1980 Chevy Chevrolet El Camino 71k miles
1980 Chevrolet El Camino
Up for sale is a "little old lady" owned 1980 Chevy El Camino with 71k original miles. Truck was bought new by her in Marshall,MI and she kept and maintained it for 35 years until March 2015 when it was sold to the 2nd owner. The 2nd owner would see her driving it around occasionally and pursued her for 5+ years to try to buy it from her. She finally relented and and agreed to sell it. The 2nd owner drove it only 1000 miles over the next 4 years and I purchased it in June 2019.
The truck is a 305/TH350 combination with open rear with something like a 2.76-3.08 rear gear that will cruise coast to coast at 70mph no problem. The old gal kept typed and handwritten maintenance history until the day she sold it as shown in the pictures. The 2nd owner only changed the oil once and replaced the battery as he hardly drove it. When I got the car it was in pretty nice condition, but it needed a lot of love and sweat to get it back to reliable driving condition.
First up was to replace all the shocks with KYB GasAdjusts to make the car stable. I then replaced the factory springs with BellTech lowering springs to get it it sitting better. The inner+outer tie rods, adjuster, idler arm and center link are all new and I adjusted the steering box to remove play in it. Front sway bar end links were replaced with new urethane ones. Both power steering lines were leaking so those were replaced and the front a-arm bump stops are new. The leaking rear pinion seal was fixed and I flushed and filled the rear axle with new gear oil. Next I replaced all three flexible rubber brake hoses, the master cylinder and cleaned+painted the rear drums and front calipers and installed new caliper pins. The muffler was blown out so a quiet Dynomax turbo muffler was installed and the catalytic converter replaced with a new Magnaflow unit. The broken transmission mount was swapped out and I scrubbed, scraped and brushed 40+ years or crud off the transmission and crossmember.
Moving on to the engine compartment, both battery cables, alternator, carburetor, plugs and wires, air filter, PCV valve, crank case breather, valve cover gaskets and oil+filter are all new. I used Lucas Oil Hot Rod oil with extra zinc to help protect the factory flat tappet lifters and cam. The hood insulation was replaced and I sparingly cleaned up the engine compartment as I did not want it to lose the "little old lady" charm. A few brackets were repainted as well as the air cleaner as the paint on it was mottled and falling off. I replaced the air cleaner and emissions decals and that is about it. It is pretty clean but not restored as this is a driver, not a show car.
The interior was in nice shape but really needed a good cleaning. I pulled the seat and all the rear,door and headliner panels out. Seat just needed to be cleaned and the tracks freed up. All the panels with exception of dash and kick panels were prepped and redyed with exactly matching Camel Tan from NPD. I reglued the headliner but it fell down again so that should be replaced. Dash cluster taken apart and cleaned. All the window crank and door locks mechanisms cleaned and freed up so they work like butter. I steam cleaned the original carpet while the seat was out so it looks great. Finally a new set of matching El Camino embroidered floor mats were installed. Interior is now very nice.
Finally the exterior. I removed the factory bumper guards front and rear as well as some hard chrome mud flaps. I replaced both door handles as the chrome was pitted. I replaced the tailgate cables and hardware. Installed a 69 Camaro front spoiler. And the finishing touch is new 18" US Mags Rambler rims and new tires. I wet sanded much of the exterior, buffed and waxed it so the paint is extra slippery.
Overall this is a very nice riding and driving truck. The larger wheels and lowered springs do not make it ride harsh at all. It still glides down the road. Brakes are great, transmission shifts perfect and with the new OEM carburetor and tune up parts it runs and idles great. The new catalytic converter does its job so you and your passenger don't reek of hydrocarbons after you drive it. You could jump in this truck and daily drive it like a newer vehicle if you wanted. All the lights, horn, speedo, wipers and radio with factory 8 track work. The HVAC fan motor works but at some point some one ran a separate wire to it with a toggle switch mounted in the dash. So I assume the motor resistor block failed or the power wire has a break in it somewhere.
With that said it is not a cream puff. There are nicks and chips in the paint. On the drivers door there are a couple small dents from the old gal opening the long door into something. The AC is currently not working but I didn't care as plenty of air moves through the interior with the windows down. All components of the system are untouched so a leak check, vacuum and recharge should get it working again. The windshield is grit blasted from years of driving and also the seal is loose. Body is very solid but not completely rust free. There is some rust behind the drivers rear wheel and on the inside of the passenger door. Both are not immediately noticeable unless pointed out. No rust issues with floor pans, smugglers box or bed. Frame is solid except for two spots on the rear where a trailer hitch was welded to the frame over the factory drain holes. So those areas filled up with water and rusted. Truck will come with the factory wheels in the bed and any parts that I removed that are still good or serviceable.
Clear title in hand. I am thorough and fair when describing my cars so there is no surprise or disappointment. Call with any questions 248-504-1261. Located in Grass Lake, MI. Thanks, Jon.
- Condition: Used
- Make: Chevrolet
- Model: El Camino
- Year: 1980
- Mileage: 71000
- VIN: 1w80har438953
- Vehicle Title: Clean Want to buy? Contact seller!
