1974 El Camino Desert Queen Sitting For Years! Will It Run/Drive? - NNKH (2024)

Love it that Jen loves these old junky cars as much as you do. Dont change your style.

It was nice meeting you today at oreilly! My daughter will not stop talking about Gus! Thanks for the sticker and making her day!

Awwright! Another Road Trip on NNKH with Chris, Jen, and Gus. This is gonna be a lot of fun to watch. Good luck ya'll.

You have a rare one there. In 74, Chevrolet had the Spirit of America edition available on all models in anticipation of the Bicentennial. They didn't sell very well so 74 was the only year for them. That's the first el camino I've seen. I've seen the option on an Impala, Nova and a Vega before. Probably adds value, but not sure how much. Definitely rare though.

I just love it. Jen is the best looking mechanic I’ve ever seen and she looks good twisting a ratchet. It’s a brave move driving it home but I guess that’s half or maybe a quarter of the fun. Gus is the icing on the cake and I love the way you both adore him. What a beautiful family you guys are. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺

I was a Highschool senior in 1987 I bought a 1974 Chevelle Malibu 4 door with a 350 My Mom who was very skilled helped me paint it cannery yellow I drove that car for years. It had a points distributor I converted it to HEI I added a 1970 stock4 barrel manifold and Quadrajet carburetor and dual exhaust. It was no race car but it would travel down the highway with ease at high speeds. You check the Transmission fluid when its running not while engine is shut off.

damn i remember when this channel had like 20,000 subs can't believe how fast it's grown... actually i can believe it, this is THE BEST will it run channel on youtube in my opinion

Very cool to see Jen talking more in the videos! Gus is a very sweet puppy btw

Chris & Jenn ...Thanks for taking us along on your Florida trip ...Good Times.
Love your "Will it Run" Series.👌💥!

Going full "My name is Earl" That is pretty cool, someone in my neighborhood back in the 80s had an SS454 that he kept spotless.

OMG what a desert queen! I just started this episode and am already gobsmacked, one of the few early 70's Chev's that had nice lines and was somewhat practical with almost a half tonne carrying capacity, I am amazed the original cap is there, the project is a diamond in the rough for sure and now I am going to actually watch this with a good bevy and muchies :) Side note ~ Canada killed many of these with rust and I suspect most survivors are in BC, even have a few in my neighbourhood :)

So pumped when I get the new video notification! Love where this channel is going.

You guys are a perfect couple and perfect car handy keep flipping and most of all keep it humble I rely admire you guys.

Wow!! A “Spirit of America” ElCamino!! I had no idea these existed ❤❤

HI NNKH,, CHRIS.. GOING BACK TO SEE PART 1 MAX AND I .. GREAT DRONE SHOT.. SEEING THE EL CAMINO JUST COMING BACK TO LIFE,, THANK TO JEN AND GUS HELP.. WOW!! SPIRT OF U.S.A. ,, THANK'S ALL.. PEACE ..

0:47 My grand father had one like that but it was brown with beige pin striping. Before he bought the camper shell, he took me to San Francisco to visit Alcatraz Island. I pasted out in the bed of the El Camino while we were on the freeway and my grandmother told my grandfather to pull over and she put the air conditioning on and told me to get in the front seat and sit in the middle. Things were so peaceful back then.

Love your channel... "I still think that Discovery Channel" should offer you a contract. Safe travels 🥾🥾

Oh my good God where did you get that picture of David!!!??? That's amazing, one of the best guys at hotrod!! Love roadkill... dude you got a nice ride and it comes with the topper!! Score. I have always loved the elcos all the body styles, I only drive trucks And love the g body's, So it's the best of both worlds.

Four miles to Walmart is farther without breaking down than Sleeperdudes projects lately 😆 Keep up the good work I'm sure the big Sponsors are right around the corner 👍

Diesel Creek T shirt love it, Matt is the man!

The older Chevy small blocks had pressed in rocker arm studs -- running them at high RPM's would pull them out a bit, looks like that is what happened --- they sell threaded studs - pull out the pressed in stud - tap it and thread in the new stud --- Done ! Great videos -- good luck !

You do great work bringing all these cars and trucks back to life,love your videos,and I noticed you are wearing a diesel creek t shirt Matt has a great channel to

Back in 1984 when I was a senior in high school I got a 1969 El Camino out of a farmers field. Changed a junk motor and some bodywork and had myself and awesome hotrod. Just love El Caminos 👍

that access panel in the trunk is a GM stopgap, the el caminos and malibu wagons shared the same frame and floors, so instead of making a different cast for the elkie floors they just threw a slab of sheetmetal over the rear footwell on the wagon floor and hey lookie now you have a place to put your beer in case you get pulled over

Just love these trips away with Jen and Gus and i can see your enjoying every minute Chris

Hey bud, you were right in my back yard on this one. It would have been a treat to come meet you and your traveling companions. I know you are trying to film as much as possible so you don't want a bunch of looky loos, but if I could offer a suggestion... drop a vague hint of your general location a few weeks ahead of time. If time allows, maybe shoot out a video short for a meet and greet... not to be recorded necessarily, but I think your following is strong, and folks would like to say hi in person and shoot the sh*t about cars. I'm certain most of us would be willing to offer support when needed too. Anyway, great stuff as always!!!

Koa campgrounds are the best! Back in the 80's they started on those cabins ! I was 10 years old.. love the video!

Spirit of America edition. Nice find.

yesss, I been waiting for this one!!

i like that generation of el camino especially with camper shell.

What an untidy engine bay..Pipes and tubes everywhere it seems..Others seem much simpler..Great video Chris, again, thanks...

I just Love it ! Spirit of America Baby!

Obviously the stud on that rocker was pulled out a little. You can see it has more clearance under it than the others. This happens when you rev those really hard.

my fave channel now!!! made my day to see a new video!! love you guys!

Who wouldn’t love these three? 👍🏻🇺🇸

These fly out to get a junk car and drive it back home videos are GREAT ..!!!👍👏🥳✅

Love El Caminos!! too! The hidden storage was because the EC. was built from the same platform as their station wagon so the spot where the storage is located is exactly where the backseat passengers feet would be at.

i loved the El Camino -- as a kid growing up in the 70's i always wished to own one but never got a chance

Best ever channel on youtube! Keeping what you’re doing!

You guys are just cool man, cheers from Australia 👍👍👍👍

Those old 350 heads the rocker arm bolts are notorious for pulling out of the head because they're not threaded in. High RPMs kill them ask me how I know LOL.

This is hands down my fav vid of yours, Chris! Just outrageously great! Jen is worth her weight in gold in your productions, and life!

The smartest thing you ever did was having Jen on the videos more... And Gus too...
But now you have so many subscribers that my comment will get lost in the crowd 🤣 LOL
Looking forward to part two..

Great video. Congrats. You are the proud owners of a Spirit of America El Camino!
Sweet!👍👍⚡⚡⚡🇺🇸

My brother had a Camino. Always was working on it. Enjoy the videos. Enjoy seeing you all together on your adventures.

Brings back memories of my 73 El Camino restoration. Nearly everything needs TLC, but they are fixable. With 4 coil springs, the 3rd generation El Camino rides so smooth over a pickup truck. El Camino and Ranchero are the original SUV, sport trucks.

What a gem of old style you lucked up

Jen's a FOX! Chris?......he's not too bad either. SUPER nice guy and very knowledgeable and helpful - easy to follow/understand.

Great episode I could do this stuff all the time. That's a awsome car

My daily drive since 2017, blue and white '74 Camino, still love this car.
Slot mag rims, Speedhut gauges, nice steering wheel, and nice seats.

My favourite channel :-) Looking forward to the next one! Greetings from Sweden!

So glad i Found your channel. No nonsense, Quality content. Love it! 🙏

Great video! Love that NNJenn and Gus came along for the trip and support. Was fun watching all the side bits of the trip as well as the mechanicing. Keep doing you!

You’re my favorite RUclipsr

Mr. B. Here ! 👀😎👍 Man you done it right you can’t go wrong! Am the owner of the 1976 GMC Sprint 400 cid had 60,000 one year ago now 68,000 miles . Good luck on work ! 👀😎👍🇺🇸👀😎👍🇺🇸

Dad gave me his worn out 77 el camino for my high school graduation present in 84. built a 396 out of used parts here and there and drove the wheels off it! She's a keeper, special edition!

Great video guys…love Gus❤️🙂 And I think the butterfly/moth was attracted to Jen’s energy. If I were to say more, you guys would think i’m nuts. Animals and God’s other creatures know good souls when they find them…it’s your positive energy guys🙂👍❤️🙏 Much love👍

Great video! Love 1973 -1976 Chevelles/Lagunas. My second car was a 1974 malibu that ended up getting a cam, quadrajet, duals and a posi/sway bar from an olds cutlass with 3 55:1 gear and i ran 4 AFX scat trac L- 50-15s on the back. That car was so cool. That was 1980. Keep bringing the great videos!

Sure do love watching these adventures you three get up to 👌

As I recall and it's been a minute, those trucks/cars were pretty useful

Love this channel so much, I wish they could post every day! Lol. Good luck on your way back it looks a bit crusty 🙏🏻

I have an '86 El Camino (the Cruck). If you do a decent driver-level restoration, you'll never want to get rid of it. Only disadvantage is that it draws a lot of attention to itself, be prepared to have someone come over and talk to you every time you make a stop. I've also had traffic swerve out of their lane and almost crash into me because they took their eyes off the road to look at it. Hope you make the journey without incident.

When I was a senior in high school in 1974 a friend of mine had a 74 SS 454 Elco and man I’m sure it belonged to his dad but damn I loved that car.

Hi. I’m 64- had 2 of them when I was 19 -20 years. Loved them.

Loving this video as usual. Please give us more.

Those starburst panels were GM’s solution for customers who didn’t spring for the clock option. My Chevelle has one in the cluster too lol

My first vehicle was a 74 El Camino,350 2 barrel TH 350.Thing was black and white,black interior with swivel buckets and a console.Bought it in 1980 for way to much money,it had been hit in the front and the frame was wacked,first time I washed it a the car wash the paint peeled off in sheets,Car was a total turd and I loved it!I've had a couple more since then,a 77 and an 81,somsday I may own another,Great vid!

Jen "I love reusing other peoples trash " GOT to Love her!

Another really nice episode, appreciate the work you guys put in to get these done

My first new car was a 1974 Elcamino, I paid 3700 out the door. It was two tone blue on blue 350 power steering and brakes.

I was getting nervous . Wasn't a video for a minute . I like your road trip videos, nice bonus for the week.

You are awesome Chris. Super channel!

Been watching Vise Grip Garage for years and found you guys. I was a mechanic for many years. Unless someone did this kind of work, they do not understand how difficult it can be. Jen is a trooper however I'm sure some of the stuff has to be edited out!-:) She's always smiling but my wife does not like to help me working on cars because sometimes I get kind of irritated working on them!

Greetings Chris and Jen and Gus, from Jeff in Pennsville, i love these will it run videos that your traveling too..great work like always..

You are a brilliant mechanic. In awe that you can work on absolutely anything. That is talent.

That's a 1974 El Camino Spirit of America.. a pretty rare car actually!

Great video. I really like your approach to solving problems on the fly - wish I was more like that but we've all got our own strengths! Great to see Jen and Gus along for the adventure. Take care!

My 1st car was a 73 Chevelle..
Id love to find one thats not a bucket-o-rust.
The 74 Camino is based off the Chevelle .
I love em.
Most came with the 170 hp 350. Low compression smog hogs .
The EPA won out & killed the muscle cars for 25 yrs.
But , you could buy them cheap in the 80's .
Love to find a Chevy Monza Spyder..
I had a 77' with the small V8 In hi school. It had a 262 I think.
I had to practically pull the motor to get the back 2 plugs out..
A lot of em were crushed because the frames rotted at the wheel wells..

Sweet El Camino!

I like that when you look under the old cars after seeing all the rust your the eternal optimist. Looking good😮

Great team work there ! Very entertaining ! Keep up the great content I'm a big fan !

Those 70s GM small blocks are notorious for soft cams, had a 77 Impala wagon with a 305 and it started clacking and the rocker came off and it dropped a valve, all I can figure is it got jammed up and broke the top of the valve off or knocked out the spring keeper, either way it was catastrophic.

Good stuff!! I love tagging along for the ride..

Great video, looking forward to the next. If that cam is wiping the lodes out that means the metal shavings are all in the engine. I wiped a lobe in my sbc years ago and it wound up killing my bearings etc. Best of luck to you guys.

Is it just me or did that rocker stud look like it was taller than those adjacent? Some old SBCs are known for lifting those press-in rocker studs. I've had it happen three times on three motors. The fix is drilling and tapping them out and replacing them with screw in studs.

Sportin the Diesel Creek shirt! The real star in that driveway was the mid 90's Country Coach Magna!
Those years were prone to bad cams it seams. I got a 350 out of a 76 Impala a old lady owned and it had the bad cam, but a off the shelf parts store "350 hydraulic" Isky cam and lifter set fixed it right up! Got many miles out of that motor!

Dude ,I absolutely love these rescues from scratch. Especially the will it drive home part . Like the 70’s vehicles you choose too . Keep up the good work

Hey Chris, Jen and Gus! Hell yeah lets do this!!

I love this channel. Bro your my street release.

Back in the day them bumper jacks was a dime a dozen . Wish I still had one .

truly look forward to every single new vid! love the content, thanks from Annapolis!

Absolutely love your style of videos, can’t believe I only found you a week ago.
Thanks to all three of you for your hard work.
All the best from across the pond. (North Wales)

Nice ride

Waiting for the next parts. Thanks Jen for putting in the seat and tightening the lug nuts.. wow I can't wait ...

Loved the Video. The Dashound was hoot. Thanks for sharing! See where it goes.

I sold that El Camino to the guy you bought it from
It has a rebuilt engine in it with 30,000 miles on it
The receipt for the engine is in that paperwork
I bought the car from the son of the original owner

'Damn babe, you are like in there' Jen... 😝

The only way a revive trip video be more interesting is the cost breakdown. Granted power to this fella and his channel to get reimbursed for clicks on this content. Just believe 900$ shipping quote and the 2-3 week wait time doesn’t seem high anymore.

I love these long road trips so much fun to watch!!!

yea used to be a clock