This RARE 348 Tri-Power El Camino forgotten for 35 years might be beyond our help | Driveway Finds

TL;DR

The Driveway Finds team extracts a seized 1960 Chevrolet El Camino with a rare 348 tri-power engine from a barn after 35 years to assess if it's rebuildable.

Key Points

• 1.The El Camino is a confirmed original 348 tri-power, the rarest and most expensive 1960 engine package. Clues include a 3/8 fuel line routed under the control arm, a firewall-mounted coil, and a unique ballast resistor only found on tri-power cars — plus matching suffix code FH and date code on the trim tag.
• 2.The car had been sitting since approximately 1991–93 after the original owner had a stroke and passed in 1997. Grandson Bill confirmed the grandfather intended to restore it but time slipped away, and the family kept it out of sentimental attachment.
• 3.Extracting the El Camino from the barn required a Suburban with four-wheel drive after a winch cable risked snapping. All four tires were flat, the shifter was seized, and the car was effectively welded to the earth with a visible rust line on the body.
• 4.The engine was severely rusted internally, with water intrusion — likely from a blown head gasket or cracked head combined with a foggy coastal environment. Cylinders showed milky oil and barnacle-like rust on pushrods after 30+ years of sitting.
• 5.The team used acetone and ATF 'special sauce' soaked for two days, then zip-tied a foot to the clutch pedal and bump-started it in reverse to break the engine free. This unconventional method successfully rotated the 348 after it had been completely seized.
• 6.The valve cover reveal looked devastating — stuck open valves and severe rust — but all lifters were eventually found to be moving. The team manually rocked pushrods and used the starter to confirm all eight cylinders were functioning, reclassifying the engine as rebuildable.
• 7.The 348 tri-power engine was successfully started and briefly driven on the property with a crew member sitting on the fender manually injecting fuel into the carburetor. Oil pressure reached 30 PSI, confirming the engine has viable internals despite its condition.
• 8.Underneath the car revealed catastrophic chassis damage from the grandfather bottoming it out on a crowned dairy farm road at high speed. The crossmember was severely bashed, one control arm was nearly closed shut, and the sway bar was completely ripped out.
• 9.Bill's emotional reaction during the reveal confirmed the car's deep family significance, and the team noted the 348 tri-power El Camino had 20 more horsepower than a same-year Corvette. With 335 hp, 11.25:1 compression, and a solid lifter cam, it outperformed the Corvette while being capable of hauling hay.