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1966 Chevelle 427 "COPO" in Chevelle mag...

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1966_L78

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Okay, so I picked up that latest "Chevelle" magazine (Super Chevy) with the Bronze 66 SS one the cover...

The article said it was a COPO 427...

1) I have never heard of a COPO 427 Chevelle prior to 1969 (or else wouldn't Yenko/Gibb/etc all have used that instead of swapping engines prior to 1969)...

2), there were alot of inconsistancies with the equipment on the car (based on the photos) for either an L78 car or (theoretically) an L72 car...

Anybody ever heard of THAT particular COPO?

I know there were COPO orders in 1966 (such as Yenko Stingers), but never heard of the 427 Chevelle COPO...

Anybody have any more info?
 
#2 ·
Tony ...
66 427 COPO ..... my experience says none done .....but I do know of a 66 conv delivered new from dealer with L72 ( Minneapolis) .... definitely dealer installed car still around and original I'm sure not the only dealer installed 427 in a 66...... also mine had a 427 Block assembly installed under warranty instead of original L34 lot's of that went on in those days ( yes I have the original block)

I would really like to see that mag though ....hope I can find copy here. Bill
 
#4 ·
Back in 1970 there was a guy working at the same job site as me. He had a 67 ss with the 427. I at the time had a 66 with the 360hp 396. I would have never questioned him at the time how it was the car had a 427. I do not remeber the h.p it was or any real particulars but it definately was faster than mine. I do remember he had bought it new though but whether it had the 427 at delivery or not I am not sure.
Just a little tidbit of info for you.Its funny how I can remember 34 years ago but anything yesterday, forget it.
 
#5 ·
I got my bowtie addiction back in the mid 60's at age 9-12 hanging around central chevrolet in fremont ca.the showroom was always filled with a hipo vette and other ss types. they used to always have alot of hipo stuff. i rode in the first 67 z28 in the bay area my father bought the first ss350 camaro they got in and i was along for many 120 plus test drives on the nimitz freeway in 427 impalas, caprices and vettes. i was there when they swapped 427's into brand new 66 chevelles too. i remember asking my dad why they were taking a brand ...new not even detailed car apart. i would think that if they could have ordered them that way that they would have.....that's not to say that it wasn't possible though. the cars they sold were sold as new 427 chevelles(because that's what they were) but the motors were dealer installed
 
#7 ·
They would need to have all the original documentation and then some to authenticate a car like this. There are probably real '69 COPO Chevelles and Camaros with no paperwork to back them up too. Doesn't make them fakes. Just hurts the value. Then again, there seems to be lots of fake documentation out there as well.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
I wonder if they stamped the blocks to match the car?
Click to expand...
Even if they did, wouldn't the block be coded as a replacement (CE) ?


Doesn't make them fakes.
Click to expand...
I didn't mean to imply this car IS a fake... Its just that it doesn't appear to add up... That and the "over-the-top" story (supposed experts, etc)...

I know there were likely some "factory" 427 1966 Chevelles, but they weren't "COPOs" (at least in all these years of hearing about COPOs, I had never heard one "expert" mention a COPO for 1966 Chevelles with 427s), and I doubt Dana would have access to a factory 427 Chevelle any more than Yenko, Gibb, Harrel, Nicky, Baldwin, etc...

I am merely thinking that this was a "dealer" installed 427 car (if even that), Yet the story, with the mention of COPO and all these so-called experts, tries to make the reader think it has an ultra-rare "factory" installed 427... And that its a survivor too...

The story mentioned the COPO camaros, "but if someone didn't want a small Camaro they could get a Chevelle" (not a direct quote, BTW)... Duh, the 1966 Chevelle was never in production when Camaros were available, so those that didin't want a small Camaro got a Chevelle instead, but it was a 67, 68 or 69 Chevelle...

The story also noted that these "experts" signed under the trunk lid, making it sound as if they agree the car is authentic... But that wasn't signed back in 1966, it was recent, and most of those experts didn't remember the car, and they weren't working at Dana when the car was built anyway...

Maybe its just the author of the article. I am getting tired of magazine authors NOT knowing much about what they are writing about, and not checking there facts/statements, etc. Although it probably also a combination of the owner too (he must have supplied info to the author...). I guess an ego-booster for the owner...
 
#10 ·
In my opinion, it is not likely that Chevy built any 427 COPO Chevelles before 1969.
One reason is that GM had a 1963 rule where they should not build any cars with a power to weight ratio greater then one HP to ten lbs of vehicle weight. Chevy was pushing the limit with the 375 HP cars. This would be a 3750lb car and a stripped Chevelle could come under this weight limit. Even the larger 427 425hp Impala and Biscayne was also pushing the limits of this 1hp/10lbs rule. The Corvette was exempt.
Another reason has a lot to do with class drag racing of the time. The 375 Hp Chevelle and Camaro was doing very well in NHRA and AHRA drag racing in 1966 and 1967. In 1968 match racing stock body factory cars was gaining popularity and the rules were changing. Chevy needed to do battle with the 1968 Hemi Dart/Barracuda and the 1968 428 Mustang/Cougar. Chevy needed 427 cars in 1969 so they found a way to quietly slip them out of the factory using the COPO system. The 1969 427 COPO cars were built as if they were special fleet order taxicabs or special order commercial vehicles. Chevy didn’t advertise the 427 cars or even badge them with 427 emblems. I believe they made them just to qualify them for the 50-car minimum required for Super Stock drag racing. Don Yenko had been getting special order Corvettes since his 1961 SCCA B/P Corvette racing program and the 1966 Stinger SCCA D/P Corvair program so he was in a good position to receive the 427 COPO cars. Fred Gibb and Dick Harrell had been successful with a 375hp auto trans COPO Nova and were able to get the ZL1 Camaros. Other Chevy dealers began to order the 427 COPO cars as they found out about them so the program was extended. I believe Chevy only intended to build enough 427 COPO cars to qualify them for class drag racing in 1969. Chevy did not have enough of a reason to build 427 cars before 1969. Documentation shows Yenko Chevrolet and Fred Gibb Chevrolet were both allowed to purchase COPO cars in 1968 but not with 427 engines. If these two dealers could not get factory built 427s before 1969, I find if difficult to believe any other dealers had them. IMO
 
#11 ·
I guess if you drop enough hints and vague connections it passes for true authentic documentation or something. :rolleyes:

It's an interesting car and all and shows a lot of vintage "how they did it back then" but really doen't do much to prove the car is what they appear to be claiming it is. If it's a vintage dealer installed 427 why not just say to and leave it at that? It's still a pretty cool car without trying to imply it's a COPO of some sort.

I suppose this guy parks it in his garage next to his '64 L76 and '65 Z16 convertible.

I'll remain skeptical. Neat car to look at though.
 
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#15 ·
Anyone else think that it is odd that it claims to have "factory drilled holes" for 427 emblems? If it WAS a real COPO car, I doubt it would have any unique holes for emblems. Why would they waste GM engineering time to create drawings, etc. to something that added nothing but cosmetic appeal to the package? Just look at the other COPO cars... no special badging.

Did they even USE that style "427" badge on anything in '66?
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
Did they even USE that style "427" badge on anything in '66?
Click to expand...
Good catch... I didn't look too close, but I think they might have been 67 and up Corvette Hood emblems or 67 "SS427" fender emblems (full-size)... 66 Vette and full-size cars didn't use an emblem like that (and they were the only "official" 427-powered vehicles)...
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
But Joe, the questionable emblem is the rear cove emblem...

Another think I noted... There's a "Tonawanda #1" decal on the passenger valve cover... I know thats incorrect for MOST 66 (if not all), so is it really a survivor, or has someone built something and added a patina to make it look "old"???
 
#19 ·
I am always looking for info on 427 Chevelles.
I have not been able to find this magazine so I didn't see it. Is there a picture online anywhere?

One interesting thing about 427 Chevelles is that one of the first 1964 Chevelles to hit the drag strip had a 427 engine but it was a "W" engine not a Mark IV big block Chevy. Drag racer Dick Harrell took the engine from his 1963 Z-11 and put it in a new 1964 Chevelle.

Another interesting thing about 427 Chevelles is that Smokey Yunick wrote in his book that he was given a 427 Chevelle engineering test car by Chevy. Smokey used it for one of his race cars. NASCAR allowed 427 cu in engines in 1965 to compete with 426 Chryslers and 427 Fords.

I think these type of things add to the myth of 427 Chevelles but I have not seen any convincing evidence of a 427 Chevelle escaping the factory until 1969 and even then they were quietly slipped out.
 
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