A Z-11 Followed me Home

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
50 are correct since I could come up with 50 original cars assembled, the very first Bob Tucker's autumn Gold Z-11 assembled in August or Sept of '62. The last Z-11 Was Brian Batchelders car in late Feb 1963. I heard Joe Padula & Dave Kenahan from Providence RI (Norwood Chevrolet)ran their 1963 Bel air 2 door sedan car with over the counter aluminum nose, QM short block and Z-11 heads and intake. Sure rattled Billy Lawton (rest his soul) from Tasca Ford in his 427 Fiberglass Galaxie at most Eastern Seaboard S/S drag meets :D
 

jim_ss409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
50 are correct since I could come up with 50 original cars assembled, the very first Bob Tucker's autumn Gold Z-11 assembled in August or Sept of '62. The last Z-11 Was Brian Batchelders car in late Feb 1963. I heard Joe Padula & Dave Kenahan from Providence RI (Norwood Chevrolet)ran their 1963 Bel air 2 door sedan car with over the counter aluminum nose, QM short block and Z-11 heads and intake. Sure rattled Billy Lawton (rest his soul) from Tasca Ford in his 427 Fiberglass Galaxie at most Eastern Seaboard S/S drag meets :D

You often see the total number of Z11 cars built listed as 57, but I notice that most of the people like you that seem to know things point to the number 50 so that's the number I'm going with. :D

There were exactly 50 crate engines built for the 50 production cars. I have the exact number of partials built also. Not many. Dick, Robert or Phil I'm out of town, you might have the docs handy. Either way it was not many. Can post more next week if anyone is interested.

I don't have it in front of me either but the Chevrolet by the Numbers book shows a copy of the GM engine plant's records showing 50 full engines and 20 half engines. I think it also shows one Z11 engine or maybe half engine went out in 1965. :dunno I'm guessing a half engine is the short block assembly?
I don't imagine there would be any record of the number of cylinder heads and manifolds sold over the parts counters. I gather that these parts were a little hard to get so I don't imagine they would have sold a lot.
I think I read somewhere that a few of the lightweight 62 Impalas might have ended up with Z11 top ends but apparently they all left the factory as regular 409hp 409's.

It's amazing that most of the Z11 cars and lightweight 62's have simply vanished without a trace. I guess at some point they were just used cars with no real value.
 

chevymusclecars

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
Jim

Glad to see the engine is in good hands and like you I would find it interesting to recover the numbers if they ever existed. There are a number of methods and I understand that there are several ways to do this. One that I have heard about is using magnetism and metal powder like a Magnaflux. Some of the others use acid but it is my understanding that you get one try with acid. You might want to contact your local Corvette group and see if they have anything on newer methods. Below is a chemical method but I have never done this process, just interested.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22955030

Good Luck
 

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Sadly, a fair number of '62 factory aluminum nose Impala '09s built (all built in Flint MI) were just purchased for the aluminum and swapped over to racers of Bel-air hardtops. The steel nose from the Bel air would then be repainted by the dealer's body shop and Impala SS trim added (diamond pattern inserts & top chrome) to match the rest of the Impala body. Then sold as a new car delivery. Dave Strickler and Bill Jenkins rumored to had a factory aluminum nose honduras maroon SS coupe they picked up at the Flint plant and drove it back to York PA. Not sure if that was old reliable III that was re sprayed ermine white to match the '62 Bel air. Shortly after the '62 Nationals they removed the aluminum off that car and swapped it with the Bel-air and the Impala was sold off the OK Chevrolet used car lot never to be seen again (heard it surfaced in Florida later on in a bone yard not confirmed). Jack Bayer told me the same thing with his blue aluminum nose Impala from Bill Bader Chevrolet in Fontana CA. Buddy Taylor did the same also with a '62 aluminum nose Impala with a Bel Air he was racing before he got his '63 Z-11. Dick Harrell did things different, his black aluminum nose '62 Impala SS was NOT a factory aluminum car. His car was built in St Louis , I inspected the VIN closely when I saw it in Utah. He somehow ordered the aluminum nose as did Frank Sanders did over the counter.
 

rstreet

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 17
There were exactly 50 crate engines built for the 50 production cars. I have the exact number of partials built also. Not many. Dick, Robert or Phil I'm out of town, you might have the docs handy. Either way it was not many. Can post more next week if anyone is interested.

Pat hope you are having a good trip. I don't have a copy of the Z info. Thought Brian or Ronnie did?
Robert
 

Blk61409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
I will post a copy of the Chevrolet production of the engines when I get back. Meanwhile, the number 57 Z-11 cars came from a letter I received from Paul G. Prior back in I think 1978 when he responded to a letter I sent requesting info. He simply stated he did not know exactly how many they built and he "thought" it was 57. I sent a copy of that letter to several friends back then and it looks like it made the "folklore" rounds. I was able to get the actual engine production documentation from Fran Preve after he had passed away. In some of the files is a letter listing the number of engines built and I believe partial(short blocks) as well. The full engines as they built for vehicle installation was listed as 50 not 57.

Regarding the aluminum front end 1962 cars, Hayden Proffitt told me several years ago he received his engine parts, pre-Z-11 stuff in a crate with several boxes inside and about 10 days or 2 weeks he received the aluminum front end in a crate. He was shipped his parts by Chevrolet as part of his agreement. Since there were other factory sponsored racers, I would not be surprised that some of the other big named guys received their parts the same way.

All of the various combinations listed above of how 62 aluminum cars came to be appears to be correct based on what I have learned over the years.

Hope this helps to answer the 50/57 mystery.

I will post the letter from Paul Prior as well.
 

Jim409_Pontiac

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Thanks for the info. It is important that this information is documented for future collectors. I would love to think this engine was out of an original Z11 car but even just being over the counter parts or early experimental parts I feel honored to own part of G|M history.
 

1961BelAir427

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Whether one of 50 or one of the ones over the counter.......that is still a drop in the ocean of rarity. Most car guys never even see a Z11 engine or car in person. I know I never have not even at the few Super Chevy events I went to. Just ogled pictures in magazines and on the internet for years. (Yes I am still talking about the Z11 you pervs!!)
 

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I guess I consider myself lucky, rode down the dragstrip with Don Fezzell in Old Reliable Z-11 and Dick Milner in the Alan Green Z-11 at Norwalk in 1998 (pretty exciting for a 24 year old kid!). Then I drove both the Frank Sanders and Terry Prince Z-11's with Don Fezzell again in Utah back in 2005 :)
 

rstreet

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 17
Not sure if I have ever posted this interesting old photo but since we have been discussing in addition to Z-11's on this post also Aluminum 62 pieces. Amazing how light they are as demonstrated by our own Ronnie Russell. This fender is from Pat's set which is number 11? Speaking of Hayden on the shelf to the right of this fender was an interesting air cleaner.
Pat..... Tommy and I might be taking two cars to a National show in Arizona the third week of March and will have to go through Dallas. I would like to stop by and let you take Tommy on a tour of this room!
Robert
 
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region rat

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
50 are correct since I could come up with 50 original cars assembled, the very first Bob Tucker's autumn Gold Z-11 assembled in August or Sept of '62. The last Z-11 Was Brian Batchelders car in late Feb 1963. I heard Joe Padula & Dave Kenahan from Providence RI (Norwood Chevrolet)ran their 1963 Bel air 2 door sedan car with over the counter aluminum nose, QM short block and Z-11 heads and intake. Sure rattled Billy Lawton (rest his soul) from Tasca Ford in his 427 Fiberglass Galaxie at most Eastern Seaboard S/S drag meets :D
What ever happened to Bob Tucker? He was in Florida and kinda disapeered?
 

region rat

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Were there also some Z-11's hand built by some of the engineering guys? I heard that for years.

Also the Z-11 should be identical to the 690"s on the ex side. Drawings show intake side mods only.
 

region rat

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Supporting Member 3
Mark, Any idea what year he died? I was looking 3 years ago. He used to hang at Bo-Laws.
Bob
 

Z-11Guy

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Bob Tucker kept this car immaculate when he raced it. He later sold it to Bill Connell in '65 or '66 then went to a guy named John Thorne in Georgia. The car exists today though way to0 far gone to save from what I heard
 

region rat

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Bob seemed to be way ahead of the curve. He handled many pro racers of his time while the car was current. Is it still down south?

Bob
 
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