Hemmings Muscle Machines January 2022

Over the years, I’ve heard many similar stories about upgrading engines from guys who were active in the muscle car scene back when the original cars were new. Probably the most oft-repeated tale has to do with swapping an original 396 in a Chevelle for a 427, usually purchased over the counter at a dealership. Every time I hear about one of these episodes, I can’t help pondering the prospect of pulling apart the drivetrain of a car that was only a year or two old then, not to mention the cost of the new engine. The vast number of these stories I’ve heard really speak to the motivation enthusiasts felt to chase after even more power. I certainly understand the desire to put the biggest available engine into a car…

Modern rally cars fling themselves sideways around the world’s woodlands with 400 turbocharged horsepower on tap. Today’s IndyCar racers make between 600 and 750 hp to go 230-plus mph at Indianapolis. DTM touring-car racers from Germany top 600 horses. A modern NASCAR racer makes 750 hp and touches 200 mph regularly on superspeedways. This is all context for Chevy announcing its new ZZ632/1000 crate engine at SEMA, Las Vegas’ annual automotive trade show, this past November. It’s all in the name: 632 cubic inches and 1,000 naturally aspirated horsepower (really, 1,004, but so what?). It also delivers 876 lb-ft of torque... on pump gas. More power than a NASCAR stocker or an IndyCar, in a box. And maybe between the fenders of your car? Other crate engines with 1,000 horsepower have been…

Letter of the Month: Period Pursuits “When I saw the cover of the November issue of HMM, I thought I was looking at my son Austin’s 1980s and ’90s collection instead of one belonging to Matt Murphy and his wife. My son, now 32, has been on the prowl for Grand Nationals and Turbo Trans Ams since he was 16. He is the proud owner of three low-mileage 1987 GNs, a GNX with 257 miles, and a 1989 TTA. So that his wife, Michelle, would not be left out, she received her own ’89 TTA with 4,700 miles as a Christmas gift last year. To make room for more cars in his collection, his 1991 Syclone was sold earlier this year. That created space for a 1983 Hurst/Olds with 188 original…

YOU MAY IMAGINE THAT A RESTORER of concours-award-winning Yenkos would desire a rather special Camaro to call his own. When this subject was broached in a mid-1990s conversation between Joe Swezey and Brian Henderson, the owners of Super Car Workshop in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Joe decided his ultimate Camaro would be a Le Mans Blue ’69 with a 427 and a four-speed… that wasn’t a Yenko. Not too tall of an order, right? This leaves the remaining uber-rare COPO L72s and ZL-1s, and the 427 conversion Camaros sold through certain dealers. Throw in color and transmission stipulations, and you have a needle in a haystack scenario. Nevertheless, the universe obliged. “Brian was talking to Wade, a fellow Yenko owner, at Chevy ’Vette Fest [which later became the Muscle Car and Corvette…

Owning this extremely rare car still has me in awe. Dick Harrell was not only an extremely talented drag racer, but his handiwork is revealed all through these great supercars. He may not have owned his own GM dealership, but most of the high-performance Chevy dealers of the time had Dick Harrell somewhere at the start of their drag racing programs. It’s a shame that his life ended so early and left a lot of unanswered questions about these cars and his relationships with the different dealers. We’ve owned this extremely rare supercar for over 23 years now and I would like to thank everyone who had a part in restoring it. Some are gone but not forgotten. I still love the car as much today as I did back…

1969 CHEVROLET DICK HARRELL 427 SUPER CAMARO ENGINE Block type............................ Chevrolet Mark IV big-block cast-iron V-8; four-bolt mains Cylinderheads............................Chevroletcast-ironrectangular-port;closed-chamber Displacement...................................................................427-cu.in.(currently433-cu.in.) Bore x stroke ...........................................................4.25 x 3.76 in (currently 4.28-in bore) Compressionratio..............................................................................................................13:1 Pistons...........................................................................................Forgedaluminum,domed Connectingrods..................................................................................................Forgedsteel Horsepower@rpm............................................................................................................N/A Torque @ rpm.....................................................................................................................N/A Camshafttype....................................................................................Solid-lifter,flat-tappet Duration...................................................................259/269-degrees duration (at 0.050) Lift........................................................................................................................620/.620-in Valvetrain ......................................... 2.19/1.88-in valves; 1.7:1 ratio roller-tip rocker arms; pushrods; valve springs Induction system ........ Two Carter AFB carburetors, Weiand aluminum intake manifold Lubricationsystem.....................................................High-volumeoilpump;stockoilpan Ignitionsystem............................................................Recurvedbreaker-pointdistributor; stock 293 coil; wires; Champion sparkplugs Exhaustsystem............................................................................................Jardineheaders Originalengine...............................................................Chevrolet Mark IV V-8, 396-cu.in. TRANSMISSION Type................................................................................................................M21four-speed Ratios........................... 1st/2.21:1 … 2nd/1.64:1 … 3rd/1.27:1 … 4th/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.26:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type....................................................................................GM12-bolt;hypoid;Positraction Ratio................................................................................................................................4.88:1 STEERING Type.............................................................................................................Recirculatingball Turns-to-Lock.....................................................................................................................4.8 BRAKES Type...............................................................................Hydraulic,disc/drum,powerassist Front.............................................................Single-pistoncalipers,two-piece11-inrotors Rear.....................................................................................................................9.5-in drums SUSPENSION Front........... Independent; short/long arm, coil springs, Dual/Duty shocks, anti-roll bar Rear............................Live axle; leaf springs with forward stiffeners, Dual/Duty shocks WHEELS & TIRES Wheels...................................................................................................................Cragar S/S Front: 15 x 4-in Rear: 15 x 7-in Tires ........................................................... Stahl drag / M&H Racemaster Dragster slicks Front: 7.10 x 15 Rear: 8.7.10-15…