December '01 feature car

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Pete;
Didn't this COPO Nova run a 12.99 @108 (?) with the B.F.G - Drag Radials, still through the stock exhaust?
M

[Casey Marks]

Next question ???

Anyone remember / know what class the LT-1 Nova was in - - E-Stock ??

[COPO PETE]

Marlin....12.97 @ 106.24 on the drag radials, through dual stock, single crossover exhaust! This car has never been restored,so the body mounts are weak and springs are wore out. Once we restore this thing, I'm thinking 12.8 maybe a 12.7 on poly's, we'll see. Did the Yenko's come with a hurst shifter? I though I read on a post around here that they did and were supposidly installed at the factory????
Peter

[Chevy454]

Casey:

Hopefully Marlin will chime in with the answer...but, what class were the W-31s in? Also, what was the time that you laid down recently in yours?

[COPO PETE]

What class were the W31's in.....they did'nt have any!!!!!!!!!
Peter

[JoeC]

Pete, Does your Nova have the Hurst Shifter? According to my research, Chevy was TIGHT with the Hurst Shifters but Yenko did get them to install them in the Deuce. No Novas or Chevelles got a Hurst from the factory (except Deuce) and Camaro only got them from 69 to 71. Chevy used the Muncie frame mount shifter or the ITM (Inland Tool & Manufacturing) shifter. The ITM looks a lot like a round handle Hurst shifter. As a matter of fact, the round handle Hurst looks more like an ITM shifter then the after market Comp Plus Hurst with the bolt on flat stock shift arm. Makes me wonder if ITM really made the round handle Hurst shifters and just put the Hurst name on them.

[Casey Marks]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="">quote:</font><HR>...but, what class were the W-31s in? Also, what was the time that you laid down recently in yours? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

W-31's were typically F/Stockers. It was a fine line between F/S and E/S .......

I got a 12.997 @ 104.81 with a 1.93 short time.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Casey;
The Yenko Deuce Novas were never officially classified to my knowledge. Although several of the Yenko Deuce brochures are footnoted with ' NHRA Classification applied for', several people who tried to race their Deuces were disqualified because the track was never made aware of the factory LT1/Nova combination. One owner repeatedly requested the verification from Don, never received any response, and promptly removed the YENKO decal from the quarterpanel. It this owner had known the the emblems were attached to the car with double sided tape, he said they would have been off too.

The only car that possibly got classified, (in '71?), was the Central Chev. Deuce that the late Doug Olsen uncovered at Charlie Gilchrist's. I have not been able to receive a photo of this car after countless attempts, to determine what class was on the window. BKH has one though, and might be able to see some letters on the window.

Another original owner who currently runs an F/SA '68 Camaro in New Jersey, felt that the Deuce would have been an E-Stock car. I don't know how he surmised that, but he would definitely know better than I!!
M

[Chevy454]

Well, here's what we've got.

First off, we have letters to and from Walt Mentzner of the NAAR (National Association Automobile Racing), concerning classifying the Deuce for their races. This was around April-May of 1971. In the NAAR, the Deuce was classified as "F/Stock".

We also have a page of hand written notes (looks like Don's writing) with specs relating to the Deuce's engine (just as carb #, valve diameters, head numbers, cam changes, etc.), along Chevrolet shipping weight (3,098) and how much "jobber net" on each car ($58.41). At the top of this page, it has (NHRA Superstock) written, then Walt Mentzner and his phone number written below that [Note: Mentzner was with the NAAR, as stated above]. Directly below that is written F Stock - Mustangs - 11.6. Then, the rest of the page contains notes about the car/engine.

Then, we have a copy of a letter to Wally Parks and the NHRA urging him to classify the Deuce (a copy was also sent to Vince Piggins). This was also around April of '71.

I even checked the NHRA website which has all the classifications for the cars (or at least I assume it's all of them) and the highest horsepower Nova they have listed is the 350/300hp model.

So far I haven't found anything FROM the NHRA back to Don confirming a classification for the Deuce. But, I'm still looking!

[Edited by Chevy454 (12-06-2001 at 10:10 AM).]

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Good stuff Rob, maybe I could get a copy?? I had heard through the vine that the Deuce was not actually submitted by Don to be classified until late '70 early '71, so the dates on your correspondence does not surprise me. I had checked the NHRA site before, and unfortunately found the same info on the Novas. The vintage photo of the Citrus deuce, aka 'Draggin Deuce', does not appear to have a class on the window.
M