1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

[George J.]

I don't remember anyone posting this before. It is a link to the Dave MacDonald site where there are some pictures of he and his wife, Bob Bondurant and Jerry Grant picking up their cars at St. Louis and driving back west.
I had never seen these before. Great stuff.

http://www.davemacdonald.net/gallery/closeups/familydavesherrystlouis.htm

George
31887

[Keith B.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

neat wonder were the car cars are today

[Dick W.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

Probably the reason you did not see a picture of Jerry, he had found a wall to hit somewhere.

[Joe R.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

Dave McDonalds 63 ZO-6 is number 684 and has been restored and is or was owned by a collector in California. The complete motor and FI unit is somewhere in Arkansas on a 57 Nomad.

JR

[Rick A.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

now those are way kewl pix!

[Duke W.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

Probably the reason you did not see a picture of Jerry, he had found a wall to hit somewhere.

Ah, be nice, Dick. Jerry graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle about a decade before I did. I ordered my SWC from Alan Green Chevrolet and my salesman was Don Campbell who was Jerry's co-driver at Sebring a month later.

I remember seeing Jerry race the Z-06 at Kent in the summer of '63. He was the first guy into Turn 1 following the standing start in the big bore production race, but was a DNF - the FI pump drive cable broke.

Jerry was fast, but he did have a reputation for being tough on cars.

The cars look great wearing blackwalls. I don't understand why more don't adopt the look.

There are a lot of war stories about how they "raced" back to the West Coast. Most of the trip was on two land U.S. highways since that was before there were any interstate highways out in the boondocks.

I've heard that the Alan Green car is under restoration, somewhere.

Duke

[Stuart F.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

That's why I ordered mine with blackwalls: for the mean look, and to save a few hard earned GI bucks. I got fabulous U.S. Royals too! (you know, the kind that blow out when they hit a pebble on the road). Still have the original "never touched the ground" spare in the tub too. My next set of tires were Goodyear White Walls; the kind that came with a built in vibration at 65mph that I could never get rid of. Then came a nice set of Firestone white lettered radials; they were recalled for belt seperation and were great at blowing out at speed, followed by some correct 6.70x15 off brand bias ply that threw chucks of tread off at speeds (130mph). I'm now back to Goodyear white wall Radials and they are getting old. That's five (5) sets of tires in 48 years and 44k miles. I long for another good set of black walls to complement my next convertible top - black.

Stu Fox

[Duke W.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

I ordered my SWC with whitewalls. I don't know why. The first time I laid eyes on the car I knew whitewalls were a mistake, but at least I got black wheels as I did not like the body colored wheels.

After I chunked the General Jet Aires at Kent I installed a set of 6.70-15 Michelins, which were great. They gave me 47K miles including several more trips to Kent.

Ever since, I've never bought anything other than blackwall radials (with at least a H speed rating) for any car I owned.

Duke

[Joe R.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

Ah, be nice, Dick. Jerry graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle about a decade before I did. I ordered my SWC from Alan Green Chevrolet and my salesman was Don Campbell who was Jerry's co-driver at Sebring a month later.

I remember seeing Jerry race the Z-06 at Kent in the summer of '63. He was the first guy into Turn 1 following the standing start in the big bore production race, but was a DNF - the FI pump drive cable broke.

Jerry was fast, but he did have a reputation for being tough on cars.

The cars look great wearing blackwalls. I don't understand why more don't adopt the look.

There are a lot of war stories about how they "raced" back to the West Coast. Most of the trip was on two land U.S. highways since that was before there were any interstate highways out in the boondocks.

I've heard that the Alan Green car is under restoration, somewhere.

Duke

Duke,

The Alan Green ZO-6 was sold by Mike Pillsbury to a collector in Florida and delivered to the Cypress Gardens meet about 20 years ago.

The Alan Green ZO-6 is currently in the hands of the same Florida Collector and I hope it will appear again sometime before my death!

Could you verify that, ERIC??????? ERIC????????? ERIC????????

JR

[Jerry G.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

neat wonder were the car cars are today

I raced with the 4th Z-06 this summer at the Monterey races. pretty car

[Tim S.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

That's why I ordered mine with blackwalls: for the mean look, and to save a few hard earned GI bucks. I got fabulous U.S. Royals too! (you know, the kind that blow out when they hit a pebble on the road). Still have the original "never touched the ground" spare in the tub too. My next set of tires were Goodyear White Walls; the kind that came with a built in vibration at 65mph that I could never get rid of. Then came a nice set of Firestone white lettered radials; they were recalled for belt seperation and were great at blowing out at speed, followed by some correct 6.70x15 off brand bias ply that threw chucks of tread off at speeds (130mph). I'm now back to Goodyear white wall Radials and they are getting old. That's five (5) sets of tires in 48 years and 44k miles. I long for another good set of black walls to complement my next convertible top - black.

Stu Fox

Stu,

I like your thinking! Just did the same thing on my SWC

[Dick W.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

Ah, be nice, Dick. Jerry graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle about a decade before I did.

Duke

We put Jerry in a stock car quite a few times. Our team sponsor was Friedkin Enterprises, who also sponsored Jerry in a few other series. Tommy Friedkin was adamant that Jerry could drive a stock car. At North Wilkesboro, Jerry wore the right tip off the rear bumper, and a hole in the tip of the quarter panel, of a '68 Plymouth. He slid into the wall in the fourth turn each and every lap. He came in the pits about half way and said the car was totally undriveable. Paul Goldsmith fell out of the race earlier and jumped into our car. At the end of the race, Paul had made up two of the three laps that Jerry had gotten behind. Another race was Riverside in '68 or '69. We built the first ever road course specific stock car for him. Just a lap or two into the race he decided he could pass Dan Gurney thru the S's. The car was mangled so bad that we had to borrow an open trailer to bring it home. It would not fit in our hauler.

He could drive an Indy car though. I was at Indy in about '72 or '73 when he finished second. He put on a show

[Duke W.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

He was leading late in the race (I think it was '71 or '72), but had to pit for a splash of fuel, which resulted in him crossing the finish line second.

But he botched the fuel stop by not stopping until he was in the next pit. His crew refueled him there, but after the race he was disqualified and only credited with the laps completed before the refueling fiasco, which dropped him to somewhere in the teens in the finishing order.

I think he was also the first guy to turn a 200 MPH lap at Indy.

Duke

[Clem Z.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

He was leading late in the race (I think it was '71 or '72), but had to pit for a splash of fuel, which resulted in him crossing the finish line second.

But he botched the fuel stop by not stopping until he was in the next pit. His crew refueled him there, but after the race he was disqualified and only credited with the laps completed before the refueling fiasco, which dropped him to somewhere in the teens in the finishing order.

I think he was also the first guy to turn a 200 MPH lap at Indy.

Duke

i understand the jerry was run over by truck while riding his dirt bike out in the desert. i used to get my indy 500 pit passes thru jerry when he was working for champion spark plugs.

[Rick G.]

Re: 1963 Z-06 Pick up at factory

Jerry,

Is the fourth car you are referring to the car originally purchased by Paul Rhinehart? Currently owned and raced by Susan Armstrong.

Up until this year Paul was a regular racing his Union Oil 1957 at the historics at both Sears Point and Laguna Seca. Yes I know the tracks have been renamed, but they will always be known as Sears Point and Laguna Seca to me. I have known Paul for many years and a few years back he told me that after a few races when the 63 car was new, he received "all four brake corners and a new 36 gallon tank from Chevrolet unsolicited". He said they replaced the tank and took the old tank and put it in the 63 convertible of Red Faris. He also said it took them all weekend to get it to fit.

They don't make people any nicer than Paul. Sad to see him not on the track. He really is living corvette history having been SCCA West Coast Champion in 1960 & 1961 along with vintage racing his 63 and 57 for many years.

As previously mentioned, this is neat stuff. Thanks to all!

Rick Gower