Z11- Hayden Proffitt Story

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Very interesting! ! The 409 engine was not listed but the credit for the 300HP engine was.
Neat piece of history!!!!

Hey Phil,
Frank's '62 was not a factory 409 car, 327 4-speed car originally . He installed his own 409 himself with a little help from Dick Harrell. There was really not a lot off PR on Frank in 1961 or 1962, just the '63 Z-11 mostly. Also just a footnote Frank Sanders did set up the Grey Ghost '63 Z-11 car from Las Vegas.
 
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Blk61409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
Mark, great info. I never knew Franks car was not an original 409 car. Was the aluminum from another car or across the parts counter.
I vividly remember when Ken bought the car, he never talked much about it. Another friend of mine knew him well and that's where u got a set of Z-11 heads, intake and valley cover. Ken got some extras with the car,etc.
Do you know if Dick built the 409 for Frank?
 

david montanbeau

Well Known Member
:bday1:birthday Happy belated birthday David. Sorry we missed it a couple days ago.
Thank you for the Happy Birthday In 1962, I worked at the corner gas station working as a helper washing cars.A regular customer just bought a 62 340 Vette in 62 from Emmert Chev in Detriot MI and I would help him hand wash it and still has it today. I had just turned 10 at the time.

Vette@Cruise.jpg
 
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Barry Taylor

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Pat, did you know Jim Jones. He put together a white Bubble Top that he called Valentine. This was a highly detailed car, not a race car. I believe it had a Z-11 motor and Aluminum front end. He had a pair of aluminum fenders that I saw and he said they were off of Frank Sanders car. This was in Garland somtime in the 70s.
 
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W Head

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 12
At the 1985 Super Chevy Show at Green Valley Raceway, there was a black 62 (race only) 409 Chevy with alum front clip. I spoke with the guy for a long time (don"t remember the name).I ask him where he got the alum clip. "He said Phoenix, Az. I ask him if the clip was light blue when he got it. He looked at me real funny and said yes it was. He said the clip came from Frank Sanders 62. I told him that front clip was on the car that won the 1962 AHRA Nationals here at Green Valley.
I have been looking everywhere for pictures of this car and Sanders 62. Til I retired my job caused me to move about every 18 months to 2 years. I have boxes that still have not been unpacked in years and I have lived in this house for around 17 years. Will keep looking, there are here somewhere along with a lot of pictures taken at that Super Chevy show. I know it was 1985 cause I still have the Super Chevy shirt.

W Head

1959 Impala 409-2,4s
 

Blk61409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
Barry, yes I knew Jim very well. Last I heard he was in Colorado somewhere, he could certainly add to this story.

In the DFW area there were 2 62's with aluminum front ends. One was Franks car and while I saw the other car I never knew where it originally came from. It was on a Beige 62 Biscayne.

I'm going to share the following story as best as I remember.

Way back in the 70's I was supposed to get a 62 aluminum front end from a friend that had bought it from a guy here in the DFW area. My friend said he had it at Jack Williams Chevrolet body shop where a friend of his was going to straighten some of it. I called him some weeks later looking to get it and he said it had been stolen. Since I believe his friend was doing the job on the side, he had no claim except against his friend. A couple of years later a front end shows up a guys shop in Ft Worth.(no idea which one it was) He, I believe sells it to Jim Jones. Either before or after Jim buys it someone stole one of the fenders and Jim had to have one made. To date no one has ever discovered where the other front end came from or when nor where the single fender went! Years later I tracked down my friend and asked about all of that and if he had any idea where they went. He laughed and said as bad a condition as they were he bet they had been thrown away. Remember, that is a very distinct possibility. After the first run with the front end installed, most of the drivers complained about how the top of the fenders would wrinkle. When you would lean on them your elbows would dent the top of the fender and couple that with the already factory wrinkled inner fender liners, its no wonder that that stuff got thrown away. Really crazy.

Barry, at one time I thought your Dad and Dan Dean had a 62 aluminum front end on the Bel Air and I always thought that was one of the 2. Any idea? Oh, and the Frank Sanders car has never been found.
 

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Raj, Pat or Phil, does the name Ken Hare ring a bell. He was a friend of my dads and I believe he may have bought one of Frank Sanders cars, maybe a 62 model.

Barry, did you father our Dan Dean ever spoke about the Honduras maroon '62 Bel air 409 they ran before your dad got the '63 Z-11 from Friendly Chevrolet in Dallas? I heard your father ordered a factory aluminum nose Honduras maroon '62 Impala SS and swapped front ends with the Bel Air. Correct me if I'm mistaken on this, thanks.

Billys1961.jpg
 
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Barry Taylor

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Supporting Member 3
Raj, my dad never raced a 62 bubble top. Dad raced a red 62 SS. When he or Dan Dean found out they had aluminum fronts available someone located dad a red SS with the alum. front clip and they switched it out to the race car, then dad sold the new 409 car to someone else off the carlot he owned. I can't say he never owned a bubble top because he was in the used car bus. at this time. For 63 dad bought a brand new 6 cyl. beige Belair from Jackson Chevy and took delivery after midnight 2 days before they were shown to the public. The dealers would paper up the windows of the showroom until the unveiling of the new model year. The motor and trans. were removed from the red 62 car and put in to the 63 Bel Air so they could make the Labor Day race at Green Valley. I'm not sure but he could have already had a Z11 top end on the motor. Soon after that Dan secured the white 63 Z11 with the help of Bill Thomas and was ran thru. Friendly Chevrolet. At the time he owned a Fina station on Garland Ave. near downtown Garland and the carlot was next door on the same property as the station. Rafel and Gladys Shields lived in the house behind the station. Dan Deans shop Precision Automotive was 5 blocks north east of the station, and dad would just drive any of the race cars back and forth to Dans shop. Ray Travathans shop was a quarter mile east just off Garland Ave. Tom McCroans carlot was 3-4 miles west on Forest lane in Garland. Tom raced a white 62 SS called Casper. Dad bought this car from Tom because Tom didn't specialize in fast cars like dad did. This car was stolen of dads lot and wrecked. Tom got one of the first Thunderbolts in this area and was one of the few cars that could outrun dads 63. Tom later moved to the Chrysler camp with a Hemi car , then an altered wheelbase car that someone else drove for him. My dad bought the blue car in my avitar for me in 1969 from Coke Royal and was raced out of Don Hardy's shop. All of the people I've talked about in this rant were all great racers and pioneers of drag racing in the north and west Texas areas. These Men are My Heroes
 

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Raj, my dad never raced a 62 bubble top. Dad raced a red 62 SS. When he or Dan Dean found out they had aluminum fronts available someone located dad a red SS with the alum. front clip and they switched it out to the race car, then dad sold the new 409 car to someone else off the carlot he owned. I can't say he never owned a bubble top because he was in the used car bus. at this time. For 63 dad bought a brand new 6 cyl. beige Belair from Jackson Chevy and took delivery after midnight 2 days before they were shown to the public. The dealers would paper up the windows of the showroom until the unveiling of the new model year. The motor and trans. were removed from the red 62 car and put in to the 63 Bel Air so they could make the Labor Day race at Green Valley. I'm not sure but he could have already had a Z11 top end on the motor. Soon after that Dan secured the white 63 Z11 with the help of Bill Thomas and was ran thru. Friendly Chevrolet. At the time he owned a Fina station on Garland Ave. near downtown Garland and the carlot was next door on the same property as the station. Rafel and Gladys Shields lived in the house behind the station. Dan Deans shop Precision Automotive was 5 blocks north east of the station, and dad would just drive any of the race cars back and forth to Dans shop. Ray Travathans shop was a quarter mile east just off Garland Ave. Tom McCroans carlot was 3-4 miles west on Forest lane in Garland. Tom raced a white 62 SS called Casper. Dad bought this car from Tom because Tom didn't specialize in fast cars like dad did. This car was stolen of dads lot and wrecked. Tom got one of the first Thunderbolts in this area and was one of the few cars that could outrun dads 63. Tom later moved to the Chrysler camp with a Hemi car , then an altered wheelbase car that someone else drove for him. My dad bought the blue car in my avitar for me in 1969 from Coke Royal and was raced out of Don Hardy's shop. All of the people I've talked about in this rant were all great racers and pioneers of drag racing in the north and west Texas areas. These Men are My Heroes

Thanks for clearing things up Barry and thanks for the history! I still laugh at the story when your dad ruined the MoPar day at the drags where all the big wigs from Chrysler were there. Your dad's '63 white Z-11 (the lone Chevy ) put down every 413 and 426 MoPar that went against him right in front of the Chrysler suits lol! Fenner Tubbs '63 426 Savoy never got by your dad's '63 Z-11 or Dick Harrells Z-11 either. Sure wished your dad's Z-11 was saved :(
 

Barry Taylor

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Supporting Member 3
Raj, Thanks. I have dreams about finding that car, and then I wake up and get pretty bummed out for a couple of days. Spivey Chevrolet in Benton, or Little Rock Ark. offered dad $300.00 to come up and run the Mopars. When he got there they had three of there techs there to help dad which was take off the tow bar, put the slicks on and then help on the cool down between runs. I'm pretty sure he got the blessings from John Witt at Friendly Chevy to do this because they did put a Spivey Chevy Co. Sign on the doors of the car. Some day I hope to get to where I can post pictures cause I do have a copy of the full page add that Spivey took out in mondays paper. Says " Chevrolet Accepts Dodges Challenge Succesfully" and shows a picture of dads car and some mopar leaving the line. Raj, Sure hope to meet you some day. Thanks, Barry
 
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