1974 Chevrolet El Camino - Holden Tight

Scott’s enthusiasm for cars was sparked at a young age. He was involved with both cars and bikes and was lucky enough to own some nice rides along the way. He was away at the time when his wife saw this El Camino up for sale. She sent Scott the details, did all the leg work and finally purchased it. It was a Holden and therefore, they had to have it. He is very lucky to have a wife that shares his passion for cars and it creates a great dynamic within their marriage.


Owners Name and Surname: Scott Bucknell – The Olbugga

Builders Name: Ricardo Johnson - Midlife Crisis Garage 

Year: 1974

Make: Chevrolet El Camino – HQ Holden


Scott’s initial plan for the car was to give it a new lick of paint and, in his words, “tickle the engine up a bit”. However, the project started to grow and grow from this point onwards. He wanted a strong, reliable ride to run around in and this car ticked all those boxes as it was in great shape. He has owned a few El Caminos and this was by far the best condition-wise. Barely any rust and a factory 350 that was very drivable. 


Once Scott had decided to rebuild the car, he decided to send it to Ricardo Johnson from Midlife Crisis Garage. Ricardo is a legend in the Street Rod industry with two cars that have already been featured in SA HotRods Magazine. Ricardo took it back to bare metal and only a small amount of rust was revealed. It was found where the pillars meet the apron – a pretty typical spot on these vehicles. Other than that, the car was clean. The bodywork took a while and a lot of time was spent tubbing the rear end as they did not want to just roll some plate. Scott wanted to keep the look as original as possible.  Now that the bodywork was complete, Ricardo moved on to fabrication.


The chassis was narrowed and the inner guards tubbed so that there was plenty of space for the 20 x 12 rims. Scott had made his mind up with regards to the stance that he wanted the car to have. It was also very important to him that the car retained a very clean look as well. The door handles were removed and poppers were installed. The running lights on the rear quarters and bumpers were tweaked so that they maintained a tighter fit. Finally, he had a 2” reverse cowl mounted on the bonnet.  Once all the body work was done, it was ready for paint. Reynolds Auto Care, Cape Town stepped in and painted it in an Emerald green with some pearl to liven it up a bit. When asked why green, Scott said “It is close to the original base colour and from the time I first saw the car I liked it”. There are some subtle pin stripes on the cowl and of course, the airbrushing work on the tailgate.

Ricardo also imported a HQ Holden GTS grille.


Next on the list was the running gear. Ricardo knew that Scott wanted some serious horses, so the rest of the car had to be updated to match.

The best place to start was with a virgin 350 4 bolt main block. The grocery list of parts is seriously impressive and includes:



  • The pistons are SRP forge 30”

  • I-Beam Eagle rods

  • Crank is a Stroker 383 Eagle unit

  • All bolts are ARP

  • Heads are Pro comp cylinder units

  • Bearings are Clevite for big and small ends

  • The ignition is all MSD

  • Cams are Comp Hdraulic roller cams with Comp roller rocker and chrome Moly push rods

  • Intake is a Victor Jnr with a Holley Sniper EFI unit

  • Exhaust branch is custom built with a 3” stainless pipes with electric cut outs

  • The gearbox is 350 th with TCI clutches and B&M shift kit

  • Torque convertor is a 2500 stall B&M unit


They started out with a Holley Street Avenger 680 on a manifold but ended up installing Holley’s new Sniper EFI system on a Victor junior intake. The Exhaust system is a Custom SS 3” system with electric exhaust cut outs coming from long tube headers.


To get the power down, a rear suspension upgrade was imported – a McDonald Bros 4-link suspension with Viking double adjustable coil over shocks. The differential is a shortened 9” with Strange 31 spline axels. The brakes also got an upgrade. The front to 320mm discs and 6 pot Brembo calipers. The rear was also converted to discs. Ricardo still wants to get the car onto the Dyno to see where the power numbers are currently. He says it is a pretty wild ride!


When it came to wheels, they opted for American Legend Streeter rims which have been modified to 18x7 on the front and 22x12 on the rear. The tyres are 225/18/40 on the front and 325/20/30 on the rear. The rims were imported via Motown and modified by Wheel Repair Centre in Cape Town.


Looking inside the car, there is a custom dashboard that was finished by Johan from Coatit, Cape Town. Installed within the dash is a full Autometer gauge cluster and for that extra bit of added fun, there is a remote exhaust cut out. The seats are Chevy Lumina leather bucket seats. When Scott was asked what he thinks stands out most on this car, he chose the stance. We have to agree that it is definitely unique and very clean. The artwork on the tailgate was also mentioned.


All in all, the end result of this build is, in Scott’s own words, “bloody brilliant!”  This isn’t his dream car – that would be a 48 Mercury or a Hudson Hornet. However, according to Scott, there is nothing better than cruising in something that you have put together along with people who share your passion whether it is a dream car or not.  Scott would like to thank Ricardo of Midlife Crisis Garage – the man who made it all happen and has tons of patience and talent. He is a “bloody genius”! Terence and Ralph from Motown Auto Parts, Reynolds Auto Car. He would also like to thank the people responsible for the artwork, the interior and the electrical work.  


Names of companies you used for parts and work on the car:



  • Midlife Crisis Garage

  • Motown American Auto Parts

  • Reynolds Auto Care

  • Wheel Repair Center

  • Grandi Engineering