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Car builder and owner Joe Cherry had “a ghost stuck in my head” that centered around what an El Camino would look like if it was built in 1958. By blending a 1958 Nomad wagon and a 1958 Chevy Biscayne sedan, Cherry brought the ghost out of his imagination and into reality.
It was a ghost stuck in my head.
Cherry said that he found the Biscayne in a New York junkyard, on top of a six pile stack of junked cars. Five years later, Cherry had his completely custom 1958 El Nomado.
“The key was taking the clean lines of the sedan and incorporating them back into the Nomad. At this point in car design, the factory guys had gone too far with the square lines and fins. What I wanted to do was soften up the harsh lines and take away some of the square design of the Nomad. This is where the Biscayne sedan came into play.” Cherry blended the sedan’s left and right side into the Nomad’s body.
We have to say that this is one of the most creative uses of a 1958 Biscayne sedan and a Nomad Wagon. At the urging of his friends, Cherry decided to enter the “Show It Off at SEMA” promotion by Royal Purple. Thirty days later he was told to get it ready because he had won! By winning the contest, Cherry and his ride was transported to the Las Vegas Convention Center to show off the El Nomado.
Features of Cherry’s El Nomado:
- Custom design and built
- 348 cid Chevy engine
- 3 matched Rochester carbs
- Factory 3 duece factory intake manifold
- Cast Iron OEM exhaust manifolds
- Flowmaster mufflers
- MSD electronic ignition, MSD Blaster coil and silicone wires
- Zoops polished aluminum accessory bracket system
- Griffin 4 core radiator
- Mooneyes polished aluminum valve cover and air cleaner
- Powerglide automatic transmission
- Telescoping driveshaft with factory differential and 3.36:1 gears
- Four wheel disc brakes with crossed drilled and slotted rotors
- Dual cylinder power master cylinder
- 18″ Boyd Coddington Crown Jewel Wheels
- Cooper Zeon tires
- Ride Tech four wheel independent air suspension with electronic controls
- Custom leather interior and truck bed by Keith Williamson
- Color matched dash and interior
- Custom made console with gauge cluster and control center
- Vintage Air A/C system and vertical gate shifter
- Shaved handles with remote poppers
Cherry capped off his build with Chrysler 300 seats and an eight speaker 400 watt stereo system. His labor of love included years of chopping, cutting and redesigning the top, sides and rear of his creation. The full impact of Cherry’s work needs to be seen to be completely appreciated. As such, we are presenting these pictures of a 1958 El Camino that never was built by the factory boys, but was crafted by Joe Cherry.
