Dick Harrell Clutch Turbo COPO Camaro

[68TopStock]

For those who are interested in the COPO's that came from Dick's shop, I thought these pics would be interesting. They are from the November 1969 Super Stock Magazine, and the pics are from an article reviewing the installation of a clutch turbo into a 1969 L72 COPO Camaro. They test drove it against another stock COPO with an auto. The conversion to a clutch turbo was worth .2-.3 over a straight turbo.

This car was listed as Blue, it also has a white interior and it appears to have a blacked out cowl hood. If you look close, you can see the Dick Harrell emblems. James Zelany and Glen Powell are the mechanics performing the work.

[68TopStock]

Here is the second pic of interest, an interior shot. A Pontiac Hurst dual gate shifter, modified to fit the Camaro, was used. No mention of the color of the other COPO used for the test, wonder if it was one of the 3 known? They were tested with 8" slicks for comparison, no times or MPH is mentioned.

On a final note, I read a newspaper clipping provided by Val, Dick's daughter on the DickHarrell.com website, in which he is interviewed on the upcoming '70 sales season. He stated that he sold 148 units, through 28 dealers during the 1969 season.

[Yellow 69 z28]

Who developed this setup, because my current project which was bought new from Mac's Chevrolet, Crete Nebraska, ran with this setup. When I took deleivery of this car it came with a clutch type turbo 400, with a plastic B&M shifter console with a 70's ratchet shifter (w/ a spare). I it also came with a converter T400 w/brake, muncie and several miscellaneous engines of the 427, L88, 454, and LS6 range. The owner of Mac's, Al MacNamera remembers it as being raced with a all aluminum 427 that grenaded the stock muncie setup and took the back haif of the block with it (and from the look of the firewall almost the drivers feet).

See a previous thread Super Stock vintage racer

I never asked Al Mac who prepped the car for them to go racing. If you notice the car's paint scheme it's close to being a D. Harrell knockoff.

[68TopStock]

I think Dick Harrell was one of the few who installed these for customers in the midwest. If I was you, I would contact Al MacNamera and ask him some more questions. Your car may have been modified at Dick's shop. There are scarce records available at this time regarding Dick Harrell cars, however, in the future, more information may be available in identifying his conversions.

It is known that he had an "inside" track with Chevrolet, and with the help of his close dealer associates, like Fred Gibb, Ed Fitzgerald of Courtesy Chevrolet, Bill Allen, of Allen Chevy in Kansas and others in numerous states, he came up with some top notch and ultra competitive set-ups for customers.

[Chevy454]

Hmmm...2-3 tenths over a straight turbo? It just so happens we have one of these clutch-turbo units (came with our funny car) sitting about 10 feet away from our Y-Camaro! Those 2-3 tenths would put me awfully near that magic 11.99 mark!!

[Salvatore]

Go for it!!!

[ORIGLS6]

Rob Clary
'69 Yenko Camaro - <font color="red"> [email protected] - </font> on F70-15 Polyglass

GO FOR IT!!!

[moparts]

YEP go ahead and put that clutch turbo in the Yellow car....I want to be in the background watching when you explain the hole in the foorboard to dad!

[Belair62]

...and the parts laying all over the track !

[moparts]

[ QUOTE ]
...and the parts laying all over the track !


[/ QUOTE ]

O I forgot about that......go ahead and do it......you won't hurt anything.......now where is that parts catalog and price sheet for those rare 69 parts.......this has been a message from your local parts guy!

New motto.....drive it like the parts are free!