Hello there.

[FTC]

I have been a member here for a bit, and visited the site for much longer. I didn't see a forum or thread where new members introduced themselves so I figured the lounge was as good a place as any to start. My name is Frank,..my friends and family call me Frankie so please do if you'd like. I own a former Bob Johnson Racing Enterprises drag car out of Scuncio Chevrolet in RI, a 68 Z28. I have owned it for 42 years and I'm only the second registered owner.

[FTC]

Yes, joined 7 years ago, but life gets in the way, and by the time I decided to start posting here, I thought I forgot my password, but in actuality I forgot my screen name,...so trying to gain access to my account was a chore, that's for sure,...because the site kept telling me my email was already in use here, when I tried to make a new account. Some of you probably know me by the screen name I use on most other sites similar to this, it's FRANKTHECRANK.

[A12pilot]

Welcome Frank! You probably already figured it out, but this is an incredible group of knowledgeable, courteous, and enthusiastic members that help each other out and support one another along the way. We’re all adults and treat each other the way you’d expect to be treated among friends: friendly yet the occasional “poke” when needed!

Post off pics! We like pics!

Cheers
Dave

[Bill Pritchard]

Welcome Frank and please feel free to tell us more about your 68Z!

[dykstra]

Welcome! Would love to hear more about your Z.

[FTC]

I apologize ahead of time for the long winded post, but this tells the complete history of the car.

I own a 68 Z28, which was one of Bob Johnson's drag cars, who was the high performance manager of Scuncio Chevrolet of Rhode Island.
I had Bob, when in better health, come to see it, (and I took him for a ride in it), and he certified it as one of his drag cars, and that it was indeed a real Z28. Aside from being an 11,000 original mile car, it did have all the "Z28 only" hints...like the 6000 rpm tick toc tach which only came in solid lifter cars, and the tire sticker in the glove box calling for E70 15s. It still has all the original body panels, (except a cowl hood, and front and rear spoilers that I installed), and still has the original vinyl top and deluxe interior.

It was raced from 1972 through 1981, then I bought it. This was the only car Bob Johnson didn't buy new from Scuncio, (out of about 12 drag car he raced or sponsored), it was taken in trade in 1972 at the dealer, and because he loved the car's looks and low miles, Bob bought it from Scuncio. Bob sold it in 77 to another local racer who still ran the Bob Johnson Racing Enterprises lettering on the doors, until I bought it in 1981.

The original 302 was pulled out while Bob owned it and it actually went into the ramp truck that used to carry the car to the drags, when the 6 cylinder in it blew up . That truck was given back to Bob as well, and he sold it to someone in CT. The 12 bolt rear was removed and a Dana 60 was installed and is still in it today. Since I have had it, (42 years) it has taken on quite a few looks including leaving the 4 point roll bar in it and the wheelie bars on it for a while, having a fiberglass snorkel hood on it, then an SS hood, then a cowl induction hood. Cragar SS wheels, side pipes, to Super Lites and Hooker header and Flowmasters now....etc. The car is still basically set up for the drags with solid body mounts, solid motor and trans mounts, frame connectors, ladder bar rear suspension, narrowed rear leaf with a Vega 11 gallon fuel tank, Dana Rear, etc,....

The only part of the history of this car that was missing was who the original owner was. All Bob remembered was that he was in the service, stationed in CT, and came over the RI border to trade the Z in at Scuncio's for a 72 Chevelle.

Once I got a shipping data report through the General Motors Heritage Center, and the National Corvette Restorers Society, I found out my Z28 was originally sold out of Varnell Chevrolet Company in Tennessee. I then ran an ad in the local Craigslist in that area asking if anyone knew the original owner of a Z28 bought from that dealer, who was in the service at that time, stationed in CT.

Sure enough, a gentleman who knew the dealership, and knew a guy who prepped cars there contacted me, and they knew the car,..."and" knew who bought it. I eventually got in contact with the man, and we had some great emails and phone calls. He was definitely a motor head back in the day. He helped me fill in the blanks about some questions that were puzzling about the car. It didn't have any stripes on it when it was raced, and when I bought it, and it also had no paint code on the cowl tag, it just had an "=" sign instead which I found out meant "special paint". I thought perhaps that meant the car was ordered "stripe delete" which would have been quite rare, because the Lemans blue paint was not special for a late 68 Camaro that this is. Turns out, the original owner had the car painted in 1970 when he installed a 69 cowl hood on it and didn't have them put any stripes back on. The "special paint" option the tag referred to was the "black" stripes the car had. I put the white stripes it currently has on it because I liked how they look, and read that they were the most common color stripe used on a Lemans blue Z28 by far. Although Bob didn't have any paper work for the car when I spoke and met him, (because he said he never kept any of that stuff for his drag cars) he did verify that he took the car in trade, bought the car and sponsored it and..it definitely was a Z28. I have also talked to the two guys who campaigned and raced the car and they also verified it's authenticity, and they are the ones who put the 302 into the ramp truck. Now with the original owners story, "and" pictures of the car he sent me when he first bought it, the history of the car in now complete.

There's more fun facts, but I don't want to make this post so long, you guys might not want to continue reading,..lol. I know it was long winded already...lol.

[X66 714]

Keep going with story & pictures....Joe

[FTC]

It was a real sleeper. Flat hood, correct for the 68 anyway. It was a late build so it did have the Z28 emblems on the fenders, not the 302 emblems, and no front or rear spoilers. The rally wheels looks as though they were painted black like the stripes, instead of silver.

Here are the photos I had searched for for 35 years before I tracked them down, so to say. This is what the car looked like brand new in 68. The original owner told me when he bought it, it wasn't ready and dealer prepped in time, before he had to go back to CT, so his wife drove that high revving, four speed machine all the way from Tennessee to his base in CT. for him.

This one shows what looks to be black painted rally wheels, maybe from the factory, maybe dealer painted, or I guess the owner could have done them,...to match the hood stripes perhaps.

[FTC]

Well, it looks like I need to figure out how to post pictures here......hmmm.

[FTC]

I think I got it, but I got this message.

Thank you for posting! Your post will not be visible until a moderator has approved it for posting.