Revell 1/25 1967 Chevrolet El Camino SS Kit Build Review

By Phil Cooley, Front Range Auto Modelers (FRAM)

Background

The El Camino was first produced in 1959, in response to the Ford Ranchero. It was built on the full-sized Chevy platform, which had been completely redesigned as a longer, lower and wider car than the 1958 Chevy. In spite of the wild “bat-wing” styling, 22,246 El Caminos were sold, beating Ranchero sales by over 8,000 units. In 1960 the El Camino was also based on the full-sized Chevrolet, then production halted till 1964, when it shifted to the mid-sized Chevelle platform.

The 1964 El Camino was identical to the Chevelle forward of the B-pillars, but Chevrolet marketed the El Camino as a utility model and Chevelle's most powerful engines were not available. Initial engine offerings included six-cylinder engines of 194 and 230 cubic inches with horsepower ratings of 120 and 155, respectively. The standard V8 was a 283 cubic-inch Chevy small block with two-barrel carburetor and 195 horsepower. Optional engines including a 220-horsepower 283 with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts. Added to the El Camino's option list during the course of the 1964 model year were two versions of the 327 cubic-inch small block V8 rated at 250 and 300 horsepower— the latter featuring a higher compression ratio of 10.5:1, a larger four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts.

The El Camino was facelifted in 1965, 1966, and 1967. The engine options stayed the same in 1965, but the big block 396 was added in 1966 with horsepower ratings from 325 to 375 hp. These engines were carried over to the 1967 El Camino.

In 1968, the El Camino was redesigned, along with its Chevelle counterpart, and a separate SS version was added. From this point on the El Camino had the same engine options as the Chevelle, SS 396, and later the SS 454. Basically, the El Camino remained this way the rest of its lifetime. (Thanks to Wikipedia for the background information).

The Project

Various 1:25 scale versions of the El Camino have been produced by AMT, MPC, and Revell. Annuals were made of the 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1969, and the fifth generation (1978-1987). And later a 1966 and 1968 were produced by Revell and Amt, respectively. Conspicuously absent is the 1967 model, 1970-1972 (though ese are available in resin) , and the fourth generation (1973-1977).

Isn’t it about time that Revell updated their 1966 Camino to a 67? After all, there is a lot of commonality between the 66 and 67 El Camino, so a 67 could be made with a minimal tooling investment. I thought for sure we’d see a 67 within a couple of years of the 1966 coming out, but that hasn’t happened. I finally got tired of waiting and decided to make my own. I used the Revell 66 El Camino and the Revell 67 Chevelle SS 396. Hence, the bogus Kit Number and the $39.98 MSRP (for two kits).

Obviously, most of this model came from the 66 El Camino kit. To do the conversion, I cut off the front fenders from the 67 Chevelle and grafted them onto the El Camino body. You could also cut off and swap the front clips in their entirety. (I have a conversion of that type underway, also). If you use the 67’s fenders you’ll have to modify the El Camino’s firewall to accept the new hood hinges. I filled in the El Camino’s taillight opening and cut new taillight openings so I could use the taillights from the 67 Chevelle. The other “easy” part of the conversion is using the seats, doorpanels, and dash from the Chevelle. With those 3 changes, you’re about 80-90% there… .

Some versions of the 1966 and 67 El Camino came with rocker panel and rear quarter panel moldings. I didn’t want those details on mine, so I filled in the kit’s indentations with .010 sheet plastic. I also shaved the side and rear tailgate chrome, for a cleaner look and modified the tailgate handle to be more prototypically correct. The engine and chassis are straight out of the box, though a friend gave me the wheels and tires (I’m not sure what kit they are from). The model is painted with old-school Testor’s enamel in Sapphire Blue, which is fairly close to Chevrolet’s Marina Blue. The chrome trim is done in Bare Metal Foil, and the grill was blacked out with “The Detailer”.

Conclusions

I really enjoyed building this 1967 El Camino SS. I think Chevy missed the boat by not building an SS version at the factory and I think Revell is missing the boat by not producing this modification to their current lineup.

Phil Cooley is a member of Front Range Auto Modelers.