Author Topic: 1st 69 Z28  (Read 12295 times)

william

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #30 on: December 27, 2020, 02:36:30 AM »
There are no '60/'70s Chevrolet production records. They have searched their records storage facilities, found nothing. Pontiac and Oldsmobile stored their records on microfiche and provide copies for a small fee. No idea if Buick records are available.

Chevymuscledocs.com [NCRS] has shipping information for some '65-'72 Camaros, Chevelles, Novas. All it provides is the dealership the car was shipped to.

Camaro Hi-Performance [Jerry MacNeish] offers a certification service based on a physical examination for Camaro, Chevelle, Nova.
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KurtS

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #31 on: December 27, 2020, 04:46:22 AM »
It was a pre-production (aka pilot) car and I can safely say it was built at Norwood.
One of the purposes of the early cars is to test out new tooling and production sequencing and station workload in the assembly plant.
The body was probably not built by Fisher Norwood, but at the Fisher Pilot Plant in Detroit. It was then sent to Norwood for assembly. (Same as in 67).  All the new 69 parts would be marked and were at all the stations in the plant. Lots of logistics, but what is needed when you need to tryout the tooling and build 40-50 cars for testing, shows, design aid, etc.
Kurt S
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crossboss

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #32 on: December 27, 2020, 06:11:52 PM »
There are no '60/'70s Chevrolet production records. They have searched their records storage facilities, found nothing. Pontiac and Oldsmobile stored their records on microfiche and provide copies for a small fee. No idea if Buick records are available.

Chevymuscledocs.com [NCRS] has shipping information for some '65-'72 Camaros, Chevelles, Novas. All it provides is the dealership the car was shipped to.

Camaro Hi-Performance [Jerry MacNeish] offers a certification service based on a physical examination for Camaro, Chevelle, Nova.




To 'me' this seems odd. This is not a put down, just a comment: Why would a major corporation like General Motors not have records on their builds? How would they have resolved warranty claims? How can you legitimize a car with out it?
Just another T/A fanatic. Current lifelong projects:
1968 Olds 442 W-30
1969 Mustang Fastback w a Can-Am 494 (Boss 429)

KurtS

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #33 on: December 27, 2020, 07:07:09 PM »
They kept them for a few years, but how does keeping the build records of 10 year old, no less 50 year old, vehicles help a company? Gotta store, catalog, etc all those records. 5+ million a year - and remember many of those are Cavaliers and Citations....
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68 Ragtop

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #34 on: December 27, 2020, 07:33:43 PM »
It appears this is a well known car that has been owned and inspected by many experts, including the current owner who is very well know in the upper circles of the super car world and has more knowledge about 1969 Camaro's than Jerry MacNeish.

That said, the cowl hood that caused my doubt about the car is probably original. I missed the CRG section that mentioned it was shown on early press photos.

http://www.camaros.org/exterior.shtml#cowlhood

Is there an online version of the story or is it print only?

HOT3O2

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #35 on: December 27, 2020, 10:02:57 PM »
William, Do you happen to know what issues of Camaro Corral had that story regarding the car. I’d like to read it. Thanks,
Rick
69 RS/Z28

william

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #36 on: December 27, 2020, 11:51:18 PM »
March/April 1995 Camaro Enthusiast

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HOT3O2

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #37 on: December 30, 2020, 04:56:27 PM »
Thanks William, Just read the story. Very interesting write up.
Rick
69 RS/Z28

william

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #38 on: December 30, 2020, 06:02:36 PM »
To gain perspective on statements Smokey Yunick is alleged to have made concerning the car, it is advisable to read his book. By his own admission, he was a "...lost ball in the tall weeds..." when it came to race car chassis set up. His thing was making power and he did it well, often to the chagrin of Chevrolet Engineering. His 1st 1966 Chevelle race car "...had power to spare but the chassis was so f**** up..." The second Chevelle was built by Chevrolet Engineering and was competitive until Curtis Turner demolished it. By '69 he was working for Ford, had worn out his welcome at Chevy and with nearly all sanctioning bodies. He was a GMC Truck dealership, had contacts and was provided a chassis destined for scrap, did not have a VIN tag. That Chevy Engineering expected him to do development work with it is preposterous. When Penske/Donohue encountered serious chassis and braking problems with their Camaro race cars, Chevrolet engineers solved them.

For the 1970 Trans-Am, season, Jim Hall/Chaparral Cars campaigned two 1970 Camaros. Hall had an Engineering degree and a reputation for solving high-speed handling and aerodynamic problems. Chevy had contracted with him to solve the serious handling problems of early Corvairs and was every bit an 'insider' at Chevy as Smokey had been. I doubt he received much help from Chevy. By the end of the '69 Trans Am season, Penske was so disgusted with Chevrolet he jumped to AMC for the '70 Season.

Yunick did build a '72 Camaro race car for A.J. Foyt. For some reason it was never raced and sold.

All this and much more was chronicled in a few books everyone should read:

Chevrolet = Racing? by Paul Van Valkenburgh
The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue
Best Damn Garage in Town by Smokey Yunick


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MO

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #39 on: December 30, 2020, 07:19:34 PM »
All three excellent reads if you haven't.

maroman

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #40 on: December 30, 2020, 10:34:39 PM »
I think it's time to break out my copy of Chevrolet Racing again.
Doug  '67 RS/SS 396 auto I know the car since new

Jon Mello

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #41 on: December 30, 2020, 10:46:16 PM »
Yunick did build a '72 Camaro race car for A.J. Foyt. For some reason it was never raced and sold.

Yunick built a Camaro that was sponsored by A J Foyt Chevrolet and driven by Swede Savage in 1971.  I think that's the car you are referring to.

http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=8038.msg54534#msg54534
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william

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #42 on: December 31, 2020, 01:01:50 AM »
The car is briefly mentioned in the paragraph "Cold Air Camaro Hood." He built a ram-air set up that involved slotting the front bumper to divert air to the engine. They tested it at Sebring and it worked. He goes on to say "I can't remember why we never raced it. Couple years later I sold this car. I sold it to a road racer in Belgium. We took it to a dock in Jacksonville and I never saw or heard from it again."

What he possibly meant was they never raced it with the cold air set up. In the chapter "50 Good Drivers and an Asshole", he mentions building a '72 Camaro to run in the 24 hour race at Daytona-same car? Drivers were to be Jim Hall, Bruce McLaren and Dennis Hulme [no shortage of talent there]. The car never ran at Daytona because "...my interpretation of the rules and those of the inspectors were at odds."

Smokey had tremendous respect for Jim Hall.

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JoeC

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #43 on: December 31, 2020, 01:06:06 PM »
In 1968 "Bunkie" Knudsen left Chevy and went to Ford. He took Larry Shinoda and Smokey Yunick with him.
Bunkie left Ford in Sep 69.

Don Yenko bought one of the Yunick 68 Camaros and it won the Citrus 250 at Daytona in 1969. Warren D., who was on the Yenko team, said they had a lot of trouble getting it through tech :)

JoeC

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Re: 1st 69 Z28
« Reply #44 on: January 15, 2021, 02:29:28 PM »

 

anything