Big Block "A" Body Cars

Keith Tedford said:
I thought this car was a full on done up for drag racing ZL1. I think I have that old magazine and article around here somewhere. I'll dig it out if I can even find it.
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Keith,

To quote from Tom Langdon, Project Engineer for high-performance engines at the time, "The engine is a prototype 1970 --- let's just say very similar to a current ZL-1 all aluminum unit. The aluminum cylinder heads are the same as currently released in the ZL-1, as is the camshaft, but this particular car has a special induction and exhaust system."

Or to put it another way, you're looking at what would have been (should have been) the replacement for the ZL-1.....the all-aluminum 454 c.i. LT-2 big block.

Later, after more discussion about A-body cars, maybe we should talk about another planned Corvette that slipped through our fingers;
the LJ-2.
:)

P.S. The headline on the front magazine cover that states, "10 SECOND ZL-1...CHEVY'S SECRET SUPER 'VETTE" got it wrong. It was the replacement for the ZL-1 that all those reporters were looking at, but they didn't know it. ;)
 
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That would certainly explain it. The writers didn't always get their facts straight...or weren't told the facts. Here's an article. 465 hp, tri-power ZL1 style 454.
 
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That's the guy. Any idea where the car ever went. It would be worth a dollar or two today. Even as heavy as the car was, it performed pretty well.

67HEAVEN said:
Probably the only L-72 Parisienne convertible ever built. Silver with a Madeira Maroon bench-seat interior. Muncie 4-speed, with of course no console due to the bench seat and it was built in Oshawa. This car was a standard Parisienne, not even a Custom Sport. It was a sleeper, of sorts, as no one expected a big old Parisienne convertible to run a solid-lifter 425 hp big block Chevy. How do I know all this? That's easy. I rode in, and ran against this car, many times. It was ordered by and driven by Gord Wadley, a sweeper at GM South Plant, who later moved on to Corvettes. ;)
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Would that have been Dean Ireland, the guy who builds race engines for the local stock car guys?

buckhorn76 said:
back in 71 or 72 a friend of mine here in buckhorn had a 70 ls7 [ hope i remembered the code right ] the 450 hp 454. he was working in scarborough at the time and coming home on weekends. he had run ad's in newspapers looking for one. his mother called him and said there was one for sale in the peterborough examiner maybe it's what you're looking for. he thought ,yeah right , in peterborough. that weekend he went to take a look and lo and behold a red ss with black striping. it had tri-power from a 427, an inline vertical gate 4 spd and bench seat 2500 bucks [those were the days eh ]. that thing was a monster. after a couple of years of mind numbing fun he fried the motor and got rid of the car. don't know what became of it after that and now sadly my friend is very ill and hasn't much time left. but oh the memories.
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hey keith it was paul dixon that had that killer chevelle. but interesting that you mention dean, because he owned the 76 i have from 89-91.
 
The '68 Ram Air Firebird showed the Pontiac quite few car lengths worth of tail lights on North Harmony. ;) A 302 Z/28 claimed to be the fastest car in Oshawa and met the same fate the same night.

67HEAVEN said:
Iron oxide heaven, I'm betting.



Not well enough. :rofl:
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dean currently has a chevelle i havn't seen it yet but have heard it's very sweet, and painted by harry sherrys grandson. thats two guys i know have had cars painted by him. i will definitly be looking this kid up when it comes time to give my 76 it's facelift.
 
Harry and his brother Bill were super craftsmen. Bill still does a little upholstery work on the side. A super nice guy. I understand the next generation does pretty good work too.
 
buckhorn76 said:
i remember back in the late 60's there was a dealer in london involved in racing and they would order a handful of laurentians for super stock guys. bare bones 2 dr sedans 427 4 spd cars. i have heard that a couple still exist.:nono: sure did make the yankee boys do some noggin scratchin,but they were legal because they technically were pontiacs.
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In the Maritimes there were 3 big block Strato Chiefs...

they could not get NHRA approved :mad: apparentely tech guys could spot a BB Chev...

Rumor has it a Black 66 Strato Chief L72 was a hot car around Niagara Falls/Buffalo
 
Central Chev in London was big into musclecars in the late sixties. They had a compound full of musclecars many being L78s. Our '68 Firebird came through London Motor Products, also a GM dealer. Our car had pretty well every trick that could be done to a "stock" engine. The results were pretty impressive for the time. We only seem to have private guys like Manny today interested in modding cars. I don't know of any dealers remotely interested.
 
Keith Tedford said:
We only seem to have private guys like Manny today interested in modding cars. I don't know of any dealers remotely interested.
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These days, I think any relationship between new car sales and altered vehicles brings instant wrath from environmental and mileage regulators, and from the manufacturer who does not want to open that old can of worms again.

Manny is likely separate and removed from new car sales.
 
I think you are right. The powers that be came down on Motion Performance and others in the early-mid seventies. Here in Ontario it has never been legal to remove any smog equipment. It was never a concern until about two years ago when the MOE started pulling cars over and checking them. There doesn't seem to be anyone in the MOE who can give you a straight answer on anything. New engines in old cars, old engines in new cars, crate engines in any year of car. Our MP gave me the number of the go to guy in the MOE. He didn't even have answers. Others have talked to other go to MOE people with the same results. It appears that the original smog equipment is what they want to see. Smog pump, pcv valve, charcoal canister, carburetor etc. if they apply to your year of car should be there if you want to be safe. The stupid part is, none of it has to be functional. It just has to be there. I don't know anyone who has actually had to take their car in for an emissions test. When we got good offers on our Chevelles on top of this mess, we were more than glad to see them gone down the road. I'm too old to be looking over my shoulder all the time.
 
yes keith the fun police have it in for us. port perry seems to be a target area, several folks i know have run into grief whilst cruising through there. the guy at peterborough battery also told me he was pulled over in p'boro with his 79 vette and subjected to the whole deal , mirrors under the car , the works. typical ontario gov't money grab.
 
I explained to our MP that there were either clear rules to this game or it was a plain and simple money grab. I never did get the rules. They pulled over a local guy with a rat rod. They deduced that the engine was from an 1984 truck. He had to install a smog pump, closed breather with heat stove pipe down to the exhaust manifold, intake manifold with EGR, along with some other odds and ends. That's what made the MOE happy and they didn't even check to see if the stuff worked. However, they did give him a piece of paper to keep in his glove box stating that the car was now in compliance with emissions laws. Other guys are told that there is no such paper being given out. I SAW his paper. Hopefully the rules will be clarified for the guys with the old cars. I have an '84 HO 305 from a TransAm. There are more hoses and junk on top of the intake manifold that you can shake a stick at. The emissions stuff is probably worth more than the engine itself. When you consider how few miles these cars put on in a summer, it is rather ridiculous.
 
Keith Tedford said:
It appears that the original smog equipment is what they want to see. Smog pump, pcv valve, charcoal canister, carburetor etc. if they apply to your year of car should be there if you want to be safe.
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Ah, the joys of a 1967 car. One piece of emissions equipment.

51163.jpg
5501mo.jpg
 
another cool a-body

40 years ago another buddy of mine bought a beautiful 69 judge ram air IV 4 spd console. bought it at rumble motors on bayview ave. in east york. we had a lot of fun in that car. people used to ask what gto stood for,he got tired of going through the gran turismo omilagato thing,and just used to say gas,tires,and oil.
 
Awesome Thread! I got distracted during the work day looking up what the FJ2 engine option was supposed to be.:rofl:
 

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