53K-mile 1977 Chevrolet El Camino Classic Pick-Up

This 1977 Chevrolet El Camino Classic Pick-Up is in wonderful condition and available in St. Catharines, Ontario. The car has been owned by the seller for approximately 15 years and it has been a prized possession. The third owner, he has only advanced the odometer approximately 500 miles during that time.

This El Camino is finished in a smart two-tone green and is completely rust-free. It has been re-painted once in its original colours, shortly before the current owner became its custodian. So, although the re-spray was carried out in 2004, the car has been driven very little since and protected from the elements by storing indoors. A good spot to judge the paint quality is by the condition of the bed. The paint there is excellent, there isn’t evidence that the bed has been used since the paint work. The big grille with vertical spines is a strong look, accented by the stacked double rectangle headlights on each side, a headlight set-up consistent with other GM higher-end model offerings at the time (the base El Camino retained dual round headlights of 1975). The chrome bed rails are at once a rare option and smart accent; the bumper guards are also a nice factory option.

Under the hood lurks a 350 cubic inch V8 engine, a step up from the base 305. The four-barrel carburetor it employs is a further step up from the two-barrel 350 – and the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission sends the power to the rear wheels. Power was rated at 170 ponies, attained at 3800 RPM – with loads of torque, 270 lb.-ft. at only 2400 RPM. One look at the engine bay of this example and three words come to mind: clean, clean, clean.

The interior is tan in colour and durable in vinyl. The original Delco AM radio remains in place while a modern ALPINE aftermarket deck is installed below the dash. The bench seat can accommodate three across, with seat belts for all – shoulder on the outside, lap for the centre man. The air conditioning has been converted to R134a and blows cold. The period two-spoke Chevrolet-inscribed steering wheel fronts a sweeping speedometer. The odometer within shows just over 53,000 miles. The seller believes that to be original mileage, true and accurate, supported by the vehicle’s general condition, his very low personal usage over the past 15 years and the “A title” (see below). He will warrant this on his dealer’s bill of sale.

“El Camino”-inscribed floor mats are in place; side mirrors are controlled remotely; and there is a tilt wheel. Wood grain dash facings, popular for the time, are in nice condition. The dash is further accented by an El Camino badge on the passenger side. Other features include a centrally mounted analog clock and a column shifter. This El Camino Classic is appointed with power steering and power brakes.

Good year Decathlon white wall tires measure stock size 215/75 and are mounted on 15” x 6” Chevrolet Rallye Wheels. These wheels were a very popular period Chevrolet sporty style, used even on Camaro and Corvette. Brakes up front are discs while drums are in place at the rear axle.

This is a US-market vehicle. The seller imported it from Michigan when he purchased it from a dealer there, it was first registered in Kentucky. As a 1977 model year vehicle, there would be little difference from a Canadian-market vehicle given that km/h-dominant speedometers were mandated by Transport Canada starting for the 1978 model year. As it would for a ’77 Canadian-market car, km/h does appear. The 1977 is generally considered more sought-after than 1978 and onward as the ‘78s had much more similarity in appearance to a Malibu station wagon.

Service during the seller’s tenure of ownership has included a 2020 brake refresh at a cost of $1500 – consisting of a rebuild of front discs, new pads up front and adjustment of rear drums; annual oil changes; and conversion of the a/c system to R134a. For Ontario buyers, seller expects it will pass Ontario safety as it sits.

As a fun piece of the car’s history, here is a recent email to the seller from the bargain-hunter second owner, feeling some seller’s remorse:
I was second owner, a gentleman in Detroit advertised it. His brother in Kentucky bought it brand new. When the gentleman got too old to drive, he kept the car and once a month had family members take him shopping with it to keep it limber. There were 17 door dings in the passenger door from another car in the garage. When he died in his 80s, his brother was the executor of his estate and had it shipped to Detroit, where he lived – to sell it. I repainted it and replaced wheel well moldings, changed all fluids and rebuilt the carburetor – there was not even a speck of rust on car and zero filler!!!! Car had 46 k actual miles and was A title. Have been sorry ever since I sold it. I only sold to buy a ‘70 Cuda and now you know the rest of story.
-Gerald

Subsequent note: Those door dings were skim-coated and the car was professionally resprayed with the very nice paint job in evidence today, seller estimates the cost as a $10K job, at least.