Introducing........RAT’S NEST

[R68GTO]

Let’s get to that 2nd owner story so the title of this thread makes sense. Owner #5 gave me the name of the guy who used to race the car regularly (turned out to be the 2nd owner). He didn’t have a phone number but said the guy still ran a local business. I called that business looking for the guy. The kid on the other end said he never heard of that guy. I told him why I was calling, he said, “oh, I know who you're probably looking for!” He connected me with that guy (I’m keeping names out because I haven’t asked their permission yet). He told me it wasn’t his car, but was his best friend’s / drag racing buddy’s car and knew it well. I got the same “did you know that’s a factory 427 4 speed car?” statement. His buddy had passed away about 8 years ago. The guy I was speaking with actually painted the car shortly after his buddy bought it! In our conversation, I asked if he knew if the car had Camaro fender emblems when his buddy had it? He pretty quickly said yes. I asked how in the world he knew that so quick. He said cuz I have a picture of the car hanging above my desk! He asked me if I could call him back around 5:30? He said that the 2nd owner’s son would be at his business then and I could then talk to both of them! Both guys are still drag racing today. Of course, I called them back and we talked about an hour about the car. The son told me he clearly remembered when his Dad brought it home. Blue, dog dish hubcaps, no spoilers. He drove it on the street for a short time, then turned it into his drag car. The photo below is the one hanging above the guys desk. My first look at RAT’S NEST! The son still has his Dad’s racing helmet (painted to match the car) hanging in his garage!

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by R68GTO

.. everyone before that (we're now back to the late '70's) essentially said the same thing to me when they first understood what I was calling about "I wondered where that car went, did you know that was a factory 427 car?!"

Originally Posted by R68GTO

I got the same “did you know that’s a factory 427 4 speed car?” statement.

Okay , i see what you did there. Not quite the same .

oh no
no
No F'n Way !
say what ?
omg
:faint:

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Rats Nest race car is Wicked and Wild
now its a bona-fide bull fighter !

... but Red
whats this about 427 - 4 speed

typo ?

or is hate about to take on a new dimension here

[R68GTO]

Owner #6 bought it as a roller, no engine or trans. He owned a 69 Camaro convertible with an automatic. He wanted a 4 speed in his vert, so he swapped the pedals and related stuff into his convertible and put the auto stuff in this car. This swap took place in the late '70's I think.
Rat's Nest is an original 4 speed car - 2nd owner's racing partner said it had a rock crusher in it when his buddy bought it with around 1,000 miles on the odometer. They raced it that way. At one point they trashed the tranny - had Doug Nash rebuild it with stronger internals is the story they gave me.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by R68GTO

..Rat's Nest is an original 4 speed car - 2nd owner's racing partner said it had a rock crusher in it when his buddy bought it with around 1,000 miles on the odometer.

Damn
so you go out and find a Clean Solid Shiny low mile COPO with Peachy original interior thats been garage kept for at least the past 35 years.
Still has some form of 427 in it , running and driving , street legal.
You wanted a 4spd car but compromising on an Automatic.

The owner cant convince himself that it has hardly any chance of being a COPO , so you likely get a pretty handsome deal.
And thats all really sweet stuff.

Then its LeMans Blue, double bonus
Then its Faktry 4 speed possibly M22, quadruple bonus

We've been posting alongside on PY/Ames Pontiac Forum for many years,
so don't take this too personal,
but i'm going to need to hate you for at least 24 hours-maybe 48.

yep Congratulations
Damn

[R68GTO]

We've been posting alongside on PY/Ames Pontiac Forum for many years,
so don't take this too personal,
but i'm going to need to hate you for at least 24 hours-maybe 48.

LOL, not a problem, my Pontiac Brutha! I'm sure if I post something over on the PY site, I'll get "flamed" for buying a "Crapmaro" as some like to say over there.

I do kinda feel like I hit the "car guy lottery" with this one. I am a Pontiac guy mostly but have always liked all makes/models - really just a car guy, no politics, BS, etc.
I'm not going to try to make this car into something it's not, it's far from being a "survivor" / "numbers matching" or any of those other terms people like to throw out there to talk a car up. Having said that, it does have some great attributes beyond the COPO status which I will post about along the way on this thread. I'm sure I'll make some mistakes along the way since I'm still learning, but I hope the knowledgeable people on this site will help me out when that happens.

[R68GTO]

Aside from what I already posted, here's some other info on the car.
Body: Original body panels date stamped to line up with build date. I can't find a date stamp on driver's fender. I can't read the date stamp on the trunk lid.
Quarter gills & wheel opening trim added by owner #6 when he painted it its current black/gold stripe paint scheme. Owner #7 added the drip rail moulding. Owner #2 added the spoilers.

Interior: Original interior (including carpet) except for dash pad. Owner #7 replaced the pad (bought at GM dealership) when he removed the pedestal tach that was bolted through it.

Engine: VIN stamped 427 "942" block cast in October of 1965. Owner #6 rebuilt it to L88 specs with hyd. lifters. Said he pulled it out of an Impala SS. 840 heads, 163 intake, List 4295 GM Holley carb (factory original, not a reman). Aftermarket distributor (Accel) and alternator (Powermaster).

Transmission: CM Turbo 400 built with a reverse manual valve body by owner #6. I think this codes out to a motorhome trans! Should have a M22 Rockcrusher according to owner #2.

Rear end: original multi-leaf setup with vintage Lakewood traction bars & driveshaft loop. PE (so close, but yet so far!) code 10 bolt posi. Owner #8 (the guy I bought the car from) didn't like the 4.10 unit so he swapped a guy for this rear. Keep in mind, this guy drove the car a total of 3,500 miles in 35 years! Why on earth would you feel compelled to swap out the rear for drivability! I do have a lead on where it went, but it's a weak lead, we'll see.
Here's some photos of seats and door panels. Enjoy!

[NorCam]

Just read this thread and gotta say congrats on the find. Since the entire drive line is MIA, IMO it would make a great throwback car to it's earlier life and the semi original paint scheme. Restore it back as a 427 street machine with these colors. It's totally deserving of that. Or sell it to me and I'll do that.