1970 L78 nova

[JoeC]

I am also a Jenkins fan.
Bill Jenkins did build at least one street car. I ‘ve been trying to find out more info on it because I have the hood to it. The car was a 70 Camaro big block car that was set up to look like Grump’s 70 Pro Stock racecar. The racecar was split bumper front and the show car was a straight bumper. The hood is an all steel 1970 cowl induction prototype built by Chevy engineering in 1969 for the canselled 1970 LT2/ZL2 option. The car was used by Grumpy to meet contracted promotional commitments. He needed a second car because the racecar couldn’t be not make all the dates that were set for it.
Here is a pic of Grumpy with the 70 show car and his 68 and 69 car. The 70 show car was also used on at least one magazine cover. This show car was mostly a stock street car just made to look like a Pro Stocker. Engine may have been an old alum head 427 but Grumpy couldn’t remember when I asked him about it.

[Salvatore]

Jenkins couldn't remember where that car went? I am surprised. I really thought that that car went to Bruce Larson or Dave Strickler. I never have known it as a street car. Just a stock unit that was then converted to a Pro Stocker.

[JoeC]

When I went to Jenkins shop to pick up the hood I was trying to talk to him about it but he was very busy with phone calls. They let me wonder around the shop while I waited so I didn't mind.
He gave me documentation about the hood on Jenkins Competition letterhead paper but didn't tell me much about the car. I was wondering if it was a prototype car from Chevy with the hood on it but he said the hood came in a truck with some other parts Chevy sent him. He didn't think the car was ever raced but for some reason he took the hood off before the car left his shop. I never did get the whole story on the car. I was trying to find out if it was on loan from Chevy and went back to Chevy or if it was sold or what happened to it.

[RichSchmidt]

I cant vouch for Jenkins ever building a street car,but as for his 70 prostocker,the actual prostock car was really a full bumper car and was raced that way in the first few events they ran it in.It later was fitted with an A&A specialties fiberglass front clip which was a split bumper piece.Other points of interest with that car was that it has pinstriping accenting the body lines when it had the stock nose on it,but most of the pinstriping was gone when the car was fitted with the glass nose,and some of the stickers were rearranged.The car also came from the factory with the full size rear spoiler,but I believe this was deleted when the glass nose was done.The 1970 issue of Hot Rod has the real car in it's earliest form on the cover and in a full spread.They claim it was an original SS396,but Jenkins claimed to have installed a "B" body 12 bolt with service package posi unit and 5.13 gears.I dont know why such a swap would have ben done if the car had a 12 bolt to begin with as all 70 SS cars had.
I buried my July 1970 issue of Hot Rod with the car in it,but I also seem to remember the first hood being a pro stock scoop on top of a cowl induction hood,but that might have been the earlier car I am drawing in my head.

Here is another piece of Jenkis trivia I was never able to verify.I know that Richie Zul owned Grump's 70 car in the mid 70's,and it was supposedly stolen,but I have also heard rumors that Zul had a 69 Camaro prostocker before the 70 car and it was also a previously Jenkins prepared car although maybe not a Grumpy's toy.It was also supposedly stolen and dumped under the New Jersey Turnpike overpass near Newark New Jersey.Is it possible that the stories are about the same car,or did Zul own 2 such cars that were stolen?The rest of that rumor went on to include that the Zul built engine was an iron block 427 that was one of the first Prostockers into the 9.40's,and that it either ended up in a very fast street race camaro of that time in Newark or under an equally fast big body 409 Impala of that era and area.Who knows anything about these stories?

[Salvatore]

Zul's 1969 camaro was his. It got stolen in early 70's. We talked to him at the SS nationals in York. That car was his. He told us that his father knew who stole the car. Don't know what happened then. he then borrowed or leased Jenkins car. I believe it was the 1970 or 71 car. (not sure about dates) Jenkins was doing the Vega then I believe. Also Zul was in the low nines with stamped steel GM rockers. I SAW them. At one point, he was the fastest big block. Sam

[RichSchmidt]

Back then,Zul was one of the first guys to run Ford Cleveland rockers on the big Chevy because it bumped the ratio from 1.70 to 1.73:1.He was also a big believer in compression,and he used to it run very late cam timing and was one of the only guys running 5.86:1 gears behind a bigblock at the time.He came to my friends shop to look over his prostock car that as also racing at the time,and he let in on a few of the ways he could have identified his engine.One way was that he milled the block so much that the top water pump bolt hole was almost breaking through the deck,and the other was that the heads were so angle milled that the headers were smashed against the starter motor.He claims he later started refacing the exhaust flanges to make the headers not hit,but you can imagine how milled down all that stuff must have been.The popular opinion at the time was that the engine ended up in a very fast big money race camaro from Newark{who I wont name},but looking back at it,many agree that during the time frame that Zul's car disappeared,there was a certain big tire 409 impala that got real fast out of no where at the street races,and that seems the be the new opinion on where it might have went.Either way,everybody seemed to agree that the engine wouldnt even show up in an actual race car.
SO the only part of the story that was incorrect was that the 69 car was never in the hands of a Jenkin's team racer.Either way,Zul should have put better locks on his doors.Having the second car stolen must have really stunk.
Thanks again for the imput.

[Salvatore]

Thanks for trying to wake up my memory. Who was the N.J. street racer? Come on....Give me a hint. Ronnie Lyles, Levi Holmes??? Not Rufus B. Come on.

[RichSchmidt]

Back when it happened,a lot of fingers were pointing at Levi,but after all the smoke cleared,it seemed like it probably wasnt him.Another name I heard mentioned was a guy by the name of Chinaman,But after 30 years almost all of the players are dead or half baked,so I doubt the truth would ever be known.

[Salvatore]

Gotcha Rich! Sam

[cammer427]

RichSchmidt, would you happen to have any more info on this "Chinaman" character?