Rick Sanchez’s 1970 SS454 El Camino
What is very "bad" ... and good, is "cherry", but a big Rat and sits under the same roof with a 72 Chevelle?
OK, so I stretched the truth a bit, but Nor-Cal ChevelleCaminos member Rick Sanchez' 1970 El Camino SS454 is better than the fable I created. Start with a ".030 over" 454 Rat motor that will turn your head every time, especially when you check out the Wild Black Cherry paint job. "It started out as a project 5 years ago" Rick told us, and like all people who are obsessed with their Chevelles, Rick went all out including a high performance custom big block and one of the new Tremec TKO-600, 5 speed overdrives driven by a race ready McLeod" dual friction" 12 inch clutch complete with scatter shield and custom drive shaft.
Click on the picture to see a full size blow up.
This is an amazing restoration. You could serve breakfast on this engine, it's so clean. Check out the detail. The Stage Two, 750 CFM carb breathes through an Edelbrock Air Gap manifold and check the Hooker headers. Inside is a forged crank, forged SRP 9.25 pistons, Floated 7/16 forged rods, Crower Level III hydraulic flat tappet cam, Performance Distributors HEI, Melodon oiling system, and a pair of 13 inch thermostatically controlled fans to cool the beast down a bit. The state of the art Tremec 5 speed puts it all to the ground through a 12 bolt Eaton "posi" with Moser axles. Need I go on?
This deserves a closer look. Click on the picture to zoom in.
The interior, like the rest of this Super Sport creation, has nothing but the best. Custom buckets with console and the classic 3 spoke SS wheel and accented with a vinyl top and matching bed cover. To keep the noise of the "big block" manageable Rick installed a 600 Watt Alpine sound system. Rick says "I was looking to fill the empty space next to my 72 Chevelle" and so the project began. The results are quite amazing!
So when you see them cruising down the road or at a car show be sure to take a closer look, say hi and sneak a peek at Rick's unbelievable El Camino.