'68 Yenko, Transplant vs. COPO

[Kurt S]

Sorry, I don't have the carb part #'s. Just heard that via a CRG member who had talked with Fran.

[SuperCars]

Kurt & Stan, I have the documents that may answer these questions. Also have 67-68-69 L88 vettes from which I could check carb numbers on. They are Bloomington Gold certified so I would believe they have the right Carbs. But I believe the GM paperwork that I have best explains our questions.

I have an Engineering Change Recommendation (ECR) dated 10-26-67 on COPO 9737, that states: "Furnish log sheets and necessary drawings covering changes required to install the 850 CFM Carburetor and intake Manifolds from the Corvette RPO L88 Engine (427 Cu In) on the Camaro L78 Engine (396 Cu In)". An accompanying ECR is specific with part numbers: "add Inlet Manifold #3933196 in place of #3931075". Also have a Deviation Notice that states: "Install one (1) additional pipe plug 444667 in the heater hose hole on the top right front of the inlet manifold assembly". Could this mean these Camaros had to be heater delete?

The above L88 carb and manifold ECRs were the first change to the COPO 9737's having L78 engine and started somewhat early in the production year. When I refer in this time frame to the COPO 9737 Exception Control Letter Sheet, dated 12-11-67, the only item listed that pertains to export is the U18 Speedometer/Export/, there is no V78 Export on this sheet.

A few months later came along the ECR dated 4-10-68 (which is posted above), it says: make Exp RPO V78 Mandatory on all exceptions with Engine Changes-add to cost sheets. (initialled ARB 4/15/68). So when I refer to the COPO 9737 Exception Control Letter Sheet dated 4-18-68, RPO V78 Less Certificate of Compliance/For Export/ is added on for the first time. Also appearing for the first time at the bottom of this sheet is Sports Car Conversion/Yenko/, as the word Yenko was not on the earlier COPO 9737 sheet.

Maybe I am wrong here, but I believe the ECR with the GM engineers words "engine changes" showing up at the same time as the V78 Less Certificate of Compliance/For Export/ on the Exception Control Letter Sheet, means that there was an engine change. I don't believe it would be an engine change from a L78 to another L78 with L88 carb and manifold, as that already took place months previously. Additionally when you see the V78 Export show up for the first time at this later date, it tells me that this is to cover an engine change to one which was one that had not been approved. If so, what was this new engine? I believe it is the L72 427, and is the reason for the request by Yenko to do the Federal Emmisions Smog test. Kevin.



[Edited by SuperCars (04-30-2001 at 09:35 AM).]

[JoeC]

I have read that all L88s had the 850 Holley DP but I think Stan is right that at least in the beginning of the year the 67 L88 used a 850 vac sec. I have an old L88 Holley sitting in the garage that I hadn't looked at for 10 years and incorrectly remembered it to be a monster 850 DP. I dug it out today and it is a 850 Holley vac sec carb. The numbers are 3886091-AN list 3418-1 dated 0B2 so it must be a service part # carb made in 1970. (Al Colvin's book shows the 67 L88 Holley as 3886091 list# 3418) The throttle bore on the 850 is 1.750 dia where a 780 Holley is 1.687dia. Getting back to the 68 Yenko Camaro - the Super Chevy article on the blue 68 Yenko Camaro raffle car claims it had a L88 carb list# 4054 which would be a 1968 -69 L88 Holley DP. They also claim that this blue 68 Yenko is a COPO L72 MV code car.

[Kurt S]

I can see a different possible meaning to: "make Exp RPO V78 Mandatory on all exceptions with Engine Changes-add to cost sheets. (initialled ARB 4/15/68)"

I think it is a CYA move on their part. On all ECR's that have any engine modifications (9737 and any other ones in their system), they put the export style trim tag on the car because the car may not meet the federal regs that the standard trim tag claims.

I only have info on one early 68 Yenko and it skimpy on details. All the other ones I know about are April cars with the V78 export tag on them.

Still can't figure out why they would have export speedos on the ECR though....

Since we are talking 68 Yenkos, does anyone know the VIN for the 68 Yenko that was in the book "How To Restore Your Musclecar"? The body # is 113453 and it's YS-8021.

Kurt


[Edited by Kurt S (05-01-2001 at 11:20 PM).]

[Denis]

If the 68 Yenko in the "How to restore your musclecar" book was restored by the author, you can reach Greg at 352-344-4329.

[SuperCars]

The COPO 9737 Exception Control Letter sheet "ECL" lists all the RPO's that are combined to mke COPO 9737. Most of you know it already, but these are separate documents from the Engineering Recommendation Changes or "ECR's". The pre-April 68 COPO 9737 "ECL" does not include the V78 Export on it. But it does include the U18 Speedo/Export. Could it be that Federal regulations only allowed the standard 120 MPH speedo; and in order to have the 140MPH speedo it was only able to be permitted by labeling the car for export. It's likely that pre-April 68 Yenkos having Export Trim Tags may only be from the change to the 140 MPH Speedo and had no relevance to engine changes.

Then when V78 Less Certificate of compliance is listed for the first time on the COPO 9737/Yenko "ECL" of April 68; it most likely was a result of this GM engineers words on the April 68 9737 "ECR" pertaining to Yenko; "make RPO V78 mandatory with Engine Changes". Since the V78 Export prompted by "Engine Changes" came into effect in April 68; the cars "without engine changes" prior to April may've had the Export trim tags only because of the U18 Speedo/Export designation.

[JoeC]

Kevin,
Have you tried to contact Jim Mattison or JohnZ? They may be able to shed some light on the COPO documentation since they were witness to some of the activities. JohnZ posts on TeamCamaro and the Corvette Forum sites. Here is a recent post of JohnZ's on a COPO thread.
"Zone Sales Managers had nothing whatsoever to do with COPO's or product promotion - their job was to make sure sales targets were met and cars were distributed/allocated to dealers to keep their inventories in line with demand - to "move the iron".
All COPO activities were managed from Detroit, by Ed Barlow, Jim Mattison and Joe Pike in Sales and Marketing, and by Vince Piggins in Product Promotion Engineering.

There was no shortage of cars to be modified at Chevrolet, whatever the purpose, without going to the trouble of ordering them and having to wait for them to be built; Chevrolet Engineering had over 1,300 cars in their fleet (including mine), and there were several thousand more in the Sales/Marketing/Public Relations fleet.

Inidvidual dealers occasionally modified their own cars for local community activities to create their own marketing opportunities, but all COPO activities and Product Promotion "special cars" were handled from Detroit"

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Kevin;
Your various items of information are starting to come together in a 'timeline, or chronological process. It appears that some changes superceded others, ect, and therefore required export exceptions. Very interesting, I also wonder what Mattison and others remember about the export compiance ect.
Marlin

[Jim Mattison]

Guys, I see that there is quite the debate on if the '68 Yenko Camaro COPO 9737 actually came with the L72 engine. Hopefully, I can help to set the record straight on this issue!

In 1968, I worked in the Chevrolet Fleet & Special Order Department that processed all COPO orders. We were the sales and marketing arm of Chevy Special Vehicles. It was also in 1968 that I first met Don Yenko. At that innitial meeting, Don wanted to get close to the person at Chevy who was handling the orders and paperwork for Yenko Sportscars, a division of Yenko Chevrolet. I was that person.

What started as a business relationship, became a real friendship between Don and I, although he was conciderably older than I was. He loved life and people and it was very easy to like him.........as he loved to party and have a good time!!! As we became friends, he confided to me many of the behind the scenes things that effected the Yenko programs.

The authorization for the 1968 Yenko Camaro (COPO 9737) came about in quite an unorthodox way, as passed-down from Ed Cole, who was the President of GM at the time, to E.M. "Pete" Estes, Chevrolet General Manager. Having those two names on anything at Chevrolet gave a project the highest priority. I later found out that the Yenko family, through Don's dad, Frank, were very close with Ed Cole.

Don told me that in a meeting that he had with Ed Cole, he proposed his idea for a "factory warranted" 427 Camaro. The conversions that his people were doing at the dealership were costing him a fortune in conversion time and warrantee expense. I don't know all of the details of the meeting, but in the end Cole told him that if he could sell half of the cars he claimed to be able to sell, Chevrolet would help him out..........however, he could not publish, nor tell anyone that the cars were actually factory produced.

Cole and Estes also wanted to be able to track these vehicles for ownership, as well as warrantee expense. They had the Chevrolet Product Planning Department issue a special engine code for the "427" engine that went into the 1968 Yenko Camaro COPO 9737. That code was "MV".

Tonawanda records show that a total of 79 engines were built in 1968 with the "MV" engine code. I don't know if all of these engines went into vehicles (some were held for warrantee), but I do know that they were (L72) 427's.

The success of the 1968 Yenko Camaro opened the door for the 1969 COPO program......... and as they say "the rest is history".

I apologize for the lengthy post.

Jim Mattison

[bkhpah]

I feel very strongly that the MV code is a 396/375 and here is why. I have gone over this before, but this time we are on top of a new car. My friend has in his garage a MV code standard bore 1968 396/375 block with a Norwood Camaro VIN. I would be happy to share the VIN if you like at a later date. This motor has been rumored to have been one of the sold short blocks from a Yenko conversion 1968. Also I have just been in contact with a owner of a 375 68 Yenko Camaro 9737 car that is a non converted car. It has all the 9737 things like 1 1/16 sway bar, 140 speedo, special trim tag and rear code. But it was never a 427. It was sold to the original owners as a 396. It has warranty book and POP. I am going to inspect the car in a few weeks. It was Corvette Bronze a Yenko color. I have also talked with another local Canonsburg Yenko 68 396 Camaro owner that bought a new car with all the goodies but a 427. That makes two. If the MV total was 79 and Yenko only sold 64/65 cars that leaves a few unconverted and sold as 396 cars. There may have been a mule 427 test car, but the rest seem to have been delieverd as 396's. Would not at least one MV code 427 engine have shown up by now that is not a restamp? If I am wrong about this I will be the first to admit it. I may have not been there in the day, but the MV code just does not add up to a 427 engine...BKH