CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post

bill dedman · 07-05-2012, 02:41 AM

Gary,

You are correct that the 1963 427 Chevy engine WAS the Z-11. I should have made that more clear when I said it was a "409 on steroids." It was a 409 DESIGN that was enlarged to 427 cubic inches for the 1963 limited-edition "lightweight" drag package that Chevy built for NHRA racing. There were some problems getting them homologated; not enough cars were built before the G.M. front office issued an edict that killed the racing programs at both Chevy and Pontiac, resulting in not enough cars being built to qualify their legal status as Super Stockers, so they had to run these cars (the Z-11 full-size Chevys with the 409-style 427-inch motors, and the Pontiac 421 Tempests (dunno about the swiss-cheese Catalinas) as F/X cars. No matter; they were all still really, really tough!

The "mystery motor" was not included in any of the drag racing activities that I ever heard of, in 1963. It was a canted-valve, 396-style "semi-hemi" whose excellent basic design is STILL making its mark in Pro Stock, Stock, and Super Stock today. It was a NASCAR item ONLY, in the beginning. Who'd have dreamed that it was so good that it would still be a factor in NHRA racing, virtually fifty years later?

Hope this clears up the some of the murk about the two distinctly different big blocks Chevy was developing in 1963. They were both formidible!

07-05-2012, 02:41 AM	#77
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Misconception on a slow stocker winning Gary, You are correct that the 1963 427 Chevy engine WAS the Z-11. I should have made that more clear when I said it was a "409 on steroids." It was a 409 DESIGN that was enlarged to 427 cubic inches for the 1963 limited-edition "lightweight" drag package that Chevy built for NHRA racing. There were some problems getting them homologated; not enough cars were built before the G.M. front office issued an edict that killed the racing programs at both Chevy and Pontiac, resulting in not enough cars being built to qualify their legal status as Super Stockers, so they had to run these cars (the Z-11 full-size Chevys with the 409-style 427-inch motors, and the Pontiac 421 Tempests (dunno about the swiss-cheese Catalinas) as F/X cars. No matter; they were all still really, really tough! The "mystery motor" was not included in any of the drag racing activities that I ever heard of, in 1963. It was a canted-valve, 396-style "semi-hemi" whose excellent basic design is STILL making its mark in Pro Stock, Stock, and Super Stock today. It was a NASCAR item ONLY, in the beginning. Who'd have dreamed that it was so good that it would still be a factor in NHRA racing, virtually fifty years later? Hope this clears up the some of the murk about the two distinctly different big blocks Chevy was developing in 1963. They were both formidible! __________________ Bill