Joel’s 1969 El Camino is another resto-mod work in progress. He originally saw it parked on the main street of his small town back in 2003, and he picked it up the very same day.
It currently wears House of Kolor candy brandywine sparkle paint, with the only other exterior mods being wheels/tires and a tonneau cover, otherwise it appears stock to the naked eye. Under the hood lies a custom built 383 stroker mated to a beefed up 700R4 transmission and a Yukon posi traction unit in the rear.
The brakes and suspension have also been upgraded to accommodate for the extra power. He has opted to install a GM front power disc brake conversion for the extra stopping power, and all of the tired stock suspension components have either been beefed up with poly graphite or replaced as new.
“Two Thumbs Up to Ground Up for having almost everything I need to complete this build! Availability of hard to find parts and good pricing with quick shipping is great. Great Customer Service is another rare commodity.”
Joel
On the interior, this El Camino has received multiple upgrades and new components. Joel has installed a refurbished GM tilt steering column with a Grant deluxe wood rim steering wheel on the top. A GM tachometer is present and a reproduction quartz movement clock takes up the hole in the dash. An aftermarket cluster for AFR, Vacuum and Transmission temp will be added under the dash in the near future. All of the wiring has been replaced recently and a 100 amp alternator takes the place of the stock 41 amp or 55 amp unit. A pair of newly upholstered bucket seats replaced the original bench seat, which Joel still has.
The high torque 383 stroker engine is making about 340 horsepower with 440 lb. ft. of torque, while the built 700R4 is strengthened to handle up to 500 horsepower and has a 2000 RPM stall converter. While this El Camino may not have earth shattering figures, it is more than enough for it to get out of its own way and take down a few people on the street.
Eventually Joel plans on upgrading the rear diff to a Yukon Posi unit along with some new staggered 17 inch wheels, 7 wide up front and 9 inches wide in the rear.
