Customs Six Slickest Trucks of the Sixties...

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Six Slickest Trucks of the Sixties...

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I don't have a bucket list but I DO WANT a 60 Elco

 

Yep, just something pretty cool and practical about the 60’s pickups. I have had a few Chevy’s and Ford’s many of which were daily drivers, but kinda like them all. I sure miss having an old pickup right now to drive and this post as well as Ryan’s yesterday isn’t helping any... I guess we just need to finish a couple kids project trucks so I can consider another old pickup for myself. Actually, I have my eye on a slightly OT Ford that a co-workers grandpa bought new that his mom needs to get rid of. Now that Sid drops the twin I-beams, I can get one of those sitting the way I like...

 

My neighbor had one of those owl-eye Dodges when I was a kid. I loved that thing.

 

I would take a '60 El Camino any day. My buddy's dad had one back in 1966, which we used
to drive to his steel shop on the weekends and make joist hangers. We never had much money
so he sold the bed rails to a guy for $5, which we promptly spent on Jack in the Box tacos.
His dad always thought someone had stolen them, and we never fessed up. Still eating JIB
tacos in 2022.

 

I'm with you on the '60 El Camino, better looking than the '59 in my opinion. Had two '65s and a pair of '65 short bed, Fleetsides.

 

I bought my 1965 Custom Cab Ford pickup in 1972, it started out with a inline six & 3 on the tree, I pulled the six and replaced with a 390,it lasted about ten years then I installed a 302 and a 4 speed transmission, not two months later wrecked it and started a slow rebuild, the trim was so mangled I removed it all and spray flames to cover up my poor body work, I finally parked it in the barn when the rear axle gave up.

It's been sitting a long time, I gave it to my grandson a few years ago but it's still in my barn, I've been tempted to talk to him and get it back on the road, it will still be his when I'm gone.

Presently I have too many expensive projects around the house but I'm still thinking about the old truck our twin girls named SPOT because of the mobile radio antenna hole in the top of the cab that was filled and sprayed primer red, thus the name SPOT. HRP

 

I`ll take a 63 chevy please

 

I’ll take a 60-66 Suburban please.

 

Slickest truck of the 60's is off topic around here. six seven Chevy.

 

'64 - '65 El Camino & those cute Falcon Rancheros ...

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/kPzJLp395mA?feature=share

I'm kinda partial to my Slick '61 Unibody shop truck.

 

This would be my go to truck that most would turn there nose up at until it's too late, but then I'm almost always drawn to the dark side

 

I'm in agreement about the '60 to '63 Ranchero. I had a '61 and it was the perfect size truck for me. Would love to find a other one and not make the dumb mistakes I made with the first one.

 

64-65 Chevy C, same year El Camino and 60-63 Ranchero....The rest look like frying pans..

 

I passed on this but found it a nice home.
I guess I’m crazy but I got plenty to work on.
Someone needs to build this

The 61-63 f100s are the best
I got a rough one hid somewhere

this looks fun

but the ugly hood 60-62 GMs are one of my favorite
We have a c40 that we use as intended. Not as fast as a new diesel flat bed but gets the work done.
I might be trading for a 64-5 custom cab SWB Chevy. (The pieces to build one anyway)
These era trucks are easy to build and ride great. I’d rather have one as a daily than a new one.

 

Not a truck on that list I wouldn't drive!
Had a '63 longbed and a '66 panel. Both beat to hell but chugged away with a 6 & 3 on the tree.

 

While I prefer the cool trucks made by IHC, I have had a variety of different trucks over the years, this mid 60's Chevy pick up was one of my favorites, good running 327 and easy to work on. I also had a mid 60's Chevy Suburban of the same year, and it had a good running 327 as well, both of these rigs were great.
Thanks for posting this cool thread!

 

Best looking hood ever put on a truck

 

@41 GMC K-18 -
Cool 3 door 'Burb!

 

I'm partial to my 64 f100

 

img047 by harpo1313 posted Feb 16, 2010 at 10:40 PM

loved mine

 

Miss my 65 F100 Shortbed. Should have never sold it, had a lot of fun just cruising around.

 

I got one too. And really like it.

 

The styling in the 60's was great across the board for all makes. I had a 65 ford the truck was a tank loved that thing.

 

Had a '65 F-100 w/ 3 on column, 352, 3.50 posi-trac. Tried to buy it from original owner, had to wait until 2nd owner would sell after his kids ragged it out Keeping my eye on a '64 Custom Cab but guy asking too much for a full-blown project. Those auction prices wrecking havoc on the market since the lockdowns started.

Joe

 

I have a '65 F100 shortbox with a 300 I6 4 speed and 3.70 rear gear. First weekend I got mine a couple of silver haired older ladies walked by the end of the driveway and remarked, Man, you have to like old trucks. Two ladies can't be wrong. It was worse than it looked, which is why it was priced right. They built them tough enough to put through hard use and still have enough left over to redo. I drive a late model v8 pickup I can hardly wait to park so I can drive the '65 for the summer and fall.

 

My 65 turns heads every time I head into Lowes.

 

I liked the 62 Chevy when they still had the torsion bars but the better looking hood. But if I had my pick https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-is-rare-426-max-wedge-in-dodge.html I do remember one of these.

 

QUOTE="302GMC, post: 14395051, member: 10345"]'64 - '65 El Camino & those cute Falcon Rancheros ...[/QUOTE]






11 years and 125K Miles worth of partial...

Hello,

The 60s had some good development of trucks from their earlier designs. For us, the 59 El Camino was the killer car/truck vehicle, 335 hp, a/c 4 speed, etc. The swoopy style was a first and hit the spot. But, that was pre 1960. Your choice of a 60-61 El Camino was good in that some of the style still lingered from the previous years.

For us, the next generation of the El Camino that showed up in 1964-65 was the best in styling. Although on the El Camino, one could special order a lot of stuff, but the big 396 motor, bucket seats and 4 speed were not on the El Camino lists at any dealer. It was for the Chevelle sedans, but not the El Camino models in 64-65. We tried all So Cal Chevy dealers to no avail. It was a factory decision, later lifted after many years. (non HAMB versions)

We liked full size pickups, but most of the models were pretty spartan and of course, “rode like trucks…” We purchased a 1965 El Camino that was the best running model from zero miles to 125k miles in late 64 to late 1976. It did not ride like a truck and the interior, even if it was not an SS bucket seat version, was very comfortable and had enough room for two plus storage behind the seats.

Speaking of the area behind the seats… that is where the first air shock inlet valve was located. It was visible on the small narrow flat panel on the top part of the seatback. Using a normal air hose from the gas stations allowed air to be pumped into the factory air shocks to compensate for heavy loads.
a left over from 1965 and an unwanted item when we sold it in 1976

But, if the inlet air hose (at the gas stations) measurement thing was broken, a guess as to how much pressure one was putting in to the shocks was not the best thing. So, I found an air pressure meter that told exactly how much air was in the twin shocks from the factory. No more tail dragging to the gas station after loading the bed, or butt up in the air after filling an empty bed for the next heavy load. The gauge was hidden below the flat metal panel and could only be seen when the door was open.

Of course, storage outside was unending, but when stopped at various places for lunch/dinner on a road trip, all of the items in the back, had to be brought in the cab and locked up. Why did we not get a tonneau cover soft or hard? Well we liked the open look and the soft covers could not be locked, ripped with some errant items, while the hardtop covers weighed too much.

Jnaki

So, we learned to accept the faults and quirks of the 65 El Camino. There was a secret compartment near the cab located on the floor of the bed. It was the footwell for the station wagon chassis and had a nice matching bed ridges look, but unusable unless custom things were added. (hinges, a lock, and skills) The compartment had enough room for various items, but not large enough for suitcases. In later times, people have converted that footwell area in the bed, into workable compartments.

It was a great riding El Camino, with very little maintenance required. It was the most reliable car/truck we had ever owned and we were sad to see it drive away after 125k miles of road trips all up and down the coast of California and Baja Mexico. The 1965 El Camino got sold in 1976 to a young surfer from Dana Point.
Photo by Vnak