El Camino a truck?

[3drburb]

It's a truck, just like the Ute.

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by 70STOVEBOLT

What do you mean it has rear seat floor board under the bed?

There's a removable cover in front of bed under the back window. If you lift it up it's covering the foot well to the back seat.

[hamjet]

My buddy had a Subaru Bratt back in the 80s, it had 2 seats in the bed so it could get passenger plates. otherwise with out the seats it was considered a truck and had to get commercial plates..

[davischevy]

I call this one a lot of fun.



Since we finished a frame off resto about 10 years ago I have driven this one all over the Canadian border, to Washington, DC and the gulf coast. It hasn't been out of storage in while, but this thread has me thinking.

[special-K]

It's a pickup truck, no doubt about it. Size and load capacity have nothing to do with it. Pickup trucks have beds and cars have trunks. Trucks come in all sizes and are built to haul cargo and a couple passengers. Cars are designed to carry passengers and a couple things in the trunk. Is a C/10 with raised floor to allow it to lay frame or a big hump over the rear a truck? Can't haul any more than an El Camino...Probably less. What's the load range on those low profile big diameter tires? How about those wheels?

Hand truck:


Bantam pickup truck:


Hudson Terraplane:


Packard pickup truck:


1918 Chevy 1/2t pickup:


In 1968 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Chevy truck with a special truck I'm sure you all are familiar with and next year we will be celebrating the 100th. These first pickups were built on the same chassis and used the same sheet metal as the 490 car. This 1918 Chevy TRUCK has a load capacity of 1,000#, hence the 1/2t designation. El Caminos have a load capacity of up to 1,100#. '03 S10 load capacity is 1,184. The El Camino is a light duty Chevy pickup truck. I have light duty Chevy Truck brochures from this era and they include El Caminos.

[davischevy]

That Packard is just plain cool.

[special-K]

I think El Camino means The Road. Not that the name defines the vehicle. Sierra means mountain.

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by davischevy

I call this one a lot of fun.



Since we finished a frame off resto about 10 years ago I have driven this one all over the Canadian border, to Washington, DC and the gulf coast. It hasn't been out of storage in while, but this thread has me thinking.

Nice....very nice

[El Dorado Jim]

they are cool, but to me they are cars ,not trucks...I couldn't haul a ton of hay in one..

[Metaldoc]

coupe utility vehicle is what they are called.

[GR8-68]

I owned one and I used it as a truck it just had the comfort ride of a car, granted the haul capacity was not great but it worked.

[palallin]

Originally Posted by special-K

Is a C/10 with raised floor to allow it to lay frame or a big hump over the rear a truck?

No, not any more

[James the III]

This b/s again..

Is an s=10 a truck.. as the el camino can haul the same stuff.. and both come 2wd and car based parts..(s-10 2wd front parts g body, rear end 7.5 car rear axle)

In the 60's both mopar and ford made a one piece body Bed and cab together..

are those trucks.. ??


Over the years there have been more truck ,Trucks that didn't haul anything.. that the el camino couldn't.. meaning the "real" truck wasn't needed by the owner.. they just needed a truck bed at times, but most of the time it sat empty.. and never really loaded when used..

Better question would be what one got used like it was designed more than the other..
I'd say the el camino buyer had a better idea of what he/she needed than the truck buyers.. that tend to go overboard.. Like the guy with a 2500hd without a scratch in the bed and no hitch.. or the Z-71 mall crawler.. dirt&mud what is that.. off road.. you mean mall parking lots

Why do many love the 67-72 c-10's ? they are coil sprung and ride more like a car than a truck.. kinda just like the el camino..

[flashed]

My 72 El Camino is titled as a 1/2 ton truck ,so according to Georgia it is a truck .And they were factory equipped with air shocks to help stabilize the load I guess .I did not care for air shocks so I installed good coil overs under mine .

[tjc]

You need to be careful on your description of a truck. Some of the modifications made to trucks make them useless for towing and can haul less than a Radio Flyer wagon.

[Wookiee]

We always used the ability to carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat with a closed tailgate. Obvious exceptions for flatbeds and service bodies. I don't know how elkys do on this test, but I do have a real hard time when I hear shorties called real trucks.

[midniteblues]

My opinion is its a topless version of a station wagon. So not a car or a truck


We used my buddies 77 as a truck for lite duty hauling and used it as a dd car afterwards.
Either way they are cool ,useful and very practical.

As for their place in the forums? I think alt tink, is the best place. Jmo

[HO455]

Then there is the whole argument that my brother and I have had going for decades. He claims "trucks" have to be at least a one ton with duals and a minimum of an 8 foot flat bed. Anything else is a pickup. He doesn't agree with the dash in our 1/2 1951 GMC. He claims GM is wrong.

[B. W.]

I've been down that road too! If you want to get picky & start classifying things you can say "All pickups are trucks, not all trucks are pickups." BUT, where does that leave the Elky? I don't think it matters, it's all in how you choose to use it! This guy's got a truck for sure (or is it a pickup?)

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by TeamEstep

I had a '70 el Camino in High School. I always called it "my car". I didn't think of it as a truck.

I had a '75 GMC Sprint, always called it my "Jimmy". Our four-eyed members here are coming after me with a pitchfork!

[roboticjunky]

Reminds me that I still want a 1976 Cadillac Mirage.

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Event...-PICKUP-177294

[mrtoni]

Well then, what's a van? A 4x4 van? Gmc only made trucks not cars right? They made sprints and vans.

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by davischevy

I call this one a lot of fun.



Since we finished a frame off resto about 10 years ago I have driven this one all over the Canadian border, to Washington, DC and the gulf coast. It hasn't been out of storage in while, but this thread has me thinking.

Awesome El Camino. Get that bad boy out and back on the road.
I already knew what the answer was (to me they are more car), but figured (correctly) that it was sure to "stir the pot".
It's all good. Here's a couple week old pic of mine at a local car show. I have always been a Chevelle guy who has also built a few trucks along the way. Always liked the look of these but never did one till now.
Now, I love it. Planning to make mine my daily driver sometime later this year.

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by GR8-68

I owned one and I used it as a truck it just had the comfort ride of a car, granted the haul capacity was not great but it worked.

This is exactly what I plan to use mine as. daily drive the snot out of it. I put a spreader bar in the bed with a cargo net in it and throw my lawn chairs, ice chest, and what not box. Those ride in it every day.

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by palallin

No, not any more

Originally Posted by special-K

It's a pickup truck, no doubt about it. Size and load capacity have nothing to do with it. Pickup trucks have beds and cars have trunks. Trucks come in all sizes and are built to haul cargo and a couple passengers. Cars are designed to carry passengers and a couple things in the trunk. Is a C/10 with raised floor to allow it to lay frame or a big hump over the rear a truck? Can't haul any more than an El Camino...Probably less. What's the load range on those low profile big diameter tires? How about those wheels?

Hand truck:
Attachment 1633267

Bantam pickup truck:
Attachment 1633268

Hudson Terraplane:
Attachment 1633270

Packard pickup truck:
Attachment 1633271

1918 Chevy 1/2t pickup:
Attachment 1633287

In 1968 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Chevy truck with a special truck I'm sure you all are familiar with and next year we will be celebrating the 100th. These first pickups were built on the same chassis and used the same sheet metal as the 490 car. This 1918 Chevy TRUCK has a load capacity of 1,000#, hence the 1/2t designation. El Caminos have a load capacity of up to 1,100#. '03 S10 load capacity is 1,184. The El Camino is a light duty Chevy pickup truck. I have light duty Chevy Truck brochures from this era and they include El Caminos.

I like your statement "Is a C/10 with raised floor to allow it to lay frame or a big hump over the rear a truck?". True. But, I also ask the question "is a totally restored truck with beautiful wood bed and painted or stainless steel strips" still a truck? Can't and don't ever haul anything but air.
I did a 55 Chevy pickup once and the bed turned out so beautiful I would take my shoes off if I needed to get in it to wash the top of the cab. I had no place to carry my lawn chairs or ice chest. It was in essence a single seat vehicle that looked like a truck. Might as well have been a roadster. Sold it and did another car so I could have a trunk again.