Friendly Chevrolet 427 Camaro Pics

[whitetop]

Here are some pics of the Friendly Chevrolet 427 Camaro driven by "Mr. Bardahl" Bill Hieshler. Bill also had a 396 car with a flat hood. Notice the hood on the 427 car. Was Friendly Chevrolet a Yenko/Harrell etc dealer? I've also included a picture of the Steakly Bros Camaro. Both Friendly and Steakly Bros. Chevrolet sponsored many many drag cars in late '60's. Both dealers were located in Dallas Texas. Must of had a competition going. The Steakly car (396 powered) was driven by "The Professor" Kelly Chadwick who later went onto funny car fame. Both Bill & Kelly had 427 powered 69 Camaro's later, wonder if they were Zl-1's or Copo's.

I would like to see more "period correct" modified cars like these being restored today. I'm sorry but the "dog dish" cars bore me to tears. Don't these modified cars look bad as h*ll!!! I love the paint and the lettering. Anybody else out there agree with me?

whitetop

Here is the 427 powered Friendly car:

<a href=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1314220&a=9759268&p=44990038>See my photo,friendlynew at Photopoint</a>


Here is the Steakly car (I will repost a full pic tomm. Photopoint is Verrrry slow tonight)

<a href=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1314220&a=9759268&p=44990033>See my photo, steakly1 atPhotopoint</a>





[Edited by whitetop (03-27-2001 at 07:16 PM).]

[Belair62]

I would agree if the car had a serious race history but most of these cars were just bought and had fun with street racing etc and weekend warriors. May be boring but I don't think you would want to see these non- serious old racers put back to their race day condition....there would be a serious shortage of those tiny little foam covered steering wheels ! I think Charley bought them all up with the 8 track players.

[bkhpah]

Go Whitetop, That early drag car look is killer. If the car was a serious player I would without question. But if the car was a weekender, I would like to see it restored with just a sprinkle of period speed parts...BKH

[GMH454]

If a car is original leave it. If a car needs restoring then restore it to the most significantly important period in the cars life. For many cars, it is the day they left the factory or dealer. For others it is when they raced. Even in the case where the car was not a major player, if it raced, it may be more significant to leave it that way.
It kills me when someone takes a racer that is still as it was when it raced, then pulls out everything (the old gas cap restoration)
so that they can pose with the appropriate trophy. Don't mean to offend, just my 2c.
Besides race cars are real fun to own and drive. ESPECIALLY if you can get them street registered. Got to agree about dog dish hubcaps to.
Terry

[JoeC]

I like those 60s era drag cars also. They bring back a lot of memories. If a car can be a hero, then I would say that the 1968 Camaro "Grumpy's Toy IV" that Jenkin's used to win the first ever Pro Stock race at Pomona in 1970 is a superhero car. The new Pro Stock class used liberal rules that ran the cars straight up. Quickest car wins. No staggered Super Stock type starts. No hitting the brakes to avoid a class break-out. The Hemi cars were going to be tough to beat. All the big guns showed up. Dyno Don in a SOHC 427 Maverick, Randy Payne in a Boss 429 Maverick, Dandy Dick Landy's Hemi Challenger, Sox and Martin's Hemi Cuda, Wally Booth in his L88 Camaro and Bill Grumpy Jenkins is his little old ZL1 engined 1968 Camaro car number 777. There were trick parts like two plug Hemi heads, prototype sheet metal intakes, duel 1200 cfm Holleys, huge slicks and air scoops, and rumors of back door factory support. Some say Jenkins was running a destroked Cam-Am block - he kept a blanket over the motor in the pits. The finial round was the Sox and Martin 70 Hemi Cuda Vs Jenkins 68 Camaro. The 90,000 fans were on their feet. Grumpy beat the Hemi winning 9.99 to 10.12. Bill Jenkins became the first ever NHRA Pro Stock Eliminator and his 68 Camaro was the Chevy guys hero of the day.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1169942&a=8610131&p=45030197

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Call me crazy, but I really like the 'dog-dish' plain COPO look!! I would like nothing more than to have one of the two '70 COPO Novas that went to Canada, and retained the stripped-down, no-frills, street racer look. If the car had a race history though, I also agree that it is best to put it back to it's most significant period.

JoeC; Very cool pic of the '68 ZL1 race car!!
Marlin

[whitetop]

I received my drivers license in '76. I don't remember any musclecars back then that were totally original. I can relate to a stock musclecar as much as todays teenager does with a stock Model T. I like the style I grew up with. Most cars had modifications such as wheels, headers, intake/carb, gauges etc. Brians brother's Harrell '68 Chevelle is a perfect example of slightly modified car that has true period correct parts. Lets see more of this.
In my book if you see one stock red '70 Chevelle SS you've seen them all.

Wait to you see what I post tonight!!

whitetop

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

W-Top;
I'm down with the day-two cars, but I just really dig the stock stuff - the plainer the better, probably why I like the Novas. I started driving in '86, and there were no 'stock' restored cars around, maybe that is why they intrigue me so much.
M

[whitetop]

M
You may not understand what I mean by "Day Two". These are cars that have speed equipment that was correct for the period. I'm not talking billet, modern high tech speed parts either that you can buy anywhere today but specifically swap meet fodder. One thing that really gripes me is someone will have a modern day chrome Autometer tach on the column and call it nostalgic!! What is nostalgic in my book is a Sun or Stewart Warner. For instance, I just picked up a set of very early style Lakewood traction bars that are '68-'69 vintage. These bars have changed dramtically in appearance over the years. It's neat to have a piece on the car that was available when the car was new. These bars will be restored just like they were in '68 with correctly shaped snubbers, black phosphated bolts, correct decals etc. It adds "character" to a car in my opinion. Also adds another enjoyable/interesting aspect to a restoration.

I guesss this is what makes this hobby so interesting is that you can build the car how you like....

I won't even get into the argument that most people today build their car based upon what other people think how it should be done

Am I the only one that can't stand the G-machines and Pro Touring look???

whitetop

[Belair62]

I guess if I could I would have them all ! I dont recall 1 single factory bone stock looking car in high school except for a 68 Hemi GTX I think it was. I always remember that car because it barely ran long enough on the clean plugs to get out of the lot ! Everything had wheels,traction bars,tach & gages,even foam steering wheels. I think there is plenty of room for the Pro Touring look too. Especially when they have a lunatic sized big block with F.I. that will outrun all the bone stockers and still be able to actually turn and stop ! Imagine that! I don't have one but if someone out west would like to give me a nice RED one,I would take it.

[Bob Jenkins]

I also started driving around 1976 and enjoy looking at all the musclecars that were around during that era. I know what you mean whitetop, almost every car was modified in one way or another. I really like the nostalgia 1970's street racer look because that is what was popular when I was a kid. It is very hard to find some of those classic speed parts. I did find a white Hurst T-handle for my car on ebay.....wasn't cheap but I wanted one just like I had back in 1979 in my car. Back in '79, I was more into the sleeper '69 Camaro look with the rallies, black wall tires, cowl hood w/no stripes with a Zl1 cammed big block under the hood.....ahhhh, those were the days

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Whitetop;
I understand what you mean by Day 2 cars, and the period speed parts. I think they are cool, but everyone is different and I just happen to like the stripped down sleeper look!! (It reminds me of some stripped down cars that use clean house on the Roosevelt Blvd. in Philadelphia where we would race 5 wide!!)
M

[MikeA]

I had a set of traction bars on my '72 Nova and at the time I was using the car for work (construction inspector). The guy who maintained the equipment was looking at my car and ask me if I wanted to sell it (I said "No") and then the guy took his pipe out of his mouth and said "Boy, you gotta get rid of those ******* traction bars". That comment always stuck with me!!

[Edited by MikeA (03-29-2001 at 09:18 PM).]

[MrMotion]

Hey Whitetop, you are not alone! This 68 SSL78 that my son and I are in the process of restoring is going to be "period correct".
The original owner was a GM R/D engineer who worked on the MarkIV project and from his experience with Mr.Bill Jenkins and the likes of Wally Booth and Smokey Yunick he states that the can-am block was used in some of the Camaros at that time. He ran this Camaro in A stock class with a best time of 10.90 and using the stock 396 SHP engine to Motion Performances L72 conversion to a Can-Am block. He also has newspaper clippings of the car running this fast at Detroit Dragway in the 68-69 season. We will be not restoring this car to assembly line specs but to street and strip armourment of the day. When I sit in this car I feel like I am back in 1968. My 1970 Chevelle LS6 also ran 11.87 @ 117mph in 1971. I only like purist cars that are truly unmolested.