norvalwilhelm

Looking at an old photo album I came across one of my old muscle cars. This was back in 69. It was a 428 Cobra Jet. I bought it brand new for $3300. CDN and waited a week to gut it. I remove most of the interior, the front bumper, most of the glass , installed racing seats in the front and carpet in the back.
For a motor I pulled the brand new 428, installed 12.5 compression pistons, ported the heads , wild cam, home made tunnel ram, home made high stall convertor, C6 shift kit and 4.56 gears.
I was heavy in street racing in those days and got a number of calls at night to come and run. I only got beat once by you guessed it a 427 vette. That was the last time I street raced on street tires. Those are 12 inch slicks and never again did I loose.
The car was bought by a collector and I can still drive less then 10 miles from my house and see the car in mint condition just as I built it 32 years ago.
The car ran low 10's for the guy I sold it to exactly as you see it here.
Can you guys tell I am bored :) :)

norvalwilhelm

Darn forgot the picture.

Metal Wulf

:cool: :thumbs: :steering:

Eddie 70

Cool photo and good memories. Thanks for sharing. There is no way I would go down and pay for a new Camaro or Mustang then bring it home and gut it.

Chris Fowler

:thumbs:

Fevre

Norval

Do you have any kids? I am up for adoption. :)

The older I get the more I wish I had a kid or two to share/pass on some of my passions to. Oh well, I guess if it ain't meant to be then it ain't meant.

Thanks for the pics and memories. :cheers:

Paul L

Thanks! I appreciate seeing old pics. And hearing the stories that go with them.

SmokedTires

So I finally found someone who actually dismantles a brand new car :p: !!

Cool story, thanks for sharing :cheers: .

norvalwilhelm

I have a daughter 33 who grew up riding. When she was 8-9 we rode together a couple of times a week with her on the front of my saddle. As she grew older and stronger she got her own horse. Eventually she went into racing my horse across country in races up to 50 miles. To her a 25 mile cross country run was a sprint race. It involved camping over a weekend. It kept us close. The constant training and weekends away.
I also have a son 31. He was into cars and when he turned 15 we bought a camaro and built a really healthy 350 with nitrous. About 1 month after he turned 16 he got his license and started using the camaro. He never beat on it and sometimes I would make changes and ask him a week later if he tried it out yet and most of the time he hadn't
That kept us close.
My wife of 35 years is still here. My daughter has moved on with her life and doesn't have time for horses anymore but the son is still into cars, still out almost daily and is still the same old Steve.
Fevre I have had alot of opertunites to adopt and often take a local kid into the shop and help him build a nice car.

SmokedTire. Yes I did wait only a week to start cutting up a brand new car. It never hurt either. The first few days I owned the car I raced the 350 horse 327 Nova and got beat. That was it. I was not going to get beat again and I didn't for a while until the vet came along. Out of the hole I couldn't touch him so afte that I bought the slicks and never took them off. That car would launch. I came out at 6500 against the line lock, jumped to 7500 within a car length and was hooked up solid. I pulled second about 1/2 way through the 60 foot.
On street racing after a run I could look down the entire coarse and see my tracks.
The guy I sold it to took it to the track right after I sold it and brought home low 10 second time slips. I wouldn't go back to that car over my vet but I wouldn't want to run against it off a light. I would get smoked. :) :)

Racer16k

Norval that's a cool story. I always liked those Torinos. I remember a guy in town with a gold 428. It's interesting that a 427 vette beat you. I took a 68 Mustang notchback six cylinder car (my second car) and converted it to 428-8b status. Changed all the running gear from four lug to five lug. Added C6 & 9 inch. I was 18, my dad was a mechanic, and I remember constantly telling him it will fit in there. The funny part is that the first car I ever raced with it was a 69 427 vette with a tunnel ram and 2-4 barrels. This guy was supposed to be the fast guy in town. I figured what the heck, if I got beat so had everyone else. He was so imbarassed and several people saw it, and told everyone. It was soooo cool. Even so I'd rather been cruising in his car.

Here's an old Polaroid.




[Modified by Racer16k, 10:23 AM 2/2/2003]

74-Roadster

That's a great story Norval! Could you purchase a new Z06 today and cut it up? :lol: :lol:

69 N.O.X. RATT

I was born 20 years too late, cool stories Norval.

norvalwilhelm

Ok one more story about my last race in the torino. A guy wanted to desperately beat my torino so he went to the local well known speed shop and asked them to modify is almost new 44o six pack. I don't know what they did but for about a week while the work was being done everyone hung around talking about he big race. I stayed away. These races made me nervous. I had a reputation to loose and I new sometime I would. Anyway race day came and everyone lined the sides of the highway. We lined up with me on the right side and him on the left. A starter started us and we both went sideway with about a foot between the cars. I could of reached out my left arm and touched his car. Luckily we both straightened out at the exact same time. If I had let off my front would of straightened and hit his front and if he let up his back would of straightened into my back. Anyway by the end of second gear I could see him in the rear view mirror.
Second run the same but by the end of second he had blown. Race over.
The 427 vette was my next race and out of the hole I hadn't a prayer, I just seemed to go up in smoke and he was gone and I couldn't overtake him after that. Made 2 more passes and I spun worse each time trying to hard.
12 inch slicks went on after that and never came off.
Never lost again. My wife hated the calls at night knowing I was going out to run. A starter was killed, rolled between 2 cars and that ended racing for us.
I have run a few local guys with the vette but I always used slicks. The slicks are gone know and so are my street racing days. :) :)

VETDRMS

Cool stories, but did you say a starter was Killed!?
That's horrible, were you there? Did anyone go to jail?

norvalwilhelm

Luckily I wasn't there that night. 2 cars came together and he was in the middle. He was crushed to death. Yes charges were laid but that ended it for everybody. I was a starter at times and we would stand in the middle between the cars and wave them on. Stupid place to be.

norvalwilhelm

The toy I built right after selling the ford. Most of this is hand built, the frame , most of the braking system, the rear swing arm and of course the 1200 cc race motor. It started as a 900 and was bored and sleeved to the present 1200. After 2 close brushes with death in one week I sold it to.

Chuck Harmon

smokedtires,

Although not to the same extent as Norval, I drove my new Z51 85 Vette from the dealer to my garage to to change heads and cam. Not a huge increase, probably raised it from 230 to 300 horsepower. One of the best compliments I ever got was taking it back to the dealer for its 1000 mile checkup. The mechanic made it a point to come out to talk to me when I picked it up. he told me he had heard stories over the years about mystically touched cars coming off the assembly line, He said that mine was absolutely incredible, unbelievable even!

He couldn't tell that I touched the motor. Even after showing him, he was amazed! The angle plug heads should have been a giveaway, but changing plugs is not part of a 1,000 mile checkup.

When I sold it 100,000 miles later, the new owner was equally amazed when he test drove it. Bought it on the spot!

Chuck

BigBlockVette

Cool Car! I had a '68 Torino with a 390GT engine. The thing flew. My brother inlaw got me into the old Torino's back in the late 70's-early 80's. I sold mine back around 1991 to buy a '66 Mustang. He has a '69 Talledaga (NASCAR Torino) with the 428ci, Great Car.

Dwayne

groovyjay

That explains a lot! :lol:

Ganey

Good idea for a topic. Know what you mean. When I bought my first car did not go for a drive instead started weight reduction, then realized first on my list was to photo stock & baseline run. Then convert to Hot Rod.
:cool:

When you're bored do another topic.