Junior Stockers

[MikeMoller]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Interesting that this Larry Davis article didn't have the usual amount of mistakes in it.
When you can read the info right off the picture, it makes it easier ,I guess.

Here's a few though:

Pic 1, I don't what exactly he was trying to say about the HP rating. All models were rated the same, and I think 135 was the original rating anyway.


Pic 6 , The Camaro converts weren't heavier because of the metal top bows.
They were a little sturdier in the rocker panel and floor pan areas, but the majority of the extra weight was due to the 100 pounds of vibration dampener "tanks" in all four corners of the car.

I worked as a GMI coop student at the Norwood factory where they made the camaro's back then, and I was told the corner weights were supposed to add stability to help keep the cars from flipping.

[67l78conv]

Howdy, first post here on another great site.

I actually went out to Shermans a few years ago to talk to him about racing the BatCar and photograph it. Afterword I helped put him together with the current owner of the car. Both Sherman and the new owner are great guys. As Sherman explained it to me and I have also heard from several other people, for part of the year in 1967 through I believe early 1968 there was a special break given to convertibles running in the class. As a result Chevrolet decided to shoehorn in the L78 which made it extremely competitive in the ragtops for the time. Later on when the rule was changed most racers detuned the L78 engines to L35 325hp specs or in the BatCars case the motor was actually pulled and shelved and replaced with a lower hp engine. So even though the car has 1495 miles the engine actually has less. The car was run by Dave Conner from the day after he took it off the lot through the early days of the Rod Shop and then it was sold to Sherman some time around when they got the Hemi contract. The rest is 11 and 12 second history.

When out there I took a few hundred pictures of the car inside and out and also have a small mountain of images of the car from the restoration beyond what is one the site listed above. There is even a shot of Dave Conner taking the car down the track the day after it was bought with just a change in rear tires. I have linked the two galleries of pics below if anyone wants to see them. There are also some shots of old time slips and what not in one of the galleries from when Sherman was racing it.

http://www.thecamaro.com/garage/mike...et_Camaro_L78/

http://www.thecamaro.com/garage/mike...8_Convertible/

Can't leave off without including what seems to be everyone's favorite shot of the car.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by MikeMoller

I worked as a GMI coop student at the Norwood factory where they made the camaro's back then, and I was told the corner weights were supposed to add stability to help keep the cars from flipping.

Mike, What I have read is that the weights were there to dampen cowl shake, for instance when going over railroad tracks.
They were also used in Corvair convertibles.

[67l78conv]

Yes, the weights are used as I understand it for vibration dampening while driving but also to help balance the cars structure from a weight point of view and reduce strain on the center of the car (rockers and floors). As an old GM employee once said to me they are their to keep the car form folding in half. The floors in first gen convertible Camaros are the same as coupes but the rockers are heavier than coupes.

I do remember running around a in a friends convertible 20 some odd years ago without the dampers in it and it was noticeably different. Then again the horribly rusted floors may have had something to do with it as well.

[Mark Yacavone]

What I was alluding to in the floors, was the drive shaft tunnel brace, only in convertibles.

[67l78conv]

Got ya, you were referring to the X Brace under the floors.

[mopar68]

M68

[mopar68]

M68

[vistacruiser67]

Anyone know the issue with the white car please let me know? I know above article with
the darker colored car is Hi performance cars March 1972. Im still looking for the other. Thanks.



















Dark colored and white Olds is the same car. White car is a repaint with 72 Cosmetics.
Rare 71 Cutlass SX not to mention being a convertible SX. Bought off an Olds dealer's
wife. Car was sold with an incorrect 350 engine after Seger was done racing it.