CALLING ALL GIBB & HARRELL PICS & STORIES!!

[55chevy]

Hi all. I've just noticed a lot of the other subjects have been getting alot of posts but the Dealer Specific topics haven't been getting a lot of posts lately. I'd be interested in seeing some pics and hearing some stories /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dig 'em out and start typing. I'm sure I'm not the only interested one on this subject.

Ed
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[Kim_Howie]

Check vintage picts under super cars dissc. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[davenkc]

I now have pictures and can tell the story of the "other" red Chevelle if you would find it interesting? I will post it later this week when I get the pictures scanned.
Dave Libby

[Mr70]

That would be very interesting to me.Please post those at your Convience.

[SS427]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif That would be great. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif
Rick

[68TopStock]

That would be great. "Little Hoss" will finally find out what happened to his long lost planned stablemate.

[mc25t190]

look at the ZL1 post january delivery. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[davenkc]

Hear is the promised story,

I believe a few of you met me at last years reunion and others my recognize my name because I am mentioned and my picture is in several of the magazines about the early days of the Dick Harrell Performance Center. I am Dave Libby and this story is of the "other red Chevelle"
I am sure most have seen or at least pictures of Joe Swezey's red Chevelle. This was the car I came to the reunion to see and just to see it again actually caused me to choke up a bit. I am the guy who all those years ago did the actual work on the conversions of all five of the Chevelles. I have told a number of people of the existance of another one like Joe's car that was sold to my older brother and after much searching I now have pictures of it which I will post after I tell its story.

It was one of the early arrivals to the shop and the last of its kind to leave. It was orginally destined to be one of the red/black "team" racecars and as such spent several months sitting in the back of the shop with the engine and trans removed. Well the "team" of red/black cars didn't happen and when it was all said and done it was still sitting there sort of an orphan. My brother asked Dick "what are you going to do with that car"? He was told "sell it" and making a long story shorter a deal was struck. The car had all the trim modifications done and Bill (my brother) liked it so I left it as it was,put a 396/375 out of the pile of them we had back in it and it was delivered to Bill. FYI it was a 4 speed w/ 411 positraction and was no slouch in performance as it was.

My brother and his family planned a vacation and set out for Colorado Springs CO. from his home in SO. KC. Before he left I told him to take it easy on that new engine... you know the drill don't hold a steady speed and watch the temp
He assured me he knew how to handle a new engine and that after all a lot of what I knew about engines he had taught me anyway. Again making a long story shorter the thing spun the front main bearing about halfway across Kansas with about 650 miles on it. He called me with a "come and get me plea" so I took Dick's f/c hauler and went to get him and family. After we got the car home and back to the shop (again long story) The car became a for real 427 Chevelle instead of just looking like one This time all was fine and after several months an a few thousand miles it was one of thr faster cars around SO.KC

One evening he left the car in his driveway when he had painted a couple of hoods for Dick (this was long before the days of OPP) he left them on saw horses till morning and during the night the car was stolen.
A week later it was found in Independence MO. on a dead end side street minus its engine and trans but otherwise intact except the trunk lock had been punched out.

We set about locating another engine and after a week or so found a "Corvette 427" advertised in the paper. Bill called me on a Sunday and we went to look at it. Sure enough it was a Hi pref block,aluminum heads complete minus carb. It had a true L-88 intake on it (no divider). I told Bill it appeared to be a genuine L-88 engine. He bought it and we took it to his house that day. I took it apart and sure enough it was a true closed chamber L-88 with 12.5 pistons.full float pins,crossdrilled crank,rods babbit dipped on the pin end .. it had it all.
It had no sequence# on it so I assume it to be a parts dept supplied engine. origin unknown. Bill said he would like to put a turbo hydro in the car and I said why not? I located a B&M modified trans and that worked just fine, he found a console somewhere and we put it all together in his garage.

To say that car performed would be a gross understatment, that baby flew but wouldn't hardly pass a gas station..

After s few months herding the car around Bill grew weary of driving what was really a race engine on the street (hi maint believe me) he asked if I had something a little calmer to put in the car. I did I had a 390 hp 427 that I was going to put in my tow vehicle, we worked out a deal and that went in the Chevelle and the L-88 wound up as a +30 race motor for a 68 Chevyll I was building in my garage.

Anyway the Chevelle eventually was sold to a local Dr. who bought it for his son and a few months later the young man totaled the Chevelle and died in the wreck. The car was sent to the shredder sometime in the spring of 72.
So now you know the story of the "other" red Chevelle.

That brings you to the same place I am in the knowledge of "where are the DH Chevelles"? I know where the red ones are/were and where one of the green ones (a very special one) are, so there is one more light green one and a medium blue one out there somewhere. They have a black interior and a black vinyl top and there is only those two to be accounted for. It may make "finding a needle in a haystack easy by comparision but unless they suffered a similar fate as this one someone know where they are...

The pictures are not very good and one has been damaged by water I guess. I tried to clear them up with my photo editing program but the result was a "doctored " look so I decided to post it as it is. Sorry for the poor quality but these are the only known pictures of this car. Also note these were taken after the theft recovery (the lack of a trunk lock) Electric solonid replaced it.
Dave

[davenkc]

Here is the first picture

[davenkc]

a side view

[davenkc]

here is the damaged picture It is of the front header.
The tags under the Chevelle bezel are the well known
"Built By Dick Harrell" and under that is one my brother had made at the same trophy shop, it says "For E W Libby"

[Mr70]

Dave
Thank You so much for relaying this story and Pictures to us.Incredible,I had no Idea these existed.
*What was the original engine and Horse power from the Factory in your brothers 1968 Chevelle?
*What was the VIN#,and where all 5 of these 68 Chevelles shipped in sequence,and same time frame from the same Assembly Plant?
If so,we can get Joe Swezeys VIN#,do a sequential VIN# sweep and see what comes up?
Rick

[davenkc]

Rick,
Thank you. The original engines were all 396/375hp
SS396 pkg 4 speed w/4:11 posi. All had black vinyl tops
Joe's car is unique because of its interior. It was a special order through Bill Allen Chev in NO.K.C.MO
so I am sure it is not in sequence with the others IF in fact they are in seq, this is unknown at this time.
My brother thinks he has the original paperwork for his Chevelle and as time permits he is looking for it. I will make that info known if/when I get it.

The green one I mentioned is undergoing a ground up resto now and the owner has promised to bring it to my house to show it off and take pictures of me with it. My last contact with him he said he plans to bring it unannounced to this years reunion (maybe I should not have said that)
if it is done. I hope so. When it is shown all will see that it is unique in another way. I am sworn to keep a secret. These are after all VERY rare cars.
Dave

[hvychev]

Wow. Dave what a great story. Thank you very much for posting it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[SS427]

Dave,
Thanks for a truly amasing story and for the pictures. That is what this hobby is all about!
Rick

[ORIGLS6]

Dave,
Do you know if all five cars received the special nose stripe like Joe's car has? It looks like your brothers car had the same stripe in white. I duplicated that stripe in black on my Seafrost Green '68 that I eventually traded to Fred Gibb in '70. I saw it a few years later in Ft. Madison, IA but lost track of it after that. I hope if it's still around someone doesn't mistake that car for a real DH Chevelle.
Dennis

[bbdon]

Dave, Thanks for posting, this is fascinating information. I wonder if you could take a look at this picture. (http://www.sonic.net/bbdon/free/nova2.jpg)
I have the idea that this shows a 427 swap taking place in Dick Harrell's shop. I'm just curious if you recognose the setting and the person in the picture.

[davenkc]

Dennis,
Yes all of them had the stripe and yes my brothers car had it in white. Joes car had black, the 2 green ones were black and the blue car had white.
Short story... How the color was determined for the mask was by what color the factory accent stripe was now this may seem far fetched but was told to me for the truth, that the cars all had either white or black accent stripe except for a black car which had red...
don't know if it is true or not but white was applied by the day shift and black by the night shift red by either shift. Having worked for GM for 20 years it sounds like something they would do but all that was told to me years ago for the truth but who really knows what the assembly plants did 35 years ago???

Dave /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[davenkc]

Sure however, I am at his moment drawing a blank for the name of the person you can see but an educated guess on the one you can't see is Danny O'Shay (other side of engine)
That is the shop on Hickman Mills Dr. for sure. I will come up with a name with some thought and let you know.
Did you notice the other engine on the floor in the dark? Look below the watch the guy is wearing you can see the valve covers.
Dave

[ORIGLS6]

Dave,
Sounds right. My car had a black pin stripe. I wasn't really happy with it running into the nose stripe like it did and considered buffing it off. Laziness won out and I left it on. That's the first thing I noticed when I saw Joe's car last year at the reunion. Exactly as we did mine.
A friend a few miles West of here bought a new '68 L78 car in black and it had the red stripe on it. That's the only '68 I remember with red striping. Interesting about the shift/color deal.
Dennis

[55chevy]

Dave, Awesome!.. This is what I had in mind when I tried to start this thread weeks ago.. Now if only similar stories and pics would start showing up for the ones I tried to start in the Motion, Yenko and other columns it'll be /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

Ed

[Salvatore]

Dave, You should write a book! Your memory and stories along with the pictures you dig up are great. I am sure you could tell alot of stories about the cars and customers and happenings that went on in that shop. It would be great reading! Keep taking your memory medicine. There is a lot left in there. Thanks for sharing. Sam /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[68SS396]

I was told by Mark Fuss of a conversation he had with someone back in Milwaukee years ago of a DH Chevelle being restored as a regular SS. I wonder if one of the DH cars is still around, only dressed as an SS. Mark was not really specific as to the color of this car.

[68TopStock]

Dave,

That is a great story. The pics are super. I will try and post the newspaper article about the creation of the Dick Harrell/Fred Gibb business partnership. It's a good read.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Dave;
Is there even a remote chance that this car raced once at Pocono Drag Lodge in Bear Lake, PA in '68 or '69 (just outside Scranton, PA)??

I have a vintage drag racing videotape that documents the history of this race track, and there is a car on this tape that looks very similar to your pictures.

Thank you for a very informative post.

[davenkc]

Marlin;

The car in the pictures I posted until mid 70 spent its time
in the South part of KC except for a couple of trips to Colorado. Bill never raced it formally but many times on "grudge night". It went to Independence MO when he sold it.
The car in your pictures... has a couple of possibilities
1 a fake ... most likely I have seen several
2 the real thing.. either is possible
Wondering if B&W pics or color and if stripe appears black or white. Location where blue & 1 of 2 green cars was sold is unknown???? I have heard over the years of the other green car being in Iowa but never any proof..
FYI the genuine cars missing blue car (medium blue) has white stripe, missing green car has black stripe.
Known existing cars both have black stripe and destroyed red car as you saw in pics had white stripe
Hope this helps
Dave

[Charles]

Hello Dave: I greatly enjoyed your Chevelle stories. Thanks for taking the time to share them. The pictures really made the story more complete. Thank you.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Dave;
Thank you for your response. I dug out the videotape with the Chevelle on it and took another look. The car is red with a white strip on the nose, but can't see the side of the car to determine if the stripe is modified on the sides of the fenders. The car does not have the Stilletto style hood like Joe's Chevelle, it is the stock SS hood. The grille has an SS 427 emblem on it. The footage was take in '68 or '69 at Pocono Drag Lodge in Bear Creek, PA.

Normally, these bits of info wouldn't really make me think twice, so here's the Harrell connection. A few years earlier, '66 or '67 I think, the owner of this Chevelle had reportedly purchased Harrell's '64 or '65 Chevy II drag car. He brought it to PA and relettered the car as 'The Honesdale Honker'. I believe he called it this because he had previously purchased one of Bud Faubel's Hemi Honker cars, also renaming it as The Honesdale Honker. I will have to replay the tape, but this guy may have purchased another of Harrell's Chevy II race cars - not sure. I will also write down this individual's name this time!

So, is any of this possible? I know that several of the Match Race cars from the south made their way to the northeast back in that time period, (Wally Bell's New York Shaker for eg.), but I was really surprised to hear of Harrell's Chevy II racing in Scranton - and then a possible Harrell 427 Chevelle. Thoughts?

[davenkc]

Charles,

Thank you for the compliments. My intentions are always
to share what I can as far as information goes
there is so little available and I try to clear up
what I can.
Dave.

[davenkc]

Marlin,
Very interesting, as I said anything is possible, but
the car in your tape you said did not have the fiberglass
hood so that only leaves my brother's car as a possibility.
I asked him a week ago if he or anyone else could have
taken his car to PA and his response was "no way"
I stand by my account of the # of cars and the color
of them and the one I posted the pictures of was the
only genuine red one with the white striping.
I can only surmise that the one on that tape
in a copy,which really would not take much to do.
Dave

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Thanks Dave, that would make sense on the Chevelle. I'll keep diggin on The Honesdale Honker car. Hope to meet you at Englishtown.

[engineman]

If any one is intrested in old drag racing pictures of the 60's and 70's ZL-1, yenko,gibb, harrell or anyone that was racing at that time ,there is a guy i know how bought all the film from the guys that took the pictures then and now he sells them, i bought alot of them and they are the best you will ever see! if anyone wants to call him and order , heres his number Match Race Madness 714-547-6004 good luck.