Jim Seaton's 1959 Chevrolet El Camino

Photo of the El Camino taken at the Barris exhibit at the Wally Parks Museum. Photo by Rob Radcliffe, provided by Rik Hoving.

Lost and Found - Barris Kustoms

1959 Chevrolet El Camino restyled by Barris Kustoms for Jim Seaton of Santa Maria, California. Quad Lucas racing lamps were installed and frenched by using 1959 Mercury headlight rims. A perforated mesh screen with bullets were installed in the grille cavacity. The car was nosed, decked and had its door handles removed. The hoodscoops were extended and fine mesh screen was fit. The taillights were extended and had white cross sections of plastic added to flat red Lucite lenses. Six bumper guards were bolted on below the rear bumper. The car was fit with six exhaust pipes and dual spotlights. Eddie Martinez upholstered the interior and bed cover in white pearl Naugahyde.

Have You Seen This Car?

Before the El Camino, Jim Seaton commissioned Barris Kustoms to restyle a 1955 Chevrolet. Finished in Mother of Pearl white with Burgundy scallops, the El Camino shared many signature details with the ’55, including bullet grille inserts, Lucite taillight fins, and white pearl Naugahyde upholstery by Eddie Martinez. While the ’55 has survived, the El Camino has been missing for decades. The current caretaker of the ’55 and a previous owner are trying to locate the long-lost El Camino, hoping to uncover its fate. Was it parted out? Is it hiding in a garage or barn somewhere? “We’d very much like to know where it is or what happened to it,” they wrote to Kustomrama in May of 2025. If you have any information, photos, or leads on the whereabouts of Jim Seaton’s 1959 El Camino, please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com.

Magazine Features

Customs Illustrated September 1959
Rodding and Re-styling July 1960
Trend Book 197 Custom Cars 1961 Annual
Spotlite Book 529 Custom Scoops