67 Yenko-" Built by Dick Harrell"

[SuperCars]

I posted this to answer some questions of what exactly did Dick Harrell do at Yenko. This is my 67 Yenko. He appears to have converted approximately 25 of the 67 Yenkos personally. This is the invoice from Dick Harrell to Yenko, of which Harrell performed only the labor. I also have the Yenko Work Order listing every part, piece, and accessory also; with prices. I also have the original invoice from Yenko to Kline Chevrolet. Also on the bottom of the Yenko work order invoice for my car is the amount of check for the sublet labor of $201.75 made out to Harrell. Interesting is the name Saunders scratched out on his invoice.
http://www.corvettes-musclecars.com/yenko.net/harrellinvoice.gif

[JChlupsa]

Interesting esp when you look at the 5 qts of oil for $1.75 or 0.35 a qt and gas for only a buck. Wonder how much gas he got.

[Stefano]

Kevin,
That is a very interesting document. Thanks for sharing it with us. When was Harrell working out of that New Mexico address?

Was Dick working at the Yenko Dealership while performing the conversion or was this at Span, back in Chicago?

What is the time line for the Span, Inc. conversions?

While anything is possible, Don Yenko was an astute Auto Retailer who seems to have followed standard auto retail business acumen.

A sublet(external)invoice would not typically be used to bill out/charge such conversion performed by an employee.

An employees labor charge should be on an (internal)invoice.

That particular invoice would, by its very nature, tend to show that particular vehicle was not converted by the dealership.

Just my speculation, what do you think?

[SuperCars]

By the nature of the invoice it would suggest that Harrell was not a direct employee. We can see the invoice was scratched out pertaining to his New Mexico shop, which suggests it was closed, but in any event the cars were not converted there. There is nothing in the file showing shipping or freight charges. It would not be cost effective to ship the car and miscellaneous parts, engine to New Mexico to do them. The Yenko Work Order has all the accessories and engine, parts invoiced directly as Yenko's portion of the conversion, with Harrell's labor listed as a sublet repair. The bottom line is that it's a Yenko work order meaning it was done in house at Yenko. This would suggest to me that Harrell performed the conversions at Yenko's shop perhaps bringing his race shop truck with his own tools there.

There is nothing in my file pertaining to Span Inc, ever having been involved with this car. I do have a "Yenko SportsCars" price sheet that is listed "Confidential" under it, the address is Box 277 Canonsburg, PA and dated June 7, 1967. This Price Sheet is for 450 and 410 Camaros showing factory options/codes plus aftermarket options with both the Net and Retail prices in separate columns.

[Stefano]

Wasn't Dick working as Nickey's Service manager from at least late 1966 to early 1967?

A prior thread mentions that Dick opened a shop in East Saint Louis during the summer of 1967.

Based on the VIN of your Yenko, it falls within the first part of June 1967 Build date and the work wasn't invoiced until the Begining of August.

Did your '67 Yenko begin life as a 350/295 hp or 396/375 hp Camaro?

I don't know that ever it happened this way, but with Don and Frank's connections at GM, it wouldn't take much to have a few ,soon to be converted Camaros, invoiced and floor planned ,to the Dealership, but drop shipped to a different location, such as an out of state converter.

This would also simplify the Delivery of a converted Camaro to one of the other Super Car dealers.

The NICB reports would still show a ship to Yenko date as they were not set up to catch a minor deviation.

It is my understanding that while Yenko floor planned these Camaros, the other dealers in the network were obligated to pay for them in full, up front.

.

[JoeC]

We think alike...I have some of the same questions.
This car is a small block conversion? Going by the vin I would guess around 06A build date? This is close to the Jim Parks 67 Yenko N230891 YS# 713 which appears to be a small block conversion. Dennis posted his window sticker on here awhile back. You may like to see it as it looks like these two cars are similar. The window sticker had the Yenko Stinger icon on it. Yenko was still building some Stingers in 67 and had some type of arrangement with Dana Chevrolet to build 427 Camaros (at least in late 1966). There is a full page ad in NATIONAL DRAGSTER dec 66 showing a Dana 427 Camaro and Yenko Stinger. The ad states that either car is available at either location and it also mentions Span Inc. Dick Harrell is shown building Nickey Camaros in April 67 magazines but magazine data is at least 2 months off. I wonder at what date Harrell switched to Yenko? Was Dana doing the west coast cars? I believe the 396/375 Camaro came out around May/June and this would have made the conversions require a lot less labor and less parts. I notice a jump in the Yenko vins from N227xxx to N241xxx and this would be around May/June and about half way through the 54 units. Does this mean that the second half of the 1967 Yenkos started out as 375hp cars? Anyone know the vin for the first 375hp Camaro? Too many Questions?

[SuperCars]

My car's trim tag is 06A and 4K which is L78 396/375 HP. The Yenko Work Order on my car lists the Short Block only at $269.75. The Yenko Mechanic I obtained my file from, worked at Yenko in 1967; confirms this having seen this History take place himself, and Harrell performing various conversions. I have the list of 67's that Harrell did.

I have copies of Jim Parks Invoice also. I have the copy of Denis' 67 Yenko as I owned and had it restored, sold it to Denis; along with the copy of the invoice.

I don't have a Span Inc. invoice for this 67 Yenko though. I do have the Original Invoice from Yenko Chevrolet direct to Jay Kline Chevrolet in the amount of $4,214.95

[karnut]

Can I get some opinions on these engine conversions reguardless of who does them?
a. Are these cars still considered FACTORY CARS and able to run in there stock class of that era "1967" even if they were shipped with the 396 and now 427?
b. Are the Harrell cars from Kansas City Shop viewed in the same lite per AHRA as Yenko, Motion etc?
c. I understand Harrell shipped these cars to other dealers
but how was he able to do that not being a dealer? Or was he? Please correct me here if I'm wrong.
g s

[Stefano]

JoeC
I often wondered if there were others with similar questions and thoughts. I am just estatic that we have this forum to help satisfy the addiction.

When do the support group sessions start?

[JoeC]

Kevin, Are the 25 Yenko/Harrell vins all late 1967 Yenko Camaros? What is the earliest date on a receipt? Just wondering when Dick began working on the Yenkos. Did a search on the name Sanders. There was a Clare Sanders who drove a 1969 Funny car called the Super Camaro. attached photo. Maybe the same Sanders?

Karnut, NHRA required a minimum of 50 factory built cars. So 1967 and 1968 427cu in SuperCars were not legal in NHRA Super Stock but the 1969 COPO cars were legal.
AHRA used different rules. The 1967 427 Yenko and Nickey ads stated that the cars were "approved for stock class in AHRA ."

Stefano, Don't know of any support groups but I hear that if you duct tape an old SuperCar emblem around your arm it works like the "Patch" does to help smokers kick the habit.


http://www.draglist.com/photoimages/Photos-RayRay/Full%20Size/huffsanders.jpg

[Stefano]

That is just too ironic. How could a Clare Sanders running a 1967 Super Camaro Funny Car not have a direct link to Dick Harrell?

We again see the early use of "Super Camaro".

[JoeC]

The caption for this photo says 1969 Funny Car. I think Sanders also drove for Jungle Jim at one time.

[Stefano]

It is a '69 body, I just had '67 Camaros on the brain.

[68TopStock]

Kevin,

Thank you for sharing this extraordinary information. Just as a side note, Dick was quoted as returning home to...........Collinsville, Illinois, home of the SYC Reunion! This is noted in an interview in the 3/68 American Rodding, after he crashed his '67 Yenko Funny Car in New York in July(?) 1967.

I wondered why Tom chose Collinsville as the site for the big event. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif