Go Back   The Supercar Registry > General Discussion > Supercar/Musclecar Discussion


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 05-19-2023, 08:24 PM
COPO COPO is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA & the Middle East
Posts: 2,996
Thanks: 387
Thanked 358 Times in 189 Posts
Default 69 Z-28 Looking for History

I'm looking for some early history on my 69 Z-28 that was originally sold out of Martin Chevrolet in Warren Ohio.

It is an X-77 D80 car and was originally Code 71 Blue with white stripes and standard Black 711 interior and currently shows about 300 miles (yes 300) on the odometer. The ownership history is not yet 100 percent complete, but the story is the car was raced from day one, hence the ultra low miles.

Car is 99% rust free and it was not cut up but does have slight rolled rear fender lips and a very slight widening of the inner wheel wells. It has a 6 point roll bar and is now painted black. The entire bottom floor of the car was painted white and the front discs converted to drums for low rolling resistance, both common drag racer mods. There are a couple of old track decals on the windshield and the last one I think is from 1977 and says Div. 3 ET Finals Beech Bend Raceway.

To my knowledge it stayed its whole life in the general vicinity of that portion of Ohio and I purchased it out of Ohio 20+ years ago. Given its life in Ohio, it is still 99% rust free, and that also seems to back-up the story of it being a day-one race car that was garaged with the low miles.

Anyone remember this car?
Attached Images
       

Last edited by COPO; 05-19-2023 at 08:52 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to COPO For This Useful Post:
69 Post Sedan (05-20-2023), 69M22Z (05-19-2023), dykstra (05-21-2023), olredalert (05-20-2023), PeteLeathersac (05-19-2023), Steve Shauger (05-25-2023), YenkoYS-199Stinger (06-19-2023)
Attachments - The Supercar Registry IMG_3473.jpg IMG_3472.jpg IMG_3471.jpg IMG_3470.jpg
O Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.
Click here to view all the pictures posted in this thread...
  #2  
Old 05-19-2023, 08:27 PM
COPO COPO is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA & the Middle East
Posts: 2,996
Thanks: 387
Thanked 358 Times in 189 Posts
Default

A couple of additional photos
Attached Images
      

Last edited by COPO; 05-19-2023 at 08:49 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 17 Users Say Thank You to COPO For This Useful Post:
169indy (05-20-2023), 69 Post Sedan (05-20-2023), 69M22Z (05-19-2023), dykstra (05-21-2023), gtomike1967 (05-19-2023), lakercobra (05-21-2023), L_e_e (05-19-2023), markinnaples (05-22-2023), olredalert (05-20-2023), PeteLeathersac (05-19-2023), Pro Stock John (05-19-2023), ruralrte66 (05-20-2023), SS427 (05-19-2023), Steve Shauger (05-25-2023), Tuna Joe (05-20-2023), x77-69z28 (06-22-2023), YenkoYS-199Stinger (06-19-2023)
  #3  
Old 06-19-2023, 03:05 PM
COPO COPO is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA & the Middle East
Posts: 2,996
Thanks: 387
Thanked 358 Times in 189 Posts
Default

An update on my car.

Someone posted the pictures to a FB Ohio Drag Racing site and within a day, a member of that group knew the car and prior owners. A site member alerted me and I reached out to him and he gave me one of the prior owners names and I gave him a call yesterday afternoon.

The prior owner knew the full history of the car other than the day one owner. It was sold out of Martin Chev in Warren, Ohio and when the new car had 300 miles on it, the car was stolen and stripped of its engine and trans, cowl hood, etc.

The prior owners drag racing buddy bought it out of the wrecking yard who recovered the stolen vehicle for the insurance company. This was late 1969 or 1970.

The car was then made into a full time race car with some modifications over the years including a 6 point cage, frame connector, rolled quarter lips, a slight widening of inner wheel wells, narrower gas tank, and relocating the springs inward to allow a bigger tire.

They raced it for a number of years with a 302 and 4 speed and it was a very consistent car and the prior owner won numerous regional annual points challenges.

At some point the bottom of the car was painted white and the front discs converted to drums for less drag. A common modification back in the day. The prior owner explained they painted the bottom white not to see oil leaks but to make it easier to change out the 4 speed in the pits at night. The light would reflect off the white bottom and it made a trans swap much easier.

After a few years the prior owner a spoke to bought the car from his friend and continued to race that car successfully. Eventually he sold it to a city police officer in Salem Ohio (or maybe Alliance) and the car sat in a storage unit for almost 20 years.

He later bought it back from the Officer in mid to late 1990's and raced it again with a 302 and 4 speed and was very successful. After a few years he sold it to another acquaintance who kept it a couple of years before I bought it without a motor and trans in 2002 and it's since sat in storage for another 20 years.

The prior owner is 75 years old, but remains quite sharp and was rattling off the ET and MPH he ran. I think it was normally mid to high 11's with the 302.

The low mile and 99% rust free condition are legit as it was never a street car other than a day or two before being stolen. Fortunately, the thieves didn't mess with any VIN's or the TT as those are unmolested and original (pics posted above) It's a blue car with white strips from the factory, but since the theft recovery it has been black as it appears now in the posted pictures.

While it doesn't have exactly 300 miles as they never hooked up the odometer upon making it a race car, the fact it was only drag raced and stored for 40 years without racing it, points to a likely mileage of under a 1,000 or 2.

The car has a clean title and it lists the mileage as 300 actual.

Mystery solved and was great to speak with the prior owner who knew the history inside and out and he was excited to hear the car was still around.

Last edited by COPO; 06-19-2023 at 03:51 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 21 Users Say Thank You to COPO For This Useful Post:
1967 4K (06-20-2023), 69M22Z (06-19-2023), 69Z11Pacer396 (06-20-2023), Bill Pritchard (06-19-2023), cruiserofland (06-19-2023), dustinm (06-20-2023), dykstra (06-20-2023), Jeffp920 (06-19-2023), jwbavalon (06-19-2023), L78_Nova (06-20-2023), L_e_e (06-19-2023), markinnaples (06-19-2023), McCune (06-19-2023), olredalert (06-20-2023), PeteLeathersac (06-19-2023), Pro Stock John (06-19-2023), R68GTO (06-19-2023), Steve Shauger (06-19-2023), Stihl (06-22-2023), Thomas (06-20-2023), Xplantdad (06-19-2023)
  #4  
Old 06-19-2023, 03:15 PM
RALLY RALLY is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: MI
Posts: 990
Thanks: 19
Thanked 145 Times in 101 Posts
Default

Great story and a beautiful find.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-20-2023, 10:44 AM
dykstra's Avatar
dykstra dykstra is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Washington, IL
Posts: 1,887
Thanks: 23,511
Thanked 1,560 Times in 814 Posts
Default

Glad you were able to find out more history of the car. Congrats!!
__________________
Dave Dykstra
1968 Camaro Palomino Ivory/Ivy Gold interior
-Delivered to Courtesy Chevrolet, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Corvette Grand Sport 60th Anniversary
-Delivered to Bill Jacobs Chevrolet, Joliet, IL
NCRS#66003

“Education is what you get when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t.”-Pete Seeger




http://dykstramotorsports.weebly.com/index.html
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-20-2023, 04:30 PM
black69 black69 is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Around Chicago
Posts: 1,454
Thanks: 23
Thanked 149 Times in 55 Posts
Default

Neat car and great history of racing. Nice colors. I personally think it has more that 1000 miles when you look at the wear around the windshield wiper control, and there is a bit of wear on the brake pedal. Not that it matters in the end. Having a rust free car is the most one could ever want these days to save on restoration costs.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.