73 El Camino SS 454 questions

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Aug 21, 2013
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Australia
My Car
73 Blue Glo Mach 1
Hi All

I have just found a 73 elky ss454 it has some nice option its red has AC pwr steer and brakes swivel seat, it appears to be a good solid dry car/ute the bed area looks exceptionally clean and straight and its matching numbers. The price is around 8500aud so its do able. My questions are as follows

Rare are these Utes in the USA.

It has probably the ugliest front end I have seen on a car will earlier 70-72 front sheet metal fit or do you need to change out the radiator support panels.

It would be a nice rig if you dropped the rear bumper off it and ran it low as hell,but that front end has me cringing.

 
When I had that generation El Camino I was looking for a '73 Laguna nose for it. I thought the earlier gen nose was way too much work. I drove my '77 for years. Other than the ugly nose I liked it a lot. It had a nicer ride than my '70 or '72.

 
I like the looks of the 70 & 71 models. The 73 is too boxy for me because of the impact requirements that went into effect that year. I think it would be difficult to clone a 71 model using the a 73 El Camino. That's a good price though..

 
When I had that generation El Camino I was looking for a '73 Laguna nose for it. I thought the earlier gen nose was way too much work. I drove my '77 for years. Other than the ugly nose I liked it a lot. It had a nicer ride than my '70 or '72.
Thanks Sic. Started to think well I can't see the grill and huge bumper from the drives seat haha.

 
I like the looks of the 70 & 71 models. The 73 is too boxy for me because of the impact requirements that went into effect that year. I think it would be difficult to clone a 71 model using the a 73 El Camino. That's a good price though..
John 66-70 El Camino's are sweet looking things. Price is why I haven't just dismissed it, the thing is cheaper than one of our own v8 73 Utes. Will see where it goes he isn't advertising and I am in no hurry.

 
Luke, there are probably a lot of people on this forum more GM knowledgeable than I am. That being said I will tell you that in 1973 GM redesigned their midsize car lines. The new bodies reflected new Government rollover standards and bumper requirements. Even if the nicer looking 70-72 front end would fit the frame, it wouldn't match rest of the body lines. As sicndhed suggested a Laguna S-3 front would look great, as you would at least lose the ugly chrome "Cow Catcher" front bumper and have a smoother looking front end. The only downside would be availability as the Laguna was a slow seller and only lasted 4 model years. I would suggest that if you are serious about the car, you could always check with some Malibu/Chevelle forums and see what type of suggestions they might have.

The El Camino's and Rancheros were a pretty common sight here in the U.S. The last Ranchero was built in 1979. When the small pickup trucks like the Ford Ranger and the Chevy S-10 joined the ranks of the already popular Toyota and Nissan, it was the "End of the Road" for these type of vehicles.

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I did a little searching and found one source that says 64,987 made in 73 they did not break out by engine. If the SS package was the same in 73 as years past that was an appearance option not really performance. You could get a 6 cylinder with SS package in early years. The 454 was pretty much a truck engine and not really a performance engine unless you found a LS-6 and then they were built for the track.

 
Sure glad Al Gore invented the internet! :whistling: The things you can find out now with the push of a button are amazing!! LOL

According to sicndhed's link, there was actually a special order option (6H1) where you could request the Laguna front end on an El Camino. Checked with some Chevrolet buddies of mine and they hadn't even heard of that option. The Government's squeeze on the manufactures wasn't doing Gm any good either. The LS-4 454 in 73 Chevelle/El Camino line was good for about 245 horsepower. With the absence of big horsepower, it was becoming stripe packages and look at me appearance items. Like David said you could find SS emblems on 6cyl cars and station wagons. It's hard to believe the US auto industry ever recovered from those times.

Luke, I know this has strayed a little from your original post, but since it is an original 454 car at least all the hardware and engine accessories are already there in case something like a 427 or a little "Meatier" 454 should show up!! :cool:

 
This is why you guys rock thanks for the info. Really its the huge bumper that makes it look bad. I was thinking about the same build as my other 454 car only going 496 rather than 468 its a solid 600hp build maybe a small hyd roller 650 should be pretty easy.

 
I found like the flat Laguna nose best but apparently Chevy thought it was a good idea too.

http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/158696/
Looks heaps better thanks Sic. I think its just the huge bumper on the El Camino that kills it. We have a Aus car that it kind reminds me of

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