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Originally Posted by ss wannabee
Recently seen on one of the 409 sites....a 1x4 intake manifold for a Z11? Reportedly only 4 of these were cast...and somebody HAS them ALL? Seems to make some sense...NASCAR rules dictated single-carb engines ONLY...Piece in the photo looks like Z11.....
Thought that the Z11 program was drag-racing ONLY with the familiar 2x4 induction? Did Chevrolet test the engine for "roundy-round" usage (with 1-4bbl) only to move on to the fabled "Mystery Engine" ? Perhaps the Z11 results were lack-luster on the long track?
Also, would NASCAR allow the lightweight body parts? I think they might've be "trouble" anyway at lap speeds of 170-180 mph...which was competitve for that time...
Maybe that 1x4 intake was made for a certain drag class? Anyone out there got info?
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I don't think they ever intended the Z-11 engine for the Big NASCAR. It never breathed that well at high rpms. It is possible that it would have worked at some of the shorter tracks; and it would have needed that single 4 bbl manifold. NASCAR would not have allowed the aluminum parts to be used. They had the mystery motor ready for Daytona about the same time as the new Z-11s were being delivered around the country. As I remember, there were 4 drivers at Daytona with mystery (porcupine head) engines; Johnny Rutherford, Rex White, Junior Johnson and Ned Jarret. From what I heard at the time, GM was under intense anti monopoly scrutiny by the government, and therefore GM decided to "pull the plug" on their racing activities to reduce the spotlight on them. That included not further supporting the Z-11 program with newer development for Drag racing but also their NASCAR programs. This all came to a head about the time of the Daytona 500, and GM (Chevrolet Racing) strategically played that race. At one point or another the mystery engines driven by those four racers all took turns coming to the fron for awhile and then fading back. They proved what they could do but did not want to win that race with that engine. After that race GM was pretty much out of racing for sometime and longtime Chevy Drag racers like Sox and Martin, Dyno Don Nicholson, Dave Strickler (Bill Jenkins), Hubert Platt, Gas Rhonda, Butch Leal, etc. all had to go elsewhere for a factory ride, either with Chrysler or Ford.
Dave Colbert - original Z-11 owner