60 el camino questions

[Revhead]

What were the trim levels available on El Caminos? I found this one thats a "Bel-Air" then I saw a pic of one on the web that said Imapala on the dash. Also are lower 1/4 patch panels the same for sedans or wagons or something?

[Travis]

Elkies had the Bel Air trim or the Biscayne trim. Never the Impala trim but it will fit on to an El Camino. 1/4 panel sheetmetal is the same for wagons and El Caminos, because the back slope of the car is more slanted than the sedans and coupes. You can use the lower panels on an El Camino from the sedans but... you might have to tweak it.

The neat thing to do with these 60 El Caminos to turn them into an Impala-El Camino is to use Nomad trim on the tailgate, and 2-door hardtop Impala side trim. I've seen 2 El Caminos with that setup and it looks really neat, although not correct.

Hope this helps!

Travis

[Revhead]

Thanks Travis,
That's what I was wondering. The whole car isn't in bad shape, but right behind the rear wheels it looks like he's jumped off a few curbs or something. The tail gate needs some work too, but not much. Windows are in great shape which I am guessing would be some expensive stuff to buy.

[Travis]

sounds cool. the tailgates tend to rot at the bottom so check it out. the windshield and back glass can get pricey... the side glass is flat so thats cheap. theres several places you can buy sheetmetal from for the 1/4 panels so do some shopping. my fave place to buy little shit for these 59/60 chevrolets is the car shop out of SoCal (I think)...

Travis

[Ragtop]

If anyone knows of a 60 ElCamino parts car with good stainless trim around the top of the box, I'd sure appreciate a heads up. The guy I bought my car from ground all the stainless down with a course disc to the point where I have actually sanded right through trying to get to the bottom of the scratches. Also if I can be of assistance to any Elcy guys, please send me a PM. Thanx

[Petejoe]

You could actually chrome over the stainless. It just may be cheaper and if it's just scratches and a poor thin finish your concerned about, rechroming will take care of those problems Thickness can be added to the material before chroming.

[Travis]

Can you weld over stainless? I have a complete set of trim but it has the factory holes in it from the optional side rails. They actually look pretty good, except for the holes... And no, I don't have a complete set of side rails.

Travis

[Ragtop]

The chrome shop I visit says they can't chrome stainless, but I know I had a chrome plated stainless windshield frame on my deuce highboy a few years ago. I'd be interested in buying your stainless trim if there aren't too many holes. The last set I found had at least 20 nholes in each piece. Please let me know.

[Travis]

Oh no... these are just... like 18 holes total (3 for each post on the rails and each side had 3 posts). I'll try to get a picture and post it. Also if I were you, I'd just have the stainless polished, not chromed...

Travis

[Ragtop]

Travis, do you have the tailgate piece? That's the worst one I have. The others polished out pretty good, but they're still not very good. The guy also did some welding with steel rod, so now they rust a bit and I gotta stay after them all the time.