1969 Chevelle SS 396 (L-78) Burnished Brown 300 Deluxe

[WILMASBOYL78]

These stories are classic...takes me back to a simpler and faster time

-wilma

[carnut4life]

Thanks for the stories Frank, please tell us more! Makes me wish I was 20 years older so I could have been doing the same thing back in the early 70's.

[PeteLeathersac]

'

Just checking in hoping Frank had dropped back w/ more OO stories, his 23 Thanks w/ only 3 Posts may be a new site record!
It'd be great if Member ACDelco also Howard who's the OO of Helmut's L88 Norwood Chevelle dropped back again too as they'd enjoy Frank's stories also may even have known of his car?

One interesting thing Frank mentioned was seeing a Plain Jane '69 Camaro w/ L88 @ Norwood when he made the deal for his car.
Was this maybe a Copo 427 car although a dealer added L88 very possible w/ all that was happening @ Norwood Mtrs!
Any chance you recall the Camaro color Frank also if Stick/Auto/Cowl Hood?

~ Pete

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[Igosplut]

This should be broken off from the for sale ads to another forum (like main) so it desn't get buried and more people see it.

[LUVNLIFE]

Gentlemen, I have been in touch with the present owner of my old Chevelle and he has indicated that he may return it to its condition when it left Norwood with me in 69. That would be with the mods I have previously mentioned. Aside from the fact that I could not track down the original engine for him what is the opinion of this group of him doing this. He has a beautiful restoration. Externally the car originally was solid brown. No stripe. Engine bay had aluminum heads and no cowl induction. After Norwood installed the heads and I further consented to the rest of the dealership mods this car went from a Day1 to a Day2 before it left the lot.
Now I also shared with him that I just spent a month in Pittsburgh visiting friends and family. One of the dear friends I visited with I have known since high school. He had a very fast Chevelle too. We were swapping race stories and Danny reminded me that he was the one who showed me how to adjust the valves to get the most RPM. He remembers the aluminum heads. So I told the current owner that I would be willing to sign an affidavit as to how the car appeared in the showroom and when I drove it off the lot. My friend Dan would also contribute an affidavit verifying the aluminum heads. This might help the provenance.
So the closest I came to being beat was by another Chevy. My bud Tom and I are doing the rounds of the EatnParks. I pull into the Wexford burger joint and back in beside a 67 Biscayne. Big car, baby blue, black wheels small hub caps. Then Tom points out the fender flags with 427. Never forgot the owners name. Sam Houston. Are you still out there Sam? Anyway we start talking and it’s clear he has a high opinion of his machine. When Tom starts his $100 negotiation Sam cuts him off and says he’ll only run title for title. This gives me pause. As if to add an explanation point he fires it up. Whoa, bad ass sounding machine. He already has his headers uncapped. Poker face Tom just shrugs and tells Sam he is about to lose and opportunity to make a hundred. I start my car and before we move Sam says he’ll do it for the money. Tom rolls under one side and I under the other and we pull that one bolt holding the exhaust to the collector. Slide it over and reinstall the bolt. Let’s make some noise. Back then north Pittsburgh suburbs were pretty unpopulated even along the 4 lanes. We head south on 19 then off on Old Perry Highway, a curvy 2 lane that has just enough straightaway to race. I could tell on the way down that Sam had some deep gears the way his engine was taching. Tom and Sams second head down the road and pull off to mark a 1/4 mile. It’s probably 10pm, dark save for our headlights and those of the car down the road. We have a volunteer flag man in front who will point at each of us in turn and then drop his arm to go. Thinking back he had some big ones to stand between two thundering tire squealing machines. We are both running about 3 grand, loud as hell and the flag man drops his arm. The big Biscayne immediately pulls a fender on me and as we go he is still there. My peripheral is used to seeing the competition fading back from view. A feeling of panic as I rip threw one gear after another my right foot trying to push threw the floor. Of course it was seconds but it seemed like minutes as I inched up till I had half a fender on Sam when we crossed the mark.
Talking later at the drive in Sam tells me his car is also a product of Marvin’s Speed Shop. Ported, polished, pistons, cam he had me on HP but I had him because I was much lighter than that Biscayne. He had a deserved reputation in the north hills area but my beating him went a long way to making it near impossible to get a race up there after that.

[LUVNLIFE]

Pete, as I remember the Camaro on the showroom floor was white, no stripes and a 4 speed.

[Mr70]

Frank
That's the night you could've owned a baby blue '67 Biscayne with black wheels & small hub caps.

[mockingbird812]

Frank - GREAT story! I can smell rubber and hi octane fuel. Thanks for sharing!!!!

[LUVNLIFE]

Sam, working for an airline I had access to 115 avgas.

[mockingbird812]

Originally Posted by LUVNLIFE

Sam, working for an airline I had access to 115 avgas.

That’ll take care of business!