1966 El Camino
Chevy’s tentative jump into the “sedan/pickup” segment finally stuck with the return of the El Camino in 1964. Originally available in 1959 as a response to Ford’s Ranchero, it was based on the full-size B-body that included everything from Chevys to Cadillacs. After 1960 it was discontinued, while Ford shifted their Ranchero from full-size in 1959 to their new Falcon compact platform in 1960. Ford had a car/utility, or “Ute”, passenger car going all of the way back to 1932 in Australia. Continued strong Ranchero sales in the US prompted Chevy to jump back into the segment with the 1964 El Camino. From a tooling standpoint this body style only made sense (or cents) as a derivative of a two-door station wagon platform, and Chevy had that with their new A-body Chevelle. For its first couple years Chevy marketed the El Camino as a light utility truck, and so did not make available any of the performance engines and packages found on Chevelles. Finally in 1966 they added the 325hp 396ci big block option. When Chevelle got a new 116-inch wheelbase A-body in 1968, the El Camino also picked up the new design, as a variant of the four-door wagon. Options like power disc brakes and posi-traction made for well-rounded packages depending on whether you wanted more utility, more performance—or both. With a slight redesign in 1970 also came the LS6 454, with 450hp. In 1971 came GMCs version of the El Camino, dubbed “Sprint”. With the new A-bodies in 1973 the El Camino and Sprint picked up the new styling. Three- and four-speed manual transmissions were available, as were Turbo-350 and -400 automatics. The 454ci big block was dropped in 1976, and the 400ci small block was dropped in 1977, which was the last year for this generation of El Camino. The more conservative 1978 117-inch wheelbase A-bodies included the El Camino. From 1978 until the last year in 1987, the El Camino got modest changes and further weakening of power output, while adopting all federal safety and emissions mandates. V6 options ran side-by-side with V8s. Rectangular headlights were the most apparent change in 1982, along with minor interior upgrades. By 1985 production was less than a third of what it was in 1978, so production was moved to Mexico, and a new 4.3L V6 was the standard engine available. While production ceased with the 1987 model year, 420 El Caminos and 325 GMC Caballeros were sold in 1988 as 1988 models, but no El Caminos or Caballeros were actually produced that year.
1966 El Camino
For 1966 all A-bodies received a major facelift, including the El Camino. A full range of interiors was available from plain vinyl bench to swivel bucket seats and a center console. A 325hp 396ci big block was added, and a full complement of transmissions from three- and four-speed manual to 350- and 400-Turbo Hydro three-speed automatics. Production in the mid-1960s was around 35,000 each year.
AVAILABLE MODELS:
1966 El Camino
- Engine Options
- 194-1bbl cubic inch Straight-6, 120hp
- 230-1bbl cubic inch Straight-6, 140hp
- 283-2bbl cubic inch V8, 195hp
- 283-4bbl cubic inch V8, 220hp
- 327-4bbl cubic inch V8, 275hp
- 396-4bbl cubic inch V8, 325hp
1966 El Camino VIN Decoder:
First Character: Division
Second through Fifth Characters: Identifies Model Number
Sixth Character: Identifies Model Year
Seventh Character: Assembly Plant
- A ~ Atlanta, Georgia
- B ~ Baltimore, Maryland
- F ~ Flint, Michigan
- G ~ Framingham, Massachusetts
- Z ~ Fremont, California
- K ~ Kansas City, Missouri
- 0 ~ Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Eighth through Thirteenth Characters: Basic Production Numbers
The sequential starting numbers start at 100001/up.
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