Big Red:

Maybe the World’s Baddest ’69 Camaro

Over the years there have been some bad ass Camaros but few have enjoyed the longevity, diversity and reputation of Big Red. From the rough roads of the La Carrera Classica to the Silver State Classic to the Bonneville Salt Flats to Pikes Peak Big Red has been there, done that and yet the story continues.

The saga of Big Red begins more than 30 years ago in 1987 when Dan Gottlieb and his son RJ embarked upon the creation of the baddest Camaro in captivity—a car that would take on the best in the toughest Mexican road race known as La Carrera Classica. Father and son put together what they anticipated would be a winning combination that utilized a stock ’69 Camaro body and frame, a roll cage and a 540-inch, all-aluminum, dry-sump Donovan built by the legendary John Lingenfelter. In flat-out trim Red was capable of 200 mph and quickly proved to be a contender.

Unfortunately, during its 1987 La Carrera II debut and while 18-year old RJ was leading the race and Chris Kaufmann was riding shotgun the Camaro had, well, a big accident at over 140 mph. They’d pushed too hard and the stock uni-body and sub frame was just not up to it. The car veered off the highway and was destroyed; only the Lingefelter engine and the rear end were salvageable. Luckily RJ and Chris walked away.

“That’s the magic of Big Red, making it look as much like a factory Camaro as possible but, and it’s a big but, it has to run consistently over 200 mph”RJ Gottlieb

Undaunted, and even before RJ was home, father Dan had located another ’69 from which to rebuild the racecar albeit this time with a full tube, stock car-style chassis assembled by Bill Osborne. Lessons had been learned; they wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice. Nevertheless, the car looked as stock as possible from its steel body with glass windshield to its roll-up windows. In fact, Dan had the crew take the extremely rare, at the time, and expensive all aluminum block and heads and paint them factory GM orange to look like a stock, iron block.  He rather enjoyed popping the hood, pointing and saying, “Look it’s just a warmed over 427.” 

“That’s the magic of Big Red,” commented RJ, “making it look as much like a factory Camaro as possible but, and it’s a big but, it has to run consistently over 200 mph.”

For the rebuild Larry Mollicone overhauled the original Lingenfelter engine and dyno pulls resulted in 850 hp and 750 lbs-ft of torque. Backing up the naturally aspirated engine was a Jerrico four-speed and a 9-inch Detroit Locker rear end with Koni coil-overs and twin-caliper vented discs.

In 1988, after almost a year in the making, RJ and his new copilot Bill Osborne won La Carrera III. The following year they were leading by miles when they smoked the clutch and ended their race prematurely. Unfortunately, they were never invited back. That same year they also went on to win the Silver State Classic. They covered the 94-mile, two-lane black top in just 27 minutes, 54 seconds with an average, yes average speed of 197.99 mph. To maintain that average they hit a top speed of 222 mph. I’ve driven that road to Bonneville many times and it doesn’t look possible. RJ was just 19 years old. They won again the following year but intake valve issues reduced their speed.

Big Red was an attention getter and as a consequence Road & Track magazine invited RJ to compete in a top speed challenge at the Nissan/Calsonic test track at Casa Grande, AZ. Big Red trounced the competition with a top speed of 203 mph. The organizers didn’t believe the speed and made RJ run again but he backed it up. Unhappy that a mere muscle car won their supercar top speed shoot out Road & Track cropped Big Red out of the cover photo.

For RJ, it was time to go back east and go to school, consequently, Big Red was loaned to Don Laughlin’s Auto Museum, Laughlin, NV, where it was displayed for almost 10 years. In 2003, RJ returned to California and collected the car with the intention of taking it to a few shows, however, once a racer always a racer and RJ and Dan soon set about yet another ‘Red-surrection’.

Driving the modifications was a new Brodix-based 598 ci engine fitted with a modified Braswell “Severe Duty” carburetor flowing 1350cfm. Again, built by Larry Mollicone—it produced an insane 1,100 hp. To compensate for the huge increase in horsepower the team added safety improvements and bigger brakes. And, they turned to the Baer Brakes’ Z2Z Challenge for a new venue to express Big Red’s prowess. Once again, they took top honors in the acceleration/deceleration contest.

In 2006, it was back to the back roads of Nevada for the Silver State. Unfortunately, fuel problems caused them to splutter through the first 20 miles, nevertheless, after shutting down and rebooting the system RJ took off like a banshee to take first place in the Unlimited Class.

Over the ensuing five years, RJ competed in numerous events including The Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational, The Texas Mile, Vintage Auto Racing’s “Big Bore Bash” at Willow Springs, the Mojave Mile, the Mojave Magnum and the Virginia City Hill Climb. RJ took top honors at nearly every event while Red was featured in the 2009 movie the ‘Fast and the Furious 4’.  It was also in the 2017 feature film version of the hit 70’s TV show “Chips” directed by Dax Shepard who is a big fan.

If you really want to see Big Red in action, and who doesn’t, the whole process has been filmed by Josh Oliver in an eight episode docuseries, “The Original Outlaw Racer” and is viewable here.

In 2013, with a blown 1,800 hp motor the team tried their hand at the Bonneville Salt Flats where they ran a strong 227 mph. Despite all the different venues at which RJ had wheeled Big Red he had still not attempted the infamous Colorado spike known as Pikes Peak. Unfortunately, during a test session at California’s SCCA Buttonwillow track, in preparation for Pikes Peak, Big Red caught fire due to a fuel fitting vibrating loose. The fire was devastating and any plans for future events had to be put on hold while the car was rebuilt, yet again. Undeterred, as always, Big Red was rebuilt to run at the Mojave Mile in April 2017 where it broke its own record of 251 with a blistering run at 253.7 mph.

This ProCharged version of Big Red was both an evolution and a tangential move away from the road race and hill climb combination toward a quest to discover the ultimate top speed of a ’69 Camaro. This development began with mile racing in 2009 in Texas with the 598 road race set up that continued to evolve over the years through a dual quad ram to nitrous for the Mojave Mile to a ProCharged version for Bonneville running on methanol with water injection. 

The secret to this build is the ‘switchability’ and versatility: one minute its in road race trim, the next hill climb mode and the next its set up for balls out land speed racing. Indeed, as the car has evolved and gone faster and faster the team has learned the secret of prepping the car for each specific racing venue. For example, the set up employed for the Mojave Mile would not be the same set up used for hill climbs. Purpose-specific tuning resulted in a very competitive 11:08.357-second run to the clouds placing them fourth in the Pike’s Peak Open Class. 

StateofSpeed.com caught up with RJ and the Big Red team at the recent East Coast Timing Association Arkansas Mile event at Blytheville, AK, where RJ had run 244.4 in June 2018. The weather was not cooperative and Big suffered mechanical problems, nevertheless, RJ managed a run at 246.238 mph besting his own record.

From Arkansas the team moved north to Limestone, Maine, for a run at the 1.5-miles course operated by the Loring Timing Association loringtiming.com. There, RJ ran a strong 256 mph taking the class record from Roadkill’s David Freiburger and running just shy of his best run ever of 266.2 mph at the Mojave 1.5 Mile.

So, what’s next for RJ and Big Red? Well, there are more records to be broken, hills to climb and speeds to be bettered. It ain’t over yet.

The Camaro Story

1967–Present

GEN I 1967–1969

You can trace the history of the muscle car back to 1949 when GM’s Oldsmobile division dropped their new 135 hp ohv 303 ci V8 into a lightweight body. They called it the Rocket 88 and it rocketed Olds to the top of the NASCAR tree with six wins out of nine late-model division races in 1949. The Rocket 88 had such an impact that in 1951 Jackie Brenson and Ike Turner penned the hit song Rocket 88 and inadvertently gave birth to Rock and Roll. It went to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.

…the name Camaro was reportedly derived from Heath’s French English Dictionary as a term that translated to “friend” or “comrade.”

Fast forward to the early sixties and the youth revolution. Suddenly, kids had spending money, the disposable income they called it, for things like music, movies, clothes, and automobiles. Ford may have been on the ball faster than GM though it wasn’t something you’d expect from the staid ol’ Ford Motor Company; nevertheless, they answered the call of the youth market before GM with the 1964-1/2 Mustang. The Mustang took the market by storm selling 1.5 million cars in the first three years.

It caught GM on the back foot and it took until the ’67 model year for them to retaliate with the Camaro. Introduced on Sept. 29, 1966, the Camaro was originally codenamed ‘Panther’ but Automotive News says the name Camaro was reportedly derived from Heath’s French English Dictionary as a term that translated to “friend” or “comrade.” We checked this with French friend Phillipe Dahn of Frog Specialties and he has never heard of such a word in French. GM product managers also told reporters that the term also meant “a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.” And the stage for the ongoing rivalry was set.

Described as being long of hood and short of deck, the rear-wheel-drive Camaro was built on GM’s F-body platform and was available only as a coupe or convertible with 2+2 seating. It was available with nearly 80 factory options and 40 more dealer options. The base engine was a 140 hp 230 ci six-cylinder but you could get almost any engine that Chevrolet made all the way up to the 375 hp 396 ci in the Camaro SS version. The Camaro SS was also available with a 350 ci engine.

Sales were brisk but not Mustang brisk and Chevy sold only 220,906 in 1967 when Ford sold 472,121 Mustangs. Nevertheless, the Camaro paced the ’67 Indy 500 and to commemorate this Chevy built 104 Pace cars. Chevy also offered the Z/28 ‘Special Performance Package’ so that they could be eligible for SCCA Trans-Am racing. The package included a special 302 ci V8 with solid lifters, Muncie 4-speed trans, heavy-duty radiator, special suspension, dual exhaust, 15×6 in wheels, 3.73:1 Positraction rear axle, power-assisted front disc brakes and a special ‘skunk’ stripe package. Only 602 Z/28s were produced in 1967 making them extremely rare and valuable.

Sales were brisk but not Mustang brisk and Chevy sold only 220,906 in 1967 when Ford sold 472,121 Mustangs.

All U.S. Camaros were built either in Norwood, Ohio, or Van Nuys, California. However, cars were also built overseas in the Philippines, Belgium, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Peru. I wonder how many survivors there are in those countries?

At the top of the Camaro Gen I tree was the COPO 9560 ZL1. In 1969, two Central Office Production Orders (COPO), numbers 9560 and 9561, were offered as the result of some dealers, notably Canonsburg, Pennsylvania’s Yenko Chevrolet, installing 427 ci engines in Camaros despite GM forbidding dealers installing engines bigger than 400 ci.

COPO 9561 used the solid-lifter L72 427 that made 425 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Yenko ordered 201 of these to create the legendary Yenko Camaro. Apparently, in total there may have been as many as 1,000 Camaros fitted with L72 engines. Conceived and designed for drag racing by Dick Harrell, the COPO 9560 used an all-aluminum, hand-assembled ZL-1 427 rated at 430 hp with 450 lb-ft of torque. Only 69 ZL-1 Camaros are supposed to have been built.

GEN II 1970–1981

The Gen II Camaro was unveiled on February 26, 1970, and while it retained its F-body platform with uni-body construction, 2+2 seating and general engine family its styling was a radical departure from Gen I despite the retention of the long hood, short deck architecture.

The new [Gen 2] Camaro was actually quite an aggressive, good looking car […]  however, it did not sit so well with the public…

Apparently, GM designers looked to Europe for their styling queues. The grille, rather than being full width with integral headlights was now a pronounced pouty orifice with a distinctly European egg-crate insert flanked by split-bumpers and separate head and driving lights. It was said to borrow liberally from early-60s Ferrari designs even down to its twin round taillights.

The new Camaro was actually quite an aggressive, good looking car with a distinct sweep to the fender line, nicely flared wheel arches, slightly less chrome, no side vents, wider doors, however, it did not sit so well with the public who only purchased 124,901 examples when Mustang sold 191,239. In 1971, it fared even worse due to a two-month worker’s strike at the Norwood, Ohio, plant—the only plant now building Camaros.  Sales were even worse at 114,630.

Unfortunately, even more, problems faced GM and new emissions and safety standards were introduced and the first fuel crises were on the horizon and insurance rates were rising. There was even talk in 1972 of canceling the Camaro altogether when sales plummeted to just 68,651 units.

There was a major change in the engine line up as there were now only seven rather than 10 options. A 3.8L V-6 was added; all the small V-8s were eliminated as was the brutish 427. Nevertheless, consolidation made sense especially in light of the looming fuel crisis when members of OPEC, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo lasted just six months by which time the price of gas had quadrupled. A recession and another oil crisis would not help the Camaro’s sales, nevertheless, the Gen II Camaro survived more or less unchanged for 11 years until 1981.

GEN III 1982–1992

As we have seen, the turbulent seventies caused Detroit all sorts of upset. Their business model had been to build big, gas guzzling cars that remained unchanged for years save for some additional accessories. After the recession, the oil crises and market attack from imports, things would never be quite the same.

This was the era of factory fuel injection, four-speed automatics, and five-speed manuals—all in the name of Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.

Some things don’t change though and the third generation Camaro retained the trusty F-body platform with coils up front and leaf (buggy) springs in the rear. And now, because oil prices would never be the same, the engine line-up included a 2.5L four cylinder, the so-called ‘Iron Duke,’ and three V6s. There were now only two V8 options, the 305 and the 350. Long gone were the heady days of 396 or 427 cubic inches. This was the era of factory fuel injection, four-speed automatics, and five-speed manuals—all in the name of Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Only 51-percent of buyers chose the V-8, the others, four- or six-cylinder models.

Designed by Jerry Palmer, the Gen III Camaro retained that long-nose, short deck configuration but with some differences. The windshield was raked back at 62 degrees; the first GM design to break their internal 60-degree edict. And in back, there was a European-style hatch back to access a cavernous cargo space when the rear seats were folded down.

It was quite the different Camaro from previous generations and three models were available: Berlinetta, Sport Coupe and Z28. The Sport Coupe was actually the base model and came with 4, 6, or 8 cylinders; the Berlinetta started with the V6 but the 5.0L V8 was optional. The Z28, however, came standard with the 5.0L V8 that boasted a staggering 145 hp with a single 4bbl carb. Even with the optional LU5 twin Throttle Body ‘Cross Fire’ Injected 305 it only produced 165 hp and that lack of power in the Z28 was one of the criticisms leveled at this otherwise well received model.

Sales of the Gen III never set the world afire but as the year progressed the car got better.

There was a more powerful version built to pace the Indy 500 and although some 6,000 visually similar cars were sold, they did not come with the hopped-up 5.7L V8 of the pace car. Meanwhile, in Europe, a Z28E (E for Europe) was shown at the Geneva Auto Show with a 155 hp carbureted V8.

Sales of the Gen III never set the world afire but as the year progressed the car got better. In 1983, the Z28 got more juice with a 190 hp High Output 5.0L. The big news came in 1985 and the introduction of the IROC-Z named after the International Race of Champions. With tuned suspension and ‘Gatorback’ Goodyears, the IROC also benefitted from the Corvette’s TPI engine.

In 1987, for the 20th anniversary, Chevy had American Sunroof Corp., chop the top off and offered a convertible Camaro for the first time since 1969. It didn’t help much, sales were only 1007 units and production at Norwood, Ohio, was ended.

By 1988, another recession was looming and the Camaro line-up was reduced eliminating the LT model as well as the base Z28.

Approaching ten years, the Gen III was nearing the end of its life. To give it a little Viagra, the Rally Sport designation was re-introduced featuring a ‘ground effects’ body package. The top dog continued to be the IROC-Z 1LE supposedly tuned for SCCA Showroom Stock competition; however, despite its racecar pretentions apparently only 111 1LE-optioned Camaros were built. A total of only 34,986 Camaros were built in 1990 and the last Gen III was produced on December 31—it was the end of the line—so to speak.

For 1991, the Camaro was given a shave and a haircut and all RS and Z28 models received a new body package, sadly, however, the IROC-Z had to be dropped because the Dodge Daytona was now the IROC car of choice. A new B4C option was introduced and this ‘Special Service’ read ‘Cop car’, edition rated the 350 ci engine at 245 hp at 4,400 rpm and 345 lb-ft or torque at 3,200 rpm.

The 25th anniversary 1992 Camaro was a bit sad because the Z03 ‘Heritage Package’ performance upgrades intended were nixed in favor of some badging and graphics.  It was the last year for the Gen III and the last year for production in Van Nuys, CA, as production moved to Quebec, Canada.

GEN IV 1993–2002

For anybody looking, a strong hint of the GEN IV Camaro had surfaced in January 1989 when Chevrolet unveiled the Chevrolet California IROC Camaro concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Though still attached to the F-body platform, the body, tagged ‘cab-forward’ design was a radical departure created under design director John Schinella.

Concept cars don’t usually make it to production but the GEN IV looked an awful lot like the concept right down to the side mirrors that flared out from the tops of the front fenders. The big news was an all-plastic body except for the hood and the rear quarter panels.

Standard it came with a V6, first a 3.4L and then in ’95 a 3.8L. Standard for the Z28 was a multi-port fuel injected (MPFI) 350 ci LT1 that had first appeared in the ’92 ’Vette, however, there was an SS version available with the 330 hp LT4. 1993 also saw a police package while ’94 saw a six-speed manual and traction control for the Z28.

The infamous SS model was brought back in ’96 and it enjoyed 25 more hp than the Z28—much of this work was done by Ed Hamburger’s SLP Engineering. Another aftermarket outfit fettling the Camaro was Callaway and in 1994 they intro’d the ‘SuperNatural’ with a 404 hp LT1 and a dramatic body package. However, Doug Rippie Motorsports topped that with their 430 hp DRM.

Things in Camaroland remained much the same until 1997-’98 when the car was given a facelift inside and out and under the new hood came a new all-aluminum 5.7L LS1 that had first appeared in the C5 Corvette introduced in 1995. With 300 hp, the LS1-powered Camaro became one of the fastest cars in its class. However, sales were inching down due to many factors not least of which was declining interest in two-door sport coupes. In 2001, Chevy sold only 29,009 Camaros. In 2002, Chevy offered a 35th anniversary trim package but the car was the same as it had been for the past two years and sales barely exceeded 40,000. It appeared that Camaro had had its day but Chevy had sold almost 4.4 million during its 35-year lifespan.

GEN V 2010–2015

Just as GM had been two years behind the Mustang they were caught on the back foot again when Dodge introduced the retro-styled Challenger in 2008 and it would be two years before GM brought the Camaro back in 2010. In my opinion, the exterior design wasn’t quite as clean at the Challenger but that’s just my opinion.

[the LSA powered Camaro] produced a staggering 580 hp and was the fastest Camaro ever built to date.

Gone, finally, was the F-body platform, replaced by a rear-wheel drive Zeta platform developed by GM’s Australian subsidiary Holden. The cars, however, were built in Oshawa, Canada.  The base engine was a 312 hp 3.6L V6 backed by either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. The top of the line Camaro SS was powered by a healthy 426 hp 6.2L LS3. It was apparent that the horsepower wars were back and over the next few years GM and Chrysler and even Ford would keep adding power to up the bragging rights.

A convertible was added to the line in 2011 but the big news came in 2012 and the 45th anniversary when Chevy threw the 6.2L supercharged LSA first used in the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V into the ZL1. It produced a staggering 580 hp and was the fastest Camaro ever built to date.

In 2014, the Camaro was given a facelift with a new grille, taillights and the return of the Z28 featuring a 505 hp version of the C6 Corvette 7.0L LS7 engine—it was worthy of the Z28 moniker. To give the Z28 even more of an edge at the track it was put on a diet and weight was reduced where possible, even to the point of using thinner glass in the rear quarter windows. Sales reached their best since 1995 and a total of 86,297 for 2014. Mustang sold slightly fewer and unfortunately, sales would continue to decline.

GEN VI 2016–

Visually, the GEN VI Camaro is not that different from its predecessor, however, it was built on yet another new platform and weighed some 200 lbs less. This time it would be built on the Alpha platform and production had finally returned to the U.S. in 2015 and cars were built at the Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan.

For the first time since 1985, an in-line four cylinder was offered and with a turbocharger it produced a respectable 275 hp. A new 3.6L V6 produced 335 hp, the Camaro SS had a 6.2L 455 hp LT1 and the ZL1 version featured another supercharged LT4 producing a whopping 650 hp making it the most powerful factory-produced Camaro ever. Transmissions ranged from a six-speed manual to an eight-speed automatic and even a ten-speed auto option for the ZL1.

The race was on and for 2017 the ZL1 had a claimed top speed of 205 mph. Chevy engineers even took it to the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany where the Camaro lapped the 12.93-mile track in just 7:16:4 minutes. Despite the accolades, the engineering and technical achievements, the public weren’t buying it and 2017 saw sales slip yet again to just under 68,000 units.

Unfortunately, 2018 would be even worse when sales slumped almost 20,000 units to a tad over 50,000. Mustang, on the other hand fared better with sales of more than 75,000.

At the 2018 SEMA Show, Chevrolet announced a 50th anniversary-themed 2019 COPO racecar that you could ‘apply’ to buy. Available only in metallic blue to emulate the original COPO Camaro, the 2019 COPO featured an exclusive grille and engine accessories to make it look like the original. Only 69 cars were to be built, the same number as were built in 1969.

Perhaps more interesting was the announcement, also made at SEMA, of an eCOPO concept developed in partnership with HancockandLane, North Bend, Washington. Entirely electric powered, eCOPO is driven by a pair of BorgWarner HVH 250-150 motor assemblies, each generating 300 lb-ft of torque providing the equivalent of more than 700 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Maybe it’s the future.

Over its lifespan, Chevrolet has sold more than 5.5 million Camaros and I guess that’s not all bad for a long-nose, short tail, niche vehicle.

Chevy Yenko

The Ultimate Muscle Cars

Such an odd name, Yenko, possibly Hispanic origin, but in the automotive history books it ranks right up there with Shelby and Roush.

Let’s back up though, all the way to 1921 when the Durant car company was founded by William “Billy” Durant in New York after he had been fired by General Motors. Unfortunately, Durant folded in 1926 but Billy resurfaced two years later in 1928 and began building cars again. The following year, Frank Yenko who now had a one-year-old son Donald “Don” Frank, opened a Durant dealership in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Durant failed again in 1932 and with no option; Yenko switched allegiances to General Motors and in 1934 opened a Chevrolet dealership in Bentleyville, PA.

Yenko Chevrolet thrived but at the time, Frank’s son Don was more into planes than he was automobiles. He gained his pilot’s license at age 16 and soon joined the US Air Force. After his military service, Don pursued a degree in business admin at Penn State before joining the family business. Frank, meanwhile, was doing so well selling cars he opened up a second dealership at 575 West Pike Street, Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1957, when Don was just 30, he took over the dealership that would make Chevy Yenko a household name.

Despite what Ralph Nader had to say about the Corvair, Chevrolet’s answer to the Volkswagen Beetle, Don Yenko saw its potential and applied to the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) for approval to race the Corsa. The Corsa was Chevy’s hot rod Corvair that was offered with an optional 180 hp boxer-six. The SCCA approved with a back seat delete and some performance mods and consequently, Yenko went on to build 100 certified examples of the “Yenko Stinger.”

“His fellow Corvette racer, Denise McCluggage, once described Don’s driving style as ‘brutish.’ ”David Steele, Executive Director, American Hot Rod Foundation

1966 Stingers were white with blue racing stripes in the style of the Ford GT40 but over the top rather than along the sides. Incidentally, this white and blue combination was recognized then as the United States’ international racing colors. In 1967, the Monza replaced the Corsa and now Stingers came in Marina Blue and Bolero Red, likewise with stripes. That year also saw a Yenko Stinger win an SCCA D Production national championship. Maybe as many as 400 were built between 1966 and 1973.

According to David Steele, Yenko fan and executive director of the American Hot Rod Foundation: “It’s true that Yenko was successful in SCCA racing with the Corvair but it was with a slightly less nimble car, an early Corvette, that he originally made his name in road racing. Considering the fact that his fellow Corvette racer, Denise McCluggage, once described Don’s driving style as ‘brutish,’ it’s no wonder that his best-known creations, his big-block Chevelles, Camaros and Novas, carried this same personality.”

Unfortunately, the Corvair was doomed, not only by Nader’s raiders but also by Chevrolet who introduced their Mustang fighting Camaro in 1967. Although Yenko continued to build Stingers through the end of Corvair production in ’69, his attention switched to the Camaro. At the time, GM forbade its dealers from installing engines larger than 400 ci in intermediate-size vehicles, nevertheless, Don ordered an L72 427 that made 425 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and dropped it into a Camaro creating the Yenko Camaro.

Typically, a Camaro came with a 350 or 396 ci engine but again according to Steele, “Supercar dealers invariably went for the big-block 396—specifically the L78/375 hp version because it had the correct fuel lines, tach, radiator, etc., and then just install the 427/425 engine.” Chevrolet turned a blind eye but the efforts of Yenko and others such as Baldwin Motion often accomplished performance options that the factory wanted to deliver but couldn’t because of various regulations.

It’s uncertain how many Yenko Camaros were built in this way but 54 appears to be the best guesstimate for ’67 and 64 for the following year. However, in 1969 Yenko was able to exploit Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) #9561 to have the L72 installed at the factory.

Yenko ordered 198 Camaros, 99 Chevelles and 38 Novas but by now other dealers had cottoned onto the wheeze and ordered their own 427-powered cars. For example, Dick Harrell used COPO 9560 to order an all-aluminum, hand-assembled ZL-1 427 rated at 430 hp with 450 lb-ft of torque.

In 1970, Yenko continued to apply his magic to the Nova and ordered a further 175 equipped with the high-performance LT1 350 ci small-block V-8 from a Corvette. He called that model the “Deuce,” as in Chevy II.

Unfortunately, a number of events conspired to nail the lid on the muscle car coffin. Insurance rates were rising on these fast cars, Federal regulations required cars use unleaded fuel and to make matters worse, the oil crises began in October ’73. It wasn’t over yet though and in 1971 and ’72, again using the COPO system, Yenko ordered a couple of hundred Vegas, Chevy’s small-car, to which he intended to fit factory turbochargers.

Yenkos, especially the Camaros and despite numerous clones, are highly respected, sought after and expensive automobiles.

Unfortunately, the EPA required a 50,000-mile durability test and consequently, Yenko sold the Vega along with an optional performance package that could include the turbo. The story goes, Yenko ordered a little more than 125 Vegas but less than a dozen appear on the COPO.com registry site.

In 1981, Yenko tried once more with the Camaro Turbo Z, a turbocharged 350, but apparently, only 19 were sold and the following year he sold the dealership. Sadly, despite being an experienced pilot, he crashed his Cessna 210 on March 5, 1987, while trying to land near Charleston, West Virginia. He was only 59 years old, however, he left a lasting legacy: Yenkos, especially the Camaros and despite numerous clones, are highly respected, sought after and expensive automobiles.

For those interested, check out a new CarTech book titled Lost Muscle Car Dealerships by Duncan Brown. It covers the history of Yenko as well as others such as Nickey, Grand Spaulding Dodge, Yeakel, Reynolds, and others. It’s well worth a read.

The Jeep: From Willys to Wrangler

How the World’s Most Famous Go-Anywhere Vehicle Earned Its Stripes

If you had to pick a single candidate for “the most American car ever,” there are a lot of potential candidates. The Corvette would be near the top of the list—it’s always been “America’s sports car” from the original C1 racers at LeMans through the iconic split-window 1963 model and the C3 that defined the Apollo Era of American exceptionalism (and endured the dark days of smog restrictions and gas lines), all the way up to today’s C7 and upcoming mid-rear-engine C8 supercar.

You could also make a case for the Ford Mustang that launched the Pony Car wars and spawned the Camaro and Challenger, or the “shoebox” Chevy sedans that became a favorite of hot rodders. The original muscle car, the Pontiac GTO, would also be on the shortlist, and even the Ford Model T would be a strong contender, thanks to the way it put car ownership in the reach of the working class and created the impetus for America’s shift from roads designed for horse-drawn conveyance to ones better-suited for cars and trucks.

But out of all the possibilities, in the end there’s only one vehicle that truly deserves the title—the Jeep. In continuous production (and continually popular) since 1941 and showing no signs of ever falling out of favor, the iconic off-roader is the one motor vehicle that stands above the rest. Born in the shadow of looming global conflict, the original Jeep served admirably in the Arsenal of Democracy, transitioned to civilian life as a workhorse for farmers and ranchers, and evolved into a status symbol that never lost its off-road credibility.

While “Jeep” grew from a single, scrappy 4×4 light scout car into an entire brand that has encompassed multiple different platforms over the years, including today’s unibody SUV and crossover vehicles, what we’re really interested in is the MB, CJ, and Wrangler models that are first to mind when you hear the name “Jeep.” Here is their story.

Flat Fenders

The vehicle we know today as the Jeep began its existence as a US Army specification for a “Truck, ¼ ton, 4×4” just prior to America’s entry into the Second World War. Post-WWI, the country’s armed forces had been significantly drawn down and reorganized, and many experiments were in progress to determine how new technology would make the next conflict different from the static trench warfare that characterized the Great War.

…the original Jeep served admirably in the Arsenal of Democracy, transitioned to civilian life as a workhorse for farmers and ranchers, and evolved into a status symbol that never lost its off-road credibility.

Light trucks and cars had shown promise toward the end of that war as a way to conduct reconnaissance, quickly move troops, artillery, and supplies, and generally, replace the large numbers of horses that had previously done most of the heavy lifting. The Army had a number of vehicles already in development or production that ranged from a half-ton to 7.5 tons in payload capacity, but a need was recognized for a smaller, more agile vehicle in the quarter-ton capacity range for the reconnaissance and liaison role.

American Bantam, a manufacturer with a somewhat-troubled history of bankruptcy but plenty of experience with small cars, and Willys-Overland, another faltering Depression-era builder and seller of small cars, endeavored to produce prototypes to meet the somewhat-unrealistic specifications set out by the Ordinance Technical Committee: 4-wheel drive, a crew of three, a 75-inch wheelbase and 47 inch track width, a fold-down windshield, 660-pound payload, and an engine with a minimum of 85 pound-feet of torque, all weighing in at a scant 1,300 pounds empty. Oh, and by the way, bids were required in 11 days, with a deadline of 49 days for the first prototype and 75 days to deliver 70 test vehicles.

While Willys was the low bidder, they were passed over in favor of Bantam when they couldn’t commit to the incredibly short deadline, and the Army moved ahead with the project. Over the course of development, Willys and eventually Ford became involved, as Bantam didn’t have anything close to the production capacity that would be required for full-scale manufacturing. The specification evolved from the ridiculously-light 1,300-pound weight goal to a more sensible 2,160-pound maximum, and Bantam ended up being edged out of the project as the Willys MB and Ford GPW became the definitive production models, with the US Army securing the patent for what would be known as the WWII Jeep in 1942.

Over the course of the war, Willys would manufacture more than 360,000 MBs and Ford would build another 280,000-plus GPWs. Ford being Ford, while parts were mostly interchangeable between the two, many of the parts produced by Ford would be stamped with a stylized cursive capital letter “F” in the same font as the Ford logo.

Post-War Production

With the Second World War drawing to a close, and all of America’s manufacturing corporations eyeing the future beyond the massive expansion they’d experienced since 1941, Willys-Overland was keen to find a way to turn the MB into something that could be sold on the civilian market. In 1944 with victory in sight, they began to work on prototypes for the “Civilian Jeep,” or simply CJ, mainly consisting of removing military-specific details like blackout lights and adding a tailgate. The initial conversions would later be referred to as the CJ-1, though none have survived and details are scant. The follow-on CJ-2 prototypes would be another limited experiment with only a few scores produced for internal company testing of more civilian-friendly modifications, and a few still exist today.

These led to the CJ-2A, the first true production civilian Jeep, which introduced the now-trademarked 7-slot vertical grille (previous models had 9) and was primarily intended for the agricultural market with a wide range of factory accessories like winches, snow plows, mowers, and even welders powered off of the engine’s PTO mount. More than 200,000 were sold between the end of the war and 1949, in a bewildering array of possible configurations that have become a collector and restorer playground/nightmare.

The next model, the CJ-3A, debuted in 1949 and included more detail changes to improve the transmission, axles, and suspension, and was adopted to replace the now-elderly wartime MB and GPW Jeeps in US military service as the Willys MC, designated the “Utility Truck, M38.” 130,000 or so were produced before being replaced by the CJ-3B in 1953, with more minor changes. Kaiser (yes, the same car manufacturer that eventually spawned the healthcare company) bought Willys-Overland that same year, and licensing of the Jeep design was expanded from Mitsubishi (who had produced the 3A in post-war Japan exclusively for police and other government use) to also include Mahindra in India, who would continue to grind out CJ-3B-based vehicles all the way through 2010.

The CJ-4 moniker was applied to a stillborn concept project in 1950-51, so the next Jeep model the world would see was the CJ-5. In various versions, it would remain in production from 1955 to 1983, and it soldiered on through many changes – not the least of which came when Jeep was sold to American Motors Corporation in 1970. In military service it would be known as the M38A1, and in 1972 AMC engaged in a major revision to the platform that increased the wheelbase by 3 inches, added overall length, and increased the size of the engine bay to accommodate both a 304 cubic inch V8 and 3.8 and 4.2 liter straight six engine options.

…Jeep fans absolutely lost their minds, with the YJ being panned by hardcore enthusiasts as an unworthy successor to the legendary CJ series.

AMC’s marketing increasingly targeted mainstream buyers instead of the agricultural and utilitarian appeal previous Jeeps had cultivated. Multiple appearance, accessory, and performance packages were offered, leaning heavily toward the stickers-and-stripes design ethos of the 1970s and early ‘80s.

A stretched-wheelbase version of the CJ-5 was designated as the CJ-6 and was produced between 1955 and 1981, but most of the 50,000 or so units made ended up overseas, with US availability ending in 1975. As a hint of things to come, a 4-door version was available, but never caught on domestically. The definitive “Civilian Jeep” model, the CJ-7, debuted in the 1976 model year in the US in production that overlapped its predecessor. It was visually distinctive from the CJ-5 primarily due to different door cutouts, but also featured changes to the ladder frame beneath the bodywork that allowed wider placement of the rear leaf springs for more chassis stability—the CJ-5 had been somewhat unfairly faulted for being dangerous in sudden obstacle avoidance maneuvers, and the suspension improvements were intended, in part, to address that issue. As the last of the classic Jeep models that could draw their lineage directly to the original WWII MB and GPW, almost 380,000 were built before the sun set on the CJ series in 1986.

Meet the Wrangler

For 1986, AMC (now owned by French auto conglomerate Renault) introduced a mostly-clean-sheet replacement for the CJ-7 named the Wrangler, with the internal chassis code YJ. The redesign continued the trend toward more safety and comfort features, but retained the Jeep essentials—leaf-sprung live axles front and rear, body-on-frame construction, a folding windshield and removable doors, and a strong bias toward off-road competence over everyday practicality. Nevertheless, Jeep fans absolutely lost their minds, with the YJ being panned by hardcore enthusiasts as an unworthy successor to the legendary CJ series. The distinctive square-headlight Wrangler continued in production through the purchase of the Jeep brand by Chrysler in 1987, with total production topping 685,000 units before the final 1995 production year.

Remaining 1995 YJ production models continued to be sold through the “missing” 1996 Wrangler model year, and the new TJ made its debut for 1997. Bowing to the power of nostalgia, the new Wrangler went back to round headlights, but introduced a major change to the suspension in the form of coil springs in place of the front and rear leaf spring setup that dated back to 1940. Once again, Jeep purists were enraged, but the Wrangler gained another major improvement in everyday on-road practicality in exchange for essentially no loss of off-road competence. The top engine option remained as a modernized 4.0L version of the venerable AMC straight-6, with 4-cylinder power in base models. A “Wrangler Unlimited” model, still retaining the 2-door body configuration but stretched 10 inches in wheelbase and 15 inches overall compared to the standard TJ, debuted for 2004, offering better room in the back seat and greatly improved towing capability.

TJ production wrapped up in 2006, and Jeep introduced the JK Wrangler for the 2007 model year. While still retaining live axle suspension and styling that was very similar to the TJ, the JK was a complete redesign that was wider and longer in wheelbase (though shorter overall) than its predecessor. Most importantly, the Wrangler Unlimited, AKA the JKU, introduced a true 4-door option with a 20-inch longer wheelbase while being less than 3 inches longer overall than the previous TJ Unlimited. This decision turned out to be hugely successful, with the overwhelming majority of JK buyers opting for the 4-door Unlimited model. Finally giving in to the inexorable march of progress, hardcore Jeep fans have embraced the JK/JKU, and the aftermarket has shown incredible enthusiasm for the third-gen Wrangler with an enormous variety of suspension, engine, and body upgrades.

For the 2018 model year, Jeep introduced the JL, which continues the tradition of body-on-frame construction and live front and rear axles, with more concessions to the luxury and comfort features buyers of the increasingly-expensive Wrangler have come to expect. While it remains the most competent off-road domestic vehicle you can buy off the showroom floor, especially in “Rubicon” trim, today’s Wrangler has come a very, very long way from the tiny “go-devil” known to US troops in WWII. Over the past eight decades, Jeeps have gone from a thrown-together way to haul a few soldiers and their gear across inhospitable terrain to luxury mall-crawler and every point in between. In the process, they’ve become the most uniquely American form of transportation, recreation, and personal expression, and there’s no end in sight.

Halo Camaro

According to car builder extraordinaire Steve Strope of Pure Vision Design, Simi Valley, California, “A ‘Halo Car’ is an automobile model that lends prestige or attractiveness to the brands and other models of its manufacturer,” or to put it another way, “A unique automobile designed to draw attention to the brand.”

Steve is always very good at concocting the “back story” to his builds and is well known for his creativity when it comes to halo cars; if you visit his website you can see a number of them both past and present—cars like the “Anvil Mustang”, the “Martini T-5R Mustang”, and the “TT Camaro”. This second-gen ’72 Camaro was actually Pure Vision’s first Camaro project and the owner’s brief to Steve was to, “Build the baddest interstate flyer that is a comfortable long hauler that can cruise from SoCal to Vegas at a moment’s notice, keep a blistering pace, and do it in style.”

The required “blistering pace” is provided by a 427-cubic inch, cast-iron small-block Chevy V8 built by Tom Nelson Racing Engines in Chatsworth, California—and with twin “mirror image” NRE turbos, a billet, 16-injector “Alien” intake, and stainless steel headers by Aaron Cranford it produces a “throat clearing” 1,320 horsepower. Incidentally, the engine is set back 3 inches while the Ron Davis radiator is pushed forward 3.5 inches—and that heat shielding? That’s 24 kt. gold-plated shielding as used by McLaren.

“Build the baddest interstate flyer that is a comfortable long hauler that can cruise from SoCal to Vegas at a moment’s notice, keep a blistering pace, and do it in style.”

Backing up the power plant is a McLeod clutch and a double-overdrive, 6-speed, close-ratio Tremec Magnum transmission Cryogenic treated and massaged by the folks at Modern Driveline in Caldwell, Idaho, to withstand the staggering horsepower loads.

Power is put to the ground courtesy of a Jim Meyer Racing sub-frame in front and Ride Tech four-link in the rear with JRi Shocks coil-overs. Up front, Steve chose to go with coils from Hyper Coils. Stopping the Pirelli Corsa tires mounted on 18- and 19-inch HRE Wheels rims are 6S calipers and 13-inch rotors from Baer Brakes.

With the engineering work complete, the Camaro was shipped over to Steve’s collaborator Mick Jenkins at Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California. Mick and Steve have worked together on a number of award-winning projects and the Camaro was to be no different.

There are no cutting corners at Mick’s and the Camaro was stripped to bare metal before Anvil carbon fiber panels were installed to replace the stock fenders, inner fenders, nose, front spoiler, deck lid, rear spoiler, and hood that features Ringbrothers billet hinges and custom, built-in heat extractors. The carbon bumpers are from Custom Works Products. Meanwhile, the stock door handles were replaced with Aston Martin flip-out handles. After some extremely careful prep and masking, the car was shot in Aston Martin Tungsten Silver.

“Your interior is where you enjoy the driving experience. Don’t treat it as an afterthought.”Steve Strope, Pure Vision Design

The interior is luxury personified and built to the owner in the style of an Aston Martin with acres of Aston Martin Bitter Chocolate leather and Alcantara suede-like material expertly French-stitched by Eric Thorsen Custom Upholstery in Agoura Hills, California. According to Steve, “Your interior is where you enjoy the driving experience. Don’t treat it as an afterthought.” Incidentally, the TT Camaro’s air conditioning was upgraded with Vintage Air, the shifter and knob are customs made, meanwhile, Steve completely redesigned the instruments using AutoMeter movements.

The bezels were machined at White Rhino Industries in Simi Valley, and the faces were tech’d at Redline Gauge Works in Santa Clarita, California. The shortened column is from Flaming River. There is also a touch-screen control panel from ISIS that enables you to control functions such as unlocking doors, turning on lights, activating windows or controlling accessories wirelessly from a mobile device such as an Apple iPhone^®, the iPad^®, or the iPod touch^®.

Proof that the TT Camaro is one rad ride is that it won the prestigious GM Design Best Vehicle of the Show Award at the SEMA Show and it doesn’t get much better than that.

Chevy C10

The New Lil’ Deuce Coupe

There are certain vehicles that at some point in the earth’s rotation of the sun catch the public’s attention: The ’32 Ford, the ’55 Chevy, the ’64-1/2 Mustang, the ’67-’71 Chevy C10 trucks. Wait. Chevy trucks? Yes, the ’67-’71 Chevy C10 trucks are hot, in the spotlight, getting their day in the sun. Right now they’re killing it.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when, how, why and where this trend kicked off but certainly Delmo and Holley Performance Products were right there at the beginning. Canadian Del Uschenko’s Delmo’s Speed and Kustom in Prescott, Arizona, got his start in the hot rod business working for the likes of Troy Ladd’s Hollywood Hot Rods before branching out on his own saying, “I built my own C10 in 2010 and suddenly, it took off and I’m building trucks for a string of customers.”

Patinated, bagged in da dirt—Delmo builds the lowest C10s—and fitted with Del’s signature smooth “Delmo” wheels. “I built the first set from some old CenterLines and factory caps,” said Del. “But now I use Intro Wheels while Mike Curtis Design makes most of my other parts that include coil re-locators, engine kits, and valve cover adapters.” Two of Del’s most popular products are his replacement billet aluminum doors handles and his new inner fender panels.

Recently, Del moved from Burbank, California to Arizona, saying, “There’s a great truck scene here. I have a lot of friends and somehow it’s less competitive than L.A. We help each other rather than fight each other.”

Likewise in 2010, but two thousand miles away in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Holley initiated their own ’67 small-window, C10 “shop truck”. According to Holley CEO Tom Tomlinson, the shop truck featured an LS3 engine and Holley’s HP self-learning, EFI fuel injection.

At that time, that was one of the first aftermarket injection systems for the new aluminum LS3 engine that had been introduced on the Corvette in 2008—it was, at the time, the most powerful base Corvette engine in history. The engine featured big-block Chevy-style, coil-pack covers, and a dual-snorkel air cleaner and, of course, EFI. Tom said, “We wanted to show people that you could have modern reliability and drivability with that vintage look.”

The great stance of the Holley truck was in part due to the six-pin, Halibrand-style knock-off wheels by Mike Curtis Design. To see the Holley truck in action, check out the episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.

“We wanted to show people that you could have modern reliability and drivability with that vintage look.”Tom Tomlinson, Holley CEO

There’s a lot of enthusiasm for GM’s LS-series of hi-performance engines that, despite their ugly coil packs, can be made quite attractive albeit with a lot of makeup. Today, there are several versions including the LSA, a factory supercharged 6.2-liter, along with a host of aftermarket speed and dress-up parts.

For example, we spotted Louie Atilano’s white ’65 at Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California, where they were installing an LS3. “We didn’t start the build or paint Louie’s truck,” said Mick, “However, we are doing final assembly which included the installation of a full tubular front suspension and brake kit from Classic Performance Products. It was a straight forward install and the LS swap is a simple one that we have performed on a lot of sixties vehicles.”

GM began production of the C/K line in 1960 with C standing for 2-wheel drive and K for 4-wheel drive; however, it’s the second-generation 1967 to ’71 trucks that are the most sought after. GM called them the “Action Line” when they began improving comfort levels with coils springs up front and leaf springs in the rear. They were also known as “Glamour Pickups” but that is not to say that the models either side of the ’67 to ’71 sweet spot are not popular, they are an increasingly so.

Production numbers for the ’67-’71 golden years are approaching 1,500,000 total units with just under 300,000 being produced respectively in 1967 and ’71, more than 400,000 in 1969 and just less than 400,000 in 1972. There is a staggering number out there to choose from but as they were built primarily as workhorses, many have suffered. That said there are replacement parts galore from companies such as Brothers Trucks, Classic Parts, LMC Truck, and many more. United Pacific, for example, has nearly 70 items for the ’67 truck alone. The problem is not one of availability; the problem is one of deciding from all the available options. For example, Truck and Car Shop has separate 150-page catalogs for 1947-’59, 1960-’72 and 1973-’87 trucks.

Complete frames and chassis are also available from companies such as Art Morrison, Pro Performance, Roadster Shop, Speed Tech Performance, and Scott’s Hotrods ’n Customs. Kevin Tetz of Paintucation chose a chassis from Schwartz Performance for his latest project “C-Tane” that can be seen on his show “Hands on Cars” on Amazon.

“They’re plentiful, not too expensive, there are plenty of parts available, and they’re easy to work on.”Michael Hope

One young guy starting out in the hobby is 19-year-old Michael Hope who crews on Ron Hope’s AA/Fuel Altered Rat Trap. He’s also the ‘fly-in’ guy for Bobby Hilton’s AA/Fuel Dragster and Tony Lombardi’s 7.0 Pro in NDRL. His ’84 short bed is his first real build and it will be used to support his grandfather’s racecar. “These trucks are a great place to start. They’re plentiful, not too expensive, there are plenty of parts available, and they’re easy to work on,” commented Michael.

Rather than a new frame, Michael decided on Ride Tech tubular A-arm front suspension and No Limit four-link in the rear with Viking coil-overs all round. “The stock frame is strong enough,” said Michael. “I just wanted it lower to look more like Thom Taylor’s rendering.”

The stock power train has been replaced with a Chevrolet Performance 350 crate engine and a 700R4 trans. Still, under construction at the time of writing, Michael plans to hot-rod the motor with Holley’s Sniper EFI assembly including the Sniper ignition system and long-tube headers. “Holley has done all the engineering,” said Michael. “I don’t need to mix and match parts.”

Pre ’67 trucks are likewise popular and we went to check out Dave Keister’s stack injected, gasser-style ’65 being built at Jimmy Shine’s Speed Shop. Up front, it has a drag-style straight-tube axle with power from a Crower-injected 572 ci Dart big-block with a giant Currie rear end and gold anodized American Rebel wheels.

An interesting “concept” truck coming together at Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley is a ’67 for Bob Florine of ARP Racing Products. Steve’s what-if question was, “What if Chevy was building their own shop truck and used parts from a 427 Corvette? We found all the right parts including a 427 block, L88 heads, ‘Snowflake’ intake and Tri-power, a date-coded Muncie 4-speed and the ’Vette independent front and rear suspension. It’s even going to be painted Marina Blue by Mick’s Paint.”

In Huntington Beach, California, designer and “Overhaulin” TV personality Chip Foose took a similar but different “what-if” approach with his own ’67 C/28. It began when he found an original Z/28 Camaro 302 engine date-coded to the day to match the ’67 C10 he already owned. Chip then explored what the factory might have done had they dropped the Z/28 302 into a C10.

The 302 was ported, polished, and made to work in a modern environment while the stock chassis was upgraded with Hotchkis suspension and brakes and a unique set of Foose five-spokes.

You can tell, there’s a lot of activity in the C10 world and prices are beginning to creep up. However, at the Kennedy Brothers in Pomona, California, there were three C10s: a ’69, a ’72 and an ’86, all for sale. There was also a ’72 Blazer that belonged to Jay Kennedy’s wife. “She drove it all the time with the roof off,” said Jay. “Now I have to freshen it up before the summer.” 2WD Blazers, especially the ’72 model, is, of course, sought after as the front-end changed dramatically for ’73.

I have too many friends who have made purchases only to find that the “other” side of the truck, the side not shown in the photographs, is not up to par, sometimes not even there.

We came across numerous classic C10s both customized and stock as we drove around Pomona. As you would expect, prices are across the board according to the condition. The first thing to check before you buy is that the truck has a title. Often, these trucks have sat for many years without being registered. You need to know that it has a title before you make the purchase.

There is an I.D. plate riveted to the doorpost that states the vehicle’s gross weight limit (weight of truck plus it’s maximum allowed load) plus stamped digits that give the assembly plant year, size of the truck, month built, and sequential numbers as it came off the production line. These plates are necessary for positive vehicle identification and in some cases registration.

Another thing to beware of is the long bed that has been hacked into a more valuable short bed. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been done properly but you have to get under there and take a look. Obviously, being primarily a work truck you have to consider the condition of the bed and what it might cost in time and trouble to restore or even replace.

Many of these working trucks are being pulled out of the snow belt because they are usually cheaper than trucks from the dry Southwest—many of which have already been picked. Examine the truck all over and especially underneath for signs of rust or hasty repair.  Yes, it’s all fixable and the panels are available, but at what cost? Also, beware of a freshly painted truck or a truck in primer as a primer can cover a multitude of sins, especially if the seller says, “Oh, we were just getting ready to paint it.”

“It’s better to buy a rougher truck that has original paint and even original rust,” said Mick Jenkins of Mick’s Paint. “At least you can see what you’re buying.”

My final piece of advice for a would-be C10 purchaser is to beware of buying a truck sight unseen off the internet. The internet is a great way of finding a vehicle but beware of the unscrupulous seller. Go and look at the vehicle and take a friend for an unbiased, second opinion. I have too many friends who have made purchases only to find that the “other” side of the truck, the side not shown in the photographs, is not up to par, sometimes not even there. Caveat emptor—buyer beware.

Bias Ply vs. Radial Ply Tires: What Is the Difference?

When it comes to your standard driving tires, bias ply hasn’t been a term used in decades to describe the latest and greatest tires coming out on high-performance cars. In the racing, trailer, and even motorcycle worlds we still see bias ply but, even then, it’s quickly being displaced by radial tires. So, what is a bias ply and why has it been replaced by radial ply tires?

What’s being referenced when you talk about bias ply and radial ply are how the cords that make up the carcass of the tire are run from bead to bead. You’ll never see it until you wear the tread beyond its rubber layer. The term “bias” and “radial” are describing how the patterns of the ply are done.

A bias ply tire has its plies in a crisscross pattern as they overlap each other. So, one ply will lay in one diagonal (between 30- and 40-degrees from the direction of travel) while the other will lay in the opposite direction and would make an “X” if you were able to see through them. You can have multiple plies in a bias ply tire, too, usually in 4, 6, 8, or even 10 plies.

Most will be 4 plies, though. Bias ply tires also use far more rubber to create both the sidewall and tread as well as being supported by the plies. This was how tires were done from the 1930s all the way into the 1970s, with the last few cars coming with a bias ply in or around 1974.

A bias ply tire is far more flexible, so they can make for great off-road tires and drag radials where sidewall flex is beneficial. They also exhibit better traction at low speeds and in straight-line travel.

[Bias ply] treads wear faster and exhibit more rolling resistance, so you go through more money as you use up the tires and your gas far more often.

Because so much rubber is used, they are far more resistant to cuts and punctures. However, because they use so much rubber and are more flexible, they lose traction in cornering because they tend to roll-over on to the sidewall.

The treads wear faster and exhibit more rolling resistance, so you go through more money as you use up the tires and your gas far more often. This also means you’ll get flat spots if you allow a bias ply tire to sit on the vehicle’s weight for too long. You’ll also feel like your wandering due to cracks, ruts, and bad driving surfaces as these tires tend to follow those deformations.

While the tread isn’t directional, the way you rotate bias ply tires for maintenance is specific to them. You’ll take a left rear tire and move it to the left front, left front to the right rear, right rear to the right front, and right front to the left rear. Well, unless you have five tires (where you can use the spare as a normal driving tire) and then the left front becomes the spare and the spare moves to the right rear.

A radial tire, however, has its plies in a 90-degree pattern from the direction of travel from bead to bead (or radially from the center of the tire and where they get their name from). They have been around longer than most people realize, with tire patents dating back to 1915 by Arthur Savage in San Diego, California (the patents expired in 1949).

In France, Michelin designed, developed, patented, and commercialized a radial design by their researcher, Marius Mignol, in 1946 and Michelin X radial tires were installed as a factory standard tire for the 1948 Citroen 2CV.

…[Radial ply tires] have been around longer than most people realize…

The first factory standard radial tire for the US is credited to the 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III after the August 1968 issue of “Consumer Reports” showed that they had better tread life, better steering characteristics, and less rolling resistance.

What makes the radial superior to bias ply tires (outside of high-load capacity) is that those radial cords allow better flex. It makes a tire act more like a spring and improve riding comfort even as load capacity rating increases. This also increased tire life as the flexing required was easier than bias ply, which would resist and begin to overheat the tire. Because of its radial pattern and using less rubber, you’re able to run a much wider and flatter tire footprint.

These tires will also have a rigid set of belts to reinforce the tread, usually made of steel, Kevlar, polyester, Twaron, or sometimes even a combination of them. That means that your sidewall and tread function as two independent part of the tire instead of one like a bias ply.

These belts can also be added between plies to meet specific design goals like reinforcing the sidewall for puncture resistance, increasing load capacity, and many other objectives.

Because of that and the expansion of rubber compounds using silica, we’re starting to see more and more applications that use radial tires over bias ply. In racing, many tires are now radial over bias because of the advantages of feel and character of the radial.

Much like the carburetor, the bias ply won’t go away but it will be only around for the niche.

Even drag radials are offering more straight-line grip and sidewall flex needed for powerful launches on the strip with the added benefit of not needing inner tubes.

For off-road, radial tires offer better flex and more grip on the rocks and sand. Trailer tires have even begun to make the switch to radial, even in higher load capacities typically reserved for bias plies. If you’re trying to look period correct, there are even radial tires for you.

The short story is that the areas where bias ply dominated are no longer solely for them. Radials have become an acceptable replacement in those areas. As ply and rubber technology continues to improve, the need for any type of bias ply will be left for those who are just in it for numbers-matching correct restoration. Much like the carburetor, the bias ply won’t go away but it will be only around for the niche.

Cowboy Cadillac: ’68 El Camino

Tim Clancy’s 1968 El Camino Has the Heart of a CTS-V

These days, it’s not uncommon to see pickups used as daily drivers, decked out with luxurious interiors more suited to a limousine than a work truck, and optioned out to the point where the additional features double the sticker price. But back in the muscle car era, pickups were seen as utilitarian tools, not status symbols. Ford, always looking to create new market segments, launched the Ranchero in the 1957 model year, and foreshadowing what would happen with the Mustang and Camaro a few years later, Chevy got into the game with their own El Camino in 1959.

Built on two-door station wagon platforms, these two original “utility coupes” were originally aimed at the Gentleman Farmer, with a bed large enough to carry a useful payload, but a car-like driving experience that the wife wouldn’t object to for weekend trips into town for shopping and Sunday services at First Baptist.

…business up front, party in the back…

While the Ranchero enjoyed a successful run, it was the El Camino that launched a “business up front, party in the back” fanbase that continues to this day, with intermittent pleas for General Motors to import the Holden Ute to the US like they had done with the Commodore (which was rebadged as the Pontiac GTO).

Unfortunately, with both Ford Australia and Holden out of the business of building vehicles, it’s unlikely that we will see the return of a domestic branded “utility coupe” to showrooms any time soon, but that doesn’t mean that things are hopeless for those desiring a Ute with modern power. Case in point: Tim Clancy’s 1968 Chevy El Camino.

“I’ve had it for about 24 years,” Clancy explains. “I paid 2,500 bucks for it. I drove it for a long time with the original 396 and Muncie 4-speed, and I just drove it until it started smoking so much that I had to stop driving it.”

Now, they say that old cars don’t die—people just run out of money to keep them going. But Clancy knew what he had, and didn’t want to part with it just yet. “About five years ago I started back in on it, doing some simple bodywork, and I got it painted and rechromed everything,” he recalls.

Now, they say that old cars don’t die—people just run out of money to keep them going.

Of course, the cosmetic fixes didn’t address the main reason why he parked it in the first place, and a quick rebuild of the big-block might have gotten his ElCo back on the road right away, but Tim had bigger plans in mind. Much bigger.

“It still had the 396 in it, so it sat for a while until I finally decided to pull the trigger and bought that LSA motor.” By which he is referring to the 6.2 liter supercharged LSA crate engine, derived from the 2009-2015 Cadillac CTS-V and 5th Gen Camaro ZL1, that currently resides between the front fenders of his El Camino.

“It was a hell of a deal,” he says, but writing the check payable to Chevrolet Performance was only the first step. “We had to refabricate everything in the engine compartment to move it all—all the reservoirs, cooling for the blower—it was quite an ordeal and a lot of work. Everything is essentially upgraded to 2017 standards,” he reveals.

Rated at 556 crank horsepower, with a little expert attention the true potential of the factory-stock crate engine was unlocked. Per Clancy, “I had it dyno tuned to around 605 horsepower, and eventually, we are going to upgrade it to about 850. But I am waiting for the warranty to run out—as long as there is that three-year warranty, I am going to hang with it.”

Backing the LSA is a T-56 manual transmission feeding power to a Mark Williams rear end stuffed with premium components including a NASCAR gearset. “it has a 5-link suspension with coilovers, but it is still light in the rear end, and when you reach the limit it wants to come around,” he admits. To fight that tendency, Clancy knew he needed high-performance rubber, but he didn’t want to sacrifice the look of the El Camino with a modern-style “pro touring” low profile wheel and tire combination.

Clancy says, “I could have gone with the normal ‘nostalgia’ radials on it, but I’d just end up dead in a ditch. I wanted the look but I needed tires that handle well. I’m just not willing to compromise on that.” The Chevy rolls on 15-inch “Rally” style wheels wrapped in Milestar Streetsteel radial all-season high-performance tires, which are designed specifically for muscle cars, hot rods, and classics. These tires blend current technology and timeless raised-white-letter styling to provide traction and handling that would seem like black magic back in ‘68.

600-plus rear wheel horsepower demands respect, especially considering that this Chevy is going to be handed down to the next generation. “I don’t sell cars,” Clancy explains. “When I do, I always regret it. I’ll keep all my cars and give them to my kid, and he’s also a serious gearhead.” With a modern drivetrain transplant, suspension upgrades, an interior refresh that kept things looking original, and tires that are up to the task, his 1968 El Camino is ready for whatever the next 50 years have in store.

“I have six other fast cars in the garage, but this is what I drive every day. I just really enjoy it. You can drive it hard and not worry about breaking it.”

The Big 70

As Mark Twain once famously quipped, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” The same can be said of hot rods and custom cars if the recent Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) was any indicator. Now celebrating its 70th anniversary, the 2019 GNRS, held annually at the Fairplex Pomona, was huge, very well attended and a great show.

There are literally hundreds of vehicles of every shape and size on display but the coveted award is for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster and this year there were no less than 14—yes—14 cars competing for the 9-foot trophy. In 2018, the big trophy went to the Martin Special built for Dave Martin by Scott Bonoski’s Hot Rods and Hobbies in Signal Hill, California.

…there were no less than 14—yes—14 cars competing for the 9-foot trophy.

No show rod, this handcrafted roadster was based on a ’31 Ford which competed in the 2017 Silver State Classic, averaging more than 100 miles per hour for more than an hour. After the GNRS, it was shipped to Europe where Octane magazine road tested it before it went on to compete in the Bernina Mountain Climb outside St. Moritz, Switzerland. If that’s not a hot rod then I don’t know what is.

This year’s winner was a very different roadster but nonetheless a stunning example of amazing craftsmanship. Based on a 1936 Ford Roadster, the so-called  ‘3 Penny Roadster’ was built for rodder and land speed racer George Poteet, Memphis, Tennessee, by Eric Peratt’s Pinkee’s Rod Shop, Windsor, Colorado. Incidentally, George is one of the world’s fastest men having gone over 450 mph in his ‘Speed Demon’ land speed racer.

George is one of the world’s fastest men having gone over 450 mph in his ‘Speed Demon’ land speed racer.

Another well-known name in the world of hot rodding is that of Chip Foose of TV’s “Overhaulin’’ who was honored at this year’s GNRS with the ‘Builder of the Decade’ award. Chip had half a dozen of his most famous cars on display including his rear-engined “Hemisfear.”

Over in Building 9, there was a fantastic display of more than 100 Model A Fords celebrating the car’s 90th anniversary. To some a 90-year-old Model A Ford might appear archaic nevertheless, watching them all drive out of the building was magical.

…the trend is slowly shifting away from early Ford-based hot rods to muscle cars…

Finally, as you would expect because the trend is slowly shifting away from early Ford-based hot rods to muscle cars, the show floor was littered with muscle cars of every shape and size. Two of the most interesting were the ’69 Nova fitted with ’69 Camaro fenders from Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design and the Dodge Charger of Speedkore Performance Group that had a complete carbon fiber body.

The GNRS has something for everybody and this year did not disappoint. For more info on this and other shows go to www.rodshows.com

Party Time:
Joe Rogan’s Chevy “Novaro”

As the trend for hot rodding muscle cars of all shapes and sizes continues to grow the desire and sometimes need to be different grows with it. However, as hot rod guru Pete Chapouris once said, “It’s not about being different. It’s about doing the right stuff in a different way. More is not always better, less is usually more.”

The exception that proves the ‘less is more’ rule is this new ’69 “Novaro” from the talented teams at Steve Strope’s Pure Vision Design, Mick’s Paint and Joey Angelo. In typical fashion, Strope had the vision to combine the aesthetics of a ’69 Chevy Nova and the four fenders of a ’69 Camaro—the ones with the speed flashes coming off the top of the fender lips. It’s a unique idea that nobody else conceived.

To execute the work Strope turned to Mick Jenkins at Mick’s Paint, Pomona, CA, and ace metal shaper Joey Angelo. Joey’s work was well known as he worked his magic on Bob Florine’s ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon that was another Pure Vision/Mick’s Paint collaboration. Incidentally, the wagon was voted Street Rod of the Year by Street Rodder magazine.

In the case of the Novaro being built for comedian Joe Rogan, Strope’s vision was to adapt the distinctive ’69 Camaro fenders onto the iconic shape of the same year Nova. Easy peasy, right? Not so fast. The Nova is kinda slab-sided whereas the Camaro is actually quite bulbous through the sides. Sure, the Camaro fenders lay onto of the Nova but the side profiles of each car are very different and making ends meet was not simple. Likewise not simple was reshaping the doorjambs front and rear.

Being able to see and understand how metal is formed and how it can be massaged and shaped is an art and Joey nailed in less than three months saying, “It was not easy. The Nova needed some restoration before we could even begin the modifications and its sheet metal is original, old and somewhat thicker at 19 gauge compared to the new 21 gauge Dynacorn fenders. Trickiest part was the front of the fenders where I had to blend the curved Camaro panels into the flatter Nova fenders. Also, the front jambs were very complicated to shape. All told, there was almost 200 feet of welding, hammering, picking and filing.”

The result of Joey’s labors and those of his sometime assistant Paul Carroll were unveiled in a private ‘reveal’ in an exclusive garage in Van Nuys, California. The event coincided with the debut of Strope’s new TV show called Hand Built Hot Rods showing on the MotorTrend Channel. Luckily, stateofspeed.com was on the VIP list and we got to see Rogan literally speechless when the cover was pulled back and the car that he had never seen before was revealed. It was like handing over a baby to a first-time father.

Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to do to finish the build. It will go back to Pure Vision Design in Simi Valley for mechanical working including the installation of a blown-Corvette LT4 engine. Then it will go to Mick’s Paint for final body and paintwork. Expect to see it finished sometime this year.

Is this ’69 Chevy Camaro SS Classically Original?

Curt Hill’s 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS

It’s the dream car for many people around the world and screams absolute “Americana.” The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS is a car that captures the imaginations and romanticization of writers, directors, and car customizers. When you say “Camaro,” Curt Hill’s example will be the exact image people will have pop in their heads.

When it was built, the Camaro was Chevy’s answer to the Pony Car – a small, rear-wheel drive coupe with either an inline-six or V8 and a “live” rear axle. It was based on the F-body platform and it was a long-lived one. The first built in 1967 and ended in 2002 in favor of the Zeta-platform when the Camaro returned in 2010. The F-body was based off the X-body, a compact for its time platform in which the Chevy II and Nova, Buick Apollo and Skylark, Oldsmobile Omega, Pontiac Ventura and Phoenix, and the Canada only Acadian were built on. The only cars that were made with this chassis code were the Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. The first-generation specifically, which is what Curt Hill’s 1969 SS is, was carried over until November of 1969 due to delays in designing the second-generation chassis.

When the Camaro dropped in 1967, it came with three submodels (not including the base model) and packages upon packages as options for potential owners. You had the RS, which was mostly an “appearance” package that had hidden headlights and different taillights. The backup lights were under the rear bumper and you got RS badging on top of the brighter exterior trim. Then there was the Z/28, a high-performance package to work within the SCCA Trans-Am series rules, meaning it had a solid-lifter 302-cubic inch V8, four-speed manual transmission, power disc brakes, and two wide stripes down the hood and trunk lid.

Then you had what would become the package everyone in high school at the time wanted – the SS or Super Sport. It was the signature that indicated you had the best parts from the General outside of a COPO. You could get it with either a 396-ci V8 or the L48 High Output Chevy 350 V8. The chassis was upgraded to handle better and deal with the bigger power of the 350-High Output and 396. Further distinctions included the non-functional hood inlets, special striping, and that unmistakable SS badging. Before the Camaro, SS-badged cars were a mark of high performance with the Monte Carlo, Nova/Chevy II, El Camino, Chevelle, and Impala all carrying it.

The Camaro just continued to stamp in credits of its legacy, even to this day. In 1969, the final year of the first-generation with its own unique body design, the SS could be ordered as an RS/SS package. However, many laymen have trouble spotting the differences from 1967, ’68, and ’69 Camaros, but the immediate thing to look for in a 1969 is the lack of vent windows in the doors as that tells you it’s at least a 1968 model. The grill also has a deep “V” shape to it over the 67 to 68 as well as the deeper set headlights make the front end distinct to the ’69. The ’69 also looks wider and that’s because it is as the front and rear fenders are pulled out wider than the 67 to 68 and the doors also had to change to match the shape.

Curt’s is a standard SS, one of the 34,932 sold in 1969 and of the 243,085 total Camaros sold that year. His version is the 350 SS with the L48 engine, which came in all SS cars with the 350-ci V8 in 1967 to 1969 where it became available for all of Chevrolet’s car lines that could fit it. It’s a very different engine from the Generation One GM Small Block V8s. This 1969 is original, so it’s the version features a four-bolt main cap block (casting number 010) holding in the crankshaft with cast pistons moving in the 4.00-inch cylinders with 041 or 186 casting heads. Up top is a four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor with a hydraulic lifter system on a matching cam bumping the pushrods up and opening the valves. With a compression ratio of 10.25:1, the 1969 L48 can produce up to 300-horsepower and 380-lb/ft of torque.

The only modifications done to Curt’s engine is the addition of a custom painted carburetor hat (with Hill’s Rod and Custom) with an aluminum intake manifold under that and a set of custom painted valve covers. The only other modification was the addition of a set of trac bars under the leaf springs to help alleviate wheel hop. Other than that, it’s pretty much as he found it. The reason it looks as good as it does is due to it being in storage since 1988. He purchased the car and, other than the carb hat and valve covers, put on a new set of Milestar Streetsteel tires sized in P235/60R15. While these are P-metric sized tires, they are the closest to match the classic look and style of the of the 15×7 Z/28 Rally style wheels while offering modern radial tire construction.

Curt’s car is a barn find if it didn’t get found in a barn. It’s a very original, if a little hotter than OEM, Camaro SS. It certainly would look right at home on the streets of Van Nuys or Pleasant Hill, CA during its original heyday. It looks just as good now as it did when it was stored almost 30 years ago, maybe better now that it’s running around instead of sitting in the dark. We unquestionably enjoyed looking at it for this feature.