsche's around corners. Thanks again and I hope you and your dear family have a wonderful week!! [[ P.S. I used to have a video I found on the internet that had the exact same color combo but with a 454, they deleted it. The 454 on the grill was painted red, my 350 on the grill was painted white. Do you know anything about that or if that is correct? You are the best Steve! ]]

Our friend is building the Caballero 😎.

love all your videos! just a heads up, el camino and wagon shared the fenders, the cars used different fenders on the 1970 to 72s.

An old buddy of mine who loved El Camino's bought a Sprint and may still have it, haven't heard anything from or of him in ten years or more, just kind of lost touch. IIRC it was gold- I do remember it had a small V8 which he described as "gutless". Only seen a few others, quite a scarce car.

I'm 66 El Camino owner very interested in this subject. Glad somebody like you did it - very good stuff!

I didn’t realize they made these

My labor had a blue 72 sprint 454 swivel bucket seats when I was much younger I use to help him work on it

So funny Steve. Snow on the ground and your in a t-shirt. Signing off, Phoenix.

My FIL had a 71 Sprint. Never have seen another one.

Steve know his cars I enjoy watching I learn something new every time I watch.

The GMC V6 was 305 or 351 in the light truck line. It was made in much larger displacements for the heavy truck line.

Ahhhh a Mullet Mobile. We just finished restoring a 68 Big Block SS 4speed Car. Garnet Red with Black racing stripes and factory 15×8 rally wheels.

Luv the "where'swally" aspect of lookin at treasure in the background

I like that you touched on the inter-corporate rivalries that were so prevalent at that time. People today seem to think that car makers were one big happy family back then (I'm looking at you, Plymouth owners with Dodge bumblebee stripes on your cars!!) but that couldn't be further from the truth. The fact is that Dodge and Plymouth were almost bigger rivals to each other than they were to Chevrolet, Ford, etc. Might be fodder for a future video, Steve! Enlighten the noobs! 😎

In my small town, for many years the Pontiac/Cadillac dealer had no association at all with GMC trucks. We had a separate, full line GMC dealer. They sold everything from the lightest pickups all the way up to class 8 semi tractors. Some time in the 1980s, both the Pontiac/Cadillac dealer and the GMC truck dealer were bought out by the single line Oldsmobile dealer. The Olds dealer kept the GMC light duty line but spun off the medium and heavy truck line to another place a few miles away. Both of those dealers still exist today.

I saw one at a car show a couple days before this video came out, never new about it but it's a great automobile.

Yep. Got two of these here. One with the Small Block 350 and one with the "Invader" 454. Both are Automatics. Had them since the late 80's.

The front fenders on el camino 68-72 only interchange with the wagons not with the coupes or 4 doors

Thanks for the video. Looking at that front clip reminds me of the mercury monarch and the ford variant whose name escapes me

I grew up with El caminos my father had many they are my favorite car thanks for the great video steve

Got a 74 SP (454 and Swivel seat package) Its getting some handling and horsepower done to it at a shop 4 miles from this yard right now!

My brother had an Isuzu Rodeo just like the one behind you! Cool SUV's you never see anymore.

Ya'll are a hearty bunch up there,snow on the ground and a short sleeve T shirt. Great video as usual.

way back in the mid 80's my parents had a 73 GMC sprint it was tan with wood grain on the sides of course my dad put some big and little Cragars on it .

Learn a lot from you. How can you remeber all this.

A good friend of mine in Vegas had a 66 elcamino and a 63? Tempest convertible with an aluminum v8 and the whacky transaxle. Loved the land of no rust . I lived in the Berkshires once upon a time, great videos

Hi Steve , goes to show that you learn some thing new every day . I never heard of or seen one of these Sprints .

I have a 77 Sprint.I bought it about 2 years ago 4 $800 and it had a camper shell and some American Torque Thrust mags in it.It was sitting in a guys driveway 4 7 years.The date code is 6/77 which is the kast month if the model year,so it's gotta be 1 of the last ones built.1978 was a totally different smaller body style.The Cabarillio came out in 78.I remember when these were new.

In 1969 I completed a summer long GM/Chevrolet training session in Tarrytown NY. After which they took us on a tour of the Chevy plant in Tarrytown where we watched them assemble "Big" Cars (Caprice, Implala, Bel Air, Biscaynes) on one side of the plant, and on the other side they built full size pick up trucks, both Chevy and GMC on the same assembly line. Of course the trucks shared the same frames and suspensions and basic sheet metal, but things like the grilles, lamps, tailgates and badges were changed accordingly. Sadly a few years later, the plant was demolished and GM eventually closed the Training center at the end of the 90's.

Another great video Steve get well soon

I learned to drive in an early 80's GMC El Caballero!

All 'real' Holden utes had the backseat mounts under the floor. From about 50 to 71. Later were in effect a full chassis with leaf springs. Through to 84. Then came in 91 coil sprung Commodore utes, a wagon with the roof cut off!!

Good work Steve! I've only seen 2 Sprints in NW Indiana, and I'm now retired. Keep up your journey love your commentary on lost classics.

About those front turn signals: I think the difference between the El Camino/Chevelle lenses and the Sprint lenses is just a matter of color. As I recall, the Chevys had amber lenses with clear bulbs. The GMC, with the white lenses, probably had amber bulbs. Just something to differentiate between the two.

Man you have so much knowledge on so many vehicles I would love to know a quarter of what you know. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on these videos

Thank you for the great videos. So many interesting vehicles there. The white station wagon, gold 2 door car, Dodge D100 and a motorcycle.

My Uncle had a 71 GMC Sprint. Brown with white racing stripes, 350 Invader under the hood, TH400 Trans and side pipes. She was a sweet ride. It would burn rubber in all three gears

this cant be more perfect... i just picked up a 77 GMC Sprint last weekend lol

Great video,my first car was mom and dads 72 ElCamino they’d had since I was about 3. Dad had bought a parts car to do a body swap which turned out to be a GMC Sprint. Still have that car although totaled after an extra long shift at work. Have has boatload of ElCaminos and Chevelles and really dig seeing your videos on those cars. 👍

Proud owner of a '71 Sprint SP 350. Happens to be for sale too.

Good vid. Living those years I never seen a GMC Sprint.

Man I remember those very well! My brother had one of those in the mid 70s! And used to use it to haul iron fences that he used to weld in his shop. His was blue also!👌😎👍great content!

Thanks a lot for the videos pretty cool how you just pick something out and give us a rundown on some history

No on the fenders interchanging. They are not the same as Malibu or Chevelle except for the wagons. The car’s fenders had a bulge that tied into the door starting in 1970. The ElCo and wagons had flat sides because they were basically a carry over from 68-69 with a revised front clip. Great Info and content regardless. I Remember finding a 71 sprint SS abandoned in front of a burned out trailer house in middle of nowhere Alaska in the 90s. It had all the original dealer paperwork in the glovebox including the window sticker and protecto plate. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I think it was a 300? Horse 350ci with an auto trans and “posi” . I remember it being a highly optioned white car.

Wow. Never new that. Thanks for sharing Steve

Keep the videos coming Steve. Awesome job 👍

Love this show

Get well Steve!!!.

Thank you Steve...

As an Aussie, hearing Steve call it a Ute shows how much he knows, onya mate!

I had a '73 Sprint I drove in high school. Had a 350/th350 combo. Factory air and factory tach dash vehicle. Was a fun car until friend I went out cruising and some drunk ass backed into the door. I was living it up with my camaro/Monte ss wheels on it (had Rocket Racing mags prior). That Lil sprint got me around. People didn't like it because they said it looked like a drug dealers car, when in fact, was the exact opposite. Good times.

Loved my 71 GMC sprint . Mine had the 350 Invader, Frame rusted thru about 1994 .Gotta love Iowa rust

my friends grandmother had a Sprint. It was the only one I ever knew of

I only carried the Motortrend channel to watch junkyard gold. I like roadkill garage too, but mainly junkyard gold. I officially canceled my streaming service last week because I was paying $35 a month for maybe 2-3 re-ran episodes a month. The point of my story is, PLEASE KEEP UP THE JUNKYARD CRAWL 😁

Thank you Steve for bringing up the fact that these were based on Ford Australian models from the 30 40's. They were built in Australia's Ford 50s GMH till 2017 when GM said FU Australia and stopped manufacturing.

i bought the tach & gage dash from that sprint back in 97 olace had a lot of gutted mobile homes with nice cars stashed in them

Seen a few of those Sprints still running around in the 1980's.

Interesting information, much of which has been lost in time

This guy makes me want to take a nap holy shit

Crazy I’ve never even heard of one but I wasn’t alive back in those days

My buddy had a spirit in high school

The GMC emblem was also used on Sierra and Sierra Grande PU's and the V6 was a "305" CI.

Always a pleasure! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Good stuff, Steve!

The big block narrow angle V6 motors were great!

Great information I never knew.

I had a boss back in the early 2000's that had one - it is the only one I ever remember seeing. Actually kind of rare, production numbers for 1971 : 5536

Oh I remember that one, my dad's hog farmer partner on standardbred race horses in the 70's owned a a sprint and pulled a horse trailer with it. If I remember correctly it was gold and had 400 emblems on it.

Love the el camino's , don't see a lot of them here in Australia, Yes Stevo we have the UTE , The Ford xa xb xc falcon utes from the 70's are similar , I have a 1977 xc ute the closest I can get to an el Camino, thanks for the look at the GMC , Didn't no there was one , would love one of those, wouldn't be a lot of them here in Australia let alone in the USA ? Cheers

Awesome, always wanted one of those varriants. Also the later Chevy engines were TurboJet, early ones were TurboFire.

A friend of mine has a 1973 GMC Sprint he has owned it before he was old enough to drive but he has a 73 Laguna front clip on the car it looks awesome

Never knew about this model! Had a 69 Ranchero for a bit, in the mid 80s. Someone had converted it to a Hurst 3 speed on the floor, fun car

That’s a testament to how rare these are…I had always thought the Caballero was the only GMC version

Very cool!

Neat video Steve

Yeah you are right.The interiors do look identical.That one looks just like mine!

Interesting how these cars changed what sedan body they would make this model from through the years.

Steve, don't you get cold! T-Shirt omg!

Thank you

Loved the vid, I have never seen the "unicorn" that's very interesting GMC..

Awesome automotive history 🇺🇸💪

I think these borrow a little from some of the rebadged Chevrolet cars sold by Canadian Pontiac dealers. They too are little more than a Chevy with different badges, although some had their own grilles and taillight lenses. GMC had their V6 but the Chevy inline could be had in trucks, and prior to about 1961 a Pontiac was the V8 engine option; there were some with Buick V8s, and so forth - they'd borrow from all over the company. The V6 itself is interesting, IIRC it was originally designed to be a diesel motor, and there's that V12 variant....

i saw one of these at a car show a few years ago

From 1971-77 GMC Sprint is basically a Chevrolet El Camino twin as much as the Caballero

That's a Honda CB750A automatic transmission motorcycle behind you. A pretty rare bird also.