Real, Authentic Z-11 Chevys

[Speed]

Not 409 cars...427 Z-11 cars.

Rusty Symmes great work years ago, now turned over to others, has helped the few cars that exist become located and authenticated.

Don Fezzel, Roger Sortino, Hank Gebbart and others own restored beautiful 427 Z-11 '63 Impalas. (Hank did his car himself, and did it well)

There are more...but, few & far between.
..............

I started this thread because this section is for Z-11's.

Where are some more Z-11's?

Z-11's
Z-11's

 

[mpris]

Speed, there was a Z-11 that came from City Chevrolet out of Charlotte, N.C. I believe it was owned by one of the shop formen there. I believe his name was Everheardt. The car somehow ended up being driven by Richard Broome. Do you have any idea where that car ended up?

Poocho

 

[Speed]

I know Richard pretty well, but have no idea where his Z-11 ended up. Richard worked for Dyno during that time. I suspect it ended up in Ga. ? ( I'm not sure.)

Richard ran good ( as you probably know...(the old Concord drag strip, and more....)

 

[oil4kids]

Speed

Thru the years I was able to piece together Dick Harrells White 63 Z11 and its history, Dick Harrell purchased the car in 1963 from Morrans Chevrolet Gateway Motors had sponsorship from Morrans
and it went thru several owners and some of the alum front end was sold and used on other cars(I have a picture of the complete front end in someones garage, but was sold off

photo below is rare, is when it left Harrells hands and went to Teal and Therwanger, it was still painted white for a little while


Soon after Teal/therwanger 63 was color changed to red,raced,and later sold to Sam Hughston in Lubbock tx around 65. Teal won some significant races with that car. Sam never could make it run right and sold it for peanuts,not running in 67,to some guy in Ft Worth. It ended up on a used car lot for awhile in I think St Louis Missouri Ultimately it was wrecked, aluminum parts removed and body scrapped.

However in the backround to the left is Harrells Retribution II Z11 Nova,


Speed,,,,, on this site somewhere is the video of Richar Petty racing his 43jr Hemi Baracuda racing against Harrells Z11 Nova, Richard told me he let Harrell win one race but Harrell was unbeatable at the gate- He never told me about the Z11 but his cuda is buried on his race shop in Randleman with a ton of cement on top of it

 

[DaveFoster]

Found this photo on the web looking for old Nascar photos, labeled 63 mystery engine. Three pages of 63 Nascar Chevies, with photos of mark 4's also

 

[Speed]

Great picture & history of Harrell's Z-11 !
Harrell's Z-11 chevy 2 was awesome ( 180 degree headers ..wild sounding )
Dickie did well with it...very few Chevy's at that level for a time.

...........

cool picture of the mystery 427 ( basically,today's big block )....

 

[Quickshift409]

Z-11 Car Sponsorship

Over the years I have compiled a list of 30 Z-11 drivers but don't know all there sponsors. I am sure a lot of you guys out there can fill in the blanks. Here are the drivers in question. Don Grotheer, Jack Bayer, Bill Wade, Vince Fiala, Phil Braybrooks and one with the last name of Bryant.

 

[AZ409]

Quickshift, you have a PM. Larry

 

[mark johnson]

Is it my imagination or do the front wheels look moved very far forward in that photo of the ex-Dick Harrell '63 Z-11? I wondered if the body was moved back on the chassis? I've heard rumors that the Jenkins/Strickler Z-11 car had several neat tricks done to it for weight transfer. These cars were battling it out with the superior Max Wedges and even the Hemis in '64 and needed all the help and "updating" they could get. Old Reliable IV has been passed through several collectors the past 15 years or so and it would be neat to compare it to a "stock" '63 Chevy while laying on a creeper!

 

[oil4kids]

Larry (Parts) could answer that,

Harrell promoted the big early pontiac rear so its possible he was using it, also Harrell was with Bill Thomas at the time and Bill was a big suspension guru


Larry any clues?

pic now owned by Teal is same car painted red with "engine by Harrell" on the front doors

 

[Speed]

Is it my imagination or do the front wheels look moved very far forward in that photo of the ex-Dick Harrell '63 Z-11? I wondered if the body was moved back on the chassis? I've heard rumors that the Jenkins/Strickler Z-11 car had several neat tricks done to it for weight transfer. These cars were battling it out with the superior Max Wedges and even the Hemis in '64 and needed all the help and "updating" they could get. Old Reliable IV has been passed through several collectors the past 15 years or so and it would be neat to compare it to a "stock" '63 Chevy while laying on a creeper!

......................


pontiac rear was pretty std. ('58)
the chev rear & axles weren't beefy enough.

 

[Parts]

When Dick owned the 63 it did not have the chassis moved anywhere. The rear coils were cut and the right rear a little more, spacers in the front springs all for weight transfur. Engine was shimmed with washers under the right motor mount to help keep the engine from twisting as far as some did. All again for weight transfur. I do not believe the car had a Pontiac rearend in it at that time. I do remember changing the third member a few hundred times and always Chevy ones. We also had to borrow some axles a couple times and they came from Chevys too.
The first time I know of Dick using a Pontiac rear end was in the 64 Chevelle when it was being converted from its stock form to what it became. The Chevy II also had Pontiac rear.
Larrry

Larry (Parts) could answer that,

Harrell promoted the big early pontiac rear so its possible he was using it, also Harrell was with Bill Thomas at the time and Bill was a big suspension guru


Larry any clues?

pic now owned by Teal is same car painted red with "engine by Harrell" on the front doors

 

[oil4kids]

Thanks Larry, didnt know about the pontiac rear,

knowing Bill Thomas, Im suprised he didnt put a corvette ind. rear axle in it
(ie Bad Bascomb)


BTW another 63 Z11 Lived out here on Long Island ran by Motion Speed of Baldwin fame called Assassin, Maroon color, I seen it many times at National speedway and have it on some old 8mm films but was more competitive in a 327 class so the z11 was pulled,

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

1962 Z-11 components

Does anyone know the history behind the "Special Service Package" or whatever GM called it, the early release of the later-named "Z-11" option, presumably for the 1962 racers? How many units, what pieces, that sort of thing. And who got these parts?

Thanks!

TomK

 

[Droog]

So, does anyone know how many Z-11 bodies are unaccounted for? Also, how many engines may still be floating around?

 

[Droog]

BTW another 63 Z11 Lived out here on Long Island ran by Motion Speed of Baldwin fame called Assassin, Maroon color, I seen it many times at National speedway and have it on some old 8mm films but was more competitive in a 327 class so the z11 was pulled,

I thought the Assassin was a 283 car that had the Z-11 parts added later.

 

[Lucky 88]

Teals 1963 Impala's

I believe the picture of Teals 63 Red car was actually a real 409 425 HP Motor built by Harrell but it was not the real Z11 car. If you look at the finder it says 425 Hp. I talked to Teal and he said that he owned Two 63's which one was The 63 Z11 car and the other was a stock 409 425 HP. If you guys ever go by his shop stop in and maybe he will show you his picture albums of Thurwhanger ,Harrell and him back in the days.

 

[Speed]

Real ones were (are) Real ones

 

[Phil Reed]

Real ones were (are) Real ones

Sounds like a reply from someone who had one!!!!! Right Wally????????

 

[Speed]

Happy New Year Phil......... (all !)