The front wheels are real...
The front wheels are real American Racing magnesium 6x14 fivespokes. They were previously on my '62 409. Magnesium is even lighter than aluminum. The rear wheels are new chromed steel Astro Supremes from Nickey's Speed Shop.
This story begins in January 1966. The U.S. Marine Corps had just classified me "4F" (physically unfit), so I was now back at Nickey Chevrolet driving my two-owner '55 Bel Air 265 V-8 station wagon. I was single and almost 22 years old. For the first time ever, I was a man without a high-performance Chevrolet. I really liked my departed '62 409 that I turned into a drag car, but my driving needs now required something more mileage-efficient. There were 11 years' worth of cool Chevys on the used car market. Most stock '55-57 V-8 models were a few hundred bucks up to a thou. The '58-60 Chevys were $750-1,200. The '61-64 409s were $2,500 or less. There were a zillion Chevy IIs, too.
My friend's '65 350hp 327 L79 Malibu SS really impressed me the summer before. By comparison, in 1964, my '62 409 ran 13.72 at 102 mph with lakes pipes and 4.56:1 gears and slicks. His L79 Malibu ran 13.80 at 101 mph with 3.31:1 gears, seven-inch slicks, and factory-ordered headers. In late 1965/early 1966, a bunch of guys I knew all bought new SS 396 Chevelles. Three of them were black-over-black with a 325 or 350hp engine. My heart really yearned for a '66 Biscayne 427 four-speed, but my pocketbook said otherwise. I liked full-size Chevys, and the '65-66 big-block cars now had a heavy-duty 12-bolt rear end that could take the power. Corvettes and Z16 '65 Chevelles were also out of my price range.
By the end of February 1966, I decided to forsake the great used car market and special-order a brand-new L79 red Chevy II sport coupe. The deciding factor was my steep employee discount. It retailed for $3,210; I paid a little over $2,400. My special-order was accepted on February 25, along with a $100 deposit. On Friday, April 1, I paid $2,372.50 plus tax then drove out of Nickey Chevrolet with what would ultimately be my only brand-new Chevrolet-ever. Ain't that a kick!
My '65 L79 Malibu SS friend,...
My '65 L79 Malibu SS friend, Jim Borecki, took this photo with my Kodak Instamatic during a run I made with M&H 9.00-15 slicks. I never ran the car factory stock. That was a waste of time. The greatest '66 Chevy II racer nationwide was Bill Jenkins. I have many of his stories in my scrapbooks. He ran well into the 11s.
Because I grew up on the starting line, the thought of keeping this L79 Chevy II factory stock never ever entered my mind. A stock car was for sure a class eliminations first-round loser. My plan was always to extract every bit of scalding acceleration out of those cars as money and ability would allow. The following morning, April 2, I was off to my friend's Sunoco station where I would install the S&S headers, S&S slapper bars, plus wider wheels with 7.75-14 bias-ply redline tires. The entire exhaust system was removed. On went the headers with straight 3.0-inch intermediate pipes and a pair of 12-inch-long glasspack mufflers. No tailpipes. Yes, it was loud, and it idled with authority!
Early the next morning I drove the Chevy II 60 miles north to Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. The Chevy II easily won Class C-4, turning 13.40 at a respectable 104.65 mph. The odometer showed 120 miles. The engine was stock-tuned. No ram air and no slicks. Two things I distinctly remember were the number of other Chevy IIs (as many as 19 in the weekends ahead), plus other four-barrel, hydraulic-cammed Mopars, 389 GTOs, and 442s.
In the next week, I super-tuned the engine and dropped in 4.88 gears. The distributor advance curve was quickened, the small 585-cfm Holley carb got larger primary and secondary jets, and the 180-degree thermostat was swapped out to a 160. The car immediately went low 13s on wide ovals and 12.90s with new M&H 9.00-15 slicks. It was a fun street machine. I then installed a clear red plastic hood scoop (boy did it help), plus my old '62 409 tach and EB9A electrical sending unit, and a new Stewart-Warner electric fuel pump. A short time later, a red shoulder harness assembly and a cool Grant GT red metallic steering wheel were added.