1963 Z11 Impala Race Bred
 

These cars although RPO's, were purpose built for strictly racing. Non essential items were not available to reduce weight such as; radio, heater, sound-deadner.

This package was quite potent especially when Frank Sanders was behind the wheel, winning 19 of 20 races he entered in 1963.

Today it is owned by Roger Sortino a fantastic caretaker!

Here are a few HD components:

Aluminum components:

• hood
• fenders
• bumpers

Engine-427:

• stroker crankshaft
• compression (13.5:1)
• heads with larger ports
• dual four-barrel carbs
• 427 cubic inches-430 horsepower.

https://www.chevyhardcore.com/featur...e-of-its-kind/

thanks Steve - what a thumper. What trans did Chevy use in ‘63 to handle the torque of this 427?

4 Speed Manual Close Ratio

https://i.postimg.cc/t4s3WvsP/image1.jpg

430 Horsepower?

https://i.postimg.cc/ZnY3RwkW/Oblong...og-max-1mb.gif

I Sure wish Verne was with us RIP. He'd give us a history lesson on these W engines that we wouldn't forget!

----When real production cars were in their heyday. A period I will never forget as I lived thru it, and loved every minute of it!!!.....Bill S

What a true statement!

Per Colvin’s 60-64 “By the Numbers” chapter on the Z-11, they were all built with close ratio Borg Warner T10 with Inland shifters. It makes sense, as the first Muncie 4 speeds didn’t initially ship to production until February 6th, 1963. (Shipped to Baltimore plant to be put into full size Chevrolets, NOT Corvettes-The earliest Corvettes to get Muncies are built in the May/June 1963 timeframe)

I don’t think Mr. Sortino owns the Sanders car any longer. I appraised it around 2010 here in WA and then the next time I saw it was in the Mecum display at MCACN a few years later. I do have to say, its probably my favorite Z11 after seeing it in all of its unique aqua/aqua original glory.

Hey! There's my 'ol red hot-rod in the background...MCACN 2017

Summer 1965, a Friday night, my buddy and I (he had a driver's license, I didn't) headed downtown Waterloo to cruise 4th Street. But first, a bee-line to Schukei Chevrolet's lot to look for cool stuff. In the middle of the used lot, all by itself, was a white '63 Impala, black rims with no caps, and a nose up stance. In the driver's window were lists describing the details of a Z-11. Holy Crap!!! I got to see and touch a real Z-11!! My 15 year old brain was fully blown :shocked:

I've always wondered where it went from there?? - Bill W

I can listen to these stories all day!! Thanks for sharing Bill.

Also some great stories about the 63 Z-11 cars in the book "Super Stock: Drag Racing the Family Sedan" by Larry Davis. If you love cars from that era, you REALLY need to have that book :3gears:

63 z11
 

When I was born, my dad (RIP Pops) brought me home from the hospital in his black 63 Z11.

He used to tell me whenever he took me out for a ride, I used to crack him up constantly saying "Car go wheeeee!!...."

Unfortunately, he wasn't big on pics- but I have two that I will share.
Pics of pics- from a couple of old Kodaks that I treasure.

He did race it- Pops was an avid drag racer at New England Dragway.
But its primary duty was as a street car.

He bought it used in 1964 from some dealer in MA (around Newton I believe) that had advertised it as a 409- but they apparently had no idea what it really was.

Pops, fortunately, knew exactly what it was- and after he bought it, found some old gas slips or something in the car somewhere with the previous owner's name on them.
Pops managed to contact the guy- who told him that it was just a terrible car- a real piece of crap- and that's why he traded it in.
He told Pops that it was always loading up, stalling and not starting.

One story I can remember him telling me related to the engine compression.

My dad was at work, and my mom was borrowing the car out running errands in "The Black Chevy".
She was stopped getting gas at one of my dad's buddies station.

Apparently, the car wouldn't start back up after the fill- so my dad's buddy offered to push start it with the wrecker.
When my mom let out the clutch- it stalled the wrecker...

Dad told me he sold the car & engine separately-must've been around 1967 or 1968. He told me he put a regular 409 engine back in it.

I took this photo of the Jack May Z11 (tuned by Ronnie Sox) at the York show in 2007. I think there were four other Z11s at that show.

Bob Tucker from Florida in his "Thunder" Z11.

We don't have Verne's expertise to lean on anymore (RIP) but I believe power brakes did not come on the '63 Z11s and all of them had the plenum air cleaner so it would stand to reason that there should be a hole in the firewall for that or at least a plate covering it up.

I have Rusty Symmes "Project Z-11" book and when I get a moment I will look through it and see if there is any reference to that. Perhaps Rusty may know the answer.

No Z11’s had power brakes or front bumper guards and every one of them was an assembly line cowl plenum firewall. That is not a Z11 motor in the photo either but a 409/425.

https://i.postimg.cc/HWr2MFm9/0.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/vZsLpBV0/screenshot-10778.png

https://i.postimg.cc/Njk7Yc8B/screenshot-10780.png

https://cdn1.mecum.com/assets/docs/F...MDIzLjYwLjAuMA..

...

More Z-11 pics and info here...
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...a-z11.1238456/

Our own Mark Johnson is pretty well versed on these cars as well.

Yes he is!!!

I believe the Z-11 intake manifold looked considerably different than the one in the black & white pictures posted in this thread. Like others have said, that car was probably a 409/425, not a Z-11. Also I believe the story about the push starting would have resulted in a problem because the Z-11 cars supposedly came with aluminum bumpers front & rear.

1963 Z-11 Impala from Glen Campbell Chevrolet in Williamsville, NY. Photo seen on FB.

I believe this is the car that Pat Lobb from TX recently restored and still owns?

Here is the restoration thread over on the 348-409 site.

http://www.348-409.com/forum/threads...oration.29583/

Thank God you remember most of the details of Dad's cars. He's had some pretty awesome machines. All I remember is hearing about "The Black Chevy." He probably told me a million times what it was, but that damn memory thing.... RIP Pops. Couldn't have asked for better. Good memories. :3gears:

Actually the heater delete was optional it was not necessarily done as part of the Z11 package and the sound deadening was never part of the Z11 as they did have sound- deadner in the cars.