Randy found this 1985 Caballero back in February 2003 with damage along the entire driver side, but no body or frame rust, and picked it up as his new project.
He had owned two El Caminos previously, and was eager to get back into another at that time. This 1985 Caballero was a bit different though, as it was equipped with the 4.3 V6 rather than a V8. Funny enough, he says that this engine runs better than either of the V8s that he had in those previous El Caminos.
“After 17 years I’m still always improving it.”
Randy D
Three years ago Randy took on the task of reworking the entire front end suspension setup, while in 2019 he chose to replace all of the rear suspension as well as the interior. In 2020, Randy opted to tackle a new set of bumpers, grille, rear license plate pocket, as well as new gauges. He even had the original tic/toc tach rebuilt by Bob’s Tachometer.
Randy originally purchased this 1985 Caballero with 75k on the odometer, and as of now he has got it up to 125k and it still runs great.
This 1985 Caballero is optioned with a 3 speed automatic with a floor mounted shifter in the center console. According to Randy, GM only produced 61 of these Caballeros in 1985, making it quite the rare specimen.
“The favorite things about my CABALLERO is working on it, driving it and the compliments on get it when my wife and I are out with it!”
Randy D
Randy has always loved El Caminos in the past, but with the amount of time and work put into this GMC Caballero he now has an even stronger attachment to it than any of his previous rides. He’s poured quite a lot of his own personality and special touches into the build & restoration that make it unique to him.
Next up on the list to be addressed are replacing the worn, original body mounts. After that has been taken care of, perhaps Randy will take on some performance upgrades.
