The Story

Sometimes searching for something leads you down a different street. Such is the case with this ’65 El Camino

It seems that all our old cars have a “Story” and my ’65 El Camino story really starts back in 1964. Fresh out of high school, I had read in the September ’64 issue of Motor Trend that the Malibu was to be made available with the optional L79 327 Corvette engine, 12 bolt rear end and a 4-speed. I took the plunge, borrowed some money and ordered a Danube Blue ’65 Malibu with those aforementioned options. I had it by Thanksgiving. I had to sell that car a year later for cash to start college and have regretted losing it ever since– even though it was certainly the right thing to do at the time. If I fast forward through about 40 years, with my understanding wife Karen, two kids Susan and David, grand kids, many jobs, many moves, and many other old cars, the nagging memories of the ’65 Malibu and the urge to find another one still haunted me. Like a lot of other “found” cars, I wasn’t looking for an El Camino when I found this one in Loganville, GA in 2004. But the idea of an Elky grew on me and it was soon towed home to Marietta. It was going to be a total rebuild project as it needed floor pans, door skins, engine, suspension, many patch panels, right inner fender, chrome, paint, interior, engine, and transmission– basically everything was needed!