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NCRS “HORSEPOWER WARS” SEMINAR,
Hosted by ProTeam Corvette Sales • November 9th, 2013 text by: Werner Meier NCRS #6800 Preamble Stumbling across an old Motor Trend article, titled "The 10 Second Trip", is what sparked Dave Miller’s interest in the car that was probably the first ZL-1 powered Corvette ever shared with the public. Chevrolet had decided to produce a lightweight Corvette drag car for the 1969 Long Lead Press Preview. It featured a ZL-1 engine, THM 400 transmission, 4.88:1 axle and 180° under car headers. Dave’s curiosity led him to the author and to Peterson Publications, where he found numerous unpublished photos of the car which included shots including some of the engineers and technicians who were involved in the cars’ construction. Some of these individuals were identified and subsequently contacted and interviewed. These individuals eventually contacted several other members of the team, including Gib Hufstader, Tom Langdon and Bill Howell, who had been part of Chevrolet’s High Performance Group, then operating under the direction of Zora Arkus-Duntov. Discussions with these engineers and some of the original magazine writers who had driven the car further sparked Dave’s interest. His lifelong passion for drag cars, especially vintage Gassers, led him to making a decision to initiate an effort to duplicate this awesome car. After procuring vintage aluminum ZL-1 block, he contacted with Masterworks Automotive to discuss his idea to re-create the car. Plans were quickly established and the search was on for a suitable "donor car". Once the project was initiated, a luncheon meeting was scheduled at Masterworks with several of the original development engineers and a few others who had been involved with powertrain development. As luck would have it, some of these engineers had the foresight to “retain” many of the original build orders and engineering directives for this car, which they were willing to share; indeed Tom Langdon even brought along the actual dynamometer plots for the ZL-1 engine that he had tested in 1968. The documentation that was provided was used to supplement the high resolution photos obtained from Peterson, thus enabling the car build to retain a high level of authenticity. This luncheon/reunion, held to refine construction plans for the Long Lead Press Corvette, is what would eventually serve as the impetus for a Tech Seminar held at Pro Team on November 9. A panel of engineers and technicians who were involved with the development and manufacture of high performance engines to Chevrolet were invited to serve on panel to share some of the rich history of this sometimes covert effort that so richly benefited Corvette. EVENT OVERVIEW As expected, the event was very well attended, with total attendance nearing 200. Overfeeding at the catered luncheon resulted in a temporary shortage, but the caterer recovered quickly and ensured everyone was satisfied in the end. The event opened with colorful introductions of the panelists and presenters by Werner Meier, the event organizer. Once introductions were completed, the program began with the sharing of recently discovered documents by Ken Kayser and Al Grenning, with commentary from Denny Davis, Bill Howell, Tom Langdon and Gib Hufstader. The focus of this session was to be on the evolution of engines at Chevrolet from the original 265 cubic inch small block, to the W series engine, Mark II/ Mystery Motor and finally the Mark IV, with particular focus on the heavy duty (service) components that were released for the use with the L-88 and ZL-1 packages. After lunch concluded, the program resumed with informal presentations from Dave McLellan (retired Corvette chief engineer) and Greg Cline (Manufacturing Manager from Mercury Marine) who discussed the challenges of bringing the ZR-1, King of the Hill package to reality. SEMINAR Ken Kayser (former Master Mechanic for the Tonawanda and Flint Engine Plants) provided the opening for the program by sharing some excerpts from his about to be published book on the evolution of the big block engine. He showed copies of internal communications and photos to prove the continual efforts to refine the overhead valve V-8, including the small block and W-Series engines. The inability to obtain the durability required for severe racing applications at high power levels eventually led to the development of the Mark II (Mystery Motor) V-8 engines in the early 1960s. Background “color” commentary from the panel of retired engineers was encouraged throughout the program. Of particular interest were some of the duties performed by Bill Howell, who worked for Vince Piggins in the 1960’s, where he provided covert support for several race teams and programs, during a period when General Motors had a specific ban on any involvement with motor racing. He would supply teams like McLaren, Penske, Yunick, Traco and others with special parts for “test and evaluation” purposes. Ken’s program was followed by one assembled by Al Grenning who recently uncovered a treasure trove of Chevrolet Engineering Releases that chronicled the release of the “Heavy Duty” and “Service Package” components. These part releases were not limited to engine components, but included drive train (transmission, clutch etc.), chassis (suspension, cooling) and brake system parts as well. This activity, based on the Mark IV engine, was well under way, having many of the components already built and tested by racers long before the first RPO L-88 package was offered on the Corvette. Indeed, these heavy duty Mark IV parts had been installed in Corvettes at the factory for special customers (privateers) who had the proper connections as early as 1965. The panel confirmed that many of these parts were released to service, manufactured, tested and “evaluated” on the track, but never saw use in production applications. Ed Foss, a noted collector and enthusiast from the Fort Wayne area, provided evidence of this covert enterprise by displaying a unique cut-away 1965 coupe built by Kevin McKay that featured the prototype Mark IV engine that was originally installed in a 1965 Corvette “production car” at the St Louis plant for delivery to Delmo Johnson Chevrolet. The eventual home for the engine was intended to be in one of the five original Grand Sports. The panel discussion followed addressing performance activities in the late 1960s, with particular focus on the development of aluminum blocks. These were originally produced for Jim Hall’s Chaparrals that were competing in the Can-Am series. This effort eventually bore fruit in the form of the RPO ZL-1 option late in the 1969 model year, when the aluminum block could be specified for installation in a Camaro or Corvette. This engine’s introduction to the public was at the Long Lead Press event held at the Milford Proving Ground in the spring of 1968. Dave Miller shared a memo that he received from Don Green, who attended the press preview on behalf of Car Craft magazine:
author: Werner Meier, NCRS #6800 |
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