Is it strange that I don’t see a useful need for a half-ton pickup? I get why a 3/4 ton or heavier truck could be useful, but to me…and this is an opinion, remember…a half-ton truck is only useful when it’s being worked like the tool it was originally intended to be. If I want something with a bed that I could reasonably daily drive with solid creature comforts, I’d rather look at a coupe utility. Unfortunately, that means that if I don’t want to take a quick trip to Australia and import something only twenty-five years old, that I’m stuck looking for 1987 and older vehicles. But is that a bad thing? I think not…the Ranchero might have been the first American ute, but the Chevrolet El Camino is the better known, and they all look good to me.
But which Elky would best suit the need of a shop truck that could be killer? 1972 and earlier are in solid classic territory now and while they could stand up to some work duty, I’d feel bad about it. A 1973-77 big-body is stout enough, but condition-wise, it’s either feast or famine: they’re either a ten or a zero, with little in-between. But the 1978-87 G-body version…that’s a pretty decent compromise. They look trim and neat, they still have plenty of interior room, and there’s enough in the marketplace for them that restoring or testifying one is simple enough.
But this particular 1983 ElCo is special, if the Monte Carlo SS nose didn’t give it away. This is a real-deal Choo Choo Customs El Camino SS, which is neat on it’s own, but this one isn’t perfect…the dash has cracks, the paint has some minor issues and we think we are seeing some bubbling paint behind the rear wheels. So why, then, are we gaga for this one? Easy: 427 under the hood. That cures a LOT of ails. It’s thirty-four years old and well overdue for a restoration, but we’d simply do a visual restoration…nobody is going to want a numbers-matching 305 truck, now, are they?
I liked the Choo-Choo when they came out in the early 80’s but only the nose. The fake hood scoop and side fairing was just ugly.