Brooklyn Heavies Article with a DH 70 Camaro

[JChlupsa]

http://www.yenko.net/photos/data/500/Heavy_page_1.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/photos/data/500/Heavy_page_2.jpg

Harrell mention on 2nd column
http://www.yenko.net/photos/data/500/Heavy_page_3.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/photos/data/500/Heavy_page_4.jpg

[Hawkeye]

I saw one of Heavy's haulers about one year ago. I have a picture, but it is too large to post. It was for-sale and IMO it would be an awesme restoration project. This is a great article.

[Mr70]

Cool pix Jeff.

[1970Bluel78]

Didn't Heavey go to jail ( drugs ? ). Is he still with us?

[owners2]

Any whereabouts on the 70 camaro??

[COPO_Anders]

He was at least still with us last year.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[Salvatore]

Seen Heavy and his cars run many times. As for his race cars....probably over in Sveden like all the other good old Pro Stockers and race cars of the day. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[COPO_Anders]

Sam, we probably paid to much for the cars back then http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif, so we made the American sellers happy http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

We just didn´t know better. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[cammer427]

1970Bluel78,

Someone mentioned on another site that Heavy "did spend 25 years in Attica, upstate NY Hotel, LOL, for being a bad boy." I read somewhere else that Heavy was also a drug dealer so it's likely.

[Salvatore]

Where is Heavies chevelle? Somebody has it somewhere. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif B/MP car! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[Z28fan]

Here's a pic I recently found online. It may be one of his Camaros. It's definetly his hauler.

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/36128/2741423400100932375S600x600Q85.jpg

[Salvatore]

That is a great picture. Have not seen it before. I bet that car and rig are in Sveden too! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/no.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[cammer427]

Thanks by the way for posting these magazine article shots. These images are priceless, especially for young guys like me who never got to know what the racing scene was like at the time. This is also the first time I've ever actually seen what Heavy looks like! Very cool stuff man, thanks!

[firstgenaddict]

Cammer427... do you have a Cammer? if so whatcha got it in?

[cammer427]

Afraid not, just picked the nickname http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[14u2nv]

The Camaro on the hauler came from Motion. Joel deliverd it to Heavy after the NY auto show in 69. I still speak with Heavy on a fairly regular basis and while he ran into some tax trouble is a great guy. His stories are priceless.
I am the guy who bought one of the haulers that came from Dick's shop. Heavey considered this car one of his favorite cars along with the Duster that went over seas. It saw a bit of street use before it was converted for the track.
Rumor has it it was left chained to a pole in NY and was striped then rusted away till the shop was sold and it was scraped. As for the 70 in question again rumor has it it went up north and was never seen again.
This is a great pic of the car and big sleeper truck.
Heavy's nick name was Junior and his brother was Lonie hence the J&L... There were dozens of cars in his camp including a Jenkins 68 rs that is believed to still be out there.
Love the Pic and I will Try to get a copy for Heavy..

Thanks
Brian

[Salvatore]

Hey Brian, Welcome aboard. Keep the NY based stories coming! Sometimes Heavy would show up at Cecil County with 4 cars at the same race in the real early 70's. Cecil County Snowbird meets in 1970-72 time frame in February if I remember correctly. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[300deluxeL79]

[ QUOTE ]
The Camaro on the hauler came from Motion. Joel deliverd it to Heavy after the NY auto show in 69. I still speak with Heavy on a fairly regular basis and while he ran into some tax trouble is a great guy. His stories are priceless.
I am the guy who bought one of the haulers that came from Dick's shop. Heavey considered this car one of his favorite cars along with the Duster that went over seas. It saw a bit of street use before it was converted for the track.
Rumor has it it was left chained to a pole in NY and was striped then rusted away till the shop was sold and it was scraped. As for the 70 in question again rumor has it it went up north and was never seen again.
This is a great pic of the car and big sleeper truck.
Heavy's nick name was Junior and his brother was Lonie hence the J&L... There were dozens of cars in his camp including a Jenkins 68 rs that is believed to still be out there.
Love the Pic and I will Try to get a copy for Heavy..

Thanks
Brian

[/ QUOTE ]
'rumor' has it jenkins old '68 rs was wrecked in a towing accident when heavy owned it.... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[Peter426]

"As for the 70 in question again rumor has it it went up north and was never seen again."

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/8504/dickharrell70camaro.jpg

[cammer427]

From an old issue of Camaro Performers (Winter 2004)

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu262/cammer427/East-Coast%20Racers/Brooklyn%20Heavy/Heavy-Edited.jpg

[RichSchmidt]

Here is the deal on what happened to the 70 camaro and a little confusion about the wrecked 68.First off,there were rumors that the 68 camaro was sold to a guy named Rodger Sylvertry,fell off a trailer,sat outside a shop on Long Island and rusted into junk back in the 70's.The whole story is true except the car in question was Heavy"s 1970 car.The 68 was supposedly taken by the cops when they raided his shop back in the day,but witnesses said the car was in a shop somewhere else when the raid took place and that the car was never taken by the cops.There was a rumor that Heavy said the car was at his "down south house" and was taken from there,but that is some third hand info to me.When asked about the 68 there are sources that say that Carmine Rotunda knew exactly where the car was,but who knows if maybe the car he was talking about was the green car that Carmine raced himself.Carmine closed his shop about 3 years ago and I have no way of finding him now.

[Salvatore]

Carmen closed his shop about 3 yeras ago??? I thought he has been in Florida for about 15 years now. I heard he was down there selling hot dogs after him and Heavy broke things up. I also heard the rumor back in the day that Carmen was taking alot of the credit for the Vega running so good and it was really Heavy's car and money. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[RichSchmidt]

I was out there since I moved to my current house which was 2001,and he was open and doing well.I went down there about 3 years ago and the place was a newly opened Mattress store.He may have had a house in Florida for a while,but he was still up here until a few years ago.The speed shop didnt have anything to do with Heavy,and you are right that he did a lot of talking about how much he did on that Vega.As for the Camaro,I am Mentioning converastions that people had with him in the late 70's or early 80's about Heavy's old car sitting in a garage somewhere near his store and the owner refused to do anything with it.Who knows about that though.

[Salvatore]

Thanks for that update Rich! I loved those lazy Sunday afternoons at Raceway Park when they ran their weekly Pro Stock eliminator with Heavy, Carmen, Zul, Blevins and all the NY, North Jersey based racers competed and bet. Carmens dad was the ring leader what I remember in the pits! A great era!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[cammer427]

So, Heavy owned TWO 1968 Camaros? One which was previously owned by Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins (a Rally Sport car). One car was orange, the other green. The green car was prepped and raced by Carmen Rotonda, the other by Heavy's crew. Which was the ex-Jenkins car? Which one was sold to this Roger Sylvestry (spelling correct?), which one fell off the car trailer and thus rendered scrap? Where is the other one (whichever of the two it may be)? Oh man, the confusion...

[cammer427]

Also, were the "London Heavy" cars (or was there only one?) in England related at all to Heavy's cars? Or was it just a fun name choice on the England racer's part?

[Salvatore]

Was Rotunda's green car ever Heavies car? Or just sponsored by him? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[COPO_Anders]

Of the two original "Heavy"-cars this one came to Sweden from England, and it is still here.
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/COPO_Anders/BrooklynHeavyatMantorpPark1975.jpg

The other one, the Challenger,was shipped back to the US. if my memory serves me right. Pic is from Colorod #8 1974.
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/COPO_Anders/Colorodnr81974.jpg

[Salvatore]

Still stealin our race cars arn't you Anders? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[cammer427]

Hmm, are you sure that '72-'74 Challenger was a Brooklyn Heavy car? Or did it originate in England and then later ship to the U.S.? I know he had a '71 Challenger, but not that late. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hmmm.gif

[RichSchmidt]

The most current story is that the car that was sold to Roger Sylvesty Was the 1970 orange camaro,it fell off a trailer,then the damaged carcas sat outside a gas station for years in the late 70's while it rusted badly and was finally crushed.

[Salvatore]

Wasn't that the Harrell car?

[cammer427]

Not sure. Did Heavy have two '70 Camaros? I read somewhere that he had bought one from Dick Harrell, and another he bought after it was driven by Butch Leal... Same car perhaps?

[RichSchmidt]

As far as I know there was only one 70 camaro,and as far as I know it was the Harrell car.There is a story around the Butch Leal car,but it involves it being sold to somebody who basically just changed the name on the door and kept the same paint job.I cant think of who that was but I dont think it had anything to do with Heavy.

[RichSchmidt]

O.K. so I figured it out.It seems that Dick Harrell bought Butch Leal's car and raced it for a while before selling it to Heavy and that means that all the cars in question were the same car and are destroyed.

[cammer427]

Well that's a kick in the balls. I'm sad to hear that.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hmmm.gif

[COPO_Anders]

I know Sam, I know !! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

From the Eiward brothers photo collection, taken somewhere in Sweden:

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/COPO_Anders/2009-09-04Rttviks-resan014.jpg

[Salvatore]

Give the car back Anders! You guys stole enough of them! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

[Dog427435]

Ran across these shots of the Brooklyn Heavy car on an English racing site - taken in the paint shop in May 2003. It was then owned by Jan Thoren. No shots of after, or if it was redone. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t114/dog427435/sfha/bh1.jpg

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http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t114/dog427435/sfha/bh.jpg
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http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t114/dog427435/sfha/bh2.jpg

[bigsixman]

This is good stuff and I have enjoyed the imput on Heavy and his NY racing operation. Has the Jenkins 68 RS pro stock/ modified car ever been found or verified as part of Heavy's team?

[COPO_Anders]

A year or so ago I asked "the professor" if he knew what had happened to "Brooklyn Heavy". He said it was undergoing restoration but didn´t say if it was near completion or not.
"The professor" was more or less unbeatable on the streetracing scene in Stockholm, decades ago. He ran a Beetle with a Corvair engine !

[Salvatore]

Yea and I bet the corvair engine was a Yenko prepped Stinger! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[69z2x4]

"The second Challenger and the Demon ended up in the hands of Carmen Rotunda and Rufus "Brooklyn Heavy" Boyd, but disappeared after Heavy was sent on a government vacation. IRS seizure? Don't know"
This was a quote from a Mopar site talking about Billy The Kid's old race cars.

[RichSchmidt]

Wow Dog.Did you notice that after the paint was stripped down it looks like the original brown color was still in the wheel well opening?That says the car was still sporting the original Heavy modified wheelwells.The holes drilled in the door jambs were a popular trick back in the mid 70's which adds to the originality.It looks like the original supertircks.It sure is nice when they stay this original.

[JRSully]

I can tell you for fact that Heavy's 69 Camaro was left laying at an Amoco station in Wantagh NY Long Island) approx 1980-82, I tried several times to buy it when I was a punk HS kid. It was the Hugger orange, SS/RS with the cut rear quarters, blacked out rear panel, hockey stick stripe car and was lettered 'Brooklyn Heavy" on the doors. 2 mechanics at the station said not for sale and the owner's in jail. Went back one day and it was gone, remember that car well

[Salvatore]

Jim, wasn't that the Baldwin Motion car that was featured in a magazine back in 1969? Motion was testing it at the drags that day. I think the window said SS/EA. I believe I recall Heavy buying that car or something.

[JRSully]

Sammy, It had to be that car. I tried forever to buy it, but lawn cutting money was not going to make that happen. I just wanted it because it was SS/RS Camaro. I remember me and my fellow motorheads ending up stuffing a 351 Clev into an old Pinto that summer, tons of fun and tons broken parts. Ahh, those were the days