el-camino ever done?

Chuck Norton · 05-08-2022, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTX JOHN

I sem to recall fuzzily that the Lady that pitted us for many year and died several years ago to Cancer..........won class back in the 50's with her El Camino and was the first women to do so in NHRA History. Does anybody else recall the Lady or Her Car? My memory is not what it was... Seems like her first Name was Roberta and she was a icon at the track nearly forever.

John Irving

Roberta Leighton. Also remembered for her '65 Impala convertible Super Stocker, "Red, White, and Roberta.

Terry Witzel · 05-08-2022, 01:50 PM

Wiley Cossey in the Casler Tire Service E/S 1959 El Camino at the 1965 Winternationals.

Dan Bennett · 05-09-2022, 10:51 PM

Somebody please help my aging mind... Was Casler just the soft rubber retreads or did they eventually make their own tires?

Floyd Staggs · 05-10-2022, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Bennett

Somebody please help my aging mind... Was Casler just the soft rubber retreads or did they eventually make their own tires?

Retreads. A lot of people ran them back in the day. I did on my Corvette.

Greg Reimer 7376 · 05-12-2022, 11:07 AM

My experiences with a 348 and a 4 speed included more broken differentials and drive line parts than I cared to think about. Those pictures of 348 powered El Caminos and all at Pomona are neat, but how many spare third members did a race team need to get through a race like Pomona? You had to ride the clutch and drive the car out of the hole in order to get to the finish line. Any attempt to leave hard usually resulted in bad noises coming from the back of the car.

Tom P · 05-14-2022, 06:39 PM

Was that Wiley Cossey ElCamino blue by any chance?

Years ago at Bakersfield HotRod Reunion there was a blue 59 triple carb , 4 speed El Camino for sale quite cheap. Looked like it'd been parked for years.

If I wasn't a Ford diehard i'd have bought it. I had a 67 Ranchero 390, 4 speed and looked at making a Stocker of it, but it's not in the guide.
Compared to a regular Fairlane it's 3" shorter wheelbase and the extra 100lbs is all in the back, double walls, tailgate, etc. I'd imagine an ElCamino is the same way compared to a Chevelle, if not in wheelbase then the extra weight out back.

Dan Bennett · 05-15-2022, 01:58 PM

In my collecting days, I ran across 4 or 5 of this sort of setup and was surprised there were so many. The funny thing is that in every one of the cases, the original owner was known and the current owner had talked to them. None of them were bought just for racing, but were ordered because the original owner had a heavy boat or something else that needed to be towed.

The 4 speeds were because the buyers didn't trust the automatic trans of the time for efficiency or durability. In all the cases, they were a major horsepower gain over any engine found in a pickup.

The two I remember most clearly were a 59 El Camino 348 3 carb 4 speed and a 70 El Camino LS6 Turbo 400.

05-08-2022, 01:50 PM	#2
Terry Witzel Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Marion,Ohio Posts: 247 Likes: 48 Liked 50 Times in 28 Posts	Re: el-camino ever done? Wiley Cossey in the Casler Tire Service E/S 1959 El Camino at the 1965 Winternationals.

05-09-2022, 10:51 PM	#3
Dan Bennett Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 438 Likes: 848 Liked 592 Times in 135 Posts	Re: el-camino ever done? Somebody please help my aging mind... Was Casler just the soft rubber retreads or did they eventually make their own tires?

05-12-2022, 11:07 AM	#5
Greg Reimer 7376 VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Glendora,Calif. Posts: 1,136 Likes: 172 Liked 705 Times in 219 Posts	Re: el-camino ever done? My experiences with a 348 and a 4 speed included more broken differentials and drive line parts than I cared to think about. Those pictures of 348 powered El Caminos and all at Pomona are neat, but how many spare third members did a race team need to get through a race like Pomona? You had to ride the clutch and drive the car out of the hole in order to get to the finish line. Any attempt to leave hard usually resulted in bad noises coming from the back of the car.

05-14-2022, 06:39 PM	#6
Tom P Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 707 Likes: 30 Liked 239 Times in 94 Posts	Re: el-camino ever done? Was that Wiley Cossey ElCamino blue by any chance? Years ago at Bakersfield HotRod Reunion there was a blue 59 triple carb , 4 speed El Camino for sale quite cheap. Looked like it'd been parked for years. If I wasn't a Ford diehard i'd have bought it. I had a 67 Ranchero 390, 4 speed and looked at making a Stocker of it, but it's not in the guide. Compared to a regular Fairlane it's 3" shorter wheelbase and the extra 100lbs is all in the back, double walls, tailgate, etc. I'd imagine an ElCamino is the same way compared to a Chevelle, if not in wheelbase then the extra weight out back.

05-15-2022, 01:58 PM	#7
Dan Bennett Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 438 Likes: 848 Liked 592 Times in 135 Posts	Re: el-camino ever done? In my collecting days, I ran across 4 or 5 of this sort of setup and was surprised there were so many. The funny thing is that in every one of the cases, the original owner was known and the current owner had talked to them. None of them were bought just for racing, but were ordered because the original owner had a heavy boat or something else that needed to be towed. The 4 speeds were because the buyers didn't trust the automatic trans of the time for efficiency or durability. In all the cases, they were a major horsepower gain over any engine found in a pickup. The two I remember most clearly were a 59 El Camino 348 3 carb 4 speed and a 70 El Camino LS6 Turbo 400.