"The final go looked like Indy '66 all over again," wrote Car Craft editor Terry Cook, "as Stahl and Stiles pitted their Plymouth against the one car which seems to give them more trouble than the others put togetherthe Chevy of Bill Jenkins. "The Camaro is the wrong approach to a drag race car as far as I was concernedthe weight distribution, the short rear overhang. Grumpy's main focus was on Comp engines, which were used by a large client list, including national event winners Garley Daniels, Steve Johns, and Bob Kaiser. The unlikely combatants were a pair of bookish engineer/racers. Jenkins teamed with Strickler to win Little Eliminator at the 1963 Nationals with an A/FX 427 Chevy. It was delivered with deliberately understated white paint, the factory black accent stripes, plus the Grumpys Toy lettering on the doors and his shops Jenkins Competition logos on the quarters. Helping Jenkins make the car as fast as possible, Vince Piggins, head of domestic product planning, gave him free reign of the parts catalogat Chevrolet. Jenkins was home sick with strep, and Strickler was struggling on the slick track. Throughout the restoration, Grumpy continued to hang up on Dale when he would call. Jenkins used a small block-based 331cuin (5.4L) in a Chevrolet Vega fitted in the class' first tube chassis,[2] which debuted at the 1972 Winternationals. Drag racing has had some famous rivalries. [9], Jenkins retired as a driver,[clarification needed] hiring Larry Lombardo and Ken Dondero to drive his cars so that he could concentrate on research and development. You Make The, SEMA 2022: GEARWRENCH Leveled Up With Distinct Quality Hand, Reignite Your Cat Eye Silverado Headlights With, SEMA 2022: Paragon Corvette Adds Performance Parts To, PRI 2022: FuelTech Talks About The Tech Of The FT700, PRI 2022: Concept Performance Now Offers Aluminum LTR, PRI 2022: Get Locked In With Forgeline Beadlock, Creative Automotion: The Art of Farmtruck &, Randy Bolig The Media Mover And Shaker Behind Chevy, How Ken Lingenfelters Love for Corvettes Benefits So, Shop Tour: Prestige Motorsports Is Your One-Stop Hot Rod, Full Factory Tour: How Edelbrock Makes Its Cast Aluminum, HOLY SHIP! on 3-11-68 by William T Jenkins. From 1968-69, the engine was only available for certain A-body Barracuda and Dart models, but for 1970 the 340 was expanded to the new E-body Challenger and AAR 'Cuda, plus the Duster 340. We are always looking for good bang shifty stories, projects, photos & videos. While there he learned basic engineering disciplines and their application to engine building and tuning. Last year for the term Chevy II. He began the season racing the '66 Nova L79 he had campaigned in Stock Eliminator the year before, while working up a totally different combination: a brand-new '67 Camaro for Super Stock/C. Within a short time, NHRA allowed aluminum full-roller rocker arms and Jenkins quickly opted for these power-adding aftermarket goodies. Mar 05, 2015Bryan McTaggartCHEVY, HISTORIC, Videos5, Grumpy Jenkins status as an NHRA legend is uncontested. It was Bill Jenkins who skillfully prepared and tuned a 63 Z-11 Impala that Dave Strickler drove to Little Eliminator at the 1963 Nationals. 5, May 1942, Matchbox Toys 1948 To 1993 Identification And Value Guide(4th Edition), 2023 - WorthPoint Corporation | 5 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 2900. [3] He matched Wilt Chamberlain as the professional athlete with the highest salary in the United States. The factory horsepower rating for the L78 396 installed in Corvettes was 425. In 1964, Jenkins and Strickler travelled to England, as part of the U.S. eBay. [2] The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America said: "his continual search for improved performance left little time for idle chatter with his racing colleagues."[2]. This particular Camaro was built on December 29, 1966. [2], He was formally trained as a mechanical engineer at Cornell University, although he completed only three years and did not earn a degree. XXV, No. "Jenkins took one look at them and said they wouldn't work, but Strickler insisted that they were going to try them. The great rivalry had ended. A link to reset your password has been sent to your email address. Stahl was tall, gregarious, and buttoned down, a luminous figure in a white shirt and slacks, his pocket protector bulging with pens and mechanical pencils. Strickler and Jenkins became The Dodge Boys in 1964, campaigning Hemis in Super Stock and A/Factory Experimental. Stahl was raised in rural upstate New York, where he developed an appreciation for horses that soon became a fascination with horsepower. He was 81 and lived in Malvern. XX, No. 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' Chevy had the crowd's cheers, but Stahl's Hemi had the horsepower and took the winthe race decided, once again, on the starting line by Jenkins' red-light start. The guy with the cigar is Dick Landy, not Jenkins. Most racers simply called them Bump Bars, and they remain popular today. XIV, No. Chevy offered the L78 396/375 through its 1971 model year. [6] He started working on motors on his neighbor's tractor engine. Check Out This Footage of Bill Grumpy Jenkins Running At The 1968 NHRA Nationals Gear Jamming With A Cigar, New Tri-Five Chevy Parts: Bolt-In Underdash Hydraulic Clutch System From American Powertrain. 1/18 Autoart Jeep Grand Wagoneer Auto Art Millennium !! Fitted with a 331ci small-block, the Camaro made quiet test runs at a heavier weight break, proving to Jenkins that a small-block powered sub-compact Vega could compete with weight factored Pro Stocks. The 67 Camaro came with monoleaf springs that produced extreme wheelhop. "These were the world's ugliest headers, hacksaw cuts and nasty welds," Stahl remembered. The car was found while Vicki was online looking for a project car. 66 Chevy II Nova Car Art Print,66 Chevy II Nova,Jenkins 66 Car Art Ad vertisement by ManCaveCarArt. A complete 427 cubic-inch engine was built, and many parts from Jenkins Performance have been utilized. [5], "Pro Stock legend Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins dies", CUP: Three NASCAR Legends Lead IMHOF Class, "Bill Jenkins, 81, Drag Racing Driver and Innovator, Dies", Jenkins' 'Grumpy' ways make for a winning way, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Jenkins_(drag_racer)&oldid=1125783351. Although he had parts supportfrom Chevrolet, the rest of the build was all Jenkins. Jenkins was livid when Strickler returned home and showed him Stahl's unorthodox carburetor modification, but it was clear to Jenkins that Stahl knew Stockers. 11, November 1941, The Meccano Magazine, Vol. Privacy Policy and [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. Jenkins knew what he would face in the season ahead. THE CHEVROLET RACING Engine By Bill Jenkins With Larry Schreib - Paperback 1976 - $128.86. On paper, Stahl won the battle. Shouldn't it have the Chevy II on the hood chrome. If you believed the brochure, the hottest '68 Chevy II or Nova available packed a 295-hp, 350-cube V-8. LEFT and MIDDLE: The correct transmission came with the car. [1] Between 1965 and 1975, he won a total of thirteen NHRA events. You haven't completed the registration, check your email for instructions. Vin -114278W331441 . The Grumps Nova was a dominate figure at most of the national . NHRA changed the 1972 rules to allow drivers with a small block wedge engine to run a lighter car. We'll give you credit for the submission (of course) and what is cooler than showing all your gang that you have a story on Bang Shift? Two weeks later, Stahl was in Monza, Italy, helping Ecosse compete in the Race of Two Worlds, which pitted Indy Cars against European sports cars on the high-banked Monza oval. Guinnconcededthat he believed Dale and Vicki do have The Toy, so they documented everything as they started cleaning the car to begin the restoration. After tuning the chassis, the car clocked low-9.6 second passes on race day and Jenkins won the event. [3] This car would give him thirteen wins in Pro Stock that year. There is not a lot that can be said about Grumpy Jenkins that hasnt already been said many times over. 69 L34 Rest. TR 733 PAINT. [2][clarification needed] Most of these wins were won with a four-speed manual transmission. Probably none more than Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins' original Grumpy's Toy IV 1968 Camaro, which was recently resurrected by Dale Carvender and Vicki Bolla of Pittsburgh, PA. We caught up with Carvender and Bolla at the NorthEastern Ohio Camaro Club Fall Classic at Summit Racing, where we got to hear the story. 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. So, we can officially say that this is the legendary Bill Grumpy Jenkins 396-powered Camaro that tore through NHRAs Super Stock class for the 1967 championship. 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. Stahl was building his header business when the siren song of Chrysler's 426ci Street Hemi called him back to racing. Histria. During the restoration, theoriginal front subframe was not removed, as the rollcage is welded to it and they did not want to damage the integrity of the car. The final Jenkins/Stahl showdown came at the NHRA World Championship Finals in Tulsa, an invitation-only event where the top points earners in divisional races met to decide the championship title in a winner-take-all match. Their cars were featured in four-color centerspreads in Drag Racing and Drag Strip magazines. I love this car , enjoy | By Muscle Car Jr Inc | Facebook Log In Forgot Account? Chris Matte . We promise not to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the Power Automedia Network. eBay "Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins" 1968 Chevy Nova Super Stocker PHOTO! Obituary - The Winona Times, Winona, Mississippi (provided by Beth Austin) April 11, 1968 Last rites for Edd A. Jenkins held March 30 Funeral services for Edd A. Jenkins were held Saturday, March 30, at 2:00 p.m. at the New Haven Baptist Church. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Chevy Hardcore, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! Assigned to a post in Munich, Germany, he was put in charge of organizing an auto shop for Army personnel. "Bill was really floggin' as he pulled and replaced two sets of heads, a clutch, a camshaft, and a set of rings all during the course of four days," wrote Jim McFarland in HOT ROD's NHRA Nationals coverage. Rev. 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. and about 700hp on gas. Jenkins loved to row through the gears, so the car was fitted with a Hurst Competition-Plus shifter controlling a four-speed Muncie M21 transmission. ?Can't read it on the page. http://topnotchvehicles.com/v-web/gallery/albums/ a http://www.picturetrail.com/wagonmaster55. [4], He was nicknamed "Grumpy" for having a no-nonsense attitude at races. record with a 9.33. Their improbable rise to stardom could be the story line for a real-life Revenge of the Nerds. 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. [8] He would also win S/SA at the 1965 Winternationals in a hemi-powered Plymouth named Black Arrow. Grumpy's giant-killer legend was growing. 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. "It was just an idea I had that I should be able to promote this thing, and make it into something," Jenkins recalled in a telephone interview a few weeks before his death. Jenkins spins off the road, plows through some guy's front lawn, grabs First gear, and drives back to my gas station. The rivals met again at the NHRA Nationals. Jenkins and Stahl invented, refined, and popularized many of the technical innovations that are now commonplace in professional racing. 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?) [3][12] Lombardo replaced Jenkins in the driver's seat for the second race of the 1976 season in NHRA. "The only reason I ended up with the '66 Plymouth was because Jimmy Davis (Super Stock and Drag Illustrated editor) had this Hemi hardtop for a magazine test car," Stahl remembered. All products are produced on-demand and shipped worldwide within 2 - 3 business days. Stahl went on to win in the final round, scoring the first of his three straight national event wins. Jenkins parked the 67 for a while, running his 1969 ZL1 Camaro, and later, a new second-gen Camaro. In short, this was drag racing's version of David and Goliath. Grumpy Jenkins was most likely by way the most Innovative Pro Stock Drag Racer of all time S sam stoltz grumpy jenkins 67 Nova Nhra Drag Racing Cars Chevrolet Nova Chevy Nova Car Ads 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. XIX, No. He won the A/MP (A/Modified Production) class in a 1965 Plymouth gasser at the 1965 NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, with a pass of 11.11 seconds at 130.24mph (209.60km/h). 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. Born in Philadelphia,[5] Jenkins grew up in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Chevy Nova SS 3, 1/18 Grumpy's Toy Jenkins GMP 1968 Chevy Nova SS 396, 1966 Chevy Nova Bill Grumpy Jenkins #1 Release 1:18 Ertl American Muscle, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Grumpy's Toy V Super Stock 68 Nova 1:43 Scale Die, Bill Grumpy Jenkins Toy 68 Nova Gmp Ss 396 Chevy Nhra, Bill GRUMPY Jenkins SIGNED 1968 SS396 Super Stock Nova, 1/43 Gmp 1968 Chevy Nova Ss Drove By Bill Grumpy Jenkins Highly Detailed, Big Book Of Toy Airplanes Identification & Value Guide, The Meccano Magazine, Vol. The original version of this story first. [5] He married Polly Wood and they had a son named William and a daughter named Dani-El. 1968 Grumpy Jenkins Chevrolet SS396 Nova 1 Of 4440, Brand New GMP Peachs. 1. The 396 came in both low hp and High Perf versions. 1868 Nova SS396 Grumpy Jenkins Diecast,GMP # 8022.New In Box.1:18 Model. It wasn't a grand debut for the first "Grumpy's Toy." A 175-lb. 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