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- Thread starter KwikSS
- Start date
Had we been able to see the future we'd all be stinking wealthy.
I was 13 in 1963 and I was at Daytona when the famous “Mystery Engine” big block debuted and from that day I wanted one! It was something to see in person! That car was wicked FAST! I was already a gear head & working on my ‘55 Chevy (you could drive at 14 years old in Florida with a learners permit).
When the Z-16 came out in the ‘65 Chevelle I studied the engine and learned all I could. Two years later I bought my ‘67 Chevelle SS with the optional 375 HP 396. The salesman didn’t even know what it was at the time....spring of ‘67. The only thing I got wrong is I called it a Z-16 not realizing the RPO L78 was the correct designation. One of the first things I did was remove the 375 HP sticker on the air cleaner and put my home made Z-16 sticker on there! Very few of my buddies knew what that even meant, so it was my “stealth engine”....fastest car in town....no brag just fact! LOL! I was easy on it though, most of the time.
4.10 posi & M20 Muncie....put a Hurst shifter on it. It was really crazy fast! Then, I installed a set of Mickey Thompson Super Scavenger Headers, but that’s another story (hint...I started to question the 375 HP as being way too low!).
Good times, then Vietnam and the draft ended it all for me and I sold it for $1,700! Dumbest thing I ever did!
When the Z-16 came out in the ‘65 Chevelle I studied the engine and learned all I could. Two years later I bought my ‘67 Chevelle SS with the optional 375 HP 396. The salesman didn’t even know what it was at the time....spring of ‘67. The only thing I got wrong is I called it a Z-16 not realizing the RPO L78 was the correct designation. One of the first things I did was remove the 375 HP sticker on the air cleaner and put my home made Z-16 sticker on there! Very few of my buddies knew what that even meant, so it was my “stealth engine”....fastest car in town....no brag just fact! LOL! I was easy on it though, most of the time.
4.10 posi & M20 Muncie....put a Hurst shifter on it. It was really crazy fast! Then, I installed a set of Mickey Thompson Super Scavenger Headers, but that’s another story (hint...I started to question the 375 HP as being way too low!).
Good times, then Vietnam and the draft ended it all for me and I sold it for $1,700! Dumbest thing I ever did!
This is a neat thread btw! Long Live the Chevy Big Block! 
cage2592
Administrator
You bring up a good add to this thread. I'm curious to hear from those that had the first BB Chevelle's and what they did for their first mods to an already great performer.This is a neat thread btw! Long Live the Chevy Big Block!
I traded in a 1958 Impala, 348 tri power 3 on the column for my new 1966 Chevelle SS. I bought it in California, it was a 325 horse 4 speed version and the biggest turd in the USA. I drove it to Arkansas on vacation where a High School friend had the 66 Impala version of my engine, also with a 4 speed and the big ass Impala handed me my backside in short order. California emissions absolutely killed these cars back then. Of course in 1967 when the L-88 became available it changed the game dramatically. I got one of the first over the counter
L-88 short blocks that were sent to this state. I had some help from the front office at GM Southgate getting the crate delivered. I was just a dumb 20 year old then but man did that thing wake that car up. The local Chevy parts manager even let me pay him each week until I had enough money in the kitty to pay for the engine. All $322. of it. They then made it possible for me to buy a couple "damaged" rectangle port heads from them for $15 each. Then I bought the complete 67 version of the tri power intake and carbs for the 435hp version and air cleaner etc. I was in love with all that "high tech" state of the art induction setup. That thing ran like a striped assed monkey.
L-88 short blocks that were sent to this state. I had some help from the front office at GM Southgate getting the crate delivered. I was just a dumb 20 year old then but man did that thing wake that car up. The local Chevy parts manager even let me pay him each week until I had enough money in the kitty to pay for the engine. All $322. of it. They then made it possible for me to buy a couple "damaged" rectangle port heads from them for $15 each. Then I bought the complete 67 version of the tri power intake and carbs for the 435hp version and air cleaner etc. I was in love with all that "high tech" state of the art induction setup. That thing ran like a striped assed monkey.
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As I recall, the first thing I did to my ‘67 SS was change the wheels from the body colored wheels with dog dish hub caps to chrome wheels. I think I had at least a half dozen wheel & tire combos while I owned the car! The chrome wheels looked cool with the redlined tires!
Glad you came home. Self as well.I was 13 in 1963 and I was at Daytona when the famous “Mystery Engine” big block debuted and from that day I wanted one! It was something to see in person! That car was wicked FAST! I was already a gear head & working on my ‘55 Chevy (you could drive at 14 years old in Florida with a learners permit).
When the Z-16 came out in the ‘65 Chevelle I studied the engine and learned all I could. Two years later I bought my ‘67 Chevelle SS with the optional 375 HP 396. The salesman didn’t even know what it was at the time....spring of ‘67. The only thing I got wrong is I called it a Z-16 not realizing the RPO L78 was the correct designation. One of the first things I did was remove the 375 HP sticker on the air cleaner and put my home made Z-16 sticker on there! Very few of my buddies knew what that even meant, so it was my “stealth engine”....fastest car in town....no brag just fact! LOL! I was easy on it though, most of the time.
4.10 posi & M20 Muncie....put a Hurst shifter on it. It was really crazy fast! Then, I installed a set of Mickey Thompson Super Scavenger Headers, but that’s another story (hint...I started to question the 375 HP as being way too low!).
Good times, then Vietnam and the draft ended it all for me and I sold it for $1,700! Dumbest thing I ever did!