Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best Muscle Cars of 1969

Wife has a2000 Z28 . It has a rag top which we really enjoy. I’m sure it’s quicker than the 66 442 olds I got from bigger brother in the late ‘60s. A kid a few years ahead of me was getting a new GTX . His Dad went shopping with him because he was going to help with the purchase. As they snooped around the lot his Dad poop pooped buying the 440 motor, too big. The kid showed Father a car with that was a little smaller cubes the only hemi 426 ever in our town. The young man lived thru that wild thing and is alive today. That engine had a sound that was awesome on cool still evening racing thru a quarter.

Coulda been thinking about the all aluminum ZL1 427 offered in 69, COPO, crazy expensive. ~550 hp I believe.

Thinking the same. Have googled a few references today & quickly learned many are unreliable. One was that 602, 1967 Z's were produced. But it went on to say the car weighed 3500# I know that to be way off. So I have to rely on that 50 YO memory as well.
Looked for my Jenkins book as well as "How to hotrod the SBC" no luck. But the later had a lot of Smokey Yunich tips plus a list of Chevy heavy duty & performance parts part numbers. Those P/N's tell the story on changes & up grades up till then. Surprising what was available just from the factory.

Teacher in high school had a 69 Z28 302 with the two 4bbl carburator option which was delivered in the trunk to be dealer installed.Now that's a rare one.

I know those. Decades ago A distant friend of mine started with a bone stock 69 Z that I led him to, & at my urging he decided to keep it that way. It wound up on the front cover of Super Chevy magazine. That gave him the bug & he restored a Phase III Z, they called them. Story is the intake, carbs, cam & factory headers delivered in the trunk of a new Z & to be dealer installed. It does have it's own code on the ID plate on the firewall. They did exist.

I never got to see it as I tried to stay away from temptation, but heard he sold it to generate cash for the restoration of a COPO he acquired. And that undertaking is waaaay above my pay grade.

Mathman knows his small blocks:

I had a 1970 GTO with the 400, Turbo 400 trans and 4:10 gears. Turned it into a RAM IV in the late 80s. Loved that car. I think Pontiac had the best looking musclecars, and my favourite was the 69 with the hideaways:

He has a very nice, fun, car!

Bill Jenkins wrote a lot but how to hot rod a small block Chevy was released by Chevrolet. Actually Chevrolet power. My 73 version has all the factory part# for small/big block , build specs for the DZ and ZL1 plus the Cosworth 4 banger. Wealth of history and tips. Bought it new. Ohh and that Cosworth PITA it was, but they did run.

A Grumpy Jenkins tale...

I was at the 197? 4 or 5 or 6 U.S. Nationals in Indy & walking around the pits. Bill was sitting in the side door of a 2 ton Chevy box truck staring at a big Holley carb in his lap. I watched & he reached inside the truck, grabbed & signed a photo & handed it to me. Never said a word & kind of poked it at me.

Even though I was a big fan, it sort of rubbed me wrong & I told I didn't want it. LOL, he just pitched it over his shoulder & continued the stare at the carb, & still never said a word. Always wondered what was perplexing him. But you could bet the farm he was looking for more power. Knew then they didn't call him Grumpy for nothin.

Thanks, GF1. Cool old CR tune and a fine upright bass player.

Nothing would please me more! Current owner has stated it is still NFS several times. It would be great to get it together again someday.