Through the eyes of a child

by Rob Mirabile, photos by Bob Kammerer

Some 40 years ago Robert ‘Duke’ Wickey took delivery of a brand spanking new 66 El Camino. Robert used this El Camino in a way that was common back in the day. It was a car and a truck and he had no problem taking advantage of its hybrid characteristics. Robert was a mechanic for one of Long Island’s largest nurseries. This nursery’s property backed up to the home of young Bobby Kammerer.

Sometime in 1975, little Bobby peered through the shrubbery behind his Westbury, Long Island home. What he saw changed his life forever. Just beyond the yard Bobby had been playing in since he was an infant, was a shop, a barn type structure used for maintaining the vehicles used by the nursery. Of course, working in such a facility would be a mechanic. That mechanic was Robert Wickey and it was his El Camino that Bobby saw that day. The El Camino looked quite different than when it was delivered on June 16, 1966. It had experienced almost 10 years of severe duty and was currently being used as the tow vehicle for a local ¼ midget racing team named Wickey Specials. Even at just 5 years old, that day marked how the next 30 years would play out.

Coincidentally enough, Robert Wickey and Bobby’s father were friends. Both were deep-rooted Long Islanders who were volunteers at their local firehouse. This connection gave Bobby up close access to the car of his dreams. For many years the El Camino continued to get used hard. Bobby would visit the shop and wash it almost weekly. He talked about how it would be his and frequently asked Robert when he would sell it to him. The reply was always the same, “one-day”, he’d say. Through the years a special relationship was forming. Bobby and Robert spent lots of time together. Bobby would head over to the shop after school and on weekends to spend time with Robert and his prized El Camino. During this time Bobby learned mechanical skills from Robert who “was like a Grandfather to me” Bob recalled recently.

More than two decades had passed since little Bobby, now Bob, had first laid eyes on that El Camino. In the spring of 1997 Bob received a message “Mr. Wickey said to stop by”. The day was finally here, after more than 30 years with his beloved El Camino it was time to go. Robert had received several offers for the El Camino but those offers fell on ‘deaf ears’. He had promised this El Camino to a young boy many years ago. A man of his word was Robert Wickey when he sold his El Camino to Bob, for much less then what he had been offered by collectors.

Naturally Bob was excited to get right into the restoration of this El Camino, but after waiting all those years he needed to ‘try it on’ for a while, driving it whenever possible. Soon after, the restoration began and would consume a better part of the next 8 years. Its body showing signs of a rough 3 decades with a quarter panel severely smashed, its engine dirty and tired, this old classic needed attention to all of its components and systems. With the help of his friends, Bob began to dismantle his dream car in hopes of restoring the old ‘truck’ to its original beauty. The disassembly continued as Bob enlisted the help of a few friends to lend a hand on those large and bulky items.

Completing a project of this magnitude has its ‘ups’ and ‘downs’. “Finding all the rust, running out of money at times, having to put the car on hold, finding out the chassis was rotted, and having to find another one, and the many little problems along the way… and getting frustrated. They were definitely the downs of this project”, Bob recalled. Bob also told us about the good times that helped him move forward like seeing the body, engine, and interior get finished. Bob also notes that the hardest part of this project was finding a good chassis. Most other parts needed were available both NOS and re-pop.

The largest obstacle in this project, as many others out there, was money. Running low on money was the most frustrating part of the project. Several times it had to be put on hold until money was saved up. Bob almost gave up several times, just feeling it’s not worth all the money needed. He came close to giving up and parting it out a few times. “Robert Duke Wickey is who kept me going”, Bob confessed, “The history we had since I was a kid. The fact he sold the car to me because he knew I would restore it to the way it should be. Every time I saw him he would ask me how’s it going and when is it going to be ready for the Garden City Easter Parade. I just couldn’t quit”.

Nearly 8 years after starting the restoration it was finally done. Of course, Bob wanted the approval of the original owner. ‘Ole Duke, in his eighties, still a mechanic at the nursery said the car looked better than the day he bought it. With a tear in his eye Duke gave it a thumbs up seal of approval. Bob recalls this approval as “the ultimate reward”. Through the ups and downs it was truly a labor of love. Not only for Bob but also for Duke Wickey even more knowing the car will live on hopefully for another 40 years. Both Duke and Bob finally had their day as the El Camino was entered in the 2006 Garden City Easter Parade, a Long Island staple of antiques and classics for more than half a century.

Taking a thorough look at the completed project, along with the pictures of old can be compared to a walk through history. This 66 holds some very special sentimental value to both the original owner and Long Island Chevelles member Bob Kammerer. The finished product is one of those outstanding examples of what hard work, dedication, and most of all heart, can accomplish. What ever happened to 5-year-old little Bobby? He can be seen each time Bob gets behind the wheel of his 66. Just look at Bob every time he gets into the
El Camino, there’s a sparkle in
his eye, and that excited 5-year-old
boy is still there.