Sunday drive for a hunt

My friend found 1968 Chevrolet El Camino from Facebook for sale. The post was made in January of 2021. No Nettiauto.com, no Overdrive.fi listing, no Facebook marketplace post, just a persons personal page post. 

I contacted the person and we set up a date when I was supposed to go and take a look at it, which was a week ago, but I had back problems and couldn't sit or stand for long. So long drive was out of the question. Last Sunday I was feeling a lot better and I drove over 160 km to see this El Camino. My hopes weren't up that much since the asking price was kind of mid range, 12500€ and it was the wrong year, 1968. I kind of have set my mind into 1969 El Camino. But at least by checking out this El Camino, I don't have to second guess it in the future.

Weather was sunny and nice all the way there and back. Road were quite empty, not much of traffic, well it was a Sunday after all.

Navigator gave me a shortest path and at the end of the journey it directed me through old and narrow private road.  First, I thought that the address is just around the corner, but actually road took me through a small forest and to the back of this industrial lot. 

And there it was.

From the outside it was decent. It was shipped to the Finland few years ago. The title was dated 2016. 

As the  sale listing says, the engine is from 1995 Corvette and so are almost everything that is needed to make it work on the older car. Drivetrain, plastic fuel tank, electric gauges and while someone was doing that they added the Corvette's electric seats too. 

That gauge cluster is... well it is hideous. Butchered the stylish pod style gauges that were originally in the El Camino. Well, good point is, if you want to upgrade that old and analog gauges to electric, you're half way there. Just need to get the original or repro gauge cluster and then that Dakota Digital Dash that I thought about for my previous El Camino.

At least that was left from the butchery. Even though I doubt this was ever true SS, it's still a nice touch. 

There are few trim pieces missing in the front end, but nothing much. I suspect that this has been in accident since the drivers side fender in the front is a bit out of shape, but I can't be sure and it is nothing new that car that is over 50 years old has been one or two minor accidents in it's life time.

One nice touch is that fuel tank filler door is changed to round one. I quite like it. 

Overall, it's quite good shape, engine starts immediately and runs good and is responsive. Power steering is a bit tough, but it's from the Corvette also and is supposed to be a performance steering. Power brakes are really rough, but nothing to worry about. Paint is decent, no need to do that soon, unless you want it to be show quality, but before you get there, there are others things to address. 

The conclusion is that it might be worth the trouble, since the asking price ain't that far off from what you are buying. The problem for me is that it's 1968 and that dash.