'Exotic' Camaros?

[crossboss]

Boys,
Since I like rare 'exotic' Muscle-Cars, my question is did Chevy ever consider any V-8 DOHC, SOHC, or other exotic type of engines for the first gen Camaro? Of course these would be experimental 'mule cars'. Thoughts?

[tmagda]

I think they did build a handful of hemi 302's.

[69Z28-RS]

IIRC ... or maybe I dreamed it?... the only GM produced 'hemi head' small block heads I ever heard of was a set that Smokey Yunick had been provided by GM for 'testing'... probably sold off after he passed away in the 'auction'...

[william]

No one at Chevy could make the hemi heads do anything so they handed they project over to Smokey Yunick. He briefly mentioned it in his book "Best Damn Garage in Town":

"...my first job was to try to salvage a hemispherical head project Piggins had championed for the small-block. Matter of fact, last time I worked at Chevy I worked with it. At that time it was a one-half million dollar trip to Shitsville. Well after three months we finally deep-six it forever. About a dozen engines got out but I think there were two hundred sets of parts."

There are a few restored Z/28s around with the hemi heads. Probably all the parts that still exist came from Smokey's auctions in the '90s. The heads required a different cam and intake as the port arrangement was different; the block had to be machined for pushrod clearance.

Although they are listed in the 1969 SCCA homologation papers, there is no reason to believe they were ever used in a Trans-Am race.

[maroman]

Last I knew there was a set on a Z-28 in a Tennessee muscle car museum, sliver car as I remember.

[crossboss]

Boys,
Yes, Im aware of the 'Semi-Hemi' or small block canted valve heads. I was curious IF Chevy had experimental or test mules with any sort of in house prototype power plants. As I remember from articles from 'back in the day' Chevy had some cover shots on Hot-Rod magazine with displays of DOHC, SOHC V-8 'what IF's' for any potential production?

[buenymayor]

Last I knew there was a set on a Z-28 in a Tennessee muscle car museum, sliver car as I remember.

Been 7 or 8 years, but I've seen that car. Floyd Garrett had it in his museum in Sevierville, Tn.

[william]

Boys,
Yes, Im aware of the 'Semi-Hemi' or small block canted valve heads. I was curious IF Chevy had experimental or test mules with any sort of in house prototype power plants. As I remember from articles from 'back in the day' Chevy had some cover shots on Hot-Rod magazine with displays of DOHC, SOHC V-8 'what IF's' for any potential production?

I'm sure all manufacturers did that back in the day. Maybe a very few of those cars escaped Engineering but with the advent of the Clean Air Act, test mules and Engineering cars were scrapped or stored after testing. The ONLY 1st Gen Camaro I know of to escape Chevy is one of the 1967 Camaro "Cherokee" show cars. Augie Pabst ended up with it here in WI. It was sold a few years ago at an auction, still in decent original condition.

GM started trying to unload some former Engineering/show cars at Barrett-Jackson AZ about 10 years ago [bill of sale only] but the Feds shut that down.     

[crossboss]

This is similar to what I was referring to…Oldsmobile as we know was GM's 'experimental' division, and had quite a few neat potential power plants in the works for possible production like this 'Hemi'. Too bad it never came to be...

[BULLITT65]

Well I am sure Chevy had plenty of motors they were working on:
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/03/05/lost-and-found-overflow-chevrolets-overhead-camshaft-and-hemi-headed-big-block-v-8s/

[william]

Probably the best example of this sort of thing were the Chrysler Turbine cars of 1963-1964. They built 55 cars and loaned them to private citizens for long-term evaluation. From that testing it became apparent they had significant obstacles for daily use and the program ended. Still a few around.

[BULLITT65]

The turbine cars are very cool looking. I don't know what it would take to maintain one, but I would own 1 of those in a hot second. Looks like a rocket ship. One of the cars that really ignited my imagination of what cars could be. A little short of the Telsa of its day...

[crossboss]

Well I am sure Chevy had plenty of motors they were working on:
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/03/05/lost-and-found-overflow-chevrolets-overhead-camshaft-and-hemi-headed-big-block-v-8s/

That IS one of the engines I remember on the Hot-Rod cover issue. Looks very close to Ford's SOHC 427 'Cammer engine.

[BillOhio]

Maybe Charlie will chime in but I am thinking he had an aluminum gm small block once that was something odd??

[camaroboy68ss]

 

Maybe Charlie will chime in but I am thinking he had an aluminum gm small block once that was something odd??

was it different than the aluminum small blocks that were built for the 63 grand sport Corvettes and Chaparrel race cars?