A factory-designed drag-race Camaro.
Practically everyone's jaw dropped at the 2006 Yenko Super Car Reunion when Eddie Martin, a dairy farmer from Tipton, California, rolled his fully restored Dusk Blue 1969 ZL-1 engine COPO Camaro out of the trailer, motored up to the Gateway International Raceway starting line, did a few dry hops to knock the tits off the newly installed set of Coker Tire-Goodyear Polyglas F70-14 tires, and motored off to a 13.24-second quarter-mile with a trap speed of 110 mph. Back on the starting line, Martin declared, "I've been waiting a long, long time to do that!"THE BUILD UP
Starting with the ZL-1 engine, Martin shipped the block and rotating assembly over to Ron Blades at Tulare, California's RPM Auto Machine, where the engine was bored .030 inches and all its rotating components were fully balanced. Once back at Martin's shop, he and friends Carlos Pamariz, Neil Westbrook, and Jerry McNish re-assembled the Can Am block and installed a set of 12:1 compression GM forged-aluminum pistons, along with the original ZL-1 nodular iron crank and connecting rods. Also on board is the original ZL-1 flat tappet cam. The Code O74 ZL-1 heads, along with its Code 198 four-barrel intake and Code 800-cfm Holley carburetor and cowl induction air cleaner (used in conjunction with the ZL2 cowl induction hood), have also been restored back to better-than-new condition. The engine makes use of the factory K66 A.C. Delco transistorized ignition system. However, the exhaust system has been updated to a set of Hooker Super Comp headers spinning the spent exhaust gases back through a three-inch Flowmaster-equipped cross-flow exhaust system. A Code V01 heavy-duty radiator handles the engine cooling.So much for the "steak," now for the "sizzle." Martin commissioned Tulare's Dan's Custom Painting to smooth out the ZL-1 sheet metal and re-paint the car in the correct PPG Code # 51 Dusk Blue. Upon re-assembly, all-new old stock (NOS) exterior trim was used.
On the inside, the car utilizes the original factory black vinyl bucket seat interior, along with a rare Stahl mechanical tachometer. Weighing in at 3290 lbs., Martin's ZL-1 is a rolling piece of muscle-car history—unmolested and uncut. However, by now, it should also be obvious this is no show-bound hound. In fact, since restoration, Martin has logged an additional 7,000 miles on the odometer, and most of it, a quarter-mile at a time.
SOURCES
ACDelco
Coker Tire
Flowmaster, Inc.
Goodyear
Holley
Hooker Headers
Lakewood Industries
RPM Auto Machine