Is This a Car or a Truck? It's HOOVIE’S 1986 Chevy Grand Camino!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- You've got to check out this 1986 Chevy Grand Camino! It's the Chevy you never thought they made, but really should have. Be sure to check out @GoodMorningTH-camAT to see more about this cool car and other great car content.
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The photos show the car was built out of two cars, a Regal and an El Camino. A significant difference between the two cars is the wheelbase- 108.1" for the Regal, and 117.1" for the El Camino.
Since this car has a long wheelbase and has a Chevy dash, I'd say the Regal front clip, doors, roof and body panels were transferred onto the El Camino platform and frame. That's why there are not cut and paste welds on the floorpan and frame, and the air shock lines use factory El Camino parts (Most El Caminos of this vintage came with air shocks from the factory).
BTW, the background art and letter font used on the Chevy Gauges indicate the donor El Camino was built in either '86 or '87.
This guy knows his chevys
Nice to know.
A closer look at the pictures in the bed would answer most of the questions.
All they really did was just take the rear seat out and cut therear part of the roof whrere the vinyl usually goes(shortened the rood to the quater windows) and turn the trunk Into a bed no need for frame swap or none of that simple stuff
I believe you are 100% correct sir.
No Grand Nationals were harmed in the making of this machine....so I approve!
A GNX was... at least the front end.
Definitely not ruined on this one. They took two cars that most people don't care too much about and made something unique and cool.
they took something ugly and made it fugly
Who ever built it has some serious body work skills it looks awsome
In Australia it's a UTE It's cool
Yup
Not a truck till it can take 5 tons lol
And yeah, very cool
I’m from Cuba, came to this great nation back in ‘94. My dad’s first car was an ‘81 Buick Regal which he bought for a whopping $300 in great condition. I loved that car..
I was born in Cuba, Missouri 😊
@@wyattdean5658 I thought you were joking till I looked it up.. lol I didn’t know about this city in MO. Thank you
I hope your dad and the rest of your family are living the American dream.
@@dillonh321 It's been 1,000% better than Cuba that's for sure. Love this country with my soul. Just sad seeing what it has become and where it's going.. those of us who've lived in communism can smell the BS 10 miles away. May God protect this nation always! The last bastion of freedom in the world.
Cuba, Missouri, not Cuba Country!
I think what they did with this is to chop back the roof of an '87 Regal, remove the rear seats and trunk lid, then weld in an El Camino bed and fabricate a tonneau cover. I doubt that is the original engine, as these came with either the 3.8 V6 or the 307 Olds V8.
Great video!
Some Regals came with 305s.
@@hendo337 Early versions, around '78 or '79. Later cars like this had the 307. The YCL code on the emissions sticker under the hood corresponds to a 307 Olds. The Chevy engine makes more sense, that's probably why they ditched the Olds motor.
I absolutely love this vehicle. If I owned it, I would never sell it.
You'd have to find a buyer.
I would totally take out the 305 and put an actual Grand National engine inside that's just me. Beautiful car!
Imagine how fast this would be down the track with one of those
@@rawr51919 Incredibly slow to anything modern, it's only like a 250hp engine stock. My 4cyl crossover has over 300hp and probably weighs similar if not less, and I wouldn't call it fast
Lol replace it with a gen1 3.8? I'm down.
@@MrDummyisDumb the el caminos that were used for the back were and still are great drag cars, the weight's all in the front so it wouldn't matter the engine, it'd scream
@@rawr51919you want weight over the drive wheels....
How dare you??!! It's not Hoovie's, it's April's Grand Camino!! 🤣
"The greatest automotive channel in all of youtube land."
I came here exactly to say that, lol
With no floor or frame seams, that has to be an El Camino frame and shell from the firewall back with the Regal upper A/B/C posts, roof and glass. Good looking vehicle with a nice airy cabin and no loss of bed space. You can tell it's an El Camino body from the back wall in the cabin... The EC glass is curved out and back along the line of the top of the panel at the back of the cabin.
"A" post should have been the same across all G bodies, including wagons and trucks
Being a G-body fan & an El Camino fan, I really like it.
This is the coolest Grand El Regamino I've ever seen!! LOL
Grandfather had a early late 60’s/70’s Camino.. I always wanted one.. Not a car fan, but the only car i ever wanted
Not a car, it's a truck
@@CherokeesJeepLife tomato.. tomatoe
Well.....April certainly doesn't need a head turning car.....but I think it is a wonderful garage creation from someone that has a certain talent of seeing what is possible! Her exuberance on screen is a joy to watch and Hoovie is lucky to have her in his life! We can all dream of a companion that shares some of the same interests and hobbies and joy of life that they seem to be experiencing now!
Interior is definitely a hodge podge of parts. El Camino dash. Regal door panels and wheel.
90s 4.3 and a turbo like a syclone. Mix all the GM hits
Every El Camino has the air shock option! It was from the factory on all El Caminos.
@@mcyclonegt mis typed. they were standard not optional.
Interesting, neither my 1971 or 1978 had air shocks. The 1971 was factory from front to back.
Go to Speedway and look at their collection of G-body parts. I looked at a dirt track racer in Texas. The car had multiple factory-made braces and steering stiffeners. My dream car is a 1985 G-body wagon, slightly lifted with some 17" mud grips and an Eaton locker rear end. A 6.2 LS and a 4L80. No trim, white with minimal blacked out grill. Bull bars on the front and rear and an expedition kit on the roof.
An 83 is the newest G-body wagon you will find. 78-83 was the production years. Other body style G-bodys made it to 1988.
I had two Caprice Classics in the 1980's and 90's and the 305 is not an exceptional engine and that is what makes them so incredibly reliable. They are so detuned and so over engineered for their power that they are almost bullet proof. The cars were so solid with these engines that Saudi Arabia bought these in droves in the 90's and demolition car teams bought these old 305 cid v-8 because they were like zombies. They were immortal in their reliability. As a footnote I asked my wife about what she thought about April's new ride and her opinion was almost identical to Aprils. She loves the idea of the super trunk being covered and the engine being so super reliable. I have heard stories about those old 305 running low on oil and neglected to the point of absurdity and the engines still will run smooth and faithfully. Keep the 305 and drive it, just don't park it without having a place for the oil to collect. a small bathmat might be the secret sauce for this very capable exotic American car. It might be a hooptie but April likes hoopties.
305s last a long time and yet nobody wants them too because a turbo I3 can out perform one😂
@@hendo337 So true.
If the wizard can not find the seam then that would be a good indicator that the people that made the modifications cared about the result.
Yeah. I’m also impressed they didn’t screw up the mechanicals. Seems easy to work on.
They are looking for a seam on a frame that was never seemed or cut. Thats an El Camino frame with a Regal front clip and doors modified to fit. The only seams to see are on the rear body panels where the "truck bed" was built
Someone spent BIG bucks to graft that El Camino onto the Regal!!~The GsX emblems are just silly!!
lots of time for sure but its more of grafting regal doors and front clip to an el camino frame.
I sent April 2 of those covers for the door pull. They came with the GN jacket I sent her
I like April's car. Hope she gets a lot of fun out of it. Thanks Wizard for working on it. Who would tell her no, 🙂
Ditch the 2x4 wood for similar sized delrin blocks. That's easy easy to order.
ya know if she loves it then thats all that matters. we all have opinions, and you know where the rest is going…
thanks Wizs’ Great vid as usual.
Great video. The modifications were mostly body work. Both source vehicles were on the GM G-body platform. That means that no frame modifications were needed. The hard work was in grafting the two bodies together and the tailgate mod. really good work! Wood blocks, not withstanding.
I've lived in Jefferson County, just south of St. Louis County, Missouri, for almost 47 years. From the late '80s to the early 2000s, there was this guy I'd see every now and then who owned a super cool custom car/truck combo. It was built on a '70s Ford Ranchero with parts from an '85 Lincoln Continental Town Car. This dude even had custom nameplates on the vehicle that looked like they were straight from Ford or Lincoln. The nameplates read "El 'Linc' O" which was the name of the car. I was a cool and well done custom ride that was planted in this super nice metal flake burgundy paint. I don't know that ever happened with the car as it has been over 20 years from the last time I saw it on the road.
Perfect funeral flower car
Very much so ^^^ IMHO April could rent it out to local funeral homes for that purpose.
🤪🤣🤣🤣
I bought and built a straight 83 El Camino, 300hp 350, fresh paint, interior, nice wheels, no rust So Georgia car, etc. First thing my dad said was "what are you doing with a funeral car?" lol. Even though it was painted in white pearl. Wish I still had that thing. Cheers
For gearheqds!
The floormat that Mrs. Wizard pointed out was actually used in the rear. I remember those from my dad‘s 79 Cutlass. 👍🚙
That's a really nice cut and shut.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Thanks for sharing it with us Wizard, Hoovie and Partner.
🖖
Looks like a sweet ride to me. In great shape too!
If I just need some wholesome entertainment to not completely fill my head with junk but valuable and education entertainment I can always come to the Car Wizard.
These recap channels sends you down a rabbit hole...
LOL when you opened the hood, hardest i've laughed on a car review in a while
.
The dash is 100% el camino. The steering wheel is from a regal. My dad had an 82 regal 4 door with that steering wheel.
GNX was a limited production faster version of the Buick Grand National. The fender vents and mesh wheels
are only on the GNX.
I had a 305 cid in my '77 Monte Carlo and it was a great car
Those are some great hood struts. WOW!
Truly amazing work on this car. Great hobby and uniqueness.
Beautiful build!!!!
having had a number of el caminos in the family
i would say that is an 80's el camino frame body interior
with a grand national front end, rear glass and bumper
mended onto it, dash is an el camino
i still have one of the last years in the garage, one owner,
good shape for a model that was driven not abused,
start it every few month, needs i think rear brakes looked at
I once had a 69 Chevy pickup with a 396 CI and Quadrajet carburetor. When I got the pickup the carburetor had some problems. When I rebuilt it I found the roll pin that holds the needles in place was detached. I finished the rebuild and a short time later the needle roll pin again became detached. When you pressed the throttle you lifted everything with limits. If you buried the throttle you lifted the needles entirely out of the jets.... and introduced your back to the metal frame of the seat back. I don't know how much power it had, but it was a LOT. In the end I purchased a new Quadrajet and my problems were all gone, including that amazing accelleration. I missed that, but at least I was not watching the gas needle go down (literally) anymore.
Man that car is COOL.
I want one bad! Nice conversion, a grand national motor is a must
I hate making comments that will never be seen by the poster. Wiz and Mrs Wiz are my kind of people. Same with Tyler. Everyone’s gentle nature and serious minded, goal focused approach are things I value. Even if I’m a poor. Then there’s April. I’m very pleased with the way she’s settling in. She’s a car nerd with a beautiful innocence. We are blessed to be graced by her presence. Cheers. Wish could kick some tires with y’all, maybe drink a couple beers and find some fun.
The proportions are a little weird, almost like the cab is too far back. The tailgate not opening flat is a bit of a downer. And the choice of a carbed 305 when so many other better engines are out there. Then there is the "malaise era" styling whch wasn't the prettiest even on the Grand National in its proper config. So there's quite a lot to pick holes in.
Then you stand back and take it in as a whole creation and you realize that it's actually awesome in it's scope and execution. Using only unwanted bits of unloved but common vehicles, the builder has created something that is far greater than the sum of it's parts, April, i'm seriously jealous!
Yeah, that added length in the back puts it out of proportion. Just looks to long from the side view almost like the rear axle should have been moved back. I think it would have been more practical, and easier, just to use the GN front end onto the El Camino and be happy with it. More functional as Chevy designed it.
It looks like a lot of fun! I'll bet it would be an awesome road tripper.
There was one of these in Dayton, Ohio, a guys grandpa made in the 90's. His grandpa was well known locally, and last I heard, he sold it. It looked better than that one.
For headers i use stage 8 locking header bolts and i throw a set of those cheap heat shield boots on the rubbet plug boots so they don't get hard or melt over time. Copper manifold gaskets are also a good stop measure for leaks on headers.
RIP to the car guy who built this amazing car. He must have had a dream AND the skills to do it. People like him keep getting harder to find. Taking 2 cars and combining them? Well done!
Everyone to their own taste said the cat as it licked its bum. It does look like something Hoovie would buy.
I had 1 similar but it was a iroc el camino
IROC El Caminos were very very 👍
I think it's neat! Would be cool to do the full GNX swap to justify the badges.
This is the coolest damn thing I've seen in so long! As Phillip J Fry says, "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!"
this is just the coolest thing ever, at first i was like "eh.. not my taste" but then you dropped the tailgate and i was LIKE THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT! . seeing that you know this thing has to be really well made. then you watch the rest of the video and see the wood heh... but i guess it works
I like it! I think it suits April…needs a turbo LS swap and GN interior bits to complete the transformation.
I love the car !
That rear load leveling air shocks were standard on the El Camino. I had a 78 El Camino that had those and they worked real good. I bought the El Camino in 92 mainly because it had a 350 in it and it had tons of torque. But then life happens to I wasn't able to fix it up like I wanted too so I sold it.
Unique! Just like April and Tyler! 💕
Finally, a car that Hoovie picks up that isn't some ridiculous luxury or super car that costs insane amounts too work on, parts can't be found, and normal people can't obtain.
Gee, the Wizard sure got a bit jumpy the way that hood just swung up! Whoa.
Serious props to whoever brought this vision to fruition. No small feat. And still left some meat on the plate for the next owner to take it that last 10% (and I think we all know what that entails). The GNX badging with no power to back it up rubs me the wrong way, and I wonder how it would look with regular GN wheels, but otherwise I'd daily this thing in a second. Drum brakes are great for brake-torquing a 305 to light 'em up, skip the Wilwoods for this one.
As someone who loves the 87 grand national I honestly think this is the coolest thing to be made and should have been made from the factory like that👍
Congrats on having eyes.
I’ve never seen anything like it in my 43 years, but I dig it! I’d pull the 305 just because it’s a 305 and I’d drive it everywhere
That's a really cool car, but I'm also surprised at it having a 305 instead of the turbo 3800, which was a realluy powerful engine; Grand Nationals were truly fast cars. Maybe they went with the 4 bbl 305 so the car could pass inspection and/or smog, or they couldn't get a hold of a turbo 3800 ?
@Car Wizard the transmission is a GM 200-4r... (Yes its 4r on the smaller 200 not r4) If you look up at the top of the bell housing where it bolts to the block it will also have a dual bolt pattern, the chev and BOP pattern. They can be built to handle decent power but are pretty weak in stock form.
Wow that's beautiful I would definitely put the Grand National motor in it.
Nice production and cross promotion of all the TH-cam channels featuring the vehicle.
Not doing the new idler arm?
No retrofit of the A6 A/C compressor?
David, I like how you end your videos rather than the popular minutes after the stated end!
I will have to check out good morning youtube, that car is very special and looks amazing.
Nice lookin' Camino 😊 I loved the 4.3 v6
Granted this is a modified car but if that's an original transmission I'm guessing that's a 200R4 transmission. I remember reading years ago the reason GM never put the 700R4 in the G body cars was that it didn't fit under the floor pan. The V8 and turbo V6 models got a somewhat beefed up version of the 200R4. I do remember seeing El Camino that were based on a Monte Carlo SS back years ago.
It's not. METRIC means TH200.
GMs 200 tranny series was weird; the 3 spd versions were straight up trash yet the R4 versions have an excellent rep, I'm guessing engineers involved did their homework on 'em, being they weren't strong enough to live behind a GN let alone a GNX
We're strong enough
Definitely a 200R4. The pan shape on the 200R4 is quite weird, but the 700R4 pan is almost a square
Other than the wood blocks, this is one of the cleanest customs I've seen.
I still think April should spend the money and drop in a mild 383 (and probably upgrade the transmission while she's at it).
How many 1980s custom cars were even made? let alone still on the road?
No matter what happens next, this is a very nice car.
Wizard, you stated the front end was “Regal”, but all 1982-87 Regals (non T-Type, turbo-T, GN, or GNX) were only available with either the base Buick 231 V6, or the Oldsmobile 307 V8
Considering April’s car has a Chevy 305 which was not available on any Regal from the factory, and the emission sticker also states it’s a factory 305, the engine and front chassis are out of an El Camino
Also, air shocks and the Schrader valve are definitely El Camino chassis.
This car’s chassis is El Camino, with a Regal body fitted onto it.
Unless - he used a 1978-80 Regal chassis, which WERE available with the Chevy 305. However, In 1981-82, the V8 option on Regals changed to the 4.3 liter Pontiac 265, before switching to the Oldsmobile 307 until the end of G-Body Regal production in 1987.
Regals were available with the 305 sbc as well I've owned a few. Maybe more common in Canada but I can't see why they would be.
@@cjwood2407 Definitely NOT in the United States. I’m very familiar with all Regal build configurations in America.
For the base Regal Custom and Regal Limited trims, excluding the other turbo variants I mentioned, they were all built with either the 231 V6 with a 2bbl Rochester carb, or the extra cost optional V8 was the Oldsmobile 307 V8 with the 4 bbl Quadrajet.
1982-87 Regals in America were NEVER available with the Chevy 305 from the factory.
GM definitely had alternate engine/build configurations for many if not most of their cars in Canada. Thats very well known
@joe6096 maybe it was a Canadian thing.... we did get the 307 as well. 🤔
@@cjwood2407 I just thought of this, it MIGHT be possible if it WAS an A-Body Regal chassis (which it isn't due to the Schrader vale and rear air shocks) which is the precursor to the G body, it COULD be a 1978-80 model, which, in America, WAS available with the Chevy 305.
Then in 1981 the Regal V8 option was the Pontiac 4.3 liter 265 before going to the Oldsmobile 307 until the end of G-Body production in '87.
I always wanted to do this with a crown vic
This is a cool version of a cool car made even cooler and then modified to be more cool.
TOTALLY COOL and UNIQUE!
The bad thing about the El Camino and Ranchero is that if you had the big block in them it was a little too easy to do burnouts because they were so light in the rear. If you were on wet pavement or especially snow it wasn't easy to drive them.
This kind of reminds me of the Cadillac Fleetwood Castilian. Cadillac took a huge GM Clamshell wagon, stretched it, and put a Cadillac interior in it. Cadillac dealers said they couldn't sell it. Only like four were built.
It's cool enough IF the donor car was a basket case.
The donor car wasn’t a grand national. Just a regular regal.
That is tight! Loved the 80's cars from GM.
Nice work. Glad to see they have the front underbody K-frame diagonal bracing. There are diagonal engine bay braces available also. If the exhausts leak they may not be flat anymore. Ceramic coated with thicker mounting plates may fit - they last longer and run cooler. While there check the rag joint. The Jeep Gran? Cherokee solid U-joint has better feel. Hope the front suspension bushings were checked. There are good rubber choices without going to polyurethane (might be to harsh in cold weather). The front suspension was always problematic. The current solution for better steering seems to be Howe taller upper ball joints on the stock spindles with S10 brakes. But that might change. Nice to see the headers and true duals, the 305 needs all the help it can get, just tune the q-jet. Did they change the body mounts ? Please do so if not, for ride quality and stability. Outback - without spending to much just keep good bushings installed along with high quality brake pads. Also replace the wood - someone has to be putting in a composite deck in your area. Trex is one brand name. Thx for showing it and happy miles.
That isn't that bad of a modified to work on. The mechanical was basically mostly stock. When they get to lots of strange things that are not stock mechanical is when they get harder working on.
Somebody built what they wanted.I Salute them
Good ole quadrajunk 😂 I agree when you have someone that can build them and dial them in they work great. It’s when people that don’t know how they work start screwing with them start having issues.
Cool but weird car/ truck but I like it 👍👍
A lot of thought and engineering went into this one and my hat is off to the person that made his vision become reality. Maybe this is what happens when you park a Buick Regal Grand National and a El Camino in your garage over night 🤣
Would be fun to make a “factory “ build sheet and do some cars shows!
Very unique. This is a "what if" vehicle!
I remember my dad driving an El Camino. Not sure of the year but it was packed full of tools, he was HVAC repairer, and had airshocks, glass packs, and a beefier engine.
THEY SHOULD MAKE THAT TRUCK NOW IN 2024...
I love it!
I wish GM had made a 4 door version of this. Hot Cakes!
I am glad we had Holden utes straight from the factory or HSV Maloos for a hotty.
Gas pedal extremely worn it’s got a solid 130k miles
That's a very nice executed custom car. My only gripe is that it does not have the Turbo V6 that made the GNX a legend. Without that engine this car is just a poser made worse with the GNX stickers. I hope Hoovie plans on completing this build with the proper engine conversion.
Tyler is going to remove the GNX stickers.
My dad had a ‘78 El Camino, I realize this isn’t the same, but rather custom, but both are the mullet of the car world (even Aussie utes)
I would take this car right now.
It is perfect
I love that car!
The standard El Camino has better proportions but I still like the Buick custom truck.
Hoovie, will you let my family carry my casket in this one day? Lol!
AWESOME!
In 1987 my father purchased a brand new GN, thing had torque for days!... Oh I was so bummed out when he sold it
Hi car wizard , for your question regarding the transmission it’s the cheapest model that was available. Try your find a turbo th 400 those were the best at that time. I had a 79 regal with the 301 4bbl with the th turbo 350 transmission in it…and it was gold! Loll