1986 Chevrolet El Camino “Choo-Choo”
A Significant Piece of Silver Sport Transmissions & American Performance-Car History
This 1986 Chevrolet El Camino is far more than a modified G-body—it is a documented piece of the history behind Silver Sport Transmissions (SST) and the performance transmission industry.
The vehicle is identified by Oklahoma title as a 1986 Chevrolet El Camino, VIN 3GCCW80H3GS907618, finished in Maroon. The Oklahoma title identifies the vehicle as a Classic and lists Jack Silver Jr. or Sharon Silver as the registered owners. The original title documentation remains with the vehicle, providing an important piece of its chain of ownership and provenance.
What makes this El Camino truly special is its connection to Jack Silver and the creation of Silver Sport Transmissions.
In 2014, HOT ROD reported the story of Jack Silver, an Oklahoma businessman and longtime automotive enthusiast who had retired from Braden Manufacturing and decided to build the hot rod he had always wanted. He purchased a 1986 Chevrolet El Camino known as “Choo-Choo” and installed a 562-horsepower 383ci stroker engine. Wanting to convert the car from an automatic to a manual transmission, Silver researched the available conversion technology and became a customer of Keisler Engineering.
That decision ultimately changed the course of the American aftermarket transmission industry.
After learning that Keisler Engineering had gone out of business, Silver investigated what had happened to the company and its products. He determined that the technology, employees and products were worth preserving. In 2014, he acquired the Keisler assets and founded Silver Sport Transmissions, bringing the PerfectFit manual-transmission conversion technology back to the market. Contemporary reporting and later coverage both identify Jack Silver's 1986 El Camino “Choo Choo” as a key part of that story.
The significance of this particular car is therefore historical: Jack Silver's El Camino was the vehicle that helped lead him into the transmission business that became SST.
The connection goes even deeper. Silver Sport Transmissions later documented the installation of a Tremec TKO five-speed into a GM G-body, specifically featuring Jack Silver's 1986 El Camino. SST's own video archive identifies the vehicle and the G-body TKO installation as part of its technical history.
For collectors, G-body enthusiasts, manual-transmission enthusiasts and people familiar with the history of SST, this gives the car a story that a typical modified El Camino simply cannot duplicate.
The car also retains documentation showing that its restoration was approached with attention to authenticity and detail. Included with the vehicle is correspondence from StockInteriors.com dated February 5, 2020, addressed to Jack Silver, along with upholstery/fabric samples and handwritten notes relating to the seat-cover and vinyl-seat-side materials. This provides additional evidence of the effort that went into preserving or restoring the interior to the correct appearance.
Performance Heritage
The car was built around the kind of combination that made the G-body platform so popular in the performance world:
    •    1986 Chevrolet El Camino G-body
    •    383ci stroker V8
    •    High-output performance engine
    •    Tremec/SST manual-transmission conversion heritage
    •    Wilwood performance brakes
    •    Performance-oriented chassis and drivetrain
    •    Documented connection to Jack Silver and SST
    •    Original Oklahoma title retained
    •    Historical upholstery/restoration documentation retained
The result is a unique combination of 1980s G-body character, traditional American V8 performance and modernized manual-transmission technology.
Why This Car Is Different
There are thousands of modified El Caminos.
There are far fewer documented G-body performance cars with a recognizable place in the history of the aftermarket performance industry.
And there is only one 1986 El Camino that can credibly be presented as the car at the center of Jack Silver's personal story leading to the creation of Silver Sport Transmissions.
This is the story that should accompany the car—not simply a list of horsepower numbers and aftermarket parts.
For the right buyer, this is an opportunity to own a piece of G-body history, manual-transmission history and SST history all in one vehicle.
It would be particularly appropriate for a collector, G-body enthusiast, transmission-industry enthusiast, drag-racing/performance enthusiast, or someone who appreciates historically significant cars that have a documented story behind them.
Provenance Package
The sale includes important historical documentation associated with the vehicle, including:
    •    Original Oklahoma Certificate of Title
    •    VIN documentation: 3GCCW80H3GS907618
    •    Title identifying the vehicle as a 1986 Chevrolet El Camino
    •    Title showing Classic vehicle status
    •    Historical ownership information connecting the vehicle to Jack Silver Jr. / Sharon Silver
    •    Original Stock Interiors correspondence dated February 5, 2020
    •    Upholstery/fabric samples retained from the restoration process
    •    Documentation and historical research connecting this specific El Camino to Jack Silver and the early history of Silver Sport Transmissions
The Bottom Line
This is not being presented simply as another modified 1986 El Camino.
It is being offered as a piece of the story that created Silver Sport Transmissions.
Jack Silver bought the El Camino as the hot rod he had always wanted. His search for the right manual-transmission solution ultimately became the beginning of a company that would go on to become one of the recognized names in Tremec and manual-transmission conversion systems.
That history is what makes this El Camino special.
The car is the artifact. The documentation is the story. And the SST connection is the provenance.
For a collector or enthusiast who understands the significance of Jack Silver, SST, G-body performance and the evolution of modern manual-transmission conversions, this is an opportunity to own a vehicle with a story that cannot be replicated.