RogerD's 1969 Dick Harrell Chevelle

[Chevy454]

[ QUOTE ]
Looked up some info on Tony's (SCUNCIO) car...
it has a - - Paint code.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, the paint code portion of Tony's trim tag is blank...

[hvychev]

I do not post much here anymore, so I just found and read this whole thread right now. WOW!! Definitely warrants a post!

Roger, I have a few questions. First why did you choose to buy a Harrell car? Had you ever heard of him before then? Did the name and the set up of the car mean anthing to fellow street racers in your town? What made you not change the wheels?

The question I would love to know the most is how did you locate the car? Did the owner who had it know anything about what the car was or that you were the original owner?

[RogerD]

I was working a few blocks down the street from Bill Allen Chevrolet - passed by the dealership to and from work each day. My trusty old '66 SS396 Chevelle was getting tired (105,000 miles) and I had the itch for a new car in late July early August '69. As I drove by that Tuesday morning (Aug 19, 1969) an in your face orange "Dick Harrell" Chevelle along with two other "Dick Harrell" stickered cars had just been rolled out for display. I just couldn't resist pulling in to take a quick look before going on to work that morning. A couple of hours later, I drove away in it - on to work.

I knew of Dick Harrell and his active role in the drag racing scene of the time. When I saw the DHPC 'Dealer to whom delivered' document with the car that morning, I was floored and I was hooked - A 427CI/450HP chevelle! I had been recently contemplating replacing my tired 396/325 with a 427 but the orange DH Chevelle changed my mind on the spot that Aug 19th morning!!! My old '66 was paid for, I had a good job with Whittaker Cable as manager of their automotive cost engineering division (they made wiring harness assemblies for GM, FOMOCO, Chrysler and AMC) and my credit with GMAC was good so . . .

None of the locals in my farming community (about 50 miles NE of Kansas City) knew the pedigree of my Chevelle but quickly found out that it was unbeatable in the typical late evening 'flats' racing events that occurred on a fairly regular basis.

Can't wait until I have it up and running again!!!

[DarrenX33]

Were the other cars Chevelles? Color? Built the same as yours? Cool story Roger..

[RogerD]

Don't recall for sure the colors or if the other cars were Camaro's or Chevelles. I do believe one (if not both) were Camaros.
My eye was taken by the brilliant orange Chevelle . . .

[Xplantdad]

Awesome Roger!

[RogerD]

Locating the car was a long series of efforts over an extended 12 year period . . .
Lots of research, lots of looking, lots of dead ends, a bit of fact here and there, help from friends, help from strangers . . .
Research via MO DMV, research via county tax records, research via Obits, research via google, research via googlemaps, research via Bing and from time to time a prayer.

In the end, I'm convinced the prayer made the difference, brought it all together

[SS427]

Neat story! Can almost picture the scene 40 years ago perfectly.

[RogerD]

To expand a bit on a question inquiring about an 'exact' accounting as to how this Chevelle made it's way back to me, not too short but exactly as it happened:

1. I located the last Missouri owner of record in November 08 via title search with MO DMV utilizing the VIN (off my original documents)

2. I contacted the last owner of record and traced the car (utilizing a single thread of information he provided) via public tax records and published obits to a farm in Independence, MO where the car was stored for many years.

3. I traced the car from the farm to the owner of record in Illinois who posted the car for sale on Craigslist via the unknowing help of an individual (Dan Palchanes). Dan emailed me out of the blue asking "By chance was your VIN NNNNNNNNNNNNN?" - I responded to Dan but never answered or confirmed his question. He never answered back and I intensified my efforts. I concluded that if he came up with the VIN somehow, the car must be out there.

5. I was checking google, eBay and Craigslists (throughout the US) trying to find any small thread or indication of where the car was located (I had never disclosed the VIN or any portion thereof on any of my posts at this point).

4. End of July, first week of August - I located an old expired add for a "1969 Chevelle- Project Car" on a consolidator's website - completed a 15 page survey before it displayed the old, expired add - my VIN number was posted in the body of the add and so was the Illinois location.

5. It's now the second week of August, I was up every morning at 5:30 (mi wife was ready to shoot me) checking all new "1969 Chevelle" listings, emailing, calling, eliminating them one by one.

6. On Aug 12th, a new listing from Aug 11 at 4:31PM popped up in the Chicago Craigslist - it had my VIN and pictures - looks very promising.

7. I emailed the seller three times before noon that day - he called me about 3:30PM, we talked and agreed to meet the next afternoon (may be a bust, may be a hoax, may be for real, please - a little prayer about now . . . )

8. Change of plans, couldn't find a flight Thursday morning - had to leave by 7:30PM that same day - called the owner and changed the meeting time to 7:30AM meeting the next morning (Aug 13, 2009)

9. Aug `13, 2009 at 7:30AM, when he raised the storage unit door I saw a chevelle with peeling white paint, bright orange peeking out from beneath and a very old Missouri inspection sticker on the lower left part of the windshield.

10. Aug 13, 2009 at 7:40AM - I asked the seller if he had title - he pulled out a Missouri Lien release dated 2005 that showed the same owner of record to whom I had traced the car as far back as 1983 - then he presented a lien free Illinois title.

11. Aug 13, 2009 at 7:50AM - We concluded our transaction and he signed over the title along with a bill of sale. My little prayer was answered at this point!

12. Aug 13, 2009 at 10:15AM - Pushed the car out of 3005 and into 3008 storage unit (3 doors down from previous owners unit) and secured it. First thing I did was to scrap a small spot on the driver's front fender - found a small quarter sized flat spot - I put the flat spot there in November 1969 when I clipped a construction barrell on the way home.

I've left off the trip back home and return trip to pick up the car but that's another story . . .

Roger,

This is indeed an exciting find. Can you please explain something for me? I would like to know the EXACT account as to how this Chevelle made its way back to you. I really am not interested in all the efforts you made over the years but, I already read that but rather the exact details about how the car made it back into your possesion (e.g. ran the vin, located previous owner etc.). I love these stories.

[427.060]

Great story Roger.
James