I too own a 59 el camino. it has a 62 283 with power pack heads and a 3 on the tree tranny. it is one of my favorite cars. people stare at it like it is a space ship when i am driving it. i have the coffin rails on it too. glad to see that someone else is doing one too. 59 chevies - people either love them or hate them. no middle ground lol. let me know if you need any pix to help your project as mine is a complete running car