in 1965, the chev el camino received the same facelift as its stablemate, the chevelle, with a more pronounced v-shaped nose-job.

 

roll on 50 years, and this ‘65 has el camino has benefited from a far more comprehensive facelift.

12 months ago, the already solid and straight body, was stripped bare, with every single atom of rust being removed, before being painted in layer upon layer of stunning arctic white.

 

but the work goes deeper than mere paint. underneath this incredible, bare metal rotisserie restoration, beats a modern era powerplant.

the tired 283 cubic inch motor was ditched in favour of a 350ci pontiac gto motor, not only upping the power to 350 horses, but also reducing the front end weight significantly thanks to the alloy block and heads of the new unit.

 

not content with the asthmatic induction system restricting the breathing of the car, the boys dispensed with fuel injection unit, in favour of a 600 cfm holley (the hotrodder’s carbie of choice), and staying with the old-skool theme, crackle finish edelbrock valve covers were installed.

with the motor and the body nicely taken care of, a ford 9” diff was installed, coupled to a rebuilt 2000 4l60e transmission.

 

of course, when you have over 350 horsepower under foot, you need good stoppers, so bauer brakes - the phoenix arizona brake specialists - were installed front and rear, along with fat american racing rims, 17” at the front and 18" at the rear, shod with sticky, modern rubber hoops.

in the cockpit, the fit-out is flawless too, trimmed in supple black leather and white piping, with info being fed to the driver via dakota instruments - digital dials and gauges, that are in keeping with the ’65 look.

 

the result of this painstaking project is a truely unique el camino that’ll not only scare the pants off the modern sports ute fraternity, but can be driven daily, no worries at all.

 

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