1974 Chevrolet El Camino Classic

[74caminoclassic]

Has anyone ever heard of a 1974 Chevrolet El Camino Classic with a stock factory-made L88 or LS6 454 dropped in?

[doh]

They made SS 454 El Camino's right up to the last body style, but I think the classic had the 454 option as well.

[MCGARRETT]

The offered a 454 in the ElCamino through 1970 to 1976 in the earlier and the colonade style 1973-1977 ElCaminos, then from 1977 the best you could get was a 350 I believe, the ElCamino was downsized in 1978, most of them were either 3.8/4.3 V6's or 305 V8's, and a few were either gas or diesel 350 V8's

But not an L88 or LS6, it was the low compression 454 from the Impala/Caprice

[MelvinJ]

The 454 was available from '70-'75. In '76, the 400 small-block was the top motor, and in '77, the 400 was dropped leaving the 250 I6, 305 and 350 V8s. The LM1 350 was available nationwide in the downsized '78s, high-altitude only in '79, and then gone from 1980 on.

The 454 used in the '73-'75s was the LS4. 245 hp in '73, 235 hp in '74, and 215 hp (with unleaded only) in '75. The 454 could be had on any El Camino trim level, including the Classic.

So I guess the answer to your question is, no, I've never heard of anything but an LS4 big-block in a '74 El Camino.

[knightfan26917]

Originally Posted by MelvinJ

The 454 was available from '70-'75.

*nods*

I thought that was the case, since the 1975 Monte Carlo was the last one to see the 454 V8 ... figured it was the same for the El Camino, but I wasn't sure....



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[74caminoclassic]

Hey I'm responding to your response you made about a year ago... about my 74 camino w/ a 454... I know this sounds crazy, but my great-grandfather bought the camino brand-new in 74. He had it special-ordered with a bunch of different things like a weighted heavy-duty frame, weighted doors, and a high-output 454. This block isn't your typical 454 from 1974, because I know that it produced a heck of a lot more horsepower than just the typical 250 bhp. My dad said it had more like 400 or more (like the LS6 or L88). Could my grandfather actually ordered a different engine from the factory that wasn't on the options list? Maybe an engine from a performance group and then had the factory drop the engine in? Because he never tweaked with the engine or anything, it was all stock, and that thing got up and moved, over 165 MPH with the Muncie relaying the power? Could the 250 horse motors push a two-ton car that fast? THANK YOU FOR ANY ANSWERS YOU MAY HAVE... I'M GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO SOLVING THIS MYSTERY...

[Tone]

To the best of my knowledge, GM wasn't producing high-po big blocks in 1974, so it wouldn't have been possible to special order the car from the factory. In the late 1960s, speciality dealers were able to get factory hi-po V8s in cars not normally available with them through the Central Office Purchase Order (COPO) -- say a 427 in a Camaro or Chevelle.

That would not have been possible in 1974 as there were no hi-po 1974 engines (beyond the stock 454 already available in the El Camino).

More likely was performance-oriented dealers (like Yenko or Nicky's) doing the work at the dealer level. You'd order up your El Camino, it would come into the dealer, then they'd swap in what you wanted. This was becoming very rare in the middle 1970s, but it's not impossible. For example, Baldwin-Motion did produce one 1973 Chevelle with and L-88 427, though it sold for an hugely expensive (in 1973) $12,000 -- far more than a Corvette of that year. See http://www.yenko.net/dealers/motion.htm

Aslo see this history of Baldwin-Motion here: http://www.officialbaldwinmotion.com/history.htm

Starting in 1967 and running through 1974, Baldwin-Motion offered SS (425-hp) and Phase III (500-hp and up) big-block Camaros, Novas, Chevelles, Corvettes and Biscayne Street Racer Specials. Cars were sold at Baldwin Chevrolet or Motion Performance, converted by Motion and financed and delivered by Baldwin. Phase III 427 and 454 cars came with a written, money back, quarter-mile performance guaranty from Joel Rosen.

[FAB454]

What is the # on the block?

[74caminoclassic]

would the VIN number match the engine block number? because i dont have the engine in my possession at the moment...