It was a drama played out at national events, divisional championship races, and booked-in match races. This ten-minute video, which includes narration by veteran broadcaster and Car and Driver writer Brock Yates and interviews by a host of the Grump's peers, showcases Jenkins in action at the 1968 U.S. Nationals in Indy. [2][clarification needed] Most of these wins were won with a four-speed manual transmission. NHRA rules required stock cam specs, at least regarding gross valve lift. This friendship grew to become a close alliance that kept Jenkins in the loop, especially at GMs sprawling Tech Center complex in Warren, Michigan, and Jenkins was forever rumored to have clandestine help from the Bow Tie boys. The stock duration was 242 degrees at 0.050-inch lobe lift; 0.520-inch lift, intake and exhaust; 114-degree lobe separation; and lash sets at 0.024-inch intake and 0.028-inch exhaust. Check Out This Footage of Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Running At The 1968 NHRA Nationals - Gear Jamming With A Cigar Mar 05, 2015 Bryan McTaggart CHEVY, HISTORIC, Videos 5 "Grumpy" Jenkins' status as an NHRA legend is uncontested. If you believed the brochure, the hottest '68 Chevy II or Nova available packed a 295-hp, 350-cube V-8. The original version of this story first appeared in Elapsed Times magazine. He became known as the premiere normally aspirated drag race engine builder after his Super Stock victory at the 1967 Nationals. Bill Jenkins, who was honored with induction into three drag-racing halls of fame and the winner of many other awards in his chosen field of drag racing over a nearly 50-year career, died March 29. Wheeling a number of violent Chevrolets, Jenkins was an engineer first, racer second, and tolerated no fools at the line. Jenkins previous Chevy wizardry definitely helped convince the Chevy management types to release their new Camaro with a little more go power. To appease certain corporate factions, the highest rated 396 Camaro was the L78, 396/375. Nov 4, 2006. You haven't completed the registration, check your email for instructions. 1960s NHRA Drag Racing-"The DODGE BOYS"-Dave Strickler/Bill Jenkins-1964-ENGLAND. Stahl offered a solution, inserting wooden coffee sticks in the carburetors to prop open the air valves. Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 - February 7, 1965) was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent. Terms of Service apply. With three weeks' leave and a '39 Chevy he'd imported, Stahl went to Le Mans, France, in 1957 to watch the famed 24-hour endurance race and ended up working for the victorious Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar team. Wheeling a number of violent Chevrolets, Jenkins was an engineer first, racer second, and tolerated no fools at the line. A 175-lb. John Pol. 2023 Power Automedia. Lone Star Throwdown 2023: If You Like Custom Trucks, Then This Was THE Show Of 2023 So Far. In early 1963, Chevy unleashed its much-anticipated. Did Grumpy really sell his soul to make that car run like a bat of of Hell. With the gear ratios these cars ran, I was surprised by the time between shifts. Copyright 2023 BangShift LLC. Never saw one in '68. [3] He led development of GM's new splay-valved cylinder heads for the Chevrolet small block V8 engines, utilized in the new Pro Stock Truck category in 1998. The "Grumpy's Toy" moniker lettered on his Chevy II's front fender became his lifelong trademark, the foundation of a brand that fostered a fervent cult following among the Chevrolet faithful. In comparison with the thundering Top Fuelers and nascent nitro-burning Funny Cars, Top Stock provided little sound and no fury. Dale and Vicki were hoping to have the car completed by the end of 2015, and it looks like they have a made it. Histria. By 1965, Jenkins had split with Strickler, and drove Doc Burgess' Hemi-powered Black Arrow Plymouth to the Top Stock title at the Winternationalsthe first of Grumpy's 13 NHRA national event victories. Although Bill had raced and won with Chrysler products, the majority of his customers campaigned Chevrolets. We put them on the car, and Bill went out to test them on a road alongside Detroit Metro airport. Articles; WorthPoint Media; Newsletter Signup . Pappas estimates 80-90 percent of the engine itself is original. These housed 2.20-inch intake valves and 1.88-inch exhaust valves controlled by dual valvesprings. Can You Reuse Rod And Main Bolts? Working in the service department of a Chevrolet dealership, Stahl had plans to attend the General Motors Institute, a GM-owned school that developed engineers and managers, but they were interrupted by a stint in the Army. This particular Camaro was built on December 29, 1966. Stahl was building his header business when the siren song of Chrysler's 426ci Street Hemi called him back to racing. He set a class record[clarification needed] with an 11.66 second pass. A Jenkins powerplant was used by Dave Connolly in his title-contending Pro Stock Cobalt to win the 2005 Winternationals and briefly placed Connolly in the POWERade points lead. HEDs Peter Harrell Was Tuning A Ton Of Cars At Lights Out In Georgia, Historic Promo Video: Chevrolets Promo Movie Selling Ram-Jet Fuel Injection for 1957, New Product: Hurst Direct Fit Roll/Control Line/Loc Kits For GM F-Body And GM G-Body. Click below to begin your paid subscription. XXVII, No. 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Coupe by Touring, 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS NASCAR 'Jeff Gordon'. Most racers simply called them Bump Bars, and they remain popular today. Interestingly, the same factory cam was used in the later L72 427/425. Jenkins dropped the A/Stock class title to Don Grotheer's Plymouth and bowed out in the second round of Top Stock eliminations with a substandard 13-second pass. There are some very rare cars in this collection.I will try to combine shipping when possible.For the most part, the Jenkins removed the vent windows and put 1968 Camaro door glass in the 1967 body, added the trim to the doors, and also added hidden-headlights to the front end. The collaboration between Jenkins and Stahl flourished. Author Doug Boyce delivers a fascinating and surprisingly personal look at "da Grump's" extraordinary career and . 11, November 1941, The Meccano Magazine, Vol. Despite their physical dissimilarities, Jenkins and Stahl were soulmates. Top power output came from the L78 option, a 396 with a Holley four-barrel carburetor; single-point Delco distributor; forged steel crankshaft and rods; four-bolt main bearing block; forged-aluminum, 11.0:1-compression pistons; and a mechanical lifter camshaft. XXVI, No. During the 1960s, Junior Stockers acquired a near cult following, especially on the East Coast. The guy with the cigar is Dick Landy, not Jenkins. The 7-inch tire limitation was gone, and racers could run any tire that fit inside the stock wheelwells. In 1966, Jenkins decided to independently run a Chevrolet of his own, and developed an engine package that made him a stand out in racing circles. Jenkins' Chevy II made its NHRA national event debut at the '66 Winternationals, immodestly wearing "1965 NHRA Winter Nationals Mr. Stock Eliminator" lettering on its doors and "666" on its rear fenders. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Chevy Hardcore, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! Rev. On Jenkins 68, it has an SS emblem in the grille, but does't have the SS simulated hood intakes, nor the Super Sport emblem on the lower trailing ends of the fenders the 68's had, and the only year for that. Jenkins 396 Camaro served him for many years after the 1967 season. [3] Without factory support, Jenkins developed his first Grumpy's Toy, a 327 cubic inch / 350 horsepower Chevy II. [3] He matched Wilt Chamberlain as the professional athlete with the highest salary in the United States. Enter the email address associated with your rmsothebys.com account. Soon, other drag racers were eager to pay for the counsel and hands-on touch available from one Jiggs Jenkins. Twice, Stahl defeated Jenkins in the final round of Top Stock; Jenkins threw it away with a red-light start at Indy, and Stahl simply drove away from him in Tulsa, a victory that secured the NHRA World Championship for the lanky racer from York, Pennsylvania. The Mark II remained a mystery for several years until the 1965 model year passed its halfway point, when Chevy abruptly halted production of the 409. Stahl's interest in exhaust tuning was ramping up, and he began to design and build tuned four-tube headers, a radical departure from the tri-Y designs that were the state of the art in the early '60s. But there was nothing plain about this car. The Grumps Nova was a dominate figure at most of the . 7, July 1937, 2023 - WorthPoint Corporation | 5 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 2900. Yet Jenkins won the war. Jenkins and Stahl invented, refined, and popularized many of the technical innovations that are now commonplace in professional racing. eBay. Born in Philadelphia,[5] Jenkins grew up in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The class was also custom-made for a shrewd racer/tuner from Pennsylvania named Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins. Long before Don "the Snake" Prudhomme mixed it up Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen, years before "Big Daddy" Don Garlits called out Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney, there was Bill Jenkins versus Jere Stahl. When the same engine went into a fullsize Chevy it was a 375hp 396. This mechanical design had a factory red line of 6,500 rpm but was capable of over 7,000 rpm. I had a really good time, and I thought I'd like to race one. Jenkins won several championships between 1967 and 1969 with the milledcar. Although Jiggs passed away in 2012, in 1993 he was inducted into the Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996. Retro-Deluxe 1966 AMT packaging style with all-new painting o Jenkins' Nova. Trim Tag. XIV, No. RIGHT: The years of paint on the car has left their mark. Discouraged, Stahl eventually quit racing and sold his car. This success caught the attention of Chevys Detroit-based performance engineering group. These skills increased considerably after Jenkins enrolled at Cornell University. Jenkins teamed with Strickler to win Little Eliminator at the 1963 Nationals with an A/FX 427 Chevy. The new 67 Camaro came as a base vehicle with a disappointing six-cylinder engine, a small-block 283 or 327, plus a new engine: the 350 V-8. black bear dead near a duffle bag and some $2 million worth of cocaine that had been opened and scattered over a hillside. And don't think Chevy's Camaro isn't going to be a worthy strip contender. The year 1967 saw the introduction of Super Stock eliminator in NHRA competition, with more liberal rules that allowed aftermarket camshafts, valvetrains, and intake manifolds. Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members research needs. Throughout the restoration, Grumpy continued to hang up on Dale when he would call. Bill Jenkins, an influential and revered figure in drag racing who helped lift the sport from the streets to the professional track while introducing a host of technical innovations, died on. Lot #362 - This is a re-creation of the Bill Jenkins 1966 Chevrolet L79 Nova race car well-known in the racing world as "Grumpy's Toy." Bill Jenkins and Southern California Customs built this car together as a tribute to the original Grumpy's Toy, which was destroyed in a trailering accident. Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members research needs. All rights reserved. Chevy Hardcore NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE! The 396 came in both low hp and High Perf versions. Privacy Policy and Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2004 Bank of Canada $100 Dollar "RADAR" Banknote "PMG 68 EPQ" Jenkins - Dodge at the best online prices at eBay! The great rivalry had ended. [5] He began drag racing in a 1955 Chevrolet convertible at Berwyn, Pennsylvania before going off to college at Cornell University for engineering. 1968 Grumpy Jenkins Chevrolet SS396 Nova 1 Of 4440, Brand New GMP Peachs. Grumpy's Toys offers a long overdue examination of drag racing legend Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and the 17 Chevrolet race cars that bear one of the most famous names in drag racing. 1. Guinnconcededthat he believed Dale and Vicki do have The Toy, so they documented everything as they started cleaning the car to begin the restoration. My eBay Expand . This moved the engine rearward between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch, producing a slightly more favorable front/rear weight bias in the nose-heavy car. I just purchased the Slixx decals for Grumpys Toy 67 Camaro 68 Camaro and decals for the 72 Nova.I cannot find any info, photos on the 72 Nova that Bill Jenkins ran I would use the Old Pro for donor kit.Any help would be appreciated. Jenkins grew up on a disused farm in suburban Philadelphia where he learned the intricacies of internal combustion working on tractors before going to Cornell University as a mechanical engineering student. 227 as driven by Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins. Watch The Incredible 1968 Ford F-100 Chase From The Movie Mr. Majestyk, Truckin History: Check Out This Killer Video Showing GMC Setting Land Speed Records Back In 1989, Chatsworth Street Racing Crash: Attorney Says Mustang Driver Wasn't In The Car When The Accident Occurs. Jenkins teamed with Strickler to win the 1963 Little Eliminator Nationals with a 427 cubic-inch-powered, A/FX-class Chevy Impala. The original version of this story first. It was during this time frame that the car we are featuring comes into play. In this livery, the car won the very first sanctioned Pro Stock race with a 9.99 -mile e.t., and broke the 10-second barrier. [10], Jenkins went winless in 1971. For 1971, the Demon 340 replaced the Dart Swinger 340 (aside of a few special-order Canadian Dart Swingers). He was one of my drag racing (York US30) idols and followed him for years and years. Video: Lone Star Throwdown Truck Show Recap. Jenkins success with the Chevy II set the stage for the divisions first pony car, Chevys new 1967 Camaro. I. Bill Jenkins passed away in 2012 and Jere Stahl passed away in 2016, both leaving an indelible mark on the history of drag racing and hot rodding. [3] He became known in national circles as the engine builder for Dave Strickler in the early 1960s. 12188103_10205140416098445_7215557424739895846_o. Contact; Day 2/Old School Nova's; 68 Nova L-79 Registry; 1. We not only had the greatest music we also had the best drag race classes to compete in. What Kind Of Crazy Is About To Happen Here? After sitting out the Winternationals, Stahl entered the Top Stock fray at the Springnationals. ", Again Jenkins and Stahl met in the final roundand again Stahl was the victor. According toDick Williams, the executor of Grumpys estate, the car was never actually raced as a 1967 Camaro. This car has been built to best replicate a very important car is the history of drag racing. All Rights Reserved. "That book ended up leading me to the header business," he later recalled. [6], Jenkins married Alexandra Newman and the union produced daughter Susan Jenkins before their divorce. [11], Jenkins built a Vega in 1974 (dubbed Grumpy's Toy XI) that had several firsts which impacted future drag racing cars, including the first dry sump oiling system and a MacPherson strut front suspension. Lombardo raced for Jenkins until 1979, finishing third in 1977 points, second in 1978, and seventh in 1979. I recently stumbled upon Ray Brack's "lost" piece of reporting about Cecil Null's handcrafted musical long gun (i.e., gun guitar - or is it guitar gun?) Authentic kit of Bill Jenkins' 1966 Nova drag car. CopyrightJeffery Latondress. The Mark IV was soon expanded to 427 cubes with 425 hp, but this hot new engine was available only in full- and mid-size cars or the Corvette. [5] He became nationally known after helping to build 30 cars that set national records. Storied Past Vince Piggins created and oversaw Chevys Heavy Duty (aka Racing) parts program, and he also took note of Jenkins talent. When this car reached the Penske shop during the first week of January, 1967 the car was to be prepared for SCCA racing. The Chevy IIit wasn't bad.". Atlanta, Georgia 30328 | 877.481.5750, If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please, Relevant "These were the world's ugliest headers, hacksaw cuts and nasty welds," Stahl remembered. Screw-in rocker studs and pushrod guideplates were used with stamped steel, pivot-ball 1.7:1 ratio rockers. Grumpys Original Camaro Z28 is officially undergoing restoration. His 327ci L79 small-block V-8 gave away 99 cubic inches to the Street Hemi, but his Chevy II enjoyed a 762-pound weight advantage over the heavyweight Belvedere. ] he became known as the professional athlete with the content you from... Time, and racers could run any tire that fit inside the wheelwells. 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Years and years hp and High Perf versions 1978, and racers could run any tire that inside! East Coast you believed the brochure, the Demon 340 replaced the Dart 340! ; s ; 68 Chevy II set the stage for the counsel and hands-on touch available from one Jiggs..
bill jenkins 1968 nova