Gorilla Milk Chicago gasser '62

[Verne_Frantz]

Anyone know anything about this car? Notice the banner on the quarter...
Thanks
Verne

[NHRAjeff]

Cool Car, from the trailer construction with the reflective tape and markers, the pic is not that old? Is the car in the midwest?

[Verne_Frantz]

Jeff,
I'm not sure where it is right now. I've just started making inquires. Trying to contact the last owner. Seems to have had a pretty substantial Nickey sponsorship, so I'm thinking it might have some neat history.

OR.....maybe that's all just for nostalgia?

Verne

[Stefano]

Some of the Old timers have told me that Nickey sold two Z11 cars, but I have seen no docs or pics to support the info

[Verne_Frantz]

Stefano,
I'll have to check on that if I can unearth a document I have. I don't believe Nickey was listed as the receiver of one of the first 40 cars.
This car is just a passing interest to me for now. It may very well be a later tribute/nostalgia car, but then if it was I'd expect a "W" motor in it. No one ever made an FI unit for those engines with straight up stacks. Algon was the only commercially unit available and it's stacks were in direct line with the intake ports. I've heard Crower made 3 experimental units, and I've seen one, but it had a doghouse kind of like like a Rochester but uglier. My guess is that it's a small block car which would almost mean that it might date back.

Verne
There's enough Chicago guys on this site that I'm guessing if the car did run back then, someone here will recognize it.

[Stefano]

Cool, let me know if you come up with anything? The Nickey Chevy Factory race program started with an SR2 Corvette.


SR2

[SS427]

[ QUOTE ]
Some of the Old timers have told me that Nickey sold two Z11 cars, but I have seen no docs or pics to support the info

[/ QUOTE ]

Stefano,
I gave a gentleman your contact information the other day as they have lots of information on the Z11 cars and he tells me he may know something on one of the Nickey cars. Let me know if you have not heard from him. He is located here in Minneapolis and may be talking to him tomorrow.
Rick

[Stefano]

Rick,
Thanks he did leave a message, but as you know I'm a bit behind.

Does anyone remember Freddie Lorenzen? Nickey sponsored him when the stockers were running at Soldiers field to a sell out crowd.

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
Some of the Old timers have told me that Nickey sold two Z11 cars, but I have seen no docs or pics to support the info

[/ QUOTE ]


how many Z11's did they make in 62? I thought that was 63 only?

[Verne_Frantz]

Chris,
To my knowledge, no car left the factory in the '62 model year with ANY "Z-11" equipment. That's one of those tales that comes up fairly often. The few '62 Super Sports, like 'Ol Reliable III, Nicholsen's car, the Zintsmaster car, etc were ALL regular 409hp 409s. They ran B/FX because of the aluminum, not because of engine modifications.
Late, maybe June or July '62 some "Z-11 type" parts were produced and funnelled through certain dealers to known racers. A number of '62s DID show up on the tracks with those high port heads and 2-piece intakes, but none are believed to be built at any Chevy assembly plant. Most of those early parts also carried the "O-" casting numbers, meaning engineering prototypes.
As far as '63 Z-11s go, NHRA required 50 units sold to the "public" to qualify for Super Stock. A Tonawanda engine assembly plant document exists which lists 50 complete engine units produced by July '63. Chevy also sent the NHRA a list of 40 cars and the dealers they were sent to just before the '62 Winternationals. The list fell short of the 50 required, so Hayden Profitt's Z-11 was put into a made-up-on-the-spot class of LP/S (Limited Production Stock). There may have been only one other car there to be classified that way, so the very beginning of the Z-11 legacy got off to a rather un-noteworthy start.
and the rest, as they say......is history....

Verne