I bought a 1964 Corvette in 1964, Was just a kid, saved my money from working on our horse ranch at $20 a week. Dad finally said: Son, I think you have enough money for that Corvette you have wanted since you were 10 years old. Off we go to Dallas, Tx from the ranch. Pull into a service station and there sits a 64 Corvette white, navy interior, convertible.

Times goes by and I get a real job and am making some good coin and the 1320 bug bites me:

I head out the nearest Drag Strip and I am box Stock C2, passed inspection and running street tires. I spanked every car that ran against me, even a Cobra. That light my fire. Next to 2 years I campagined my vette and in 2 years I never lost but 1 race. Heads up with a "Funny Car" BLEW UP my my 3rd member. Ordered a new one and with 4.11 gears finally.

I am running the 12s, my fastest time ever was 12.1, which took the US record for C sports.(I forget the name of the outfit that sponsored the races across the US)

Still running street tires only they were Atlas Bucron's. (if you know what those are your a real old timer). GREAT TRACTION, not up to par with racing slicks...but its my every day driver.

My engine: On the window sticker it was rated at 375 HP and NO it was NOT a fuelie, it was box stock. It said something about a special Cam and the option for the engine was $10 bucks.

My only mod to install headers from Bill Thomas, but I could as they were for a AUTO trans so I sent them back and I put exhaust dumps on, by welding them to the first bend in the pipes, facing straight down. I was coming off the line at 7000+. Hiting 2nd gear at 7200 rpm.

Then I noted on my widow sticker I had the Racing brakes.

TIme for some headwork and put in the shop and it turns out it had SCREW IN ROCKER STUDS...NOT what I was expecting the shop to tell me...I said your sure, Chevy does not have screw in studs...WELL IT DID WITH YOUR ENGINE! No wonder I winding that to 7200+!

HEAD UP: 396/425 Corvette just got sapanked, bad. 426 Hemi head up racing and SPANKED...

I had folks calling me about sponsorship. Had one lined up and then I got DRAFTED: Hanoi Tech vs. Saigon U.

The summer I got my hands on a L88 Corvette. Dealer had got one somehow and it was not cheap and they called me and said: We sell this damn thing No radio, no nothing but a 427/425. Got it, I now had 3 corvettes and at 536 miles it got wrecked. Friend of mine wanted to drive his GF around the block...we at a party and I said SURE. Well around became 10 miles out on hwy and a WRECK to beat all wrecks. He was doing 137 mph (where the speedo stopped) and wrapped it around a tree, BIG OAK. I got (SMALL TOWN, only 13 corvettes in the country), everyone knew me. So I got a ride out there to scene and there was my corvett about 3-4. feet OFF the ground WRAPPED AROUND the true with the headlight touching the rear bumpers. Wrecker was driving in circles trying to get it off the tree but to no avail. Called in another wrecker and he hooked on the rear and the other up from and pulled: (S N A P B A N G), Corvette broke in half, 3 pieces. They got flat bed out there and took it to the ranch and I bought back from the Insurance company for $500. L88, well so what, the 396 hand a 425 hp and so does the L88, great yea to buddy who wanted the engine to put in his 55 Chevy. Sold it to him for $500. Damage to the engine: Water broke the stub, the input shaft on the trans broke Oil pan/pickup was Crushed and the ignition distributor was broken off. Outside of that engine fired up when those items were reaplaced. What saved was the ditch. Some water left from and early rain and whe the Vette flipped up on its side and hit the tree the aforementkon ed its broke and sent the engine down the ditch followed by my friend and his GF, they a ripped up clothes and some weed burns but did not even go the the hospital...What saved their life was the LACK OF USE of the Seat Belts, the vette was coupe and the top popped off and slid behind the engine, he told me...

I good mech, I pull the trans on my Corvette out and replace the 2nd gear syncro ring, which I was constantly breaking due to my extreme fast shifting...I had figured out how speed up my shifts.

I class was C Sports. BUT not many corvettes at the track so I agreed to HEAD UP racing.

I sold my 64 corevette and bought a 69 427 Tripower 435 Hp when I got back from Viet Nam...My first words with Daddy. picked me up at Dallas Love Field was: Daddy, YOU WERE RIGHT! righ about what son I COULD HAVE GONE TO COLLEGE> ( back then if you were in college you did not get drafted.


That is my story, sticking to it what do you think about my 64 Z06...NOTE Chev had left over ZO6 engines. Remember GM/Chevy dropped out of racing General Motors (and by extension Chevrolet) formally dropped out of racing in February 1963!

I welocome any and all thoughts, but I believe my 64 vette was possessed or had a ZO6 engine

My 2001 Z06 Museum Delievery: Weird: Was at the Chevy dealer getting First oil change in Grapevine Tx. They called my name, went to the desk and was told: 'those 2 men in suits wan to talk with you'. They bought my Z06 off me for $3000 more than I paid for it?????????? Truck came that night and took it to Detroit?

 

sorry to say your car was NOT a Z06 . its a cool story but doesn't add up to anything GM ever built

 

It is possible the dealer made some changes for improved performance and longevity.

 

Then how do we justify my 1320 times, no one beat me in 2 years at the tracks and I was setting reacords almost everytime I went for C Sports. Screw in studs, I know for a fact that Chevy had left over engines, that was said in Hot Rod Mag. THen the window sticker>
Racing Brakes

Something aobut a Camshaft and $10 bucks gets you 375 HP

THen the screw in studs.

I got the car with almost no miles. The bought it was an older and he owned a high class resutrant. He dropped it off at a gas station where he traded and almost across the street for that fancy eatery.

This has only come recenmtly in my head. I don't know what my axle ratio was, but I hit traps before I ht 3 gear.
One other thing, I had pics of the front wheels come off ground when I dropped the clutch. If I was lagging a bit I stay in pedal until got 7800 rpm.

You don't go 2 years on circut and never lose and I never took a a "spot" car length, HEAD UP racing.

I made one mod and the old racer came to me and said: Son you more horsepower than you can use and you some suspension work? What do you suggest. Get yourself a HD ant dive bar. You really sqat hard and I noted that you always play catch up coming off the line. So I took the one I had on my L88 corvette and put on 64, WOW, no I really launching off the not palying catch up...

NOT way it 100% Z06 engine, but look at what I had and what I had done. 12.1 in the 1320 in 1965 was unheard of in those days...

 

It was all but new when I got. Old man who had a fancy restaurant and got rid of realy quick. He just put in the front of that gas station across the street from his resturant an dI need gas after driving to Dallas from our ranch. We bought right then, I drove around the block, and the mileage was LOW, and I forgot what I paid for it, but my monthly payment was $41 bucks a month for 36 mo.

I had a series of corvettes, Silver Anniversary, Indy 500 car (I gave back to the dealer (we fishing buddies) and he asked if I give it back as he a good that wanted the first Indy car....sure, why not I I still had my Silver Anniversary, silver with red interior. Instead of giving it to my wife and ordering her a Corvette. Then in 2001 i ordered the Z06, i got it early as it had the forged wheels. (it was one of the first ones they got. It was the first date of my now wife) and I did the museum thing and everyone should if you ask me. I am weighing what I do now...there are so many versions of the vettes that not sure whether to order or buy off the floor or just used... I am 80 years old and not gonna race it.

I have only owned 3 cars in my life: Corvettes, Ford Trucks and Jeeps. Right now, I have a F450 King Ranch and the wife I bought her a Gladiator and let her trade in JLRX. (2 door jeep)

WHile you are thinking WHY did GM Corvette buy back my 2001 Z06???? I had about 35XX miles on it, it did have ever option...the guys offer me $3000 over what I paid for it???? A guy in the Corvette club told he thought they prob took to the Museum based on the color combo, Millennium Yellow with Red interior and every option you could get????

 

Do you still have that window sticker or any other documentation which would validate your claim?

 

 

The CAR is NOT a Z06, its the engine....

 

Fun story, to be sure.

Are you saying you were running low 12s with 4.11 gears and were still in second gear when you hit the traps? The math gets pretty nutty if that's the case.

 

My ‘64 has 540hp. It didn’t come from GM like that. My point is that you don’t know what happened to the car once it left GM.

 

That time is not that outrageous, I had a 62 340hp in 1967 that went 12.35 on Atlas bucron tires, good story but without documentation it's just that a good story!

 

NO, this was 1965m since then its been about 6 or 7 corvettes, a LOT OF MOVES around the world, 26 years in the Army, then a career in Corp USA and then my own companies...YES the OLD MAN has been around at 80 years of age and still running my own copany and 6 moves in the past 10 years.

I am not make a clain, this fact...I had started saving my $ when I was about 10 year old and a Corvette, white, red interior beautiful blone in the pass seat and the top down passed us on the highway, the was year was 1955. I told my Daddy that was going to be my first car. Dad said start saving your money and I did.

I paid for my first car with the money I saved and I will never forget it.

Its only the C8 Z06 that tweaked my thinking about my first car and my 2001 Z06.. I looked back in my racing days for 2 years and no one ever beat me with ONE exception. This at the Ole Gator Dragstrip in Louisiana a sanctioned strip. I was racing heads up that day and I beat everyone. hen on Sunday, at Purse time, they called me over the loudspeaker to come to the track. The purse I guess big and I went heads up with what was refered in those days as a Funny Car. I was actually ahead till I blew up. my3rd memver in the 3rd gear shift and it was game over man. But it got me into 4:11 gears.

Look at what I said, I was a mech and all over our ranch trucks were CHEVY and guess who took care of them. All I knew was my engine and then the shop doing the head job told me I had screw in studs and they asked who did the work? Dunno, but it sure was not the old man I bought it from. Artricle in Hot Road mag on Chevy pulling out of racing and it asked the question as to what is Corvette gonna do with all those racing engines? Then on the window sticker it said something aobut a cam and the option was $10 giving it 375 HP. When its your fist you don't forget. Then the Racing brake option???? WHAT, why?? I went to see that owned it, its was bought off the floor, ot an oder. O asled why selling after only a few months? "Car was too fast for me!"

I look back on it and it all adds up, IF I had only known. I seem to have good with cars. My 2001 zo6 was an early one it had the forged wheels and it the early ones that had it or so they told at the Muesum. Chevy bought my 2001 from me $3k oiver what I paid. So how did I get an early release 2001 Z06. Everyone else was waint in line. Well I sopped off at the BIG Chevy dealer in Dallas that had and I wanted to order one. Sales Manager LAUGHED and said we are not ever taking orders because we have all of our allocation in orders and we ahe biggest in Dallas and I can get one in a few months if i get more allocation. OK I will that how much $ For for the Z06 its $10,000 over MSRP. OK let me think on that. I jump in my car and head out of Dallas looking for a Chevy dealer in some drive thru town. I pull in and it a dealer that does not even have a showroom. I got in met with this sales gal and tell her I want to order a Z06 corvette/. OK, all order go thru our Manager. He says to you want to order a Z06? Yes Sir. Ok (I am siting at his desk). Good, gonna Bob I heard allocations have all been used but let me. Conversation goes like this: Bob, this Bill down in Texas. How is son in college, GREAT, you thik you and the wife can get dow here to Texas again my Christmas? OHHH GREAT, be sure to bring your rifle again we are gonna get a deer for sure...................Oh, I got a Texas boy and he wants one your Z06s. OK, I will trhe order directly to you. He looks at says you GOT your z=Z06, is order already evern tho we don't an allocation for Corvettes at a;;. He and i are from the same town here Texas and we to college together we have been friends and family every since. OK then can you get a regular Corvette on order for my GF? SURE, bring her in tomorrow.

My other cars were Jeeps and I got the FIRST Jeep Rubicon shipped to the public, 2nd week in Aug, Jeeps were released to the dealers for sale the last week in aug.Jeep called me up about 4 mo later and wanted to meet with me. I did and the Rubicon Team signed the inside of my hood and we spoke for almost 2 hours...when I told the I had been driving Jeeps since the early 60s they just hunting jeeps but in VIetnam I was one of a VER FEW that was given the task to drive on the BATTLEFIELD and Search for the bad guys with my 7 Million searchlight...NOT KIDDING, there was 36 of use in Nam who did it, it ended some after I left due to to many people getting injured.

ANY got to get to Dallas today, Being CEO is a busy job, but its fun...

 

Me too. After my first tour in Vietnam I knew I was going back in 6 months so I bought a brand new 1968 L89, 435 HP, maroon convertible. Second tour was much less "eventful" than the first.

 

IF he was turning 7800 RPM and IF the tires were doing about 750 rev/mile, then he'd have been going only about 92 mph if still in second gear. Does that seem slow to anyone besides me?

 

I agree, Cap'n.

As I recall, the 283-powered '61 that Dan Hampton acquired from Bert Brown was running in the 12s back in '61.

 

Exactly my point. I'd expect a much higher trap speed for a low 12 second pass. And if he was running taller gears, that would make low 12s pretty unattainable.

 

A ‘63 327-360 Z06 engine was nothing special - and all of them had fuel injection. Moreover, a “leftover” ‘63 Z06 engine would have had 360 horsepower with FI, 340 if you switched from the FI to a 4 barrel carb.

A non-FI ‘64 327 would have had 365 horsepower, max.

To get 375 horsepower out of a non-FI 327 engine you’d have to alter it from stock, perhaps a cam change, or a head massage, or both. No 327 came from Chevrolet like that, nor with screw-in studs.

A blueprinted 327 with a cam change and head work would likely be much faster than any stock 327, so your memories might be based on an engine that was significantly altered before you bought it. If you got that for $10, more power to ya…

 

Maybe some new car dealer doing a little exrtra tuning. Like Mr. Norm, Baldwin Motion, Yenko, Royal Bobcat, etc.

 

Cool stories….