what year was the best i have a 85 conquiesta!!? so what u think every 1 reply!!!

id have to say 69 or 70... i like 70 cuz they were the only ones made like that style. pretty much 68-72... all the 3rd gens are my favorites

Boy i can see all kinds of answer for this one. Personally i would love to have a 60 a close second would have to be 66.

3RD Gens rule!!!!!

Love a 72 myself!!!

Easy...1970 SS 454 LS6 4 speed Burgandy with black interior! 8)

Boy - this one is not too subjective.

My favorites:

60 - first (I own one - although the state it is in it's ugly)
67 - second - 327 / 4-speed (maybe someday)
78 - third (owned one previously)

My, how the varying opinions will fly in this thread . . .

Dan

I really like the smaller body of the 5th gens. Granted, they are kinda lacking in the HP/Torque department, but that can be changed.

This question reminded me of this old page I had on the now defunct NECOA website (click on Top 10 Picks): http://elcaminocentral.com/modules.php?name=NukeWrap&page=Necoa/index.htm&height=1400&width=100%

I really like the smaller body of the 5th gens

That's really my only problem with the 5th gens. Being a big guy they are just uncomfortable inside for me. I bought a new one in 84 and put 150,000 miles on it and cussed it many times for giving my knees a pain. But, it was one of the best vehicles I've ever owned otherwise.

I've had two 72s, a 75, and the 84. But the 72s(or any 3rd gen)are still my pick.

Elky's are the best...period regardless of year! 8-)

Mine is the best because it IS mine :P , and its the second 72 I have owned (the first was a Custom, this is a true Super Sport). My first ever car was a 67 Chevelle with a hot 283 vette engine....so I would not at all mind owning a 66-68 era Elky either...

1969 - 396- four speed!

Although I own a 77 - 355 - 350 turbo.

A guy can wish, can't he?

Elky77

1985 conquestia is the best wana no y???? cuz i said so lol and its the only elcamino ill ever own lol but im chase 15 fl and a newbie ith automotives so if u ever talk to me explain waht u mean lol thx guys keep the replies comin

to everyone in here saying 69s and 70s or other 3rd gens...i agree :-P

Id say 70 red ls6 elky is my favorite then id say 83 choochoo the first year they made the choochoo and also the lowest production numbers for the choochoo.

4th gens are my fav. They only thing I wish was my 74 was a 454 ss instead of a 400 but other than that I love my elky.

4th Gens get my vote. I like the look and the challenge of finding the right stuff to get 'em together I always am a sucker for the orphans and underdogs. :D

1st gens are cool just cause they look SWEET. 2nd gens (if restored right) can have a mean hot rod look. I like the boxines of the 2nd gens (compared to all other gens). 3rd gens just look plain tough especialy with the wide racing stripes. 4th gens, sorry guys, i just have to bad mouth chevy for the design. Cant say nothing bad anout the 5th gens since im building on from the ground up. If i had to pick one it would probably be any 2nd gen with a 396 that i built...cant decide on a tranny though.

I have to say like others here, I do love all the El Caminos and would proudly drive any year.

But...Yes I own one, and have to say I can't help it I am partial to a special year.

I still remember the the first time I saw a 1970 El Camino. I was in my last year of high school. I fell in love with that car. I wanted one soooo bad. I went into a Chevy dealership and sat in a SS 454 they had on the showroom floor, I was only 17. One of those magical moments only a young car lover can understand. I remember saying....some day! I love the front end on this car. Love the big round turn signals in the front bumpers. The only year with this unique front end.

No it is not an SS 454. Not even a true SS, but it is still my all time favorite year. Always will be. I love the third gen elky's and most of all the 1970 for my own personal reasons!

My baby. My wife always pulls out child pictures so, bear with me as I just have to show off mine...
http://elcaminocentral.com/users/70elco/blkgray%20background.jpg

To me all of the generations have their good and bad points. You have to admit it is an unusual combination. Mixing a truck and a car had to be a nightmare for the designers. My favorite though has always been the 4th gen. I love the long, low, and curvy body lines. Especially the cab to bed transition. However I love the front ends of the 3rd gens. My second pick would have to be 3rd gen.

I wonder if a 3rd gen front end would fit on my 4th gen? Something to ponder. Or better yet try. Hummmmmmm! Anybody tried?

Daves77

Since i own a '70, i'm gonna jump on the 3rd generation bandwagon and say the 1970 model year is the best :D . The fastback styling, the clean body lines, and the coolest looking front end of ALL elco's.... i would call it EL PERFECTION!

I like the styling of the 5th Gens esp. '83-'88, but I will have to admit that the ultimate El Camino is a 1970 SS with an LS6 motor and cowl induction.

the 59 el camino has got the most style and class of all the 5 generations .
those bat wings and cat eyes tail lights are just so evil looking at night all lit up . the thing looks like it could fly . what a work of art .
the second and 4th generation just do nothing for me .and the 3rd well being a 70-72 chevelle nut how could i not love those babies . and the 5th generation , well i'm on my 9th 5th generation camino , i just wish the frame rails would stop rusting out : )
so thats it my dream car would be a 59 with cragar ss rims a honkin stereo and a bad ass big block . ye haw

Way back in the day, my buddie bought a black on black 68, I loved it. Was looking to buy one, when in the summer of 69 Uncle Sam came a calling, and that was the end of that!! lol So I'd have to say for me it is still a 68

Right now its 4th Generation Elky for me. I have 3rd, 4th and 5th and I love em everyone, wouldn't trade what I have. My 4th is very inique in a way and I enjoy that.

My 5th gen will be a real head turner I know and I'll love it but my favorite is my 76, with all its two tone trim and what a lot of people feel is her long hood lines. I really do enjoy driving it when I get the chance. Now that I've got a transmission back in it and the few upgrades I've done this year its just icing on the cake.

Power can be built into any generation thats not a big challange.

My favorite is a 3rd gen (69-70) with a 454!!!
I'm also a little partial to the 5th gen too.

I'd have to say it would be a 3rd gen '72. Besides that is the one year that I own, it was also (in my opinion) the last year of the muscle car era.
But, I have to admit. I am really starting to like the 4th gen '73 and '74 Super Sports with a stance looking like it is moving when it is just standing still. If I could swing a second Elky, it would be one of those.

partial to any CHOO CHOO, all 5th gen.

and my FAVORITE Elk is the one that Steven Segall drove at the beginning of one of his last movies...don't know the movie or the year of the Elk (somebody help me here)
but it got trashed because of the "bad guys" :cry:

THAT is an incredible ride!!! 8)

All El Camino's are nice looking. Condition is everything. My favorites are the 1960, 1965, 1972, 1977 and my current 1983, which is the same as all 1982-1987 models. The 1977, with a water fall, vertical bar grill and stacked quad headlights is the most beautiful car, but on a practical basis, it is more challenging to own, than the now generic fifth generation Elky.
If GM imports or builds here the Holden ute, that will be my ride.
Eric

estefik/Eric:

I agree with your feelings about the 77. Mine is black, shaved except for the door handles. The only badging is the gold bow-tie at the center of the grill.

As they came, with all the trim, I don't like them, but if you shave them, all you see are the clean lines and nice shape.

They are more challenging to own because finishing parts are hard to find, and some not at all. Plus GM was using re-cycled steel from Japan and it will rust like snow melts in July.

But they are pre-computer, one small module in the distrubitor, HEI ignition, because they were trucks they didn't have cat's, and so on.

I've never heard the grill discribed as "water-fall", that's a good term. It really looks like that.

I love mine, I should, I've invested more than I did on my first house back in 1969. It runs like a new car, I drive it daily. It's in the weather every day and I figure, why not. If you don't use your toys, then why do you have them.

Elky77
Mike Dalleska

I like 86, buy my favorite has to be the 68 or 69. I own a 69 chevelle and it would be cool to have the same year elky.

This is my asessment of the different Gens.
1st Gen: funky, ugly?, would I want one?--you betcha!

2nd Gen: the '64 is a classic but I think the proportions of the cab to the lenght of the box is wrong and awkward but the 375hp 396ci make these 2nd Gens great performance vehicles

3rd Gen: beautiful styling and impeccable performance esp. the '70/71 SS with the LS6 make these the most desirable El Caminos

4th Gen: the most disappointing factory styling but can be modified to be absolutely gorgeous. I saw a beautiful 4th Gen turn in front of me at a stoplight the other day--shiny black, most trim removed, lowered; took my breath away.

5th Gen: I own one, what can I say. Under all the hokey El Conquistidad and El Adoublo graphics and stripes is a very nice design. The 5th Gens can be made into Canyon Carvers or all out Quarter Milers or something in between.

Five Nine
;)

-P

I'm a 4th Gen owner but I have to admit I do lust after the 3rd gens. The 71-2 are actually very close in body lines to the 4th Gen but a bit less massive at least from about 20 feet away. 8O

It is a challenge to find parts and I know I'm not the only one who's come close to a fist fight over a part for a 4th gen. Over the past 11 years its been kind of a love hate thing. Sometimes I look at the thing and think to myself "What a pile of crap! why am I bothering with this!" Then other times I look at it and see something I wouldn't sell for any price. 8)

Right now I'm more in the "pile of crap" mode since I'm in the process of getting it ready to be repainted. Just tonight I took off the flexible front bumper fillers just to get at the screws for the stupid chrome trim under the headlights. In the process I decided I didn't like my repainting handiwork from 8 years ago so out came the paint stripper and sandpaper and so it goes....

Maybe someday I can get a 3rd gen and park it next to the 4th gen I already have. At least I know I can get parts easier for the 3rd gen. 4th gens don't really exist much in the land of paddock and opgi. :)

Yeah.. 4th Gens are a little awkward looking from the factory; they look heavy and sluggish but if you do the right mods and paint they can be quite striking. The 3rd Gens look just right and when you say "EL CAMINO" to an enthusiast most everyone gets a picture of a 3rd Gen in their minds eye. The racing stripes, cowl induction and rally wheels are all synonymous with Chevy high performance vehicles.

As a new member, I'm glad to see there are plenty of 70 admirers. I always thought mine looked nicer than many of the years. I watched a tv show that had history of EC & Rancheros and had a good look at a '59 and that really caught my eye.....I'm a sucker for wings. However, I'll be satisfied to concentrate on getting my 70 into better condition before lusting after another year.

I like the 5th generations. They are the only ones that I can actually close my tailgate when I have my motorcycles loaded into it. I had a 1980 that was made in Canade and had no problems with it through it's 110,000mi lifespan. Then I had a 1987 which everything little has gone wrong with, and it's made in Mexico. Maybe just coincidence, but who knows.

I like the 5th generations. They are the only ones that I can actually close my tailgate when I have my motorcycles loaded into it. I had a 1980 that was made in Canade and had no problems with it through it's 110,000mi lifespan. Then I had a 1987 which everything little has gone wrong with, and it's made in Mexico. Maybe just coincidence, but who knows.

From everything I have seen and everything I have read, the El Camino was never manufactured in Mexico. The final years were manufactured in Texas according to the information I have found on ECs.

I like the 5th generations. They are the only ones that I can actually close my tailgate when I have my motorcycles loaded into it. I had a 1980 that was made in Canade and had no problems with it through it's 110,000mi lifespan. Then I had a 1987 which everything little has gone wrong with, and it's made in Mexico. Maybe just coincidence, but who knows.

From everything I have seen and everything I have read, the El Camino was never manufactured in Mexico. The final years were manufactured in Texas according to the information I have found on ECs.

Maybe it was built in Texas by Mexicans?

With being so close to the border there is a high hispanic population in TX. Especially here in McKinney it seems :)

85 on was assembled in Mexico is what I always thought?? Our 85 even has a made in Mexico label on the inside of the drivers quarter window..

See there, you learn something every day! I read in a couple of places that the El Camino (5th generation) were all manufactured, assembled in Texas at the Arlington plant.

If your truck said Made in Mexico then it must have been. I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to put a sticker like that on something, just because they are proud of it. Like sticking SS on it when its not. :D

Maybe the quarter window was made in Mexico and the rest of the Elky somewhere else.