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This is my PICTURE
STORY OF THE ORIGINAL JACK MAY 1963 IMPALA Z-11
CHEVROLET that I am restoring. This car is one of
the 50 ALUMINUM FRONT END 427 CU.IN IMPALAS BUILT BY
CHEVROLET AS A [RPO] REGULAR PRODUCTION ORDER CAR.
This car was built in December 1962 and was one of
the first 25 built. The rest we're built in January
and February 1963 , as close as we can tell
according to Chevrolet production records. All of
these cars had aluminum front fender's and hood's
with both front and rear aluminum bumper's and
bracket's and aluminum grill bracket's along with
aluminum fan shrouds and front splash shield. ALL of
these car's we're equipped with the First 427 CU.IN.
engine Chevrolet produced. This engine used a 1963
-409 CU.IN. block Stroked to 427 CU.IN. Using a new
crankshaft ,rod's and piston's They also used
redesigned cylinder head's and a two piece high rise
intake manifold w/ two AFB Carter 4 bbl carbs and a
different cam shaft designed for the Z-11 engine.
Also they used a RAM AIR COWL INDUCTION AIR CLEANER
NEVER BEFORE USED BY CHEVROLET ON ANY OF THERE
CAR'S.
Pictured above is the
original 1963 aluminum front end Impala AF/X- Z-11
Chevy that was OWNED AND RACED BY Jack May of
Powhatan, Va. and driven by Larry Wilson [Good Ole
Mr. Wilson] and Race prepared by Ronnie Sox of the
Sox and Martin racing team. It was also sponsored by
Sox Sinclair Service which is Ronnie Sox's Father.
The car was garaged in Burlington, NC. since that's
where Larry and Ronnie both lived. Since Ronnie had
his own Z 11 Chevy, The Sox and Martin car and raced
it under NHRA rules they decided to make this car a
match race car and race it for money. Larry Wilson
was the primary driver of this car but there we're
times when Ronnie Sox would drive this car in a
race. I have talked to all of the above named people
and continue to stay in touch with them and all are
glad the car has been found and is being restored to
it's racing condition with all the lettering as it
appeared in it's racing day's . The restoration work
is being done by myself and my son's JASON & JOHN .
Helping with this project is JODY ANDERSON of SOUTH
SIDE AUTOMOTIVE , Minneapolis , Minn.-STACEY from
STRIP-IT of Mt Clemens, Mich. and many others to
numerous to mention I've known the above mentioned
for many year's and they are very good friend's of
mine. The website was created and is maintained by
JAMIE HEIDT of SOUTH SIDE AUTOMOTIVE.
The car was ordered in
late 1962 by Winston Parker the Service Manager for
Watts Chevrolet, at that time in Williamsburg, Va.
Watts Chevrolet was to retain ownership of the car
and it was to be raced by Bob Chester a local drag
racer. But when the car arrived Watts changed there
mind's about owning it and wanted Bob Chester to buy
it. Bob said no and that's when Jack May bought the
car. Jack knew Ronnie Sox and wanted him to drive it
but he had his own car and Ronnie told Jack he
should have Larry Wilson drive Jack's car. And so
began the JACK MAY -Mr427II-AF/X and A/MP Match Race
Car Driven by "Good Ole Mr. Wilson". Besides winning
most of his match races thru out the South Larry set
a new A/MP track record of 11.26 at 130 Mph at
POCONO DRAG LODGE in Bear Creek, Pa.in Sept 1964.
That was the same day he raced Jake King's Ford
Thunder Bolt and took Jake in Three out of Three
race's that day. Three week's later Larry Wilson
raced Ron Pelligrini's 427 Ford Mustang at POCONO
DRAG LODGE and Larry won Three out of Five that day
making him the overall winner.
This site will soon
have several vintage pictures of my car and a
running picture essay of the restoration of the car
along with articles on some of the race's Larry was
in that have been found by some very great people I
have met the past few years.
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