Everyone dreams of acquiring a vintage car to add to their car collection. These days, finding something ready for the road is easy if you have the right resources, but pulling something out of a field and rebuilding it? That’s a different story.

Mike Finnegan of Finnegan’s Garage recently did just that when he revived a 1960 El Camino that had been dormant for 26 years. Rescued from the Georgia woods, where it sat silent since 1998, the El Camino put Finnegan through a multi-day adventure that was filled with setbacks, junkyard ingenuity, and a somewhat questionable road trip.

Parked on a property crammed with old iron, the second-year El Camino featured unique interior parts that included both a four-speed shifter and a footprint gas pedal. “Those are the two reasons we picked the car” said Finnegan.

A lot of things happened on day one. When Finnegan started working on its tires, the car slipped off the jack stands. Fortunately, no one got hurt. Up next, the team tackled the Chevy’s ignition system and replaced its spark plugs. They also replaced the mechanical fuel pump, replaced a cracked radiator, installed a fresh master cylinder, and slapped on a new alternator.

After a months-long break waiting on parts, Finnegan returned for a deeper dive into the rebuild. That’s when he discovered that the clutch, possible the car’s original unit, was fused solid, requiring a new McLeod unit.

The driveshaft needed a full rebuild thanks to a shredded U-joint and carrier bearing. The front drum brakes got a complete overhaul, but the rears were too far gone to even worry about So, the team bypassed them entirely and hoped for an uneventful drive home.

Finally, with the engine running and the brakes working, sort of, Finnegan risked the nearly 200-mile drive home. He called the trip one of “the top five sketchiest things I’ve ever done.”

Finnegan’s relentless effort to drag “Earl Nasty” back from the brink shows the sheer grit required for rescues like this. Waking up a car after it has sat for over 26 years proves just how much hidden rot and mechanical trouble lurk under the dusty paint of long-forgotten classics. It’s a hard-fought reminder of the dedication it takes to save these vintage machines.