Projects My '59 El Camino - 8-13-11 - It's Finally Done

Love the look.

 

Very nice! Great job. Man that thing is gorgeous!

 

<<<<<----- You mean like this loser's ride?

 

Beautiful El Camino.

 

it's beautiful.

Congratulations
Godspeed
MrC.

 

love it 59 is my all time favorite car.

 

Thanks maddog1949 . I put a lot of thought and soul searching to come up with what I did.
Mike

 

Cool to see this thread again. Such a great looking el Camino.

 

"kyvetteman", I have no problem with different colored rims.....Mike

 

hey mike cool car!! hey mike .bus is leaving 5:30am!! hey mike call me, please.

The engine work is outstanding.

 

It really looks great with the blackwalls and small "dog dish" wheel covers!

 

Nice job, beautiful

 

AWESOME Car! Very nice, yet drivable. Would love to catch up and talk ECs with you.

 

We'll meet up some day. I'm 67 years old and handicapped. I don't get around much anymore. I've seen yours in a nother site and have pictures of it.......Click to enlarge.

 

I'm with Boones......My dream car would be one built with Tire/Wheel options built right in. It's a hedge against boredom and a lot cheaper than additional cars. Mike, I love the way you built it, and I love the way you built it for "you". People are always entitled to their opinions, but unless they're willing to write the check, opinions mean nothing.......Centurion9

 

"Centurion9", I thank you for your opinions. I feel the same way. Ive always built my cars the way I want them built. I must have researched 7 wheel/tire combos until I went back to my original dog dish hub caps with blackwalls. I was afraid I could never have done it because I could not find 4 good caps.After 2 years of searching I finally found an N.O.S. set of caps towards the end of my build.

I finally got it done then had the idea of putting original '59 passenger car fuel injection which has almost unobtainable emblems and several passenger car items only. This added almost 1 year to the build.

I hope you like it................. Sorry to take so long to reply. I've had a lot of personal problems lately................Mike Farris

 

Mike has been a dear friend of mine for over 30 years, and for those of you that don't know him, he is the kindest, honest, most generous fellow you will ever meet.

Mike has an encyclopedic knowledge of rods and old cars, and shares it freely with anyone who asks, and even those who don't ask. An obsessive compulsive perfectionist doesn't come close to describing his fanatacism with attention to detail. He has owned many cars, and every one has been done to perfection. Mike never quits, and this El Camino will never be done so long as specks of dust exist in this world.

I am proud to have been Mike's friend all these years, and I am sure many of you feel the same way as me. Health problems are a bummer at our advanced age, but Mike will screw with that car to the last possible moment, no matter what hurts or why.

Let's all give Mike a big shout out to keep plugging away at what he loves best--Cars!!!

 

I've never met him, but I like him

 

Me either but I like him too. The dude knows how it build a black car!!!

JH

 

Mike,
I know this thread has been hibernating for quite sometime, but I just stumbled on it. Your El Camino is stunning to say the least.
I am in the midst of restoring a 59 El Camino in Tuxedo Black as well.
I see where you used the 1960 interior over the 1959's. Where did you purchase the interior package and door panels from? Also, which headliner did you install? Mine was originally the silver colored one.
Thanks for your input.

 

You can find those interiors at Ciadella Interiors, www.ciadellainteriors.com, tel: 800-875-8390. They're located in AZ. You can also find them at The El Camino Store, www.elcaminostore.com, tel: 888-685-5987. They're located in FL. Don't know what color interior you have, but originally they only came in an ugly grey pattern, unless you had a green or blue car. Both companies offer a black interior that is not the original '59 El Camino design, but a modified '59 Impala design. They also offer the '60 design as pictured above. Check their catalogs for design and colors. Seat covers, door panels, headliners, sunvisors, and carpeting are available through the El Camino Store. I'm not sure that Ciadella has the carpeting, but they might. I believe Ciadella is the manufacturer for these interior kits as well as a retail outlet for them.

 

Thank You Very Much for the information.
Yes, mine is the mono Tuxedo black so it is the silver/gray/charcoal interior.
It might be a coin toss between the 59 or 60 interior package. The 60's is a lot better looking, no doubt.
Thanks Again for the information, I appreciate it.

 

Not a problem. You're quite welcome. My '59 is two-tone red/white which is not my favorite color, but I saw a restored one in that scheme and it really popped, so I'm leaving it Roman Red and Snowcrest White. I've decided to do a custom interior rather than use one of the interior kits. I kinda like the '60 design better, but the modified '59 Impala kit isn't bad. It's a whole lot better than the original El Camino gray one. Of course, it depends on just what way you're going on your build. Mine is a mild custom with the primary custom touches being the interior. If you have any further questions, just shoot me a PM (conversation). I'm glad to help whenever I can.

 

I will take you up on that if I have any questions.
Mine is all original and I am doing a ground up on it.
It is Tuxedo Black mono tone, 348 w/ a powerglide. The unusual thing about mine is it was built in CA at the Van Nuys plant and has some unusual features like one piece bumpers. I had heard there was a CA version that was built but can't verify anything.. I have a restored vintage 50's champ car and have been looking for the perfect tow car and I finally found it.
Thanks Again and I'll PM you if I have any questions.