Anybody ever do an Extended cab El Camino?

How 'bout some of the model builders who don't hate the very thought of ruining the classic, timeless lines of the stock El Camino hack one of their old kits up and protoype this abomination? Or send me the "where to get" and I'll do a curbside just for the styling exercise!

 

DO NOT DO IT. You would ruin 2 caminos I saw it done on a model car befor and it didnt look good. SO dont do it

 

Again, if someone could do that drawing with the same length added to the front of the bed, extending the wheelbase, I'd bet it would be the cat's ass. The problem doing this conversion? The frame. That big 'X' frame would be hard to extend. The body wouldn't be any harder than many things cut up here.

It kills me that most here would have no problem cutting and channelling a '32 Ford B-400 but whine and moan over a '59 or '60 El Camino .

 

We have a '60 El Camino in the shop for an extended conversion right now. The owner came up with the idea and had some conceptual drawings done before we started. It looks a lot better than you'd expect. We already have the metal work completed and are in the prime/block stage right now. I'll try to get some pics posted when I get back to work next week.

 

no dont do it!

 

can I get some popcorn, i'm a little late...

 

I would really like to see those pics. A look at at the drawing would be interesting as well!

 

not my cup of beer ( I mean tea).

 

Beer is usually served in a glass ain't it?

 

I guess you could say my 60 has an extended cab , with the flattop rear window and roof, but that was not my intention in designing it that way, mine will have a good sized package tray(like the 4dr hdtp), but with the chop and section, there is no room for more than 2 people.

the bubble top car has 4 seats, and alittle bit of an extended cab, but the design is completely different!

A friend of mine has plans drawn up for a crew cab 59 elco, It dosen't look bad, but it will be really long!

 

How about shortening the roof on a flat top 4dr and adding a bed area? I can't see any way you could modify a 59/60 elky with out frickin it up. A 59 is pretty close to perfect from the factory even in this Ford mans view.

 

thats the ticket chop up a 4 door make a el camino...no harm no foul

 

Dick Dean built a stretched El Camino about 8-10 (?) years ago. There was pic in Rod & Custom magazine, in the "Roddin Around" section, if I recall. It may have been a quad cab. I'll see if I can locate a photo.

 

Steve Stanford - hot rod artist/God. Did a lot of the sketchpad drawings in R and C in the `90s. I remember the drawing of the "crewcab Elky" and it was really a four door wagon with a bed on the back.

More here...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105745&showall=1

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105745&showall=1

Jonzcustomshops Elky with the four door rear screen looks just great to me. Could be factory built.

 

Cool... that's my sketch! (glad you liked the rough comp...)
I had sketched that for a client (who is still going forward, albeit in a slightly new direction) back in January of '07.... the project fizzled, and next I knew, it was re-drawn (with some design changes) by another artist, and I guess it's back on for him.
A lot of work to make an extended-cab El Camino.... I stretched it (in the drawing) about 8 inches, and was thinking of using a four-door donor car... the trickiest areas are in the bed, and creating the rear cab area. I was hesitant to change up the wheelbase, etc... IMO, El Camino's need just a drop, a mild shave and some cool paint... but, to each his own.
Anyway, here's my initial loose sketch:



...and here's E.B.'s finished rendering:

 

Geez....there isnt enough room in the cab of a first gen El Cam already?? Please dont take the chance!

 

Yep, that's the car in my shop. I didn't realize any HAMBers were involved in the sketches---small world! Like he said, the direction has changed slightly during the build, but it's still basically the same with some minor changes in the details (trim, grill, etc). I'll keep you guys posted on the progress.

 

Could be a plastic 'cup' of beer... The ones that usually cost about $8.

 

I'm pretty sure that was a '57 Ranchero. It did look pretty neat though, Dick Dean is talented with shit like that. He really knows how to cut 'em. I'd like to meet him.

 

How about a wagon with 2 door doors ,then use the rest of the rear door area for thin third door. Open the rear doors suicide, and slide the roof farward to meet the door. Tell every one its a saturn.
How about a crew cab made from a 4 door. heres i did for a guy from a 69 malibu.

 

I thinbk it might work but the body would need stretching too otherwise the proportions are out.

 

How 'bout these...

 

I have to cast my vote in the pickled ass side the 59 elko is a classic factory kustom no need to dick it all up if you just gotta man do a 4 door instead at leat then you will be screwin up somthin no one else wanted any way

 

To me, the '59 is very close to perfection.

I even think Chevrolet messed it up by Facelifting it into the '60.

And this Stretched Cab idea is much worse....

It would be like drawing a Moustache on the Mona Lisa.

 

A "Dirty Sanchez"? The extend one above, even though nicely finished, makes the door window look small. A lot of work, for what?

 

There was one at the monroe Swapmeet 5 or 10 years ago it was a 64-67 dont really remember,

My dad made a sedan delivery out of a 67 with a Olds Vista Crusier roof in the 80's and never finised it

 

This was my thought exactly. I don't like the drop, but the rest isn't bad. With the extended wheelbase, the proportions look good. I like the Caddy conversion too.

 

...and this was my argument at the outset... By keeping the stock wheelbase and stretching the cab (thus shortening the bed area), it gets cartoon-y, and starts to look like an altered-wheelbase car (like in my sketch).
IMO, starting with a roached 4-door, and using parts from some later-model, perhaps unsalvageable mess would be the way to go... you'd still have your unique El Camino, and could tailor the dimensions to look "right"...
Best wishes no matter what direction you take!

 

I kinda disagree , In the drawings the car looks right with out extending the wheelbace. I don't see where you would need a doner car and if you did you could use a wagon for the roof. The glass in the extended part looks good in the drawings to to save on the labor factor that could be filled in with sheet metal. Maybe a port window like the Tbirds of 57. The Pic of the red one with the whole car extended while not looking wrong sure is long.

 

Here's a pic of the car during the build. The wheelbase worked out just fine with such a small addition to the cab area. It only required a little stretching of the roof to get it to this stage.