New Ulm, MN Harrell??

[68TopStock]

This past weekend I got to look up close at the Glacier Blue (now black) '69 Harrell Camaro mentioned above. It runs and drives. It does have COPO options, big block heater box, 3/8" fuel line, power disc brakes, cowl hood with firewall hole punched above main wiring box (hood had front pins/repaired on top side when repainted black). Welded plate on driver kick up area of frame rail (for dual exhaust?), 4 core staight neck radiator. Dick Harrell emblem on left front upper panel, below "Chevrolet Camaro", and on each rear quarter. No riveted Dick Harrell plates.

The body has 70+K on odometer, very nice interior, appears original, possible new carpet. No style trim, current power steering was added by last owner. The column shift for the 400 is intact and operational. There is a hole for what appears to be a auto floor shifter at one time. Welded in "bolt in" style frame connectors. Chassis has no other major mods, tubs and quarters appear original, same with entire floor, pinch welds, front clip, doors, etc., seem mostly rust free. No other options, other than a possible radio.

When I viewed the trunk, it still has a double electric race fuel pump, disconnected, but bolted where the spare would go. The lid has a spoiler, but it is not a D80 car. There appears to have at one time been an add-on spoiler on the lid. The bottom side has 5 nicely cut round holes on each side near the mid-line of the lid. Has any one seen a aero style spoiler that would mount on two perches? The top side is now patched, must have been done when repainted. Paint appears to be an older laquer respray.
It has after market wheels.

The car appears to be a former race car, reconverted to street use, with lots of originality left. The interior may have been out of the car when raced. The entire drivetrain has been replaced, with a '69 dated passenger car drivetrain, 427/335 with a turbo 400, and a '67(? hard to read cast date) CF coded Chevelle rear, with 4 leaf springs mounted with added perches. The rear may still have a 4 series posi with 4:10's. Maybe the original owner had too much into the race drivetrain and did not want to let it go cheaply, as 20+ years ago I'm sure this car sold for a bit less than todays market prices.

The current owner would like to try and locate former owner(s), car apparently has been registered in Florida, and Arkansas. Car came to Minnesota about 20 years ago, has been parked and driven occasionally since. Anyone ever hear of or see this car as a racecar, or after it was put back on the street?

Thanks for any imput.

KenB.




[Edited by 68TopStock (11-12-2001 at 01:09 AM).]

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Ken;
Your report sounds very similar to my notes taken during a phone call to a guy named Larry in Arkansas, if you email me offline I can send you his phone number. Larry told me that he owned a '69 Harrell Camaro, 427 column shift, power disc brakes, metallic silver/blue with Harrell emblems on it. He found the car in Springdale, Arkansas, and sold it somebody in the Princeton, MN area who painted it black and changed the engine. Larry owned a used car lot at the time, and owned several hi-performance cars.
M

[x44d80]

Topstock, yes the vin can be given out here on this site for the X44D80 car with body #370697. It's N666604. Thank you Ken B. and Kurt S. They have done alot to find out more on the car but have hit dead ends, but I really appreciate the effort.

[Keith Tedford]

I don't know about the COPO Camaros but the COPO Chevelles certainly weren't built in groups. I have yet to see two consecutive numbers. That isn't to say that a dealer didn't order a batch at one time. They would get spread out in the scheduling.

[Edited by Keith Tedford (01-11-2002 at 04:01 AM).]

[Stefano]

Kurt,
How does the trim tag identify the car as a Harrell COPO? Didn't Harrell get all his COPOs through authorized Chevrolet Dealers?

[Kurt S]

Happened to be lucky and have a verified Harrell COPO only one body # off from this car.

[bkhpah]

Kurt,
Do you think there is a consecutive body run on Harrell prepared COPO's like the Yenko run? Do you have a COPO car before 06A? Since he used 375 SS cars to build his 427 Camaros as late as 01B, when do you feel he switched to the COPO program? We are working on a 01B 427 SS conversion and an 06A COPO Harrell. Have you documented a Harrell COPO that was not a turbo 400 on the column? The Harrell stuff is hard to get info on...BKH