1981 Chevrolet El Camino - Boulevard Bully
Taking The Boulevard By The Horns
By Phil Gordon, Photography by Phil Gordon
Boulevard Bully
Owner: Larry Zamora
Vehicle: '81 Chevrolet El Camino
City/State: La Junta, Colorado
Club: Most Hated Car Club
Engine/Drivetrain: Larry replaced the stock 3.8L V-6 with an '86 Camaro V-8 305-cid motor, built by Allen at La Junta Auto Service in La Junta, Colorado. The metric transmission was replaced with a 350 turbo transmission with a Dynomat exhaust system. The gold and chrome plating was all done by Electro Plating in El Paso, Texas.
Body/Paint: Club member and friend Ruben Martinez from La Junta shaved down all the emblems and quarter-panel lights. He replaced the stock door handles with Cadillac ones. The bed was molded smooth along with the tailgate. A Volkswagen Jetta sunroof was cut and added. Joseph Montoya prepared the El Camino for paint. Several coats of House of Kolor Candyapple Red were sprayed with a silver basecoat and then a House of Kolor clearcoat was laid down to protect the paint. The pinstriping with gold leafing was hand painted by George Weldon from Pueblo, Colorado.
Interior: With the help of Delphie Medina from Rocky Ford, Colorado, Larry worked on the cabin by removing the bench seat and stitching black vinyl with red inserts into the seats and door panels. A dash cap was added to blend the colors and then black carpeting was laid down. The plastic was dyed black to blend. A Grant wood grain steering wheel was also mounted.
Sound System: Considering the size and space of the El Camino, Larry knew he had to add a small but effective sound system. He mounted an Alpine deck with Infinity midrange and high-range speakers laid out in the kick panel and dashboard. For the subwoofers, Larry mounted Bazooka tubes behind each seat, which are amplified.
Setup: Hydraulic setups are Larry's expertise. A two-pump Pro Hopper setup was mounted with four Delta dumps and Marzocchi pump heads. In the front are two 6-inch Pro Hopper cylinders with 10-inch cylinders in the rear; 1-ton Pro Hopper springs were also added. Three Nationwide Group 31 batteries were mounted into the cargo area behind the seats controlled by the 10-switch Plexiglas box in the cabin. Electro Plating from Texas plated the dump covers, motor caps, tank rods, and cylinders.
Tires: P155/80R13 Triumph wide whitewalls
Wheels: 13x7, 100-spoke, Center Gold OG Wires with chrome dishes
By Phil Gordon
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