1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

Would anyone with knowledge about the 1965 Chevelle (limited production) engine please read my post on the Tech Forum? I'd appreciate it a lot!

Thanks in advance...

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

ok.....

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

True.....I had access to 2 of them when new. One red and one blue version. They belonged to a couple of friends and I did the heads on one and he raced it locally. They both had Hyd. cams. They came WITHOUT posi rears also. Couldnt even order it. The dealer could install one though for big bucks. I had to install a posi 12 bolt carrier in both of them as I worked cheap....LOL. . Gezzzz that was a long time ago !

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

Thanks, Terry!

I really appreciate the information!

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

Hey, Terry. Are you sure about a blue one? According to the 1965 order info, you could get any color you wanted as long as it was red, black, or yellow. I worked on a silver one with a black vinyl top at Gordon Thompson Chevrolet in Jacksonville, Florida in 1967. It had a solid cam, don't know which one or if it was original. I didn't know about the paint colors at that time, or I would have checked for a repaint. I understand there was 201 of them...one convertible made for a high level exec. I met a guy that said he owned it and had a picture, but who knows? Hope you are doing well and enjoying retirement.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

One of the locals that comes in the shop swears that a new one bought in Nashville TN had a gear drive and a reverse rotation camshaft when it rolled off the trailer from Chevrolet. The car was raced here, the original engine was destroyed, and the car later sold.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

Hi Arnold.......The one might have been a repaint. It was Marina Blue (sometimes called "Everyones Blue") with a black interior. A popular Corvette color in those years.. Some dealers would paint your car any color when delivered if you had the money. It could have been a custom paint order done before delivery ??? As far as I know they were all Hyd. cammed from the factory but anything is possable. The 2 Z-16's I played with were Hyd. cammed. They had 3.31 OPEN rears. You couldnt even order a posi rear in them for some reason. I put in 4 series posi carriers with 4.11 gears in both. Yes 201 of the hardtops were built and sold. . Rumors of the Convert exist but no documentation and its never been located as far as I know. Im sure the Z-16 guys would love to see that pix and talk to that guy. Retirement is OK but a little boring. Im still looking for a upper classed stocker but now that the NHRA isnt doing anything about the DP's and new Mustangs Im on hold with my plans for now. A nice 34 Ford 3 Window coupe is looking better all the time. Chevy powered of course. Have a Merry Christmas.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

That HAD to be an L-88 gear drive cam from over the parts counter. Maybe the dealer installed it? I had one of those cams in my 67 435 HP Vette back in 1967 but I installed it myself..

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

Not in 1965, there were no L-88 427 engines. Hell, according to NHRA, there weren't even 50 of them two years later in 1967. But no, this guy was there when the car was unloaded. He says it had the reverse rotation cam, gear drive, and trick distributor on it when it rolled in. I can't remember what small part failed that led them to discover it. This guy is pretty sharp, and knew most of the people racing around here back then. No way I can prove it, and he can't either, but I tend to believe him.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

True....I wasnt thinking about what year it was when I posted that BUT there was ONE GM supplied L-88 engine equiped 65 or 66 roadster corvette built and raced in SCCA racing back in the late summer of 1965 with factory connections. Its documented as such but must have been an engine transplant back in 1965 and came with a 396/427/425 HP? I will look it up tomorrow. I have a ton of corvette mags to sort thru. I bought my cam in the spring of 1967 for my Vette. Had to get the whole kit. Dist. gear drive, etc. It was legal for A/SP back then. Loved the gear whine when capped up. I could hear it even with side pipes. I wonder how he got the Z-16 that way? Lots of interesting stuff could be gotten if you knew the right person.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

I have no idea. Probably because the car was raced out of the dealership. This guy that comes to the shop knew my friend John Livingston back in the day. He said John once told him that he (John) knew their car was illegal by the sound of it. I want to say it was a 56 sedan delivery 2-4 car. I think John told him he had the wrong heads on it and he better not bring it back that way. This is all before my time, mind you, I was only 3 at the time. I'm just going by what people I know who were there have told me over the years.

My uncle sold new Chevrolets for decades, he had all sorts of demonstrators, 66 Chevy II L-79, 67 Chevelle L-78, 70 Chevelle LS-6. He ordered a new C-30 Longhorn for Dad that had a 255HP 350 in 1970. You're right, if you knew the right people, and the right codes, weird and wonderful things could be had.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

This is a bit off course but "My Dad says" back in 67/68 their was a guy that ran a 67 Camaro @ Ravenrock with a 283 (factory) his uncle (my grandfather's brother) worked @ a Chevy dealer & always called him a cheat n S.O.B. & said they never made a Camaro with a 283??

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

I never saw a camaro with a 283 from the factory. Sure is neat reading about this old stuff though. It brings me back in time. Maybe he was thinking of a 302 (283 crankshaft)?

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

283 Camaro?????
Some discussion on this....
http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=145068

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

I pieced together the highlights of that thread. Interesting. So I guess somebody could build a Camaro class car with a 283 2bbl?

There were 193 export cars built with the L32 283/195 engine. 72 manual transmission cars and 121 automatic transmission cars.

Then what are these engine codes ??
MD 67 283 Camaro 195 Base 4-spd 2-Brl Hyd Cam
MJ = 67 283 Camaro 195 Base Power glide 2-Brl

The 283's were only used in foreign-built Camaros and only in one plant, Switzerland. This was due to tax rules.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

[QUOTE=Jeff Lee;228287]So I guess somebody could build a Camaro class car with a 283 2bbl?

Is it in the Guide?

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

I have a friend from the early 60's who has an original Z16 65 Red Chevelle, that he bought new from Hall Chev, in Milwaukee, Wis, and he still has the car. The car has 7500+ a couple miles, it is unmollested, as original as the day he got it from the dealership! He drives the car in the summer time only, and only at night, he got sick of people following him with questions ! The car is in a temperature controled shop at his house, and MINT !!!!!!!!!!............John..........Merry Christmas & Happy New Year P.S. It has a solid lifter cam.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

So, the answer is.......maybe.

Thanks to all who responded to the original lifter question. I REALLY appreciate the information!!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

Just goes to show you that nothing was written in stone during the '60's. My 1969 Corvette had a 1968 Q-Jet Carb for and automatic trans and a 1968 intake manifold on it when I bought it new in July of 1969. I had to locate a 1969 carb and intake before I coud race it in stock eliminator at the Suffolk Va. points race in 1970. You had to have the correct carb for the trans being used back then. It was a 4 speed.

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

When my partner and I built our 1968 Chevy II we did not have a carburetor, We hunted around and could not come up with a new one......or a used one. We bought a lot of parts from a local Chevy dealer and ther parts guy was a racer.....He got us a Q-Jet replacement body that had NO numbers on it.....We raced the car with that carb as well as some others we borrowed. We set the record in H/S at Atco in Sept. 1970 and that carb was on the car. Greg X did the checking after we tore it down. He said he would send the sheet to Farmer and let him decide about the NO number carb.....It passed and we got the record.....7028212....I think was the number...

The following year we went to Atco one day and the track inspector jumped all over us for that carb. and I am sure it was because a local had a similar car and sicked him on us.....He insisted we were illegal and somehow knew about the carb.....It rained anyway and we got our $$$ back and out the gate we went....

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

My racing partner and I had a '57 220 hp Chevy sedan delivery (hydro) and were in a similar spot: could not find a decent carb in a junkyard, so we went to the local Chevy dealership (this was in1966) and bought a Rocherster 4-Jet that was specified in the Chevy parts catalog as the superceded part number for the 4-barrel for that engine.

We took it to an NHRA points race in Blair, Nebraska and were promptly told it was NOT a legal carb (too big), so we went back to Des Moines and with some more looking, found a crusty, old junkyard WCFB off a Powerglide 283 and gave it an amazing amount of TLC, and it worked okay... but I REALLY wanted to run that big Rochester...

Re: 1965 Chevelle Z-16 camshaft info...
 

We also raced a '57 SD with a 283/220. We used the WCFB carb. Rochesters were also legal. I think there were 5 part numbers accepted in 1966. Our carb was done by two different people including Bill Jenkins at one time. It didn't work very well after he did it surprisingly.......and I redid it myself......and never let anyone touch it again.....LOL