Unlike the Brookwood wagon and a sedan delivery variant, the El Camino was available with any full-sized Chevrolet drivetrain.

The somewhat soft passenger car suspension of the base model left the vehicle level without a load, in contrast the Ranchero, where standard 1100-pound rated heavy duty rear springs gave it a distinct rake when empty.

The quirky Level Air suspension option, in its second and final year, was listed as available, but was almost never seen on any Chevrolet model, much less an El Camino.

Hot Rod magazine conducted a test of an El Camino equipped with the hottest powertrain combination available in early 1959—a 315 bhp (235 kW; 319 PS), triple-carb, solid-lifter 348 V8 mated to a four-speed.

That bested the count of 21,706 first-year Rancheros made in 1957 and the 14,169 Ford sedan pickups built in direct competition for the 1959 model year.

At first glance, the exterior once again had a Bel Air look, with that series' bright-metal "jet" appliqué and narrow trailing molding used to accent the rear quarters.

Mid-1959 powertrain availability was carried over with minimal changes for 1960: The base 283-cid V8 was detuned a bit for fuel economy and was now rated at 170 bhp (127 kW; 172 PS), and the fuel-injected engines were officially gone.

Orders plummeted by a third, to just 14,163, at which point Chevrolet discontinued the model; meanwhile, Ford moved 21,027 Rancheros, which were now based on the brand-new Falcon compact.

Perhaps these early "crossovers" didn't carry enough passengers; in a time when baby-boomer families dominated the market, three across was the best they could offer.

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 hp (186 and 224 kW)—the latter featuring a higher compression ratio of 10.5:1, larger four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts.

Inside, the standard version featured a bench seat interior and rubber floor mat from the low-line Chevelle 300 series, while the Custom used a more upscale interior from the Chevelle Malibu with plusher cloth-and-vinyl or all-vinyl bench seats and deep twist carpeting.

The 1967 model year also brought the collapsible steering column and options of disc brakes and Turbo Hydramatic 400 3-speed automatic transmission.

The Super Sport group included a 265 or 325 hp (198 or 242 kW) 396-cubic-inch V8 beneath a double-domed hood, along with a black-out grille displaying an SS emblem.

The LS6 454 CID engine, rated at 450 hp (336 kW) and 500 lb⋅ft (678 N⋅m) of torque, gave the El Camino 1/4-mile times in the upper 13-second range at around 106 mph (171 km/h).

[citation needed] The 1971 El Camino got fresh front-end styling (again shared with the Chevelle) that included large Power-Beam single-unit headlights, a reworked grille and bumper, and integral park/signal/marker lights.

The 1972 El Caminos wore single-unit parking and side marker lights on their front fenders, outside of a revised twin-bar grille, but little changed.

The left wheel was adjusted to have slightly more positive camber than the right, which resulted in a more uniform and stable steering feel on high-crown road surfaces while maintaining excellent freeway cruise stability.

Additional new features were an acoustical double-panel roof, tighter-fitting glass, flush-style outside door handles, molded full-foam seat construction, flow-through power ventilation system, inside hood release, refined Delcotron generator and sealed side-terminal battery, a larger 22-US-gallon (83 L; 18 imp gal) fuel tank, and "flush and dry" rocker panels introduced first on the redesigned 1971 full-size Chevrolets.

New options included swivel bucket seats (with console) and Turbine I urethane (backed by steel) wheels, as was the instrument gauge cluster.

El Caminos shared the "Colonnade" frameless door glass with other Chevelles, and would continue this feature into the next generation as well.

Also it was not widely known, but a Laguna S-3 front end could be fitted on these cars, and was available through the Central Office Production Option (COPO) system as code 6H1.

The larger distributor cap also provided better high-RPM performance by decreasing the likelihood of the spark conducting to the wrong terminal.

Buyers could now choose an Econominder instrument package that included a vacuum gauge to point out when optimum fuel economy was being attained.

[17] A new, trimmer El Camino was unveiled in 1978, adopting the new, more sharp-edged Malibu styling, and a one-inch longer wheelbase of 117.1 in (2,974 mm).

Chevrolet later offered a Black Knight model in 1978 which ended production after only 1,200 examples were produced due to legal problems with the rights holders over the use of the name.

The 1982 (through the final 1987) El Camino sported a new frontal appearance with a crosshatch grille flanked by quad rectangular headlights.

The 1983–87 El Camino was also offered as a cosmetic conversion through select dealers (completed by Choo-Choo Customs Inc., of Chattanooga, Tennessee).

Modifications included an aerodynamic front end similar to the Monte Carlo SS, side exhaust skirts, and aluminum wheels.

[24] A coupe utility version was released in 1971 under the Chevrolet El Camino name [24] and was offered with imported Holden 186 six and 308 V8 engines.

[27] In 1974, Chevrolet's sister division, Pontiac, reportedly took an El Camino body, grafted on the urethane-nose front end from its Grand Am series, added the GA's instrument panel, reclining Strato-bucket seats with adjustable lumbar support along with Pontiac's Rally II wheels.