62 409 Belair

[Belair62]

I believe there are more restored heater/radio delete 62's out there now than were ever built. I have never heard of a door lock delete !!! The heater actually came in handy for the drag cars to cool down on the return roads although I'm sure people stripped of as much as they could once they got the car.My SD 63 Catalina has sunvisor delete plates that don't look like they were made in a garage but actually machined out of aluminum.I doubt they are factory because if you think about it,why would they put a plate to cover the 3 holes instead of just leaving the visors uninstalled which would leave no holes in the headliner.Even 63 Z-11 Impalas had door locks.But you never know what rolled out the side doors back then either.

[JChlupsa]

Any idea on how many 62 Belair 409 2x4 carbed Belair's with a heater/radio and door lock deletes were made. One of the fellows at the crusie night had one and it was one that was restored by Boyds. I have heard of the heater and radio deletes (have two RS Camaro's like this) but the door lock thing was new to me. He said it was orginally made strickly for racing? Pics of it at my web site.
http://hobbystage.net/camaro/hawaiiancamaro/

Thanks for any help. and as always great place for information

Jeff 67/68 & 69 RS's
65 442


[Edited by HawaiianCamaro (02-23-2002 at 10:54 PM).]

[JChlupsa]

From what I understood the car was made more so for NASCAR type racing. Ill ask the guy next time I see him. He brings it to all the cruise nights and I know Boyds got a pretty $$ from him when they sold it . He is said to have all the paper work for the car also. Guess I was more courious about the door look delete. Looks strange with the doors with key holes and no place on the inside to unlock the car.
Jeff

[Edited by HawaiianCamaro (02-23-2002 at 10:57 PM).]

[Belair62]

NASCAR would probably have a different circumstance.I believe NASCAR cars were shipped as bodies "in white" so there may have been even more stuff not installed.It would be interesting to see what the paperwork says.I recall seing something like that for sale at Boyds some time ago. I couldn't open your picture of the car for some reason.

[JChlupsa]

next time I see the owner at cruise night Ill get a digital pic of his paperwork and e-mail it to you. Also e-mailing the pics now.
Jeff 67/68 7 69 RS's
65 442

[Michael]

A good friend of mine has a real 62 Bubble top '09. It has a radio & heater. Another friend of mine just sold his radio & heater delete Red on Red 62 4 speed 409. It came out of the Floyd Garrett Museum. I almost have to say, it was the best of the best.

[Belair62]

I bet there are a few best of the bests out there ! http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/burnout.gif

[Charley Lillard]

I hear Belair has a really ugly one...Wanna sell it to me cheap ?

[tom406]

I hear the low mile '62 409 Bubbletop out of the Patrick MacGroeder collection (Arizona-aka "Factory Muscle")is unbelievable in its originality. I also hear its here in the Northwest now. That collection is almost liquidated as of this year. Too bad, he really had some great stuff. I know my friend is really happy with the 1600 mile '66 Hemi Satellite they cut loose http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

[fpcopo]

Why did he liquidate? Too much Enron stock?

[tom406]

I heard his heart just wasn't in it anymore. I don't think it was financially motivated, other than the fact that right now is a great time (financially) to blow out a bunch of outstanding musclecars.

[Belair62]

Sure Charley if you throw in a couple of those chinchillas or whatever those mutts are that you own !

[bkhpah]

A local friend of mine has a 61 409 with the passenger side door lock deleted. It has a false cover without a slot or tumblers. Its a strange item. Was told it was a lightweight race part. But what would be the real savings? I have seen it in person...BKH

[JChlupsa]

Besides a slight weight loss onlyother reason I can think of is one less small peice flying around if you crashed.
Jeff

[68SS396]

Tom, do you know who is doing the liquidating of the McGroder collection in Az?

[Charley Lillard]

68SS396..His restoration guy Steve was handeling alot of the showing of the cars. I think there are less than 10 cars left.

[Stefano]

Is there info on the Web? Any Super Cars available?

[68SS396]

Thanks Charley,
I know a guy that has a few of his cars in his collection now. He has ZL-1 #66, The LS-6 El Camino, and the Chrysler 300, among others. All these cars are EXTREMELY fine examples.
Bill

[SS427]

Bill, what color LS-6 Camino does he have?

[Charley Lillard]

You mean Tommy Lee Austin. He claims to have a bunch of cars. He told me he had 6 Yenkos including a 68 Yenko Chevelle. And he said his brother has a 71 LS6 Chevelle with all the paperwork. He seems to own all the cars that I thought were Myths. Apparently he owned the ElCamino before McGroder did. When he bought it from McGroder it had no paperwork but he apparently had all the paperwork from the first time he owned it. Very friendly guy but that is just too many Mythical cars. The GS Stage 1 convert. he sold was a stunning car. I've been wrong before though.

[copo69]

I've seen the lock delete covers on fire vehicles. I suppose that's the last vehicles in the world you need to lock yourself out of. I always thought they would be good for race cars. By the way racecar spelled backwards is still racecar.

[Edited by copo69 (02-26-2002 at 02:27 PM).]

[Belair62]

Brian,there were VERY few real 61 409's built as I'm sure you know. Whats the story on your friends car ? Is it real ? Hardtop or sedan ? I only knew of 1 that had paperwork to prove it as real and it is still in the same persons hands up in Minnesota.The re-pop SS emblems have been around since at least 1983.They were officialy re-popped in the later 80's and sold by vendors etc. A whole crop of 61 SS 409 Impalas grew up in those later 80's and early 90's. It seems every other add in Hemmings now for 61 is an SS !!

[bkhpah]

The car is a light gold with gold interior. As far as I know its a real car. It is a bubbletop style car. He has had it a few years I guess. Has a lot of odd cars. Shelby race car, Wo23 Hemi, 63 Super Duty, 62 409 ragtop, L88 Vette, 67 COPO Corvette silver/red gut among others...BKH

[T Billigen]

Don Fezell has a 61 409 similar to the one you are describing Brian. Also has a 4 door sedan 62 409-409 3 on the tree! This car came from my home town so I know it is real. He also has 3 Z-11 Impalas.

[68SS396]

Yes Charlie the person I am referring to is Tommy. I have personally seen the Chrysler 300, the LS-6 Camino, the ZL-1, and his 427 Biscayne. He drove the 300 to the local cruise night a week or so ago and created QUITE a stir. He just sold a 69 L-78 4-spd Chevelle post car. The LS-6 Camino is Black.
Bill

[Edited by 68SS396 (02-26-2002 at 06:19 PM).]

[Belair62]

Tom that name sounds familiar.Didn't he restore the Old Reliable 62 ????

[T Billigen]

He owns the "Old Reliable" 1963 that belonged to Jenkins. Also the Allen Green Z-11 and Enoch Chevy Z-11.

[bkhpah]

Fezell is a good friend of mine. He is a super guy. He really has some of the rarest cars in the world. Has two Yenko Deuces along with many famous drag cars. The 61 409 car that I mentioned earlier is a different guy. Don will have some of his outstanding drag cars at York...BKH

[T Billigen]

Don was one hell of a drag racer back in the 60s. Used to run a B/MP back then. That was at Skyline Dragstrip, New Castle Pa. When we first started running there they still had a flag man! He won many top eliminator trophies.

[Belair62]

Who owns the Strickler 62 these days ?

[tom406]

According to the "SUPER STOCK - Racing the Family Sedan" book by Larry Davis, his friend Larry Brinkley, another Stock class racer from the 60's, restored and owns Strickler's '62 409 Bel Air Bubbletop, Old Reliable II. He says Mr. Brinkley bought it in '84 and restored it to '62 Nationals trim. As of the printing in 2001, it's emphatically NOT FOR SALE.