Transforming A Grocery Getter '83 El Camino Into An SS Elky - Trucks! S5, E8 

I love that 83 stock grill and bumper front end

I rememeber being a kid and this guy was always on TV on sundays before the games were on. Good times.

My grandmother did drive an El Camino and I flew out of the back and almost died. It was great!!

It looked better before he started

"however stylistically, they look like something your grandma would drive." My grandma actually owns one so that is accurate. However I prefer that style of El Camino.

Back when elcos were reasonably priced. Everyone wants $10-15k for a clapped out bondo bucket.

I like the stock grill better than the ss one

All the parts you take off of it are like gold to a restorer.

Not today. It's all over for us poh folk. Oh, for the day I bought my 68 Chevelle Malibu for $100 put a 65 396 out of a Vette for another $500 plus some Cragars for a manifold trade. Other goodies and for $2K I had a car that would do wheel stands.

Should have left the elcamino alone. It was just fine!

Oh to be able to get one of those for $3500. Even project cars are selling for double that.

This guy was really good. We took for granted how professional and talented tb shows, these internet channels dont compare.

I’d love one with the Lagune nose. Those are the ultimate lookers to me with engine bay space matched only by a destroyer.

I like the original grill better and the side exhaust looks silly on an elco

I had a 78 Palomino until grandson blew the motor, let him use it one day. Was restoring it sold it. Wish I would of kept it.

The absolute only thing I might do after watching this video is make the back bumper smooth and lining up with the tailgate, nothing else really looks good. I do like how it's not sticking out like it was

I love my 82 El Co. this show is a blast from the past man.

I thought it looked better before

Woah! Trucks with Stacy David! Blast from the past.

I just went to Honest Charlie's and found that front SS nose. $2,195. And $200 to $300 for shipping. Wow.

Nooo he destroyed that chevy !!!😪😪😪

I love your channel when you show the super fast truck for the teenager's and parent's it's pain in the ass to keep them out of trouble for example stealing the cars and trucks most teen can't afford to have a show quality cars every day driven and gas safer limited speed control and adding more brake power most common how we turn all american people to go diesel engine that gives more miles per gallon that's what you need to show some positive passion

Drove these El Caminos and some Rancheros for many years until they were just obsolete. Done several rear body treatments including this one and the Corvette taillights look. If you would like something really trick and different, the 2006 full size Chevy pickup fleetside bed taillights are very close in contour to the El Camino upper rear fender just outboard of the tailgate. This mod is for the bodyshop guys and takes some effort, but guarantee you will not see another, (mine is in the junkyard after a rough accident ). Another item, don't even drill any holes in the forward half of the bed, it will fill the secret spare tire compartment under the floor full of water every rain and drive-thru car wash!!!!

I love the 1983 model haircut.

Keep the Hood. Section the bumpers and tuck 'em. Swap out the 305 for a mild (by today's standards) 350 with a Manual. 3.54 posi. CPP Pro Tour Stage III kit and use it as it was meant to be.

I used to have an 85 El Camino. What I wouldn't give to have it back and do a resto-mod on it. An LS engine, fully independent rear suspension, and a 5 speed manual.

I'd love see a panel built from a Malibu wagon body with the B pillars removed and el Camino doors installed and new door jambs fabbed in for the Elco doors and of course the Monte SS nose. A "modern nomad" if you will.

Hell yeah, I've got a 79 Camino

Thanks for making the video. Great looking cruck. I sure would like to get my hands on those headlight bezels there in way better shape than the ones on mine.

I love the stock front end

He got a little crazy with that reciprocating saw... jumped into the fender a little

The STOCK look of an El Camino is cool. This bolt-on project did nothing more than mess up a cool truck. Unbelievable.

Pain in the rear to work on. Scrap them. Tried to put a v8 into one that had aV6. Never again headers would not fit

I like the old bumper back!

Elkies and Mazda Miatas....the Nickelback of hot rodding, yet both have such great potential. Had I a shop, I wouldn't waste time leasing a new truck, I'd pick up an Elky from this year and toss together a parts chaser (MaximumTorqueSpecialities makes a nice Caddy 500 swap). But then i remember when shops would actually OWN a truck and hot rod it so customers could get an idea of what the shop could perform. but why oh why, bolt rusty hood equipment to a new hood. Soak it in a 50/50 mix of salt and vinegar, wash off and repaint.

I know the additional parts that were put on this El Camino. On not everybody's cup of tea. Some people like the more original looking than with the aftermarket parts he added on it. For those who do not know because they're not El Camino people. There was a company from Chattanooga, Tennessee called choo choo customs. They took different Chevy vehicles. One was the El Camino. And they added different body parts on them. They didn't do anything to the drivetrain but Just body parts only. The front nose and side skirts were an option that you could get from the dealership. It would have been called The choo choo El Camino. There would be a sticker in the door jamb indicating what number this car was and its production. A choo choo emblem on the dashboard on the passenger side. And one on the tailgate. Now there was a company called Lauren engineering which sadly's out of business. That was a fanatic about El Camino's. They made different bumpers, front ends, side skirts and a few other aftermarket body parts. To give your El Camino a different look besides the choo choo custom Monte Carlo front end.

elky? i've only heard elco for an abbreviation of el camino.

Superb

Got a 84 El Camino that looks close to this ones color maybe a little lighter, but the hood was nkt as bad as this ones. 3500 wasnt far off of mine in all honesty and this was what roughly 18 years ago?

Looked better the way it was.

This was when I was introduced to the crazy oddball truck known as the Chevrolet El Camino.

Why you didn' t used an IROC Z front end?

PURRROOOOO TAKUACHE CUHHHHH

At 4 min Stacey definitely cut the front fender on accident with the sawzall

That steve perry cut brings back more nostalgia than the El Camino, tbh.

Those bed rails are hard to find and he just tossed them 🤦🏻‍♂️🤬🤬

Honest Charles deserved some cred

Just Sharp nice ride

Looks more better to me to each it's own

He always has a trusty file on him

Any update video on the el camino.

When I restored an 87 some years back, I made extra grill pieces that went over the lights, with an actuator, kinda like the old rs Cameron, 68?? Not sure, but man did it come out sweet. It was a budget build and I repurchased so much stuff I had hanging around from other hot rods I owned, that I really didn't spend that much, but boy, it came out nice and I made a hefty profit....

Did you ever finish the elco?

There is absolutely nothing you can do to make that tip look right!!!

I wonder why all of the episodes of trucks are not available to watch

Can you call it a SS if it's just a base model underneath?

this is form the 90"s this program

Where did you get the side exhaust rocker panels I need them and can't find any

Does anyone know what year this particular episode was originally aired on television?

i love these models of el caminos, don't care if my wife doesn't either lol

Stacey David can sure transform grandma's El Camino into a hot looking SS model.

I like Stacey David but in the last clip you see of the elcamino the stock exhaust is still on 😅😂

Better stock. Sorry! What happened to gears?

I got to say that car would have looked better with the stock grill and a fiberglass paint to match bumper. The ground effects kit just looks stupid on the side of that thing.

That fendet bye

Like most of these shows when you say budget its usually 5 - 10 thousand which isnt cheap

could have got real serious a bought all monte carlo parts. you'd have needed doors too but the look is worth it.

Exactly. By. Rod

Got one I might be selling here soon..’79 El Co..Loaded..350, runs/drives, just never really drive it and want another “toy”..I’m located in Charlotte NC!..Hmu

Liked it before he started better 😂

It's amazing how much butchery he did on this show.

Now we are ready for the tip.....we are ready for the tip....😳

Watching this in 2022 “expensive with its price tag of $33k.” I remember thinking that was expensive too.

Give me all the parts you took off the el camino it's like Gold to me

El Camino is Spanish for The Camino

I clicked power nations link to see cast iron welding and this came up!???

any old chevy is gonna command price

You ain’t picking up a 1980 anything for $1500 anymore jack. More like $5k minimum if it starts.

Back in the 80s and 90s they must've ruined a million classic cars unintentionaly, people thought they had better taste than the car designers but forgot to look in the mirror🧐

I think he did more work on vehicles during trucks then he does on gearz

to bad the 5.4 liter motor was garbage on the ford lightning

$1500-$3500??? I wish!!

That bed cover will kill your gas mileage

I am making a GMC gentleman in sports

Aftermarket junk is used a lot here... still beautiful, though.

In 2024 pricing, you can barely even find a rotted out, non running G-Body car for under $5000....

All the stuff he installed is all the stuff they pay me to remove lol poor elcamino

If your child is very unprofessional with out any idea how to keep the cars safe in college and universities they key your car your insurance claim get your insurance sky high paint should be strach proof window should be made plastic nobody can't break in easily and last part they are stealing proof can you bring that kind of project in your show all american people would love to look at it

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ONE AS A 4X4 6 IN. LIFT WITH A 383 STROCKER AND 5 SPEED TREMEC TRANS.

Try now like 5k and up

$1,500 to $3,500? Where?

Hot. Rod project

I forget these are trucks

I'm from the uk and even I can spot it looked better before hand. The colours don't match and you messed up a classic look.

Is this the same nose as the Monte Carlo?

1500 to 3500 not no more boo

Fucking monte carlo front end lol

It's not an ELKY. IT's an ELCO

5 point harness with a 305?🙄

Clean looking car but where are the f-bombs, cursing whatever engineer put a bolt there, and a "who's f***in idea was this!"?