Sam and Dave's LS6 Combo-two for the price of one!

[Xplantdad]

Okay...here goes! Lots of information to digest here...enjoy!

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1970 Chevelle SS LS6 4 SPD

It’s been my pleasure to own this car for almost three years now. Sam “Mockingbird 162” Griffith and I were offered the car in Jan 2005, since we had just sold a 1969 Chevelle Ragtop we were suffering a bad case of sellers remorse that was quickly cured. Shortly after we bought it, I was transferred to Florida for a couple years and then retired back to the Phoenix area. As a result I haven’t had much time to be around this awesome car. Several of you on this site will probably soon recognize one of the last, if not the last LS6 to be built (06E) at the Lakewood plant.

Jerry Blalock was the original owner and took delivery of the car the day he returned from Vietnam, July 24, 1970, a good use of the combat pay he saved up during his tour. He ordered the Chevelle as follows:
** 8-28 Fathom Blue
** Ivory Vinyl Interior
** Door Edge Guards
** 3.31 Positraction Axle
** 450-HP Turbo-Jet 454 V8
** M22 HD 4spd Transmission
** Heavy-Duty Battery
** Cowl Induction hood
** SS 454 Equipment (includes 454 V8 Engine, dual exhaust system, special domed hood, black-accented grille, power disc brakes, sport wheels, wide-oval white lettered tires, wheel opening moldings, black resilient rear bumper panel, bright engine accents, special chassis features) In addition, it was a uniquely optioned example, featuring dealer-installed clock and white vinyl top.

Jerry enjoyed the car for the next five years, before his friend David Bunn finally talked him out of the LS6 in 1975. David had always told his friend that he would be interested in buying the car when or if it went up for sale. This next chapter in this car’s life became a little more interesting. David decided to run the blue LS6 in the IHRA pure stock competition and preparation began in 1982. Because of the stringent rules in this class an incredible amount of attention to detail and the ability to properly tune the engine to get the most out of it is the key to success. I’m guessing a little more than “average” driving skill probably had something to do with David’s success.

About the only changes from stock he could do in this class was to run it using a high rise intake manifold, allowed in class because there were 50 LS6s sold this way. Additionally, the exhaust, 2 in hedman headers and a pair of Sonic Turbo mufflers as well as some bolt on No-Hop Bars instead of normal lower control arms. Accel 8 mm plug wires, and coil, a Hurst Competition-Plus shifter and a Moroso “Brute Strength” Posi plus factory 4.56:1 gears. David also installed Crager 6x15 and 8x15 wheels with road hugger G70 and L60 tires. Other than that this car was, pretty much as driven off the showroom floor. In fact, to this day the engine has never been apart and retains all factory-issue componentry, bottom end valvetrain etc. That’s right, it still retains it’s born with drivetrain, ALL of it, and only 33,000 miles on the odometer. How did it do? This car weighed in at 3895 lbs and has run a best of 12.20 at 108 mph and was the AA/PS IHRA Pure Stock record holder in 1983 and 1984. It was no trailer queen either, it was driven 90 miles to the race track and then set the Official World Record that same day! In addition it has what I believe is it’s original paint. It has since been put back to a stock exhaust system and shoed with stock rims and BF Goodrich radials.

You might at this point be wondering about any documentation? For starters it has two build sheets, one firmly attached to it’s original door panel and a second build sheet found in the interior. The build sheets, Protecto-O-Plate, and original window sticker are the just the start of the document trail of this very cool Chevelle. It has the original order sheet that was in Jerry Blalock’s wallet for over 30 years, a cash receipt in the amount of $3821.98 from Triangle Chevrolet in Raleigh, NC, both dated July 24, 1970. The original 1970 NC Motor Vehicle Registration Certificate, dated Feb 16, 1971 and a 20-day temporary plate dated July 24, 1970. A number of receipts from Triangle Chevrolet and other shops in the area for work done during 1971, seems like Jerry needed new rear G-60’s less than a year after he bought the car for some reason. Jerry also had his insurance cancelled during that first year back from Vietnam, I’m sure it must have been some paperwork snafu. The car is still titled in David Bunn’s name to this day.

Some other interesting artifacts from the car’s history are some polariods taken the during the first week of ownership, day 2 cragers are already on the car. It is on the cover of the July 1990 Muscle Cars magazine, it shares the cover with it’s stable mate, David Bunn’s red 1970 Chevelle. Inside that edition six pages are devoted to the story title, “For the Record.” Both cars held world records in their respective divisions. This car was also featured in the July 1986 edition of Super Chevy with a two page spread devoted to it’s certified world record, set at Rockingham international dragway. It also graces the cover of the November 1983 Chevelle Report in addition to a couple pages inside. For some reason David Bunn put it on the cover and inside back page of his companies’ parts catalog, can’t imagine why. There is one line devoted to this car under the world record section of the Nov 4, 1983 edition of Drag Review. Finally there is the certificate from IHRA certifying the Official World Record.

Sam and I are in the process of trying to decide what to do with this awesome car. We have waffled back and forth between restoring it, to leaving it in it’s original condition for fear of reducing it’s historical value. How many LS6’s are out there with this kind of documentation, known race history, unmolested interior, great color/original paint, and, oh yea original born with drivetrain.


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1970 Chevelle SS L78 Automatic


Here is the other half of the Bunn cars, although not nearly as original as the Blue LS6 the Red David Bunn car is very unique on its own merit. It was bought and raced as an LS6, restamped motor and all. However, it is actually a rarer car, a 1970 L78 Automatic, unknown how many were made, but according to MR70 he has only seen four documented 1970 L78 automatics. Unfortunately the entire original drive train suffered the same fate as most racecars and is long gone. Long ago the car was also repainted, and expense was spared on the paintjob, it’s a 20 footer. So what you have left is a documented L78 auto, great colors, red/red, black stripe with race history and another IRHA world record, this one in the 1/8 mile. A sure fired way to attract attention is to crank it up and drive into any car show, the highly modified exhaust is in no way restrictive and I guarantee you will draw a crowd in short order.

Here are the high points on how it was built at the Lakewood, plant in Atlanta, Ga and delivered to Y.Z. Poss Chevrolet in Lagrange, NC:
** L78 V8 396 Hi Performance V8
** M40 3 SPD Auto Transmission
** 75-75 Cranberry Red Paint
**Cowl Induction Hood
**F41 Special Performance Suspension
**G80 Positraction
**J50 Power Brakes
**JL2 Power Disk Brakes

David Bunn purchased the Cranberry Red “LS-6” couple in 1985 at a racetrack and began setting it up for IHRA pure stock. The 454 block was bored 0.030 inch and uses stock replacement TRW 11:1 pistons. The rest of the short-block features stock replacement parts, save for a revised camshaft profile. A Lunatic Blueprinted Series cam was the difference maker, by using the revised ramps, which open and close the valves much faster than stock was one of the ways for David to be able to get an edge. While not stock, it was legal and it actually checks out as stock on a cam checker. The rest of the engine is pretty much stock or improved within the limits of the rules. The heads are completely stock, with no porting, polishing, port-matching, or anything else. The intake manifold is the high-rise design and the original 780 holley carb is used, as is the factory issue, single-point system, helped out by Accel wires and plugs.

The exhaust system is one of the areas where there are no original pieces. Due to the high speeds the 454 can turn up, there is a large volume of exhaust coming out of the engine that anything other than open headers is going kill performance. Hooker 2 –inch primary tube headers were the answer to the estimated 525 horsepower the 454 produced. The transmission is a Turbo 400 rebuilt with an added shift kit and strengthened with some heavy-duty washers to improve reliability. Power is then transferred to the 12-bolt rear end with 4.10 gears. Other changes David made to stay within the rules were to replace the front disk brakes with drum brakes and do away with the power booster. A pair of worn out shocks were installed on the front to allow for maximum lift at the start while allowing the front end to settle down at mid-track for improved aerodynamics. Out back, the red beast benefits from bolt-on replacement lower control arms and air bags fitted inside the rear coils. It was raced with Weld Wheels all around, 3.5x15 inches up front and 8x15 inches in the rear. The fronts were shod with Pro-trac tires, while the rears were M&H DOT approved street and strip tires. This lightweight wheel-tire combo reduces the unsprung weight of the car by 100lbs. All of these modifications allowed for impressive wheel stands and 11 second times in the ¼.

The red car doesn’t have quite the documentation trail that the blue LS6 has but it does have three buildsheets, one still attached to the door panel. This car is an Atlanta built car also which originally sold on March 23, 1970 if you believe the POP sheet. Since the car was sold as a LS6 the warranty plate was conveniently torn off and misplaced. This car is mentioned in an impressive number of publications however. It shares the cover and a six page spread with the Blue LS6 in the July, 1990 edition of Muscle Cars. It is also covered in: Super Chevy, Jul 1986, Aug 1987, Feb 1989, Muscle Car Review, Oct 1987, Oct 1988, FAST Class, Nov/Dec 1989, Chevelle Report, Dec 1989, May 1994 (Cover). It set the IHRA national record in March 1987 for the 1/8 mile with a 8.20 seconds at 86.23 miles-per-hour at the Piedmont Drag Strip. This car is a blast to drive, but be sure to have it pointed where you intend to go because you will arrive there rather quickly.


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[Xplantdad]

More pics

[Xplantdad]

[Xplantdad]

Docs and stuff!

Red car















Blue docs

[Xplantdad]

engine and other shots...

Red car













Blue







Door Handle blue



Interior Blue







Interior Red

[Xplantdad]

Last shots...Together

[Rick Cell]

" Quote " About the only changes from stock he could do in this class was to run it using a high rise intake manifold, allowed in class because there were 50 LS6s sold this way.

Has one ever surfaced?

[Xplantdad]

Just to make it clear...these two cars have been brought to you by Sam Griffith (Mockingbird812) and David House (Ngtflyr).

Also please remember that this forum is not the place for negative comments. All negative comments will be removed.

Thanks!

[rubbinisracing]

Great cars and story!

[ANDY M]

Bruce, if somebody knocked these cars, ban them from the site.
In my humble opinion,
but not neccesarilly in that order.