A feature last year on The El Caminos of Los Angeles depicted the fleet of Chevrolet El Caminos of every generation from 1964 to 1987 on the streets of L.A. Southern California being the land that rust forgot, almost any car can be kept on the road indefinitely as long as its owner finds it useful and is willing to keep it functioning mechanically, so large numbers of the highly useful and cheap to repair El Camino have survived as work vehicles.
In areas of the country with snow and salt, the story is different, however, and El Caminos survive in some numbers but often with more than utility as the motivation for the effort of keeping them alive. The El Camino SS has been the inspiration for the survival of many of these El Caminos. The SS396 and SS454 of 1968-72 are the most famous and have inspired the most survivors and clones, but the little-known El Camino SS of 1983-87 has its own following and movement of imitators. It probably can take credit for a considerable number of the survivors of the 1978-87 generation.
The 1983-87 El Camino SS is a model whose existence I notice every day, because one of my neighbors has owned this example for many years. With the El Camino SS logo on its tailgate, gleaming black paint with pinstripes, and wide rubber on American Racing wheels, it is clearly different from the average working El Camino. Somehow, I have never met this neighbor, and it is unfortunate, because his choice of vehicles–the El Camino SS and a W126 Mercedes 500SEL–indicates that we have similar tastes in cars and possibly other things.
The El Camino SS name returned in 1983 after having disappeared with the introduction of the downsized 1978 Malibu and El Camino. This iteration of the El Camino SS was a semi-factory custom built for GM by Choo Choo Customs in Chattanooga, Tennessee (hence the “Choo Choo” name). Its signature feature was its aerodynamic, body colored polyurethane front end, similar to the front end of the 1983 Monte Carlo SS.
With the 1983-88 Monte Carlo SS, a winning body style in NASCAR racing, the El Camino benefited from a racing halo effect to go along with its utility as a small pickup. Connection to motorsport would be a significant part of the promotion of the El Camino SS, which appeared as an IROC pace car in 1985-86 and an official service truck at the 1986 Indianapolis 500. I could not find sales figures, but this photo leads me to believe that they were quite brisk, most likely in NASCAR territory where they would benefit most from the connection to the Monte Carlo SS.
The “Designer Series” SS package was, in the tradition of Chevrolet’s Super Sport packages of the 1960s, a trim package. In addition to the aerodynamic front end, the El Camino SS received Rally wheels and special moldings and decals, and further appearance items like a non-functional cowl induction styled hood scoop, non-functional side pipes, and a spoiler were optional. The drivetrain was standard El Camino and Malibu fare, with the 110 horsepower 3.8L V6 and automatic transmission and the optional 150 horsepower 5.0L V8. Of course, El Camino SS owners then and now could use the vast universe of small block Chevy performance parts to enhance their car/truck’s power.
The El Camino SS lasted until the end of the El Camino in 1987, and in a way it never went away because Choo Choo Customs continued making El Camino SS specialty parts after 1987 and continues to sell them today. So anyone in 2014 who has an El Camino and wants an El Camino SS can make one.
Quite a number of people appear to want an El Camino SS, because like the 1968-72 SS396 and SS454, the 1983-87 El Camino SS has numerous clones out on the streets. This very clean El Camino with the SS front end, cowl induction styled hood, and custom paint appears to be a work vehicle at a local body shop, with a cargo bed full of parts and supplies. It is one of several highly customized 1978-87 El Caminos I’ve seen in my area, appearing to outnumber original, unmodified survivors.
Largely original, time-worn El Caminos probably outnumber modified examples, but with the last El Camino produced in 1987, it is likely that an increasing number of the surviving El Caminos on the East Coast have relied on restoration or customization to undo the toll of 27 or more years of road salt and other elements. The rust-eaten condition of this 1969 is far more typical of what one can expect from an El Camino on the East Coast that has not had considerable work done on it.
The El Camino will always be a vehicle that some people will love and some people will hate, but being a useful light duty cargo hauler with the performance potential and passenger accommodations of a mid-sized car, its appeal is easy to appreciate. The SS and its clones will probably keep the El Camino’s presence on the streets on the East Coast high for many years to come.
I remember seeing the first Elky with the MC SS front end at the ’84 Chicago Auto Show. [Didn’t see the ’83 version] I thought it was cool, but my uncle was like “How could they make a MC truck! It’s a luxury car!”
He was still living in the 70’s.
I still see the ads for Choo Choo Customs. It’s interesting to find out they were factory endorsed.
The ’83 Monte Carlo SS didn’t come out until mid-model year, so the Monte Carlo SS-based front end probably didn’t become available on the El Camino until late in the ’83 model year. It certainly wouldn’t have been out at the start of the 1983 model year.
From the literature posted above, it looks there was both a “regular” ’83 El Camino SS, with the same front end styling as other El Caminos, and a “designer series” with the Monte Carlo SS-based front end (see Stumack’s post below, which pointed this out in the fine print). This distinction was probably necessary because the Monte Carlo-based front end didn’t become available until late in the year. I believe the Monte Carlo SS-based front end then became standard equipment on all El Camino SS’s for 1984.
For a few months owned a 79 GMC Cabarillo. Helped my Dad repossess it from a coworker who quit making payments. He bought it new, after a year or two the paint began to peel off the roof in sheets. GM paid to repaint the roof. After 3 years the paint started to lift off the hood and top of the tailgate. It was auto with 305 and AC. A light blue with blue interior. The person we got it back from had been driving it around with a burnt plug wire for who knows how long. After replacing the wires, it ram smoothly but had no power. I figured the cat was plugged. A mechanic recommended an additive to out in the gas, and follow the directions which was basically to remove the air filter and give it an “Italian tune up”. I took it on Hwy 14 out in the desert about 6:00 AM on a Sunday, hardly a car anywhere. As I got out in the boonies I floored it and held it for about half an hour. 55, 60, about 70 for fifteen minutes is all it would do. Finally a began to pick up speed and buried the 85 MPH speedo and the four barrel started to really moan. I ran it for about ten or fifteen minutes as fast as it would go. Then I slowed down and pulled behind a semi and cruised the 55 mph speed limit. After a while another semi pulled up behind me. Just then, a CHP cruiser flew past us in the left lane. Then he slammed on his brakes, got next to me and his the lights and pointed at me. I explained what I had been doing, and had the air filter and additive can were on the passenger floor. He said he saw me on an overpass and had been trying to catch up for about fifteen minutes. He was actually pretty cool, and wrote me up for 70 in a 55. I soon sold the car, I was going to replace my 70 C10 with it, but I decided I had more use for and liked the Chevy better. I sold it for about a thousand more then I paid, minus the ticket fine.
Sweet looking El Camino. I’ve never seen this generation El Camino before. It must’ve been either a one-off or a limited edition model. Either way, I’ve never seen one.
I had forgotten about these. I had a neighbor a few years ago with a Choo Choo Customs Chevy Van. I never knew that Choo Choo did these too.
I think my favorite El Camino would have a 230 or 250 and three speed stick. If I really wanted to live rich, back it up with an overdrive. Get more mileage than a C10 and even though it would carry less, that’s what trailers were made for. The trucks, until EFI all thought 12mpg was really good. The El Camino would do a lot better than that unless you went SS.
My brother had a late seventies El Camino with the 3.3 liter V6 and a three speed (on the floor). It was a pleasant enough vehicle to drive but was noticeably slower than the ’72 Elky (350/auto) he had before. He didn’t keep the El Camino very long; loading the bed with very much stuff made the V6 sound like it wanted to throw up. My thought on gas mileage is that if I really cared about it I would drive a Prius or (more likely) a Golf TDI. To each his own.
I can’t imagine a loaded El Camino with the 3.3 V6…ouch. I had an ’82 Malibu with the 3.8 and *that* car was slow. Give it an even less powerful engine and put some more weight on it? No thanks.
I did like the look of these cars though,both SS and non-SS versions. I haven’t seen an SS in a while but there are two of this generation in my neighborhood, an ’80 and an ’82-’87 (I don’t think there were any exterior changes during these years)..
It looks totally bad ass!I’ve never seen this model ElCamino before,I keep seeing one lurking at Teller Morrow(I’ve occasionally seen Clay,Tig and Juice drive it) in Sons of Anarchy but I don’t know what year it is
Great write up, but one small point. The rusty El Camino is a 1972, not a 1969.
I always though the Monte Carlo SS style front end worked very well on these El Caminos. Too bad that the packaged didn’t include the improved suspension and L69 HO 305 that the Monte Carlo got.
The 1969’s are my favorites. One of the few that’s spelled w/ a lowercase “e,”
Not a fan of the aero front at the time, it seemed too mismatched to the rest of the car. But, I appreciate it more now. I had no Idea of the level of aftermarket support currently out there.
I find the front clip reminiscent of the ’84 Dodge Rampage.
The El Camino SS didn’t disappear with the 1978 model. A regular SS package was available right through 1987 – notice in the fine print on the “1983 Designer Series” sheet that it’s not available with the Z15 Super Sport. I remember these mostly being referred to as the “Choo Choo Custom”.
Random notes:
1) “The El Camino SS name returned in 1983 after having disappeared with the introduction of the downsized 1978 Malibu and El Camino.”
As Stumack already pointed out, the El Camino SS never actually went away at all, although it didn’t gain the distinctive Monte Carlo SS-based front end until after the G-body Monte Carlo SS appeared as a midyear 1983 model. It was the last survivor of the Chevy SS program from the 1960s/early ’70s, though by the mid ’70s it was probably little more than a graphics package.
2) “[The 1983-87 El Camino SS’s] signature feature was its aerodynamic, body colored polyurethane front end, similar to the front end of the 1983 Monte Carlo SS”.
‘Similar’ is the right word to use. As I understand it, while they look a lot alike, the 1983-88 Monte Carlo SS and 1983-87 El Camino SS front ends do not interchange. One model had a narrower front end than the other; I forget which was which.
3) “I could not find sales figures, but this photo leads me to believe that they were quite brisk, most likely in NASCAR territory where they would benefit most from the connection to the Monte Carlo SS.”
El Camino sales in general were in serious decline during this era. El Camino production peaked at 64K in 1973 and was 58K as late as 1979, but had dropped to just 24K by 1983 and was down to just 12K by 1987. That having been said, it would not surprise me if the SS package made up a significant percentage of those El Caminos that were still being sold. Towards the end of its run, the 1983-88 Monte Carlo SS was accounting for about half of all Monte Carlos built.
4) “The drivetrain was standard El Camino and Malibu fare, with the 110 horsepower 3.8L V6 and automatic transmission and the optional 150 horsepower 5.0L V8.”
This was another difference between the 1983-88 Monte Carlo SS and post-1983 El Camino SS, which Bill Mitchell already alluded to: While the Monte Carlo SS came with a specific, higher-output 305 V8 (which IIRC came with dual exhausts), the El Camino SS simply came with the same engines as any other El Camino, including the standard V6. It was available with the 305, but only as an option, and it was a “regular” 305, not the version used in the Monte Carlo SS.
Everytime when I’m thinkin’ about El Camino/Caballero (GMC) I’m always wondering IF this concept could be resurrected as it was speculated by the Holden UTE with Pontiac trim before Pontiac as the brand has been discontinued… Somehow Aussies kept the tradition better and they are still using some of the reputable GM names like Caprice, Senator, S, SS, etc. and the classic configurations of V6 and V8 RWD vehicles. In 2014. UTE the modern sibling of the El Camino still rules as Holden’s and HSV’s ace in this category equiped with standard V6 and powerful V8 engines.
Holden is stopping production due to lack of sales now that the new Colorado sells so well same fate the Falcon ute has suffered due to the new Ranger, shame really as the new kids on the block are turbo diesels not V8 petrol and have little allure to traditionalists like me, though are better as work utes obviously coz thats what they get bought for.
If that isn’t unforgivable, how does the fact that production is moving to China! Unfortunately, it seems that all the cars we know and love are being made in places that don’t know a thing about how we drive. 🙁
Ironically in this period (well 1985-1989) Holden didn’t make a ute, and the Ford Falcon was 6-cyl only.
I’m not sure about the China thing, they build the Caprice there now as the Park Avenue although I’m not sure if it is just CKD. There was talk of a China-sourced Commodore replacement, possibly a lwb Epsillon (?) but with the size of ‘midsize’ cars now I’m not sure I’d bother
It does seem a bit ‘wrong’ that you could get a V6 SS, or had they already devalued the SS badge? Nothing new for GM of course, in the Monaro days you could get a GTS with a 350 or a 186 ci 6-cyl.
you could get a Monaro in 161 poverty back originally, sporty? yeah nar.
I own a 1971 GMC Sprint, which is a badge-engineered clone of the El Camino. It’s also the topic of the first CC article that I ever published here:
Wow, I never knew that the SS in this generation was an aftermarket affair. Elkys are one of Chevy’s bright spots for me, Ive always liked them…hell, I like utes anyway. The 4 eyed ’69s are my faves, followed by these. Cool cars for sure, well made and reliable. GM really screwed the pooch in not getting the Holden ute over here, I think. If I remember right, the LS powered version with he 6spd could still get mpgs up into the mid 20s, better than even a 4 cyl minitruck. And I still cant put sense to why Dodge didn’t make a ‘Rampage 2.0’ based on the Magnum for the same reason. Whats NOT to like about a muscle car that can make itself useful too?
Didn’t the GMC Caballero have a “sporty” package called Diablo? If I remember correctly it could only be ordered with the 3.8l V6. Not exactly sporty.
I wonder how many Caballeros are still around? I guess a lot of them were turned into Elco clones.
My mom bought a used ’89 Choo-Choo S-10 Blazer. Imagine, if you will, a white 4×4 Blazer with a conversion van style roof extension equipped with sunroof, rear roof window and a line of full-length gills towards the rear of the roof extension. Throw in a fake hood scoop and door side vents, fiberglass fender flairs connected to running boards, a Monte Carlo style front bumper with the wide park lights and “SS” badges everywhere. It was… interesting. Some days we liked the look; other days it was questionable. Oddly enough, my favorite feature was the leather wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel with the Choo-Choo train logo.
I wish we had a picture because I’ve never seen another with the roof extension and I can’t find a pic anywhere on the Web.
Within the past month, I snapped a pic of one of these for sale: a clean but not pristine 1985 with a 305 auto on the column and bench seats. It’s one of the milder Choo Choos, sans the fake side pipes or the oversized, very ’80s graphics — both of which the vehicle is better off without. I like it, even if it is wearing the wrong rims.
The traditional consensus that the El Camino was “not a very good car, and also not a very good truck” may well be true. But if I had $5900 to blow, I wouldn’t mind owning this one at all. These last-gen SS Caminos are much more affordable than the ’70s big blocks and, as the author notes, unlikely to decrease in value in the years to come.
Those front ends on those 80s Monte Carlo SS’s and El Camino SS’s have got to be the most hideous, the absolute ugliest creations ever to disgrace an automobile. But that was GM back in those dreadful dark, dark, dark 80s.
I love these el camino’s i am 19 I just bought a 1 owner 85 conquista for me and my father to build together and idk the value on these seems to rise as i look more into these things but my dad cant drive 5 ft out of the driveway in it without someone offering him money or someone asking do you wanna sell it. My dad cant take the garbage can to the street without one of the garbage men yelling at him about trying to buy it lol but this is by far my favorite generation of el Camino but time to ditch the tired 305 and build a mild 350
Thanks for spelling “el Camino” right. I love the older models with the lowercase e.
I would like to show you my 1983 El Camino, I named her Trixie, and am very proud of her, she lives in Tampa, and I get a lot of thumbs up when I drive her. I had her painted with the chameleon blue – Paint with Pearl.
Doing a major upgrade on my 1985 ElCamino Conquista. 305 gone and replaced by a built 350. Installed built TH350 trans. Installed high dual exhaust. Now converting stock rear end with 250 gears to posi with 373 gears. Then going thru the entire brake system upgrading it. In the Spring will redo the AC.. It is a sharp looking two tone paint,dark blue and light blue with grey interior. Get lots of compliments. Lots of money going into it and probably will eventually sell it forward of what I have in it!!!!
I have a 1983 Elkey with the regular front end . (Not Monte Carlo) . it was shipped to a dealer in Ennis TX.
It has the Deluxe series stamped on the door handle inserts and has the SS emblems
on it as well as stripping that I have’nt seen on another Elkey.
It has the Choo Choo emblem above the glove box but the door tag is missing.
I do believe this was customized at Choo Choo in late ’83 but with the regular front end.
I believe everything on the car is original.
I sent off and got the build sheet but i can’t tell much from it that I didn’t know. Maybe I don’t know what to look for