last fall while I was in Montana I found this `59 El Camino in a Barn. it is the first chevy I have ever owned... I secured the deal with the owner and then winter set in making it hard for me to drive up there and get it. I have lusted after this car every day until I could finally bring it home... pretty much all I have done is wash the car, the old 14" bias ply WWW off of my T-bird on it, found the missing hubcap on eBay for $14, re-built the carb and she is running great! I think all I am going to do is torch the coils to get it setting right and DRIVE IT!
Holy Cow! That`s a mint Elky. You are one lucky sombich. It would be hard to do anything to her, but maybe lower it a tad! Very,Very Nice!
I've lusted after a '59 Elky since riding in a new one in 1959. Looks like you found one thats almost like new. Congrats. Frank
The only worse way to lower it than torching the coils is to run on the rims! Since it is so nice DONT ruin it with Mickey Mouse work. Go to a spring shop and have them make 4 new ones to give you the height you want without sacrificing handling. Not at all expensive to do it correctly.
I agree, Don't torch the fucking coils or cut em'. Go through the spring guide and find which ones will cross over. Look for springs with the same hieght and diameter but with a lower wieght ratio. This will drop the car (by way of the vehicles own weight), but keep the spring hieght so that when your' haulin' ass and hit a dip, the springs won't fall out of their perches and leave you fliping down the road. Those 59-60 Elky's and impallas had a nasty habbit of doing that when you would cut the coils and shorten them up. Nice car by the way, but you would never catch me dead in a chevy...FoMoCo por vida holms.
Very nice, Elcos are beautiful. Good luck with the bowtie. I've been a Chevy guy forever and suddenly find 2 Fords in the garage, kinda the same thing. Very strange.
dont worry guys it has the 40+ year old driver's side "lean" to it and if I were to keep it at stock height (or even lower it correctly which i will do in the NEAR future) I would have to get new springs on it anyway, so torching them isnt that big of a deal. trust me FoMoCo guys, I feel weird driving this car... but it is a `59 elco and can make some serious cash within the hour of anyday I wish to sell it
Nice find,I would make a homemade spring compresser,out of 2 pieces of flat and put it on and take it for a spin,and see if that is the feel you want. Dont cut the springs,and than find out it handles like sh**. I would leave it stock.
I would get the proper springs simply for the fact it's an Elky- it's meant to haul! Or at least get some airbags for the rear Nice find!
That looks so nice and original and such a nice color I think you should leave it stock. Hell it's a '59 El Camino. It's super cool the way it came from the factory. Keeping it stock may be worth more too. Ed
like I said before. The car's current springs are sagging to one side and will be torched. that is the only modification that this car will have... I will get real lowering springs made for it if I end up keeping it.
The Jalopy Journal
