Owner's 1959 El Camino experiences half good, half bad
Given some decades, Chuck Pertile has gone from loathing to loving Chevy's unique hauler, the El Camino.
As a 21 year old in 1975, he purchased his first “half car, half truck” from a high school buddy, thinking practicality, rather than passion.
“I always thought he was nuts for loving it,” Pertile said. His friend put it up for sale and Pertile snagged it to use as his “winter beater.”
“It was in lousy condition — no trim, flaking paint and holes in the interior floor.” Few components worked, including the fuel gauge. “I ran out of gas twice — in one day.”
That dilapidated Chevy finally met its demise early the next spring.
“I picked up a load of sludge and fertilizer for Dad's garden,” the Arlington Heights resident said. After backing into the grass, the heavy weight took its toll. “The suspension just pulled out completely. There she sat in the backyard.”
His time invested in the vehicle was a mere few months, and Pertile was glad to see it go. More cars came and went. Before long, that combo car/truck was all but forgotten. That is, until 2011.
“I got the itch to have another El Camino,” Pertile said. “My perspective changed and I realized how attractive and unique these vehicles are.”
He found this winged machine in Minneapolis. It had been sitting for more than a decade. After getting the Chevy back home, Pertile added front power disc brakes, drop spindles and bigger wheels and tires.
“A lifelong dream was to drive on a cross country Route 66 trip. This El Camino seemed to be the perfect car for the journey,” he said.
Originally, the plan was to leave for Arizona this summer but setbacks arose. First, electrical issues, followed closely by engine problems. For the latter, Pertile sought advice from a longtime hot-rod friend and mentor, Paul Henderson. The race car builder offered up a special solution.
“He had been working for 40 years on a Model T roadster. He wanted to race on the Bonneville (Utah) Salt Flats but his health was failing.” Pertile's road-trip plans spurred Henderson to offer his half-completed vehicle's 327-cubic-inch V-8, sourced from a 1962 Corvette.
“He said, 'My car is never getting to Bonneville but at least the motor can go.' ”
With such an important trip in the works, Pertile wanted to pay homage to another lifelong gearhead, Read Sinclair. “Read was a mechanic for a locally sponsored Trans Am race team during the 1970s. He was a good friend and even built me an engine decades ago for a Nova I still have.
“He always said he wanted to build me one more motor.”
Because of Sinclair's death, the V-8 was brought instead to one of his associates, Greg Slevcik, for final dialing in. With the kinks worked out, engine reinstalled and the finned hauler ready for action, Pertile has rescheduled his West Coast excursion — including a significant stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats — for the spring of 2015.
“I want this project, and the trip, to be a tribute to both of these fun, very talented, car guys.”