Wanger Chevrolet 454 Chevelle/Camaro Pics

[whitetop]

Here are some pics out of Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine, November '72 about the Jim Wanger Chevrolet 454 Chevelles and Camaro's. They also made trick Vega's, Novas, Corvettes and Monte Carlos. The 454 package was called the LS-W-454. Jim Wangers old friend, Milt Schornack(of Royal Bobcat fame) was the one in charge of getting the cars prepared. Wonder how many were made?
whitetop

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1314220&a=9759268&p=50368465

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1314220&a=9759268&p=50368461

[Ron Nies]

I still have that magazine on my shelf and its in good shape! Ron

[Belair62]

Where was Wangers Chevrolet ?It looks like the first pic of Chevelle was taken at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove Wisconsin

[William]

Wangers Chevrolet was in Milwaukee at Green Bay & Capitol Drive. Still there; now a Volvo dealership. They sold a bunch of "Milwaukee Classic" Monte Carlos with special paint. Always had a selection of used hi-perf stuff. I recall a big-tank '65-'66 Corvette on their lot.

Great Lakes is still operating, 40+ years. Has to be one of the oldest strips around.

[Mr70]

Sunday http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/burnout.gifSunday http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/burnout.gifSunday http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/burnout.gifSunday http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/burnout.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/burnout.gif

[whitetop]

The "Milwaukee Classic" Monte Carlos had to be the ugliest looking cars ever put together. How bad you ask? Makes a Yugo look like a Yenko Camaro. Car looks like something you would check up on your Ho's with. Makes you wonder what Jim Wangers was thinking. Must of used up all of his good ideas on the GTO's.
whitetop







[Edited by whitetop (06-14-2001 at 08:26 PM).]

[Belair62]

Restorable pimpmobiles are hard to find these days...especially the Caddy's with the chrome imitation Rolls Royce front end. I hear Jack Douglas may have made a few of these and called them Superflies.But we all know those werent authorized by Willie the Wimp.

[68l30]

If you guy's get a chance read the Wangers book Glory Days.It has a chapter about the Montes and the story of his Chevrolet dealer.It's not a bad book if you can stand to finish it!

Steve

[JoeC]

Wangers talks about his LS-W (W for Wangers) program in his book. He bought 25 LS-6 crate engines from Chevy and converted them to low compression hyd. lifter street engines. They did some R&D and used a 1969 SS Chevelle as a test car running low 12s at 113 mph. Some were sold as crate engines to replace a customer's worn out high compression big block and some went into new cars. It wasn't legal for a dealer to disconnect air pollution devices on a new car so Jim would have the owner drive the car around the block and bring it in as a new customer in the service garage. He had them sign an affidavit saying the car was for off road use and they also had to pick up their new big block car on a trailer. A young couple bought a 1973 350 Nova and ordered the LS-W 454 conversion using Jim's rules of signing the affidavit and picking up the car on a trailer. The couple was divorced 6 months later and the wife got the car. After she went to register the car it failed her states inspection and she went to a lawyer. Her lawyer told Jim to buy back the car or put the 350 back in with all the pollution control equipment. Jim said no and they reported him to the EPA. They used the Super Stock magazine article and the fact that the cars had radios and other options that proved to the EPA they were not off road only vehicles. The EPA made a big deal out of it in the press and fined Wangers Chevy $500,000.00 and told him to fix the woman's 73 Nova. Wangers later settled with the EPA for $500.00 and fixing the car but also agreed to stop doing engine conversions. The EPA did something similar to Motion Performance in 1974. I guess President Nixon didn't want anyone breaking the law.

[Dale]

The test car for the Wanger conversion was a '70 Malibu automatic with bench seat and no badges. I know. I bought it just after the Nov. 72 issue of SS and Drag Illustrated came out. And if anyone has a copy of that magazine, I'd love to buy it. I gave my copy to the guy who bought the car from me.

Dale

[hvychev]

Very cool Dale! Do you have any old pictures of the car? How long did you keep the car?

[mockingbird812]

Hello Dale,

Welcome aboard. Any pix of your old ride?