1976 I graduated high school. Now I’m 64 years old. Enjoy your life and slow down. Everything doesn’t have to be fast or in a hurry. Time passes quickly so often tell your family and friends you love them. Great video sir.
As an Aussie and a UTE owner, I really appreciate you bringing the information of what we have down under. Utes are a fantastic thing. I never understood why they weren't much bigger in the USA.
They were popular for a short time. But as Steve said they went out of favor for the full size truck or the station wagon. But I always thought you guys have some of the coolest cars made.
Subaru Brats ran around here in Indy for a while in the 1980s but they too faded ... wait! What about the Avalanche and Escalade EXT? They are sorta Utes and I think I could go for one of those; LS power, heck you get a 6.2L with the EXT! Endless possibilities. Thanks Steve [AKA Magneto] and thanks Australia for your cool twists on anything automotive. DD
Greetings from the States! I often wondered the same, having loved the 70's Rancheros... (my scoutmaster had one and it was the bees-knees). He even bought a new one and sold his other Ranchero to his son, who promptly put really loud glasspacks on it and flames on the hood. Fun times. :) (The early 80's were great... except for car owners here in the States.) It was no coincidence that the front of the Ranchero looked like my dad's '73 Gran Torino Sport either. (another car I would give my eye teeth to have now...) :) I miss those days, I really do. I wonder if Australia didn't have the pickup craze like we did, thus having a market for a UTE? What was the pickup situation in Australia like? I'm just spitballing... I'm currently satisfying my UTE fever the best I can, not having one to restore, by driving a regular cab pickup. It's as close as I can get right now. :) 4-door trucks are for road crews. :-)
I have a few ElCaminos on my "100-car Bucket List" for after we win the lottery. A '59 with a 348, three 2-barrels and a 4-speed, a 1970 SS-454, also a 4-speed, and a '73-77 SS with a 454 and, you guessed it, a 4-speed. That one would get a 1974 Laguna Type S-3 nose (I like that style better than the 1975-77).
The new show mascot. Remember in the earlier ones he tried to edit her out or not mention her. But he finally gave up and let her be in the video. I for one like it.
Molly Hatchet had an album that was going to be produced by Ronnie Van Zant, who is no longer with us, but was the front man for the Lynyrd Skynyrd band. The founder of Molly Hatchet died in 2017.
Great video. I loved the El Caminos, particularly the 1959 and 1960 model years. One could make the argument that it was neither Ford nor Chevrolet nor even the Australian Utes that introduced the concept of the car/truck. The one year 1937 Coupe-Express by Studebaker was perhaps the first iteration of the concept. Only 3,125 were produced and never repeated but were clearly a dual purpose vehicle offering passenger car comfort and light truck utility. I concede to a bit of prejudice as I am a Studebaker afficionado but the point is valid.
Didn't realize they were that early. Probably a moot point on Studebaker's part anyway as the idea never went anywhere in the US until the 50s. But they were beautiful vehicles and now worth a bundle.
The rendition of an early GM Ute attempt looked just like a 1950 Chevy sedan delivery with the roof behind the cab removed. Something we actually did in my high school autoshop class because my shop teacher wanted the roof for one of his projects. Back in 1976 myself and some friends went down to the train station in Peoria Illinois to watch the Bicentennial steam train pull into the station and then tour the train. I was 20 in 1976.
Those Chrysler Valiant Wayfarers are really cool. There was at least one at the Mopar Nationals in Carlisle last year, which was the first one I had ever seen. Interesting that those kinds of cars haven't been a mainstay in the U.S. but have been continually produced in Australia. You would think they would be really popular with a country that seems stuck on driving vehicles with an open bed. It's probably a size issue. Those smaller Utes don't have the capacity to hold the 25 bags of mulch all of us pick-up drivers buy once a year.
Hi Steve I have just binge watched all the Max Wedge videos up to the last update 3 months ago. I must say that is a fascinating project and the amount of detail is outstanding. I could spend the remainder of the day commenting on the different aspects you have raised in the series so far and make comparisons between my own experiences and yours. I too have an extensive library and, thanks to your good self, it is expanding further! I have just ordered the 1952 Truck and Tractor repair manual from the USA! As for my baptism into altered wheelbase cars...... All the best from Nick Jervis UK 🇬🇧
Love this one, Steve, thanks for the mention on Aussie utes, I drive a 71 Vh valiant Ute as a daily, 3 speed column, no radio, no power steering, no worries! Keep ‘em coming! Thanks again
Back in the 90s I had a 77 el cam with the doggy 2bbl 305. Built an otherwise stock sb 400 with some flat top pistons and a Qjet. After the engine swap I blew the doors off an SHO Taurus from red light to red light. My little heart swelled with pride ❤
When I was stationed at Edwards AFB in 1990-91, I remember seeing quite a few El-Caminos and Rancheros on the road out in California. I would see them hauling dirt-bikes etc. My daily driver now is a 2021 Honda Ridgeline Sport. In a way it reminds me of a El-Camino with it’s car-like ride.
Mr. B. Here ! Morning guys ! ☕️☕️🍩🍩 Steve not so the GMC Sprint headlamps were same ! Sprint I have one of 5000 made , I love this it does what I need ! Very comfortable on long trip . My vehicle 400 cid, a/c, 8 track, rear air stocks, it had a year ago 60,000 now 67,000 !
To me, these make sense now. I owned pickups for years, I finally got out of the game a few years back when they got so large. Today, the smaller size/comfort of a car with the ability to haul when needed would be a welcomed thing. Thank you and Super Shane as always ~ Chuck
@@djmtndew Still too big and sounds like it can't handle a lot of weight. In fact, I bet the wife sold Passat would just smoke it in load carrying capabilities. That ol hoss would handle 30 bags of wood pellets(1200 pounds) and not even sweat much
Years ago i was at a car show in plymouth pa. And a guy had a rampage with a blown 426 hemi...it was a tube chassis car,,,saw it twice that year,,,never again after that...
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Steve. I’m a little older than you and remember nearly all of these cars when they were nothing more than transportation. Keep up the great work.
With that missing VIN, that's what we call a "Salvage Swap" in the business, the driver side door with the Federal Certification Label and the dash VIN were scavenged from this car and most likely put onto a stolen or scrap 76 Camino. Just fyi there is a stamped VIN derivative on firewall. Good stuff Mags!
I had 75 el Camino, 350 2bbl back in the early 80's. That thing had a smooth ride, and was dependable. I remember it kept blowing a fuse, linked into the wiring, along the firewall, for the ac. I finally got fed up and wired it directly, never had another problem. I worked with a guy that had a either a 77 or 78, I don't remember Ranchero. Somebody had run a 4 way stop and wasted the front Clip (from the doors forward) on it. We found a same year Thunderbird at the junkyard and it bolted on with very little modification. Man, that thing looked really good, like the factory built it. So many people wanted to buy it, he eventually got an offer he couldn't refuse.
I had a '74 Camino, and had the same A/C issues with the thermal limiter fuse blowing all the time. I did the same thing and bypassed with the wiring, and had no more problems! And then, the rust started.....
@@michaelnazaruk4100 yes, mine had the typical rust when I bought it. I repaired and painted it. It began rusting elsewhere after about a year, from the inside out, being I was in Florida. I sold it to a neighbor who just had to have it, even after I warned him about the rust issues.
@@fishgeralding9224 - That's really weird, because I had a buddy who absolutely had to have my Camino! So I traded him even up for his beautiful, black 1961 Thunderbird! He was as happy as Katie running around the Junkyard!
@@michaelnazaruk4100 nice, I'd have traded mine for a 61 thunderbird in a Chevrolet heartbeat! I did have a guy offer to trade a Kawasaki 500 2 stroke bike for mine. At the time I told him I wasn't interested in any Japanese junk. How times change, now I drive a Lexus, because I wanted rear wheel drive with a bit of luxury and performance. I sold a numbers matching 69 Dart gts I'd restored for myself. That was during some rough financial times and health issues. X block and heads too! Wish I could have been able to keep it, it was a ton of fun!
Canada went metric in 1974. Supposedly, the Prime Minister and the US president were having a meeting and the PM told the president (Trudeau and Nixon) not to proceed with the switch-over as it caused way to many headaches in Canada. I find it interesting how much of the underlying measurements in the US are metric but the top level display values are still imperial. North American vehicles in the late '70s- early '80s were interesting because they were a mix of fasteners, you never knew whether a bolt would be metric or imperial.
Going waaaay Back to T400 the tail housing mount bolts were metric and soooo many times you see people try to use 7/16 unc bolts not realising they are metric threads in tail housing
Chevrolet kept SAE threads on thier V-8 blocks, I assume so it didn't interfere with the aftermarket/performance world. That's why we saw vehicles with SAE engine bolts but Metric body/chassis bolts. When Chevy introduced the new LS small block it was all metric.
When I first saw the thumbnail and read the description, I thought ‘what could Steve possibly do to make another El Camino video interesting’. Well, how about connecting the Bicentennial, the OPEC oil crisis, the adoption and subsequent abandonment of the metric system in the US and the band Metric… not to mention the history of the Australian UTE! Dude! 👍🏼👍🏼😎
I had a 75 El Crapino when I was a young adult. It wasn't an SS, but it had the swivel buckets. It was a nice looking and comfortable car, but with the emissions choked 350, it was super gutless.
I parted one of those 305 Cutlass models out many years back. I should’ve kept it, but it was rougher than the one I had (mine was a 231 V6 and in good shape) and I used it for parts. After I did, the owner wanted it back and it was stripped to the bone. Lol it was hardly a “Quadra bog”. It was quite lively actually.
@@davidpawson7393 Back in the early 90's I purchased a used 1978 Buick Regal with a Chevrolet 305 2 bbl and that thing was a freak. I always wondered if somebody cammed the motor or something but why would they have left the 2 bbl carb on it?
@@davidpawson7393 Haha my buddies 76 monte carlo couldn't pull on another buddies 68 nova with a straight 6. Whoever nailed it first got the jump and then it was dead even. Funny that the 6 was rated 5hp less than the smogged out monte
I started as a mechanic working on cars/trucks for a living in Flint, Michigan in 1983. Man, what a time that was with all of the emission hoses back then. Add the 9/16 and 15mm bolts on the same car. Ugg!!!
You mis-spoke when you called the 1976 a "full-size" El Camino . Only the 1959/1960 El Camino were full size . All other El Caminos were mid size , even though the 1973-1977 did seem to dwarf the 78-up models and
Metric! Yes, great band. I saw them open for Imagine Dragons awhile back. And I hope that GM someday brings over the Holden Maloo ute as the basis for a new El Camino, because that car is bananas. Thanks, Steve!
Our "utes" were all car-based if you remember the Ford Durango which was derivative of the Ford Fairmont Futura that pretty much failed and I believe it was in the early 80's. as well as the Chevrolet El Camino, GMC Caballero, and the Ford Ranchero. Chrysler never made a car based "ute" for the U.S. market. Not unless you count the Dodge Rampage which was a mini "ute"
I had a 77 in high school, and I hated how the front end looked .The grill was like a chain link fence, so I swapped a 73 Laguna nose on it and gave it a face lift.
Hi Steve, hope you're getting better. A couple of rumors about the El Camino. 1) the 71 marker light bezels were different from the chevelle. The screw holes were in different positions. You had to use El Camino or station wagon bezels. 2) if you remove the plate at the front of the bed floor, you will see the rear passenger foot well for the rear passengers of a station wagon. 3) the a/c unit was a station wagon unit. 4) it's rumored that the U.S.A.F has SS El Caminos as chase cars. They were used at bases where U2 planes were stationed. The U2 has landing gear that extends fron the belly of the narrow fuselage. Support wheels has to be locked onto the underside of the wings after it landed so it wouldn't fall over. Supposedly they used the El Camino, an airman would stand in the back as the El Camino chased the plane down the runway, he would lock the assembly under the wing and then climb on top of the wing to act as ballast until the plane was patked and the other support was attached.
I remember working at a Lincoln Mercury/ Toyota dealership in 1980. Ford announced that it was going all metric and a month later Toyota announced it was planning to go all SAE.
Even before us maple slurping Canadians converted to metric in the mid 70s there were cross border conversions to be made in the volume department. 1 imperial gallon = 4.45 [+/-] litres where as 1 US gallon = 3.79 [+/-] litres or liters in US speak.
About three years ago Copart had a 1975 El Camino and a 1975 Buick Regal coupe at the same auction. The Chevy had a damaged front clip and the Buick had a crushed left rear. My goal was to combine the two and have a very cool El Regal!
@@jeffshadow2407 the character line in the El Camino door does not align with the (very distinct) character line in the Century/Regal fender . The front clip of a 1973 Century is a caricature of a 1941 Willys coupe , including a long , sloping fender line . (Never realized that about a 73 Century , didja? ) The character line was not removed until the introduction of the 1976 Special , when they squared off the car
@@Richie_the_Fixer I know all of the "character lines" on all the GM Colonnades (1973 to 1977). Just thought it would be a cool construction. Both cars were otherwise 90% mint condition and this was before the recent crazy prices.
Talk about out of left field, I never in a million years would have expected to hear you talking about Metric - especially not on one of these videos. I love it! What's your favorite song? "What Feels Like Eternity" is my favorite song form the new album, and my all time is "Gold Guns Girls."
Check out the story of the Gimli Glider. After Canada moved to the metric system someone did the math wrong refueling an airliner. Pilot was able to land at an abandoned air force runway
I was in school in the 90s and there was a brief time in the early to mid 90s when they started teaching us metric, then it abruptly stopped. I still think a true Australian style UTE would do well here, at least in my little farmland area of southern NJ
I'm an elcamino fan! I have a 66 supersport that I've had since 94. I traded my 91 s10 for it. Anyway the 59 elcamino is my dream car! Some day I'll have one!
Steve the first utes in the USA were the Cadillac flower cars, and the studebaker coupe express even before the caddy’s.. I’ve wanted an el Camino my whole life. I’ve owned 3 Chevelle’s , a nova, a Camaro, a trans am, and a gto but still haven’t gotten my el Camino
Ute-likes trying to make a comeback in the US but we need a REAL El Camino 2 dr sport (muscle) truck for daily commuting and light hauling from Home Depot, ect. Prototype of '59 El Camino with center stacks and two outboards kind of looks Edsel-ish and makes you know what they were smoking in the design studio. I bought a 1984 Dodge Rampage 2.2 new back in the day and, for the past 14 years, have been "restoring" 2 El Camino big blocks ('69 and '70). Fun performing mutations LESS COSTLY than their Chevelle counterparts. Backed in garage and looking face on, they are easily mistaken for Chevelles if you squint while driving by at 60 mph during a blinding snowstorm. Thanks for bringing back the history in the US as well as from the land down under
Steve!!! You leak about as much as I do... Drink plenty of water and not just the flavored kind with hops and barley. Love the vid. Keep up the good work.
First, I'll admit to a lot of years more than you, Steve. I was writing articles for car club newsletters, etc., beginning in about 1948 or 1949, especially the great classics; Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow,, etc. (I collected Packards) However, I'm lost on motor vehicles newer than about 1970 and am enjoying your posts - and learning from them. Where would you place the car/pickup combinations from pre-WWII through about 1947? That would be Hudson, Studebaker, and Willys in the USA at least.
Hello wardredbearlove, Thanks for watching and writing. I'm aware of the vehicles you mention and have lost count of the number of 1941 Willys drag race gassers based on the box-bed version of the Americar. The "half baked" car-pickups where a box bed is forced into the trunk compartment of a business coupe are fascinating but I've only seen those in print. If I ever find one in a junkyard, you can bet I'll feature it in a video! Thanks again for watching and writing - literally. I may have read some of your articles along my journey. -Steve Magnante
The last GM "Ute" that I can think of is the SSR. However, to me at least, they were more of a toy than a practical vehicle for hauling anything. It would be tough for most manufacturers to build anything like an El Camino or Ranchero today since everything except pickups, some SUVs and, some vans have gone front wheel drive. Chrysler did produce the front drive Rampage and whatever the other one was called back in the 80s but, I don't think they sold very well.
![What's in the box?! 1890s Safe [Restoration]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kugqGatwLDY/mqdefault.jpg)
1976 I graduated high school. Now I’m 64 years old. Enjoy your life and slow down. Everything doesn’t have to be fast or in a hurry. Time passes quickly so often tell your family and friends you love them. Great video sir.
As an Aussie and a UTE owner, I really appreciate you bringing the information of what we have down under. Utes are a fantastic thing. I never understood why they weren't much bigger in the USA.
They were popular for a short time. But as Steve said they went out of favor for the full size truck or the station wagon. But I always thought you guys have some of the coolest cars made.
If I ever get enough money I am going to have a 1972 Falcon XA GT brought here! I love those things, it's a right hand drive ford Torino!
@@bad74maverick1 you might need to win the lotto! Those things are worth a small fortune these days.
Subaru Brats ran around here in Indy for a while in the 1980s but they too faded ... wait! What about the Avalanche and Escalade EXT? They are sorta Utes and I think I could go for one of those; LS power, heck you get a 6.2L with the EXT! Endless possibilities. Thanks Steve [AKA Magneto] and thanks Australia for your cool twists on anything automotive.
DD
Greetings from the States!
I often wondered the same, having loved the 70's Rancheros... (my scoutmaster had one and it was the bees-knees). He even bought a new one and sold his other Ranchero to his son, who promptly put really loud glasspacks on it and flames on the hood. Fun times. :) (The early 80's were great... except for car owners here in the States.) It was no coincidence that the front of the Ranchero looked like my dad's '73 Gran Torino Sport either. (another car I would give my eye teeth to have now...) :) I miss those days, I really do.
I wonder if Australia didn't have the pickup craze like we did, thus having a market for a UTE? What was the pickup situation in Australia like? I'm just spitballing...
I'm currently satisfying my UTE fever the best I can, not having one to restore, by driving a regular cab pickup. It's as close as I can get right now. :) 4-door trucks are for road crews. :-)
Hi Katy!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, look. Steve's there too......
59 El Camino is one of the prettiest vehicles GM ever produced.
I have a few ElCaminos on my "100-car Bucket List" for after we win the lottery. A '59 with a 348, three 2-barrels and a 4-speed, a 1970 SS-454, also a 4-speed, and a '73-77 SS with a 454 and, you guessed it, a 4-speed. That one would get a 1974 Laguna Type S-3 nose (I like that style better than the 1975-77).
oh my god nooo. that thing was so disgusting as was the 73 - 77 rear ends 67 and 70 were prettiest
Soo glad to see Katie is back!!!
I spy Katie through the steering column hole in the firewall!😂❤
Get well Steve
Hi from Australia 🇦🇺... Ute is short for Utility.. as in utility vehicle...go to church on Sunday and take pig's to market Monday...love the channel..
That is Katie's yard, and you are her guest. What a good girl. I hope you realize what a good friend you've made Steve.
The new show mascot. Remember in the earlier ones he tried to edit her out or not mention her. But he finally gave up and let her be in the video. I for one like it.
Nice on the music. I love Canadian 90's dance music and still go to see 90's concerts in Canada. I drive up from DC and enjoy the heck out of it.
Saying this as an aussie, I think the SSR was one of the coolest utes ever made
Until they have issues and you need parts.
Probably because you never drove one of those grossly overweight, soft centered poseurs.
I like it from the front, The rear needs some work. It looks like Chevy gave up after they got the cab done.
My dad had a 77 I can still remember Molly Hatchet playing on the 8 track on his beer cruised bad habits but fond memories
Molly Hatchet had an album that was going to be produced by Ronnie Van Zant, who is no longer with us, but was the front man for the Lynyrd Skynyrd band. The founder of Molly Hatchet died in 2017.
Thanks for battling the humidity to bring us that one Steve.
Great video. I loved the El Caminos, particularly the 1959 and 1960 model years. One could make the argument that it was neither Ford nor Chevrolet nor even the Australian Utes that introduced the concept of the car/truck. The one year 1937 Coupe-Express by Studebaker was perhaps the first iteration of the concept. Only 3,125 were produced and never repeated but were clearly a dual purpose vehicle offering passenger car comfort and light truck utility. I concede to a bit of prejudice as I am a Studebaker afficionado but the point is valid.
Sorry mate, Ford Australia released the coupe utility in 1934. Gotta love Studebakers though.
Didn't realize they were that early. Probably a moot point on Studebaker's part anyway as the idea never went anywhere in the US until the 50s. But they were beautiful vehicles and now worth a bundle.
Holden in Australia stopped production in 2017 and Ford stopped in 2016... Now we only have imported shit boxes from Thailand to "replace" them.
Lol
The rendition of an early GM Ute attempt looked just like a 1950 Chevy sedan delivery with the roof behind the cab removed. Something we actually did in my high school autoshop class because my shop teacher wanted the roof for one of his projects. Back in 1976 myself and some friends went down to the train station in Peoria Illinois to watch the Bicentennial steam train pull into the station and then tour the train. I was 20 in 1976.
you must be the youngest steve mags subscriber
I came close to touring the bicentennial train when it was in northern California. The line was just outrageous.
Those Chrysler Valiant Wayfarers are really cool. There was at least one at the Mopar Nationals in Carlisle last year, which was the first one I had ever seen. Interesting that those kinds of cars haven't been a mainstay in the U.S. but have been continually produced in Australia. You would think they would be really popular with a country that seems stuck on driving vehicles with an open bed. It's probably a size issue. Those smaller Utes don't have the capacity to hold the 25 bags of mulch all of us pick-up drivers buy once a year.
Thanks for the Aussie references, I’ve got a ‘54 Ford Mainline Ute and a ‘09 Holden SS Ute with the L98 and six speed manual, lots of fun in the wet.
Hi Steve
I have just binge watched all the Max Wedge videos up to the last update 3 months ago.
I must say that is a fascinating project and the amount of detail is outstanding.
I could spend the remainder of the day commenting on the different aspects you have raised in the series so far and make comparisons between my own experiences and yours.
I too have an extensive library and, thanks to your good self, it is expanding further! I have just ordered the 1952 Truck and Tractor repair manual from the USA!
As for my baptism into altered wheelbase cars......
All the best from Nick Jervis UK 🇬🇧
Love this one, Steve, thanks for the mention on Aussie utes, I drive a 71 Vh valiant Ute as a daily, 3 speed column, no radio, no power steering, no worries! Keep ‘em coming! Thanks again
Amazing recovery by Katie.
Back in the 90s I had a 77 el cam with the doggy 2bbl 305. Built an otherwise stock sb 400 with some flat top pistons and a Qjet. After the engine swap I blew the doors off an SHO Taurus from red light to red light. My little heart swelled with pride ❤
When I was stationed at Edwards AFB in 1990-91, I remember seeing quite a few El-Caminos and Rancheros on the road out in California. I would see them hauling dirt-bikes etc. My daily driver now is a 2021 Honda Ridgeline Sport. In a way it reminds me of a El-Camino with it’s car-like ride.
Morning Steve...always loved the full sized el Camino.
You forgot about the 82-84 Dodge Rampage
lol thats a good thing
Mr. B. Here ! Morning guys ! ☕️☕️🍩🍩 Steve not so the GMC Sprint headlamps were same ! Sprint I have one of 5000 made , I love this it does what I need ! Very comfortable on long trip . My vehicle 400 cid, a/c, 8 track, rear air stocks, it had a year ago 60,000 now 67,000 !
Good one for me today, and is your ute 2 or4 barrel carb?
@@johnkelly8525 4 barrel , have not not done dual exhaust , the rest is stock ! Morning ☕️☕️🍩🍩👍👍
Thanks mate,yes good evening
@@johnkelly8525 🍺🍺🍤🍤👍👍
Morning
To me, these make sense now. I owned pickups for years, I finally got out of the game a few years back when they got so large. Today, the smaller size/comfort of a car with the ability to haul when needed would be a welcomed thing. Thank you and Super Shane as always ~ Chuck
Ford maverick is the name of the game for us here now.
@@djmtndew
Still too big and sounds like it can't handle a lot of weight.
In fact, I bet the wife sold Passat would just smoke it in load carrying capabilities.
That ol hoss would handle 30 bags of wood pellets(1200 pounds) and not even sweat much
@@MrTheHillfolk Volkswagen is the king of underrated suspension =) next to Subaru. Find a Subaru Bratt. You'll thank me.
It's a smaller awd elcamino from the 80s with removable rear jump seats. The seats were there because of the chicken tax supposedly
Steve,I'm surprised you didn't mention the Dodge rampage and whatever the Plymouth version was called or the VW rabbit version.
Years ago i was at a car show in plymouth pa. And a guy had a rampage with a blown 426 hemi...it was a tube chassis car,,,saw it twice that year,,,never again after that...
Plymouth Scamp
@artjones2498 Oaks car show. Saw it there 2 years.
The Blue Heeler was an optional extra on utes.
I just bought a Santa Cruz and is amazing ! Kudos to Hunday to be brave enough to launch it !
They should have an extended cab, but 4 doors is a bit much. Turns the bed into a box.
@@joshuagibson2520 precisely that is why I got a UTE and not a pick up !
I worked a for a custom paint shop in mid to late 1970s.. We painted many El Caminos and vans with custom grafix for metro Phoenix AZ dealers
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Steve. I’m a little older than you and remember nearly all of these cars when they were nothing more than transportation. Keep up the great work.
Steve I am glad you got your audio working, So I don't have to lip read,Well done you put on a good show ,From Australia
With that missing VIN, that's what we call a "Salvage Swap" in the business, the driver side door with the Federal Certification Label and the dash VIN were scavenged from this car and most likely put onto a stolen or scrap 76 Camino. Just fyi there is a stamped VIN derivative on firewall. Good stuff Mags!
I had 75 el Camino, 350 2bbl back in the early 80's. That thing had a smooth ride, and was dependable. I remember it kept blowing a fuse, linked into the wiring, along the firewall, for the ac. I finally got fed up and wired it directly, never had another problem. I worked with a guy that had a either a 77 or 78, I don't remember Ranchero. Somebody had run a 4 way stop and wasted the front Clip (from the doors forward) on it. We found a same year Thunderbird at the junkyard and it bolted on with very little modification. Man, that thing looked really good, like the factory built it. So many people wanted to buy it, he eventually got an offer he couldn't refuse.
I had a '74 Camino, and had the same A/C issues with the thermal limiter fuse blowing all the time. I did the same thing and bypassed with the wiring, and had no more problems! And then, the rust started.....
Common problem on GM cars of that vintage.
@@michaelnazaruk4100 yes, mine had the typical rust when I bought it. I repaired and painted it. It began rusting elsewhere after about a year, from the inside out, being I was in Florida. I sold it to a neighbor who just had to have it, even after I warned him about the rust issues.
@@fishgeralding9224 - That's really weird, because I had a buddy who absolutely had to have my Camino! So I traded him even up for his beautiful, black 1961 Thunderbird! He was as happy as Katie running around the Junkyard!
@@michaelnazaruk4100 nice, I'd have traded mine for a 61 thunderbird in a Chevrolet heartbeat! I did have a guy offer to trade a Kawasaki 500 2 stroke bike for mine. At the time I told him I wasn't interested in any Japanese junk. How times change, now I drive a Lexus, because I wanted rear wheel drive with a bit of luxury and performance. I sold a numbers matching 69 Dart gts I'd restored for myself. That was during some rough financial times and health issues. X block and heads too! Wish I could have been able to keep it, it was a ton of fun!
Canada went metric in 1974. Supposedly, the Prime Minister and the US president were having a meeting and the PM told the president (Trudeau and Nixon) not to proceed with the switch-over as it caused way to many headaches in Canada.
I find it interesting how much of the underlying measurements in the US are metric but the top level display values are still imperial. North American vehicles in the late '70s- early '80s were interesting because they were a mix of fasteners, you never knew whether a bolt would be metric or imperial.
Hence Sears (and other brands) selling combination sets of ratchets, wrenches and nut drivers. I have several sets like that.
Going waaaay Back to T400 the tail housing mount bolts were metric and soooo many times you see people try to use 7/16 unc bolts not realising they are metric threads in tail housing
Chevrolet kept SAE threads on thier V-8 blocks, I assume so it didn't interfere with the aftermarket/performance world. That's why we saw vehicles with SAE engine bolts but Metric body/chassis bolts. When Chevy introduced the new LS small block it was all metric.
Had a 73 and a 87 always liked them
When I first saw the thumbnail and read the description, I thought ‘what could Steve possibly do to make another El Camino video interesting’. Well, how about connecting the Bicentennial, the OPEC oil crisis, the adoption and subsequent abandonment of the metric system in the US and the band Metric… not to mention the history of the Australian UTE! Dude! 👍🏼👍🏼😎
I had a 75 El Crapino when I was a young adult. It wasn't an SS, but it had the swivel buckets. It was a nice looking and comfortable car, but with the emissions choked 350, it was super gutless.
Not as gutless as my $75 Quadrabogg 305 equipped 79 Gutless Surprise. It did have T-tops and a flipped air cleaner lid for all three cool points.
I parted one of those 305 Cutlass models out many years back. I should’ve kept it, but it was rougher than the one I had (mine was a 231 V6 and in good shape) and I used it for parts. After I did, the owner wanted it back and it was stripped to the bone. Lol it was hardly a “Quadra bog”. It was quite lively actually.
@@davidpawson7393 Back in the early 90's I purchased a used 1978 Buick Regal with a Chevrolet 305 2 bbl and that thing was a freak. I always wondered if somebody cammed the motor or something but why would they have left the 2 bbl carb on it?
@@davidpawson7393
Haha my buddies 76 monte carlo couldn't pull on another buddies 68 nova with a straight 6.
Whoever nailed it first got the jump and then it was dead even.
Funny that the 6 was rated 5hp less than the smogged out monte
I started as a mechanic working on cars/trucks for a living in Flint, Michigan in 1983. Man, what a time that was with all of the emission hoses back then. Add the 9/16 and 15mm bolts on the same car. Ugg!!!
Boy those where everywhere back in the 70s early 80s! Great looking utes!
You mis-spoke when you called the 1976 a "full-size" El Camino .
Only the 1959/1960 El Camino were full size .
All other El Caminos were mid size , even though the 1973-1977 did seem to dwarf the 78-up models and
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
A guy down the street had one about that year; Cragars, N50s on the rear, obligatory air shocks. 250 six / automatic…
Metric! Yes, great band. I saw them open for Imagine Dragons awhile back. And I hope that GM someday brings over the Holden Maloo ute as the basis for a new El Camino, because that car is bananas. Thanks, Steve!
Yeah, The Metric!
Unfortunately Holden stopped making cars back in 2017 and by the end of 2020 GM had shutdown Holden as a company for good. 😡😡
@@warrickfraser9507 Oh I know, but I keep hoping GM kept the blueprints for the Maloo around, in case they ever wanted to reintroduce the El Camino.
Thanks katy for another great video
Our "utes" were all car-based if you remember the Ford Durango which was derivative of the Ford Fairmont Futura that pretty much failed and I believe it was in the early 80's. as well as the Chevrolet El Camino, GMC Caballero, and the Ford Ranchero. Chrysler never made a car based "ute" for the U.S. market. Not unless you count the Dodge Rampage which was a mini "ute"
I had a 77 in high school, and I hated how the front end looked .The grill was like a chain link fence, so I swapped a 73 Laguna nose on it and gave it a face lift.
I was just going to ask if the factory ever offered one with that Laguna front end?
Hi Steve, hope you're getting better. A couple of rumors about the El Camino. 1) the 71 marker light bezels were different from the chevelle. The screw holes were in different positions. You had to use El Camino or station wagon bezels.
2) if you remove the plate at the front of the bed floor, you will see the rear passenger foot well for the rear passengers of a station wagon.
3) the a/c unit was a station wagon unit.
4) it's rumored that the U.S.A.F has SS El Caminos as chase cars. They were used at bases where U2 planes were stationed. The U2 has landing gear that extends fron the belly of the narrow fuselage. Support wheels has to be locked onto the underside of the wings after it landed so it wouldn't fall over. Supposedly they used the El Camino, an airman would stand in the back as the El Camino chased the plane down the runway, he would lock the assembly under the wing and then climb on top of the wing to act as ballast until the plane was patked and the other support was attached.
I remember working at a Lincoln Mercury/ Toyota dealership in 1980. Ford announced that it was going all metric and a month later Toyota announced it was planning to go all SAE.
Good info as always, Steve.
Katy, ftw.
Happy to see Katie back (assuming these posts are in order).
Get well soon Steve,were pulling for you!
Think you posted this one before. Like I said always loved them. Only because Dodge or Plymouth didn't make one
check out that wrecker in the background!
Even before us maple slurping Canadians converted to metric in the mid 70s there were cross border conversions to be made in the volume department. 1 imperial gallon = 4.45 [+/-] litres where as 1 US gallon = 3.79 [+/-] litres or liters in US speak.
Steve, thanks for the music tip.
About three years ago Copart had a 1975 El Camino and a 1975 Buick Regal coupe at the same auction. The Chevy had a damaged front clip and the Buick had a crushed left rear. My goal was to combine the two and have a very cool El Regal!
Cool idea , but it doesn't bolt up .
The character line in the Century/Regal door is quite different than the Chevelle/Malibu/El Camino door .
@@Richie_the_Fixer I would not have changed the doors, just the fenders, hood and front bumper/grille.
@@jeffshadow2407 the character line in the El Camino door does not align with the (very distinct) character line in the Century/Regal fender .
The front clip of a 1973 Century is a caricature of a 1941 Willys coupe , including a long , sloping fender line .
(Never realized that about a 73 Century , didja? )
The character line was not removed until the introduction of the 1976 Special , when they squared off the car
@@Richie_the_Fixer I know all of the "character lines" on all the GM Colonnades (1973 to 1977). Just thought it would be a cool construction. Both cars were otherwise 90% mint condition and this was before the recent crazy prices.
Talk about out of left field, I never in a million years would have expected to hear you talking about Metric - especially not on one of these videos. I love it! What's your favorite song? "What Feels Like Eternity" is my favorite song form the new album, and my all time is "Gold Guns Girls."
Check out the story of the Gimli Glider. After Canada moved to the metric system someone did the math wrong refueling an airliner. Pilot was able to land at an abandoned air force runway
Steve I heard at one point they were gonna bring the Pontiac g8 here as an ute named the Pontiac g8 gt S/T back in 2009.
Man I love your videos!! Thanks so much.
I was in school in the 90s and there was a brief time in the early to mid 90s when they started teaching us metric, then it abruptly stopped. I still think a true Australian style UTE would do well here, at least in my little farmland area of southern NJ
Like Hammonton, New Jersey, the blueberry capital of the world. Lol.
Brilliant Steve thanks mate ripper 😅
Owned a 75 elcamino for a few years in the late eightys.Had the bass turned up on that one,straight six with a three on the tree.
I think I better go help my old friend finish his Hell Camino project, before it too late.😕
Great video, and I will always love these.
I'm an elcamino fan! I have a 66 supersport that I've had since 94. I traded my 91 s10 for it. Anyway the 59 elcamino is my dream car! Some day I'll have one!
I have an "El Rauncho" I made from a '68 Fury sedan. Very useful caruck.
Steve the first utes in the USA were the Cadillac flower cars, and the studebaker coupe express even before the caddy’s.. I’ve wanted an el Camino my whole life. I’ve owned 3 Chevelle’s , a nova, a Camaro, a trans am, and a gto but still haven’t gotten my el Camino
"Look at the stacked headlights on that freak on the right hand side. What were they thinking?"...lol
Those were cool cars in their day, great video 👍
I hated this era of El Camino as a kid. But it has aged well, and they make a great resto mod.
I think the “ute” might be making a slight comeback with the Santa Cruz
Ute-likes trying to make a comeback in the US but we need a REAL El Camino 2 dr sport (muscle) truck for daily commuting and light hauling from Home Depot, ect. Prototype of '59 El Camino with center stacks and two outboards kind of looks Edsel-ish and makes you know what they were smoking in the design studio. I bought a 1984 Dodge Rampage 2.2 new back in the day and, for the past 14 years, have been "restoring" 2 El Camino big blocks ('69 and '70). Fun performing mutations LESS COSTLY than their Chevelle counterparts. Backed in garage and looking face on, they are easily mistaken for Chevelles if you squint while driving by at 60 mph during a blinding snowstorm. Thanks for bringing back the history in the US as well as from the land down under
Mornin Steve from Ireland…. 1st one to comment….👍
Raise a pint 🍺
Steve!!! You leak about as much as I do... Drink plenty of water and not just the flavored kind with hops and barley. Love the vid. Keep up the good work.
I think he stated in a previous video that he does not drink any longer. I’ve never been a drinker and I don’t drink today.
yeah my dad had a 75 coronet same as this elco except for the bed and it being a chrysler product
Looking good Steve
First, I'll admit to a lot of years more than you, Steve. I was writing articles for car club newsletters, etc., beginning in about 1948 or 1949, especially the great classics; Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow,, etc. (I collected Packards) However, I'm lost on motor vehicles newer than about 1970 and am enjoying your posts - and learning from them. Where would you place the car/pickup combinations from pre-WWII through about 1947? That would be Hudson, Studebaker, and Willys in the USA at least.
Hello wardredbearlove, Thanks for watching and writing. I'm aware of the vehicles you mention and have lost count of the number of 1941 Willys drag race gassers based on the box-bed version of the Americar. The "half baked" car-pickups where a box bed is forced into the trunk compartment of a business coupe are fascinating but I've only seen those in print. If I ever find one in a junkyard, you can bet I'll feature it in a video! Thanks again for watching and writing - literally. I may have read some of your articles along my journey. -Steve Magnante
Steve, I am an optimist. From what I can see, this El Camino's best years are still ahead of it. 😉
There was a Valiant UTE in Crocodile Dundee!
Love El caminos, how about that dodge rampage , half dodge charger/omni and pick up those were cool to
I'm surprised Steve did mention the Dodge Rampage too! Especially with him being the Mopar man that he is. I guess Katie forgot to remind him.....
nice 53 studebaker hardtop in the background!
He is sweating to the oldies
Aussies had the coolest cars. I love watching their old races just to see the awesome cars
Thanks Steve!
The doors were way too heavy for the chinzy tin that the body was made of.
The last GM "Ute" that I can think of is the SSR. However, to me at least, they were more of a toy than a practical vehicle for hauling anything.
It would be tough for most manufacturers to build anything like an El Camino or Ranchero today since everything except pickups, some SUVs and, some vans have gone front wheel drive. Chrysler did produce the front drive Rampage and whatever the other one was called back in the 80s but, I don't think they sold very well.
I'd love to have a LS Holden
Hell yea. Those things are cool as sh*t. If they sold them here I'd go to the dealership and buy one tomorrow.
Great vid!!! 👍👍
Dodge actually did make a sort of a ute in the early 80s, I believe it was the Rampage
So did Volkswagen, that was a rabbit truck ute.
Splendid sir!
Those are best with the swivel bucket seats and console with a 454.
How about the '55/'56 Cameo Carriers. They were one of the 1st "Dressed" pickups designed for everyday driving . To nice for a "work truck".
Elvis Costello and now Metric mentioned in junkyard crawl videos, fine taste 👌
I'm trying to find a way to work Vanilla Fudge and Iron Butterfly into a video. Stay tuned! Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
You have already thrown a Lynyrd Skynyrd or two reference in there, which of course is one of my favorite bands. Lol.
Now, it's a canned Camino
amazing how every car has all the brochures and magazines in the cab and trunk. lol wish my local junkyard had all the matching articles. lol
The Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz fill this niche today.
Steve, could this El Camino actually be a GMC Sprint version with the side quarter panel wide moldings shown ??? Love your videos !!