If Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Buick had a GMT400 SUV

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kennythewelder

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Did Buick make an El Camino?

Always liked those Grand National versions, hardly ever seen any of those Regals or the Cutlass anymore.


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No, its a custom El Camino. Only Chevy made the El Camino, although GMC did make a sprit. It is the same as the El Camino. I have also seen a Pontiac GTO front clip on an El Camino. That looks sweet too. And then there is the choo choo that has the 80s Monte Carlo front clip. There is an after market Co that sales a studebaker conversion kit to turn an 80 El Camino into a custom, and I have also seen a 80 camaro conversion, but IMO, that doesnt look good at all.
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sewlow

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Pontiac's engineering team actually did make versions of the El Camino.
Twice over the years, but only as one-off prototype design exercises.
A Pontiac-nosed & trimmed ElCo in '59 and again in '79.
Neither effort resulted in a production vehicle, but at least one example from each of those efforts still exists.

1959 El Catalina.

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The Pontiac Division design team.

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CrustyJunker

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As a kid, GM's G-Body was never a car I would've expected to get aftermarket support. I'm blown away to what's available now.

A kid's dad I knew growing up had a well kept Buick GN that he enthused was his "baby." I was like "Yeah, so?" My grandmother buzzed around in a basic Regal around the same time...It's the same car, right?! Could definitely say I didn't get it at the time. :rofl:

Plus the era I knew was biased. If you checked into motorsports, you watched monster trucks, motorcycles, heavily modified 60's-70's muscle cars, and pro street kinda stuff. Even with the cutting edge technology of the time, brute force was still the appeal because it wasn't condemned by smog restrictions.
 

sewlow

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G-bodys were the last GM midsize built with a full frame.The last midsize that can take on some real power without twisting itself into a pretzel.
IMO, a G-Malibu is very true to the original form of the '64/'65's Chevelles.
A midsize with a full frame, decent sized engine bay & a coil sprung 4-link.
The G is longer by a couple of inches, has a slightly shorter wheelbase & is around 300 lbs heavier.
They even have a near similar profile.

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Much better than the bloated '70's versions.
 

Chuck_13

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If gm had badge engineered they're way through most of the their brands, imagine getting an Olds Bravada that wasn't crap because it wasnt an S10

Well IMHO the S10 may not have been perfect,but it certainly was not a piece of crap.Bought a brand spankin new 1999 Blazer 4 door two by.Put 74000 miles on it and it saw the inside of the dealers service bay twice.Once for an oil change and the second time for a few odds and ends,covered by warranty.Never let us down once.I put new tires on it at 73k and the old ones still had 1/8" tread left.Compare that to the Ford Exploders-similar size and weight vehicles but only one of which blew out tires and left people dead.
And have you looked at the price of a good clean used S10 or Blazer?Bringing in some rather big bucks,around here anyway,
 

kennythewelder

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Im sure this is photo shopped, but I would rock the hell out of it. The 69, C10 Camaro pick up, RS, SS.

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east302

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Well IMHO the S10 may not have been perfect,but it certainly was not a piece of crap.Bought a brand spankin new 1999 Blazer 4 door two by.Put 74000 miles on it and it saw the inside of the dealers service bay twice.

Don’t they still put the 4.3L in the current trucks?

I think a lot of buyers were burned in the late-70s through the 80s, bought Japanese and just never looked back.
 

kennythewelder

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Don’t they still put the 4.3L in the current trucks?

I think a lot of buyers were burned in the late-70s through the 80s, bought Japanese and just never looked back.
I think 2019, or 2020 was the last year for a 4.3.
 
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