'65 Chevelle Z16 (396) Drag Car Ideas

[Snake45]

Getting in the mood to build a Revell '65 Chevelle Z16, but don't particularly want to build a stock one, especially not in the limited color choices. Thinking about racing options. 

I've found pics of exactly one that was raced, a red one. I know one was also fitted with a Turbonique rear axle (probably a yellow one), and I think the Joey Chitwood Thrill Show had one (which doesn't interest me all that much). 

So I'm thinking about maybe doing a "phantom" Stocker, or Factory Experimental, or maybe even an AWB funny car. (Z16s were rare even in the day, with only around 200 made, but they wouldn't have been worshipped as Holy Grail icons the way they are today.)

How about a Dave Strickler Old Reliable Z16? Maybe in the yellow?

Maybe better yet, how about Jenkins? How might that look? More like his '65 Plymouth Black Arrow, or more like the red and white '66 Nova? Would he have painted it white, or started with a red one and added the white like the Nova? What if Jenkins and Stricker hadn't split up in '65, and stayed together under the Old Reliable banner? Maybe the car would have ended up with AWB and injectors by the end of the season, like the Black Arrow Plymouth. 

Maybe a Dick Harrell red one? 

What if Jungle Jim had broken with Lew Arrington in '65 and gone on his own, creating a Brutus-like Z16 with AWB, setback, blower, and the blue paint and graphics of his '66 Nova funny?

The possibilities are interesting, are they not? (Anyone got any other ideas?) 

[rssschris]

Yes Snake, I like what you are thinking. I have been wondering what to do with the one I have, I was thinking of maybe a phantom stocker or dropping it on the 67 chassis.

[Daddy Mack]

Seems like the Chitwood car and  the Turbonique car were one and the same.

[Deuces]

I'd go with a ???.... Hilborn injected big block.. I have a intake from the AMT '69 er '70 impala that I could use for mine but I need the metal stacks from the AMT parts packs... ???

[Straightliner59]

Well, I thought this was a Z-16 car. Alas, it was purchased new, by Tom Sturm, with a 283 installed. But, since I went looking for it...

[Snake45]

24 minutes ago, Straightliner59 said:

Well, I thought this was a Z-16 car. Alas, it was purchased new, by Tom Sturm, with a 283 installed. But, since I went looking for it...

That one's also a '64. 

[Mark]

The Sturm car was a '64, later it had a '65 front clip.  I believe he later cut that car up and used its frame as a starting point for his first Corvair funny car.

Malcolm Durham likewise probably had a '64 turned '65, but he's overlooked in terms of subject matter, except maybe in the case of his Corvair.

Another guy to look into might be Pete Seaton.  He also had a AWB Chevelle, I believe he was the son of a GM exec so his may have started out as a Z-16.

[Daddy Mack]

The 1965 Seaton's Shaker 396 Chevelle was a 1964 with a 1965 front clip swapped on.

The 1965 Chevelle Strip Blazer II (Malcolm Durham) was a regular Malibu SS with an injected 396, altered WB, etc.

Decals readily available for either.

pics easily Googled using the year, model, car name.

 

Edited March 18, 2019 by Daddy Mack

[Straightliner59]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

That one's also a '64. 

 

1 hour ago, Daddy Mack said:

The 1965 Seaton's Shaker 396 Chevelle was a 1964 with a 1965 front clip swapped on.

The 1965 Chevelle Strip Blazer II (Malcolm Durham) was a regular Malibu SS with an injected 396, altered WB, etc.

Decals readily available for either.

pics easily Googled using the year, model, car name.

 

That's what I get for not previewing the pics. The files indicated PHR 65. Problem is, magazine lead times were 4-6 months.  DUH! I just went and looked in the folder--I guess it's a good thing I didn't accidentally get one of the Corvair pics!

[Scott8950]

i like this car but it's probably been built a few times already.

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, Daddy Mack said:

The 1965 Seaton's Shaker 396 Chevelle was a 1964 with a 1965 front clip swapped on.

The 1965 Chevelle Strip Blazer II (Malcolm Durham) was a regular Malibu SS with an injected 396, altered WB, etc.

Decals readily available for either.

pics easily Googled using the year, model, car name.

 

I was aware of those, and that they weren't Z16s, so won't work for my project. I don't want to convert the rear end on this one, just build the body pretty much OOB, hence my need to do a phantom (unless there was another legit racing Z16 I don't know about yet). 

The more I think about it, the better I like the Jungle Jim Brutus-ish idea. 

[Scott8950]

[Kool Kat]

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/64-65-chevelle-drag-cars-photo-thread.587496/

 

KK

[Jantrix]

Yeah, it's a '64 but you get the idea.

[chris chabre]

If youre gonna build a phantom, Id use Malcolm Durhams or the Seaton shaker as my research base. both cars were badass and 2 of the only real competitive chevies in the A/FX class

[bisc63]

No real bad choices here, but DANG, that yellow looks good on that body!

[Gizzy]

I own a 1:1 64' Chevelle,so I too got the urge to build one.I worked on that thing for several month & never was happy with it.Finally gave up & put it back in the box & threw it up on the shelf. Good luck,,,I'll be following 

[Straightliner59]

Here you go. I was wandering around and found this, and remembered this thread:

[Snake45]

37 minutes ago, Straightliner59 said:

Here you go. I was wandering around and found this, and remembered this thread:

Very cool, thanks! I'm still thinking seriously about a phantom Jungle Jim. 

[Fish_65]

Hey Snake, I'm liking your idea very much. I think the 64/65 Chevelle makes a great drag car, especially as a AWB/AFX/match racer. It has to have a big block and 8 stacks through the hood though. The Malcom Durham AWB 65 Chevelle is one of my favorite Chevy drag cars.

As far as the rarity of a Z16 back in the day goes, think about this....there was only about 200 Chrysler A990 cars built in 1965 and those got painted, altered, chopped up and wrecked. I don't see any reason that being a Z16 would have prevented anybody from modifying one back in the day...it was just another car then.