1959 Chevy elcamino Daily Driver

This is my daily driver 1959 El Camino shop truck. I purchased this car not running over 3 years ago now. Put a lot of work into it to get it up to this point. My father in law brought this car down from Washington and I purchased it from him. It was a complete car minus glass. The first few months with the car I got it upto “daily driver” condition. Over time I worked on getting the exterior, interior, engine and underside of the car upto the same condition. This car is a blast to drive as is, we have put many miles using it to pick up parts, scrap metal with it, and we even got our Christmas tree a couple years in it. I have had my fun with it and now it’s time to put my focus and attention into other cars and life ventures. Please read all the descriptions below for I have tried my best to explain and list all that I’ve done so far.
Exterior so when I got this car it had no glass, I took the opportunity to spray the roof and dash in some lavish 1960’s inspired flake, kandy and patterns with the help of my father in law. The roof and dash was taken down to bare metal, no rust, minor dings body worked and dash speaker shaved. Then we epoxy primered, high build primered, block sanded and finally kustom paint done using House of Kolors Kandy over white flake base and lots of clear. All the patterns are buried under the clear so you can not feel the edges. All new glass and seals were ordered and installed. The body was not in bad shape, but like most 59 El Caminos the rear lower quarters needed replacing. New quarters were fully welded in as well as inner required structure, the body was stripped to bare metal, epoxy primered, body worked, high build primered, block sanded and finally shot in flat urethane. A lot of the original stainless trim has been taken to a local shop for polishing but not all of it is polished. I decided to shave the hood, tailgate and door key holes for a cleaner look. The “California” 1 piece bumpers also help with smoothing things out. The bed has been sprayed in a tintable bed liner to match the body. While a piece of plywood is on top of the rust free floor to protect it during day to day use. Hood, doors and tailgate all open and close properly and are fairly well gapped. Overall car has nice curb appeal but it is not perfect. I built it with the intent to use it daily.
All new glass and seals
New rear lower quarter panels
Hand made tail light lenses
One piece front and rear bumpers
Nosed and Decked
Interior you will find a 1961 Cadillac bench seat redone in pearl white vinyl, purple zodiac vinyl and vintage pink fabric by local shop Rivero Upholstery and a matching speaker tray. The carpet is also purple and it is a premolded drop in with matching floor mats. The floors underneath are solid and had been replaced by a previous owner. I cleaned them up a bit and added some protection by painting them in a red oxide primer. Also painted red oxide primer is the insides of the doors to preserve them. New kick, door, rear quarter and rear panels are made out of aluminum ready to be upholstered. Window cranks and door handles are new repop and are all in working order. Currently the speedo is not working, the gas gauge is not hooked up however there is a new sending unit in the new gas tank. There is a headunit in the glovebox with 2 6x9 speakers on the rear tray and 2 4x6 speakers in the front kick panels.
New drop in carpet kit about 3 years old daily driven but still nice
New firewall insulation molded
Lots of original gauges (not sure what works or not but have almost 2 of each)
Stereo in glove box
2 6x9 speakers
2 4x6 kicker speakers
New steering column top bearing installed
New interior door and window cranks
New door seals
Mechanical sound daily driver with original 283 SBC, I’ve driven it up to Daytona (4 hour trip each way) with no issues, drive it every day to work and errands, in city and highway. Starts up every morning, does smoke a little cause I’m sure the rings are worn on the pistons, I did a head job on it about two year ago thinking it was valves. Plugs, wires and electronic ignition keeps it running on time, while the remanufactured 2 barrel carb, new fuel pump and new gas tank along with new fuel line make sure the gas supply is clean and consistent. The power glide tranny only made it about 10 miles on its first test drive, so I replaced it with an overdrive 700R4 rebuilt. I have used this style trans on many of my cars and love the gearing, has good take off and even better highway speeds. This tranny bolts on to the motor but required new flywheel and starter as well as a new crossmember. The drive shaft center bearing was upgraded too and the rear section of the driveshaft was converted to a telescopic version so not to damage the new center bearing. The drive shaft was done at a local shop where new universals were installed and it was balanced. The rear end is the stock unite with fresh oil, it rolls smooth. Overall the car is not “fast” but reliable and gets up to speed with ease. Cruising into shows the motor is very quiet thanks to the complete dual exhaust system. It also stays very cool usually around 170 thanks to the larger factory style radiator and new water pump.
Original 283 SBC
Heads rebuilt 2 years ago
Remanufactured 2 barrel carb 2 years ago
New complete dual exhaust from manifold back
New fuel pump 2 years old
New radiator 3 years old brass top extra cores
New water pump and hoses
New alternator this year
Rebuilt 700R4 transmission with bolt on crossmember
New TV cable and lock up controller
New flywheel and starter
New poly driveshaft bearing and telescopic driveshaft cut and balanced
New gas tank for 59 Impala, sending unit, straps
Suspension is lowered about 3 inches from stock. The 4 coil springs were carefully heated to lower the stance while new shocks on all 4 corners help stabilize the ride. I have had this thing fully loaded from motors and trannys to scrap metal and cut up car frames, the ride quality is very nice. None of the bushings have been replaced, the front suspension will squeak over bumps but the car rolls down the road straight and more importantly the tires don’t show any signs of uneven wear. Like most old cars there is a lag in the steering wheel, however it is very easy to steer even without power steering. Front wheel bearings have been recently regreased and roll smooth. The brakes while still being 4 wheel drums work exceptionally well. All 4 brakes had the bands replaced and wheel cylinders serviced. I keep the bands adjusted so the pedal feels nice and firm. There is no e-brake.
Firestone 6.70-15 3 years old still lots of thread left
Chrome steelies 3 years old with bullets from Summit
New shocks all around
New upper steering column bearing
Rebuilt stock drum brakes
New master cylinder
New brake light switch

There are more pics available on my website...

http://yarilscustoms.com/1959-chevy-elcamino/

if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask, please no tire kickers looking to sell as is.
Yaril
305.302.5693

 

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Sold going to Kansas! Thanks Jimmy