Lowest milage 69 Yenko Camaro? - Page 8

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #71 10-10-2005, 08:12 PM

Sounds good Joe. The '69 Y-Nova from that bulletin has a build date of 01A, so it's a pretty early car for Yenko conversions.

I would add that even if the atlas wheel was not available until after 01A, the conversion by Yenko may not have been completed until much later - depending on when Stauffer requested the car, and that date is unknown at this time. The date of sale is used to determine that the dealer received a converted car by X date, but this nova did not sell until very late in '70! So, just about anything is fair game with one

Supercar_Kid · #72 10-12-2005, 01:08 AM

The Atlas wheels were available prior to the 69 model year, and it wasn't just the Supercars that could get them at Yenko, it was anyone willing to buck up. There is a royal plum 67 Camaro SS that still resides near Canonsburg that wears an SW 970 tach on the column and 14" Atlas mag wheels. It was reportedly sold new at Yenko in this configuration and is still owned by the original owner who ordered these additional options to be installed. I think BKH may be able to speak more about the car.

While I agree it's entirely possible that "other" wheels were installed at Yenko besides the commissioned Atlas mags, I don't think this advertisement or possible typo is the documentation we need to say one way or the other. For now we know for sure Don used Atlas castings and in many cases reused the factory supplied tires, outside of that I've seen nothing that convincingly points in any other particular direction. A good topic of discussion and cool paperwork for sure Marlin, thanks for posting.

camarojoe · #73 10-12-2005, 06:00 AM

For what its worth, the pics I have of Atlas wheels are dated March 69...these are the pics that were taken for use in the "Stinger Stuff" catalog, that was not actually published until about a year or more later. When was the SSI road test actually performed? The gold car had Atlas wheels on it for this test, and it was one of the first Yenko Camaros for 69. I think Yenko offered other wheels, in fact SOMEWHERE I'm almost positive I have something from later (1971 or so I'm thinking) that specifically lists
E-T wheels as available for Vega. I just don't think its likely that a Yenko was sold in 69 with a 5 spoke torq thrust style wheel that was not an Atlas... if someone wanted a different style, Cragar, etc. I could see it happening... but have never actually seen anything to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I do know a very low percentage of the Camaros had anything besides the standard 15x7 rally wheel when they left Yenko.

**Charley Lillard** · #74 10-12-2005, 06:59 AM

I put a call into Jim. I think the car on the trailer pic is when it is brand new. He told me the date on the pic but I forgot it.

camarojoe · #75 10-12-2005, 09:03 AM

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I'll bet the "WT" is s suffix for Wide Tread...and was mistakenly used to describe the wheels rather than the tires... I have often seen "WT" used when referencing wide tread tires, and have never seen nor heard of a "WT" brand of wheel. If the mag wheels were put on at Yenko I would still bet that they were Atlas mags.

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Pure speculation, and while we are speculating, it was suggested when this document was found several years ago that the "WT" might be a typo - but for "ET" mags since the tire info was described pretty well in the next sentence. Either way, I think we've seen enough strange stuff come from yenko, that I wouldn't consider it outside the realm of possibility that a non-Atlas mag wheel could have been installed - we have '68 v/t tops installed on '69 camaros by the guy down the street!

This might require another thread, or resurrect the old one, but it would be interesting to know when the Atlas wheels became a reality - compared to the build date of this Nova, ie; maybe the Atlas wheels were not mfg'd yet (?). Cool topic

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Here is a Yenko ad for Roy Stauffer, note the use of the "WT" abbriviation in regards to the tires... I've seen this in many late 60s ads, and still think this may be what they were referring to in that Nova ad, although put in the wrong place...perhaps a simple error by someone working in the ad dept. at the newspaper that didn't know any difference between wheels and tires...

camarojoe · #76 10-12-2005, 09:05 AM

close up

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #77 10-12-2005, 05:50 PM

Good point on the wheels and the WT in the ad Joe. The ad I posted is from yenko, but may have been just a re-type from a Stauffer ad.

Either way, I agree with you that most mag wheels installed by Yenko would have been the Atlas brand, but I would not put it past Yenko to install a set of Americans, ET's, Keystone's or Cragars

Good info exchange

**Mr70** · #78 10-12-2005, 05:54 PM

"but I would not put it past Yenko to install a set of Americans, ET's, Keystone's or Cragars

Would he have done this at his own discretion,or wait for the buyer to specify this?

Supercar_Kid · #79 10-12-2005, 06:34 PM

That would have definitely been done at customer discretion. Yenko went to the lengths of having his own American copies cast up by the folks at the Atlasburg foundry so that he could have a greater profit margin on the wheels. Unless a customer specifically demanded another brand, you can bet the aluminum wheels you got would be made by Atlas, since Yenko had plenty in stock (for years even following the supercar days per Warren Dernoshek) not to mention the fact that he made the most money on them. Warren has mentioned that Yenko got the Atlas wheels made up at a cost of close to half what Americans were going for in those days. He used Atlas because it made good business sense. Any other wheel Yenko'd be buying in a single set just like any other Joe off the street, with no volume discount, through no special connections with folks at ET, Cragar etc. unlike the friendly folks down the street who's sales rep happens to be a personal friend.

The fact about 68 tops being put on 69 Camaros down the street at Regency only supports the argument that Yenko used convenient, local, and inexpensive suppliers whenever and wherever possible. I'd need some real concrete proof to believe a 69 Yenko Camaro was sold new off the lot with anything other than Atlas or Rally wheels, unless they were something installed by the selling dealer and were not part of Yenko's conversion in Canonsburg. Other dealers like Colonial for sure had mag wheels on display stands in their showroom alongside Yenko cars. I might be able to believe that they may have been added at the point of purchase, but not by Yenko in Canonsburg, and even then there should be some paperwork noting the swap and credit for the rallys. I guess we need to speak with Jim.

**Charley Lillard** · #80 10-12-2005, 06:42 PM

Jim said Loyd bought the car on March 10 and the pics of it on trailer are dated about March 22 or 23. He will try to call Loyd tonight and ask him if the car came with the wheels new.

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