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Factory-installed 427 hood on '67 Corvettes with 327
Ken Kayser's new book Zora's #58053 briefly mentions the story of 427 hoods being installed on some 327 Corvettes on the '67 assembly line. He said this happened for a few days during the February - March period. These small blocks had big block hoods installed without 427 emblems or stripes. Of course these cars would have all been within a limited VIN range.
Kayser doesn't reference any specific document to support this story. Over the last 3 - 4 decades that I've heard this story, it's never been supported by any first-hand witnesses or GM document trail. I accept that it's possible. However, it does seem odd that no first-owner photos or original factory paperwork have ever been found.
Here's a place to start: has anyone ever encountered a '67 original owner who said he bought a new 327 Corvette that had an un-striped big block hood on it in the dealer showroom?
Has John Z commented on this in the past? I've been hoping he'd post here.
John has commented many times. Here is a sampling:
8-15-2011
Originally Posted by ricks327
John Hinckley worked in the factory at that time, hopefully he will chime in for his take on this subject. I know his answer but will let him speak for himself.
JZ:
In five days, they would have built 625 cars, 40% of which were big-blocks; that leaves 375 small-block cars that allegedly were built with big-block hoods. Where are they? They never existed. Half of those 375 bodies would have come from A.O. Smith, and they didn't have big-block hoods in 1967. Any hood substitution would also have been noted with an "RN" number on the tank sticker to reconcile the plant's inventory records, and that didn't happen either. It's a myth - deal with it.
1-5-2011
Originally Posted by 1snake
I suggest everyone keep an open mind. Nobody (sorry JohnZ) is aware of every single thing that happened on the assembly lines 45+ years ago, only typical or common tendency's.
JZ:
Jim
There's some truth to that, but I was there (at St. Louis) in 1967; Production guys love to talk about weird out-of-spec things and deviations they've done or had to do, and nobody at St. Louis ever said boo about putting big-block hoods on small-block cars; they'd have remembered.
3-23-2010
Originally Posted by Joeym
i was told that 67 small blocks came thru sometimes from, the factory with big block hoods because the had run out of small block hoods during production is this true
JZ:
Nope. "Urban Legend".
9-24-2010
Originally Posted by joecool1965
But it has a big block hood. I've read on several sites that there was a shortage of small block hoods, so some cars came off the line with a SB engine and a BB hood. Is there any truth to this?
JZ:
No. It's a "myth" that won't go away.
8-15-2005
JZ:
The '67 BB hood is a classic design, and I think they look terrific on any car (like Paul67's, for example), and countless '63-'67 Corvettes have had them retrofitted over the years.
However, as Wayne noted, Noland's book was written almost twenty years ago, much has been learned since then, and not one single small-block car has been documented as having had a factory-installed big-block hood over all those years of judging and researching thousands of cars. It's a great-looking hood, but will always cost some points on a small-block car in NCRS judging because they didn't leave the factory that way.
1-4-2011
Originally Posted by 66BlkBB
There lies the rub. If you check all the alleged 67 SB's that came with BB hoods, I would bet that they fall all over the map with respect to the serial numbers. Remember that this problem was supposed to be an isolated problem for a week or so during production. No one pins down the exact weeks the alleged problem occurred. All of the claims of this are just that, claims with no proof.
JZ:
Correct. If it happened like the "legend" says it did, do you suppose that A.O. Smith shut down production for that period? (NOT). They built exactly the same number of bodies every day that St. Louis did, got their small-block hoods from the same supplier, and had NO big-block hoods in their inventory, as they didn't build big-block bodies. The "legend" continues, but has no shoes....
5-22-2002
Re: Factory paint question on a '67 (achapman)
JZ:
As the story goes, there were 3-5 days of small-block production in January or February that got big-block hoods while the small-block hood mold was repaired, and those cars didn't have the stinger painted. No documentation has been found yet that indicates the range of VIN's involved, as far as I know.
10-18-2005
Originally Posted by JC6372
They actually did use big block hoods on some small block cars in 67 due to a shortage. Sorry if I'm being Mr. Obvious....
JZ:
None have ever been documented, and that car is WAY too late even if the legend was proven; funny how the auction for that "rare" car doesn't include a photo of the trim tag or the numbers from it.
12-22-2015
Quote:
Originally Posted by VetteZr
What I had read "way back when" was that in 67 when the final C2's were being built, GM ran out of SB hoods & GM not wanting to hold up production used the BB hoods, as a result there were a number of small block cars built with big block hoods, but GM made the decision to not paint a stinger stripe on those SB cars, so those car's hoods were painted in body color only.
JZ:
Nope. Never happened. End of story.
Ken Kayser's new book Zora's #58053 briefly mentions the story of 427 hoods being installed on some 327 Corvettes on the '67 assembly line. He said this happened for a few days during the February - March period. These small blocks had big block hoods installed without 427 emblems or stripes. Of course these cars would have all been within a limited VIN range.
Kayser doesn't reference any specific document to support this story. Over the last 3 - 4 decades that I've heard this story, it's never been supported by any first-hand witnesses or GM document trail. I accept that it's possible. However, it does seem odd that no first-owner photos or original factory paperwork have ever been found.
Here's a place to start: has anyone ever encountered a '67 original owner who said he bought a new 327 Corvette that had an un-striped big block hood on it in the dealer showroom?
This has been HIGHLY debated on this website with the conclusion being: Hell no.
I’m still trying to get in touch with the original owner of my 67 to get a definitive answer on my car out of curiosity. Given everything I’ve read, I have to believe he had the BB hood installed on the L79 car.
Ken Kayser's new book Zora's #58053 briefly mentions the story of 427 hoods being installed on some 327 Corvettes on the '67 assembly line. He said this happened for a few days during the February - March period. These small blocks had big block hoods installed without 427 emblems or stripes. Of course these cars would have all been within a limited VIN range.
Kayser doesn't reference any specific document to support this story. Over the last 3 - 4 decades that I've heard this story, it's never been supported by any first-hand witnesses or GM document trail. I accept that it's possible. However, it does seem odd that no first-owner photos or original factory paperwork have ever been found.
Here's a place to start: has anyone ever encountered a '67 original owner who said he bought a new 327 Corvette that had an un-striped big block hood on it in the dealer showroom?
Pretty sure no original owners have come forward, but plenty of owners who claim original owner told them it came that way. The consensus here seems to be it never happened.
Evey owner that finds some oddball thing on his newly purchased C1/C2 is convinced he has the one (or one of a very few) rare factory ****-up....and will argue you to a standstill about it.
Can we move on to steel bodies now ?
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 03-29-2018 at 09:14 AM.
Ken Kayser's new book Zora's #58053 briefly mentions the story of 427 hoods being installed on some 327 Corvettes on the '67 assembly line. He said this happened for a few days during the February - March period. These small blocks had big block hoods installed without 427 emblems or stripes. Of course these cars would have all been within a limited VIN range.
Kayser doesn't reference any specific document to support this story. Over the last 3 - 4 decades that I've heard this story, it's never been supported by any first-hand witnesses or GM document trail. I accept that it's possible. However, it does seem odd that no first-owner photos or original factory paperwork have ever been found.
Here's a place to start: has anyone ever encountered a '67 original owner who said he bought a new 327 Corvette that had an un-striped big block hood on it in the dealer showroom?
Jerry, At Corvettes at Carlisle along the C2 Registry mid year row there was a guy with a 67 yellow small block coupe with a big block hood. His VIN was "12345". He said he was original owner and the car came with the BB Hood. Wish I took his name. Sure others have seen the car.
Jerry, At Corvettes at Carlisle along the C2 Registry mid year row there was a guy with a 67 yellow small block coupe with a big block hood. His VIN was "12345". He said he was original owner and the car came with the BB Hood. Wish I took his name. Sure others have seen the car.
How long ago? Been hanging out in that row for 14 years and never seen it
I'm pretty sure that John Hinckley (the Forum's JohnZ), who worked at St. Louis during that time period, has posted on here numerous times, that it didn't happen.
The first I ever heard the story, was when Nolan Adams included it in his Restoration Guide 30 years ago.
There use to be a Lynndale Blue 67 coupe here in NJ that the owner claimed was one of the rare stinger hood, small block 67's. He had a fancy display board telling the story of how a screw driver broke the small block hood mold, taken word for word from Nolan's book. If I remember right, his had "327" badges and a stripe on the hood.
Jerry, At Corvettes at Carlisle along the C2 Registry mid year row there was a guy with a 67 yellow small block coupe with a big block hood. His VIN was "12345". He said he was original owner and the car came with the BB Hood. Wish I took his name. Sure others have seen the car.
Roy Braatz use to own a 67 with VIN 12345 but the color escapes me at this time.
Roy Braatz use to own a 67 with VIN 12345 but the color escapes me at this time.
I’m thinking it was a blue and his car was the one Adams quoted in his book. And if you you look on this board there are pictures of his car that proves the point it never happened
Jerry, At Corvettes at Carlisle along the C2 Registry mid year row there was a guy with a 67 yellow small block coupe with a big block hood. His VIN was "12345". He said he was original owner and the car came with the BB Hood. Wish I took his name. Sure others have seen the car.
I appreciate you taking my question seriously. I really wasn't trying to be funny or beat a dead issue.
I was very surprised to see the story repeated in Kayser's book without any specific support. The rest of the book is full of employee names, memo dates, Corvette VINs, Shop Order numbers, etc. to back up the information presented. This hood story is told as an example of the "PAA" process. Apparently that is some sort of production change that required little management approval or paperwork.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say it cost GM more to buy and have produced the B.B. hood then the SB hood and the extra cost of the B.B. hood was included with the price of the B.B. option So the penny pinchers at GM high office would catch that sort of thing
Jerry, At Corvettes at Carlisle along the C2 Registry mid year row there was a guy with a 67 yellow small block coupe with a big block hood. His VIN was "12345". He said he was original owner and the car came with the BB Hood. Wish I took his name. Sure others have seen the car.
If this is accurate/true, that person's name and vechicle info should be in the '63-'67 Stingray Registry. Contact them! Dennis
Jerry, At Corvettes at Carlisle along the C2 Registry mid year row there was a guy with a 67 yellow small block coupe with a big block hood. His VIN was "12345". He said he was original owner and the car came with the BB Hood. Wish I took his name. Sure others have seen the car.
VIN "12345" is on the Registry as a Lynndale Blue 67 coupe, L-79 with a stinger hood. The car was previously owned by Roy Braatz (1955 Copper on the Forum). On the Registry, it is claimed to have been left St. Louis with the stinger hood.
12345 was listed for sale in Arizona in 2013, fully restored, and sans the big block hood.
Guy on the Mopar B-Bodies forum was trying to tell us about his brothers 66 Nova SS that he bought new with a 327/365 engine - said so on the sticker. I told him it wasn't factory - if it happened it was dealer installed and a dealer sticker. Pretty easy to dealer modify a 327/350 with a cam, lifter and spring change, call it a 327/365 engine, slap a sticker on the window and add a few hundred dollars to the manufacture's price.
I suppose the same could be said for the infamous 427 hood on a 327 car. Might have been a dealer or two out there that made that change in the shop to sell a car.
03-29-2018, 07:55 AM
Factory-installed 427 hood on '67 Corvettes with 327
Dennis