Gorilla Milk Chicago gasser '62

[x Baldwin Motion]

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Some of the Old timers have told me that Nickey sold two Z11 cars, but I have seen no docs or pics to support the info

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how many Z11's did they make in 62? I thought that was 63 only?

[Verne_Frantz]

Chris,
To my knowledge, no car left the factory in the '62 model year with ANY "Z-11" equipment. That's one of those tales that comes up fairly often. The few '62 Super Sports, like 'Ol Reliable III, Nicholsen's car, the Zintsmaster car, etc were ALL regular 409hp 409s. They ran B/FX because of the aluminum, not because of engine modifications.
Late, maybe June or July '62 some "Z-11 type" parts were produced and funnelled through certain dealers to known racers. A number of '62s DID show up on the tracks with those high port heads and 2-piece intakes, but none are believed to be built at any Chevy assembly plant. Most of those early parts also carried the "O-" casting numbers, meaning engineering prototypes.
As far as '63 Z-11s go, NHRA required 50 units sold to the "public" to qualify for Super Stock. A Tonawanda engine assembly plant document exists which lists 50 complete engine units produced by July '63. Chevy also sent the NHRA a list of 40 cars and the dealers they were sent to just before the '62 Winternationals. The list fell short of the 50 required, so Hayden Profitt's Z-11 was put into a made-up-on-the-spot class of LP/S (Limited Production Stock). There may have been only one other car there to be classified that way, so the very beginning of the Z-11 legacy got off to a rather un-noteworthy start.
and the rest, as they say......is history....

Verne

[kwhizz]

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According to Gene Marmor, Freddie was at Soldier Field as well.

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As well as "Tiger" Tom Pistone..........anyone remember him........

Ken

[sixtiesmuscle]

I'm sure you're right. That was even before MY time, LOL.

[PeteLeathersac]

And I always thought Fred Lorenzen was more of a Ford guy?.
I could be wrong, but didn't he race Trans-Am series cars in a Mustang around 69/70 too?.

~ Pete

[lzdick]

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...That was even before MY time, LOL.

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WOW ! ! !

Didn't your time begin around the advent of rubber tires?

[x Baldwin Motion]

thanks Verne for the info as always. The 62 B/FX cars had factory aluminum front clips only? how many were built?

[Verne_Frantz]

Chris, They had aluminum front fenders, inner fenders and hood only. I don't think anyone knows for sure how many were built. The numbers that seem to come in conversation are 12 with 20 extra sets of aluminum. Some say 18 cars or 20 cars. There's also a debate (which I'm in the middle of) as to whether any cars were built "off-line" at Flint with the aluminum and shipped that way, or whether all were transformed at the dealerships. Only a few are known to still exist in one condition or another.
Verne