How far would Chevrolet go in supporting a racer ?

[GMH454]

Hi, has something that may be of interest for a couple of years but have had a heck of a time documenting it. Now as many of you know I live in the land of OZ (where the new GTO comes from ) and GM operates here through General Motors Holden. . We use LS1s now but used to use 350 Chevs, and our HQ holdens were engineered to accept BBC, as they were intending to drop in the 396 until our Govt had a huge supercar scare in around 1972.
Well in 1974 a local drag racer set about building a A/MP car. This class was dominated by a locally built Ford powered by a Boss 302. Jim's goal was to go the BBC route, allowed by the rules as any car could use any engines available by the manufacturer.
Jim had a donor car and ordered a body to be built for the build up. Now I know what you are thinking, nothing special here a typical "Body in White ". What was delivered was a painted car with carpet top of the line seats, headliner, all glass, tail light, gas tank, badges and rear bumper. Car complete to the firewall WITH a Body Tag showing not a sequence number but a Holden part number where the sequence number should be.
Jim then dropped in a Nickey LS7, (car had a Nickey Decal in early photos ) Mondello prepped heads, Muncie M20 from Donor car, Hone O/D, Chevelle 12 Bolt, etc and proceeded to dominate his class. Car ran under National record, at 11.68 (The Sydney track only had racing once per month and had very poor traction. Garlits toured here in 1975 and ran best of 6.83. ) Car was feature in arround 10 magazines, and became very well known locally.
Before he went racing he wanted to get the car registered.
and got Holden to provide him with a compliance plate. NOW a compiance plate cannot be given for a body, but only a car, as the complance relates to govt regs (ADRs )that control, noise, saftey, engine mangt etc that the car complies with. Holden however gave him a plate that decodes to a wheel less, engine less car etc. (eg no sunvisor ...as required by law in 1971, and headliner was never drilled for them.)

Car is listed as a 1971 production vehicle, date of plate 7/74.

Plates did the job and car was registered, and sunsequently driven to the track, complete with twin 660s Grump Lump, wheels 3" outside body etc..

Wheels up launches and never a hint of a cage.

Car has around 30,000 miles original interior in great shape, staight body, and yes the engine survived rest of drive line went south. Jim was a great engine builder.

Please correct me if I am wrong but don't think Chevrolet ever went to those links to make a racer happy.

Car will be featured in local articles soon, when restoration is finished..hopefully just after Christmas.
As what GMH did could be construed as stretching the law, we are currently waiting for their formal reply.

[JoeC]

Chevy went to great lengths to help certain racers like Penske, Donohue, Yenko, Smokey Yunick, Bill Jenkins, Jim Hall, and a lot more. I don't know about what they did at General Motors Holden but in MI. they would sometimes send out engineering test cars or parts to racers instead of to the scrap yard. Smokey was a pak rat and received many of the items that should have been scrapped. One was a prototype Corvette that was sent to Smokey after being cut up. Smokey had it in storage for many years then sold it to a guy who then restored it. I have a prototype 70 Camaro ZL2 hood that Chevy gave to Grumpy Jenkins instead of scrapping it.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I know a guy in TN who claims to have a Corvette prototype body that I think he got from Yunick, he also has an orig. condition '69 Z, RS, that was a drug seizure from FL!!