LT1 Nova

Rich Biebel · 09-14-2008, 06:44 PM

A good friend of mine bought a Yenko Deuce new. It was dark green with all the Yenko ID stuff on it. He installed some steep rear gears( maybe 5.38's) and slapper bars and headers. It ran 12.7's at E-Town driving it there !.....He blew it up with less than 5000miles on it and took it to Wallace Chevrolet in Linden NJ I think it was....they removed the engine and said it was NOT under warrantee. We picked the car up and the shortblock was in the trunk and was a mess. I installed a 302 Z/28 race engine from his '69 Z racecar (F/S) at the time. That Yenko was one of the most fun cars I ever drove around on the street for a few weeks....Pro Track 60 series tires and a 4 speed........I could get that car sideways anytime I wanted. I tried to race a few street squirrels with it but had no takers on that once they saw how the thing ran. The 302 ran 12.15 in the F/S Camaro!.....That friend owned some cars that would be worth a fortune today and that was one of my favorites that was sold for peanuts.......It would not make a good Stocker as the HP rating was 360 or 370 if I remember right....I also think they only made 4 speed cars...they were fast and great to drive on the street as all small block 4 speed cars were back then.....

Conway Witten · 09-14-2008, 10:18 PM

That was the thing about most them, they were just about all available with only 4 speeds. That takes many out of the equation, since many people won't race a stick shift, kind of like it is self policing.
But back "then" GM was offically out of the factory thing to make race cars legal. There were no Chevelles to run at Daytona like there Ford Talledgas or Plymoth Super Birds. No LS7s like there were Boss 429s or race HEMIs. Yet we all scrutinize GM cars to the same standards as the factories that really were involved in racing.

Real Racer · 09-14-2008, 10:30 PM

COPO 9010 LT-1 Nova was available with auto trans. TH400

Same as LT-1 Z 28.
Seen several Yenko Dueces with auto back in the old days. Hurst auto stick shifter if I recall.

Silver Copo 9010 Nova from Canada has auto. It has been in several muscle car magazines over the years.

Chevy454 · 09-15-2008, 12:34 PM

Quote:

You will need GM to OFFICIALLY submit that to the guys at NHRA.

The information was submitted to NHRA way back in 1970...we have a lot of the original correspondance between Don Yenko and the NHRA...why it *never* got a factor is beyond me?

SSDiv6 · 09-15-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chevy454

The information was submitted to NHRA way back in 1970...we have a lot of the original correspondance between Don Yenko and the NHRA...why it *never* got a factor is beyond me?

Probably because Farmer Dismuke was in charge and he was known to not be as "lax"...

Chevy454 · 09-15-2008, 12:56 PM

So, why isn't it legal? Chevrolet produced 177 of these cars...that's right, CHEVROLET. Yenko Chevrolet got 175, and 2 went to Canada. Nothing fancy about them, just plain-jane Novas with the LT-1 & 4.10 gears, and your choice of transmission...granted, Yenko hung stripes/emblems on the majority of them (not all), but that was about as far as he went, unless the customer asked for more.

When I get home tonight, I'll dig out the Yenko-->NHRA correspondance and see about posting some of it. Then maybe someone can tell me *why* it never happened...

HERE IS SOME LIGHT READING ON '70 YENKO NOVAS

Tom Turner · 09-15-2008, 03:47 PM

I tried to help a friend get the "Duece" into the SCCG a few years ago and ran into a problem finding original documentation to submit to NHRA. Many of the Yenco troops are long on tribal knowlege but short on the written word. Somewhere there is documentation or clay tablets or something to verify what we all know and I have found NHRA to be very receptive to this approach in the past. It does chap me that Shelby can wiggle their nose and get absolute BS approved but if it's a Chevrolet; bulletproof documentation and three part harmony is required. It would be OK if all scrutiny was equal. The LT-1 Nova (and others) belong in the SCCG, if I knew where the bones were buried I would dig them up and submit them today.

Chevy454 · 09-15-2008, 05:12 PM

Tom: what info do you need? I can supply a large marjority of the VIN #s of the 177 cars...lots of advertising material...even names/addys of original owners still with the car...and as mentioned above, the original correspondance where all of this took place back in 1970.

09-14-2008, 06:44 PM	#1
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,315 Likes: 25 Liked 544 Times in 213 Posts	Re: LT1 Nova A good friend of mine bought a Yenko Deuce new. It was dark green with all the Yenko ID stuff on it. He installed some steep rear gears( maybe 5.38's) and slapper bars and headers. It ran 12.7's at E-Town driving it there !.....He blew it up with less than 5000miles on it and took it to Wallace Chevrolet in Linden NJ I think it was....they removed the engine and said it was NOT under warrantee. We picked the car up and the shortblock was in the trunk and was a mess. I installed a 302 Z/28 race engine from his '69 Z racecar (F/S) at the time. That Yenko was one of the most fun cars I ever drove around on the street for a few weeks....Pro Track 60 series tires and a 4 speed........I could get that car sideways anytime I wanted. I tried to race a few street squirrels with it but had no takers on that once they saw how the thing ran. The 302 ran 12.15 in the F/S Camaro!.....That friend owned some cars that would be worth a fortune today and that was one of my favorites that was sold for peanuts.......It would not make a good Stocker as the HP rating was 360 or 370 if I remember right....I also think they only made 4 speed cars...they were fast and great to drive on the street as all small block 4 speed cars were back then..... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

09-14-2008, 10:18 PM	#2
Conway Witten Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Shelbyville, KY Posts: 108 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: LT1 Nova That was the thing about most them, they were just about all available with only 4 speeds. That takes many out of the equation, since many people won't race a stick shift, kind of like it is self policing. But back "then" GM was offically out of the factory thing to make race cars legal. There were no Chevelles to run at Daytona like there Ford Talledgas or Plymoth Super Birds. No LS7s like there were Boss 429s or race HEMIs. Yet we all scrutinize GM cars to the same standards as the factories that really were involved in racing.

09-14-2008, 10:30 PM	#3
Real Racer Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 99 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: LT1 Nova COPO 9010 LT-1 Nova was available with auto trans. TH400 Same as LT-1 Z 28. Seen several Yenko Dueces with auto back in the old days. Hurst auto stick shifter if I recall. Silver Copo 9010 Nova from Canada has auto. It has been in several muscle car magazines over the years.

09-15-2008, 12:56 PM	#6
Chevy454 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Alton, Missouri Posts: 84 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: LT1 Nova So, why isn't it legal? Chevrolet produced 177 of these cars...that's right, CHEVROLET. Yenko Chevrolet got 175, and 2 went to Canada. Nothing fancy about them, just plain-jane Novas with the LT-1 & 4.10 gears, and your choice of transmission...granted, Yenko hung stripes/emblems on the majority of them (not all), but that was about as far as he went, unless the customer asked for more. When I get home tonight, I'll dig out the Yenko-->NHRA correspondance and see about posting some of it. Then maybe someone can tell me why it never happened... HERE IS SOME LIGHT READING ON '70 YENKO NOVAS __________________ 69 Pure/Stock Yenko Camaro 11.73 @ 118

09-15-2008, 03:47 PM	#7
Tom Turner Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Lake Tapps, Washington Posts: 137 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: LT1 Nova I tried to help a friend get the "Duece" into the SCCG a few years ago and ran into a problem finding original documentation to submit to NHRA. Many of the Yenco troops are long on tribal knowlege but short on the written word. Somewhere there is documentation or clay tablets or something to verify what we all know and I have found NHRA to be very receptive to this approach in the past. It does chap me that Shelby can wiggle their nose and get absolute BS approved but if it's a Chevrolet; bulletproof documentation and three part harmony is required. It would be OK if all scrutiny was equal. The LT-1 Nova (and others) belong in the SCCG, if I knew where the bones were buried I would dig them up and submit them today.

09-15-2008, 05:12 PM	#8
Chevy454 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Alton, Missouri Posts: 84 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: LT1 Nova Tom: what info do you need? I can supply a large marjority of the VIN #s of the 177 cars...lots of advertising material...even names/addys of original owners still with the car...and as mentioned above, the original correspondance where all of this took place back in 1970. __________________ 69 Pure/Stock Yenko Camaro 11.73 @ 118