Derrick Reynolds

That is quite a story, isn't it?

vettebuyer6369

I wonder if the restamping process, or broach marks issues are different when dealing with an aluminum block?

capevettes

Nabors is right; like Jim Nabors of Gomer Pyle fame, not to be confused with your next door neighbor. They have done some very nice work over the years. They also did the "Last 67" that was the subject of the Pro-Team media blitz

69427

Outside of the block material, it looks like any one of tens of thousands of Vettes of that era. I just don't understand what all the fascination is.

Solid LT1

The best ZL-1 story is the Utah sold White car that Otis Chandler bought as the 2nd ZL-1 with VERY vauge history/paper trail. Then about 3 years ago a REAL Orange ZL-1 automatic surfaced out of Texas with the original owner and dealer paperwork proving the White car as a FAKE, someone took a BATH on that car

Big Block 69

The paper trail on the white one wasn't really vague. The paper work stated L88 engine at $1032.15.
Once these cars are in a high profile collection, they seem to turn "real" in a hurry.

Doc Rebuild

Nice car that Orange ZL-1 automatic. Here it is displayed at the National Corvette Restamping Society event in Florida 2006. I am in no way suggesting that this Corvette was anthing but the real deal with an extensive paper trail. Original engine & trans still alive. 15 rears later.

http://www.oosoez.com/curr-evnt/currentevents-88f.html

Geoffrey Coenen

Earthquake Driver

http://corvettes-musclecars.com/gall...L-1+427-430HP/

69427

You're killing me, Doc!

Russell Murray

The original engine "disappeared" from the dealership after it was replaced under warranty. John yanked out the replacement engine shortly after getting it back, put the replacement in a drag boat, and dropped-in a 454 from a Caprice before selling the car. When Wayne was restoring the car his contacts in the drag racing circles got wind of it and the original engine mysteriously reappeared (and painted orange to hide the aluminum). He had put an aluminum block engine in the car (I don't recall it actually being the GM replacement but it may have been) during the mechanical restoration and had fragged it while playing with the ZL1 car himself. A local racing machine shop rebuilt the original engine to factory specs and the engine was reunited with it's original home when Wayne got serious about the restoration. The ZL1 dynoed at 523 hp!

My mother worked with Wayne for several years before he opened Zip Corvettes and I was around this car (among others) a few times during the restoration. I'm going back 30 years in my memory but I thought he had sold the car before that, like in 1984, to expand Zip Corvettes. The car had won Bloomington Gold so I can't imagine why the next owner would have had Nabors repaint it?!
Wayne's exploits and this car made my teenage years a little more interesting!

Paul Borowski

WOW, talk about old threads coming back to life!!! Forgot I even started this one 3 & 1/2 yrs ago!

jr9170

HistoryBuff

Though I enjoyed RPOL68's thorough summary, I lost it on the curve. I thought Williams, when he first got the car without the ZL1 engine, paid $4000 for a replacement engine from that dealer known for having ZL1 Camaros. It must have been later that he was able to buy the two ZL1 engines from the drag boat racers, one of which he blew up a coupla times and had rebuilt. So my question is: do Corvette purists know the SN of the engine block it was sold with by the original dealer and is that engine in the car now? My view would be since it is documented six ways to Sunday it was a ZL1 coupe when built, even if it has a later ZL1, it's still a ZL1 coupe but I am not in the NCRS and don't know how they would look at it.

Also what of the other documented ZL1 coupe? Wasn't the build sheet recovered atop the gas tank so that owner can document it? Is it considered worth less than the Judski ZL1 coupe, I'd like to hear a ballpark figure on what either is worth, though if a particular model does not come up for auction for some years any guess is a real guesstimate, a veritable shot in the dark. Is $500,000 too low?

Faster Rat

NCRS does not verify or certify whether or not a car actually has it's original anything. They are concerned with how correct it appears to be in comparison to known original factory production.

The car is what it is. When there were reportedly only 2 produced and sold...what the heck difference does it make whether or not it has the original engine? It would be nice...but probably does not matter to collectors. Go find another documented ZL-1 vette with it's original engine. Can't find one? If you are a gazillionaire and happen to like Corvettes and just have to have the one thing that no other gazillionaire can get his hands on...then the sky is the limit.

When this car eventually goes to auction...and it will some day...I would guess that it will go for more millions than you or any of us can possibly imagine. Hey...a Ferrari just sold for $27.5 million...and 10 of them were made. NADA used to have it in their database at $3 million. Now they just say N/A.

HistoryBuff

Thanks for saying what the NCRS philosophy is. I am into studying old Ferraris and it so happens that the reason they are so crazy about SN of the car matching the engine is that, in the '50s and '60s, when Ferraris were still pretty much hand made, the engine was stamped with the same number as the car, so when collectors pay, say $5 million for a 166 Barchetta from 1950, they expect to get matching numbers between chassis and engines. Sometimes someone finds a car and puts in an old V-12 but it isn't until they find and buy that original engine that the car's value goes into the stratosphere. Now with Corvettes, back when I owned one in the Sixties, getting your engine swapped out was no big thing and nobody seemed to worry that would lower the value of your car.

Faster Rat

Oh...it matters a whole bunch when it comes to corvettes...especially the older and more rare they are. I was merely stating that when it gets down to the pair of '69 ZL-1s it probably doesn't matter. It matters slightly with the '67 L88s and a lot more with the C3 L88s. When it gets down to the lesser-valued collector cars...it matters a whole bunch.

acesaroundagain

I was one of the owner's of the ZL1 in Richmond, VA from June 73 to June 74. I also worked at Hechler Chevrolet in Richmond when the ZL 1 was sold and did set for a few months because "no car is worth more than $10,000" they said. The MSRP was a little over 10 grand and sold for around $7800 AS IS, yes, no warranty. And they were relieved to get it. John Zagos blew the engine the same weekend he bought it but the factory rep came to Richmond and agreed to replace the engine even though it was sold without a warranty. I can remember Zagos spending hours with the GM at Hechler bitching about the motor. I can tell you some tales about the car if anyone is interested.

62corvette

I, for one, would love to know more.

Rowdy Rat

Me too.

One thing I'd really like to know is if the car had that black stripe across the nose when Hechler received the car from GM.

Regards,

Stan Falenski

C3 4ME

Being a native of Richmond, and now residing about 5 miles from the former Hechler Chevrolet, I too would love to hear more about the car!