Junior drove a Chivalay.....gotta love Junior's down home style. Sure is missed.

What a treat! Junior and that Impala! That was the origin of the legendary big block Chevy.

"If it lasted, it won the race" Right on, Junior!

They don’t make em like Junior anymore. A good man he was.

I remember as a kid every Saturday watching Wide World of Sports and all the greats running around that oval;Yarborough, Pearson, Elliot, Johnson, Allison and so many more I can't remember....the days of REAL racing.

Looking under this car adds a whole new prospective to how serious the need to win was. Another great man and legend gone. R.I.P. Junior.

I remember seeing Junior driving this car at North Wilkesboro when I was a teenager. Great memories.

Once upon a time Chevrolet built interesting vehicles 🚗.

Thank god some of these stories were documented by the pioneers who drove them. Great stuff.

Rest in peace Mr Junior Johnson. You was the real deal.

That was one of the best Chevrolet made I had ss impala one of best cars I ever own

I don't care who it ticks off, but this was the REAL NUMBER 3. THE ONE AND ONLY.

RlP Junior. NASCAR legend!!

R.I.P. Junior..I loved the Jeff Bridges movie that was loosely based on his life.

I enjoyed this on a rainy Monday night in southern UK. Big fan of Mr Johnson.

Back when racing meant something , cars were awesome and the drivers were tough as nails ! Yesteryear ! A BY-Gone Era !

I love this story. Jr. got the best out of it. Cars were evolving. Racing was having a positive influence & it was beginning to show. Great time to be a teenager...

well done RK Motors...take a bow. Junior and Rex White were my heroes growing up.

I'd give anything to sit with junior Johnson for two hours and just talk cars and Motors and listen to him tell story's from his past. Not just racing stories but car building stories as well.

Junior Johnson had corporate (non automotive)sponsorship waaaay before anyone else!

God speed Junior Johnson. Such a sad day for the racing world.

A Great American Hero!!!!!!!! Thanks Junior Johnson!

58-64 Impalas all had 3 link arms, coil springs, and a panhard bar. They put truck suspension, and an Eaton "jackpot" truck rear axle under this car. The axles and brakes were machined for 5 lug wheels. Nothing under the rear of this car is stock. JJ was an innovator.

If i recall correctly: The 1963 z11 427 al front clip cars... where based on a 409 W block and yes they did have a complete frontend made out of aluminum, but those where made for drag racing. They only made enough aluminum front clip parts to have 2 of everything for each car and you had to show proof of owning one of the z11 drag cars to buy any of those extra aluminum replacement parts (according to the guys i met who were into them when they came out). One of those guys... back in the 80's in my area had collected all the aluminum parts for a 63, but could not get a guy he knew down south to sell him the z11 he had. It was backed into one of those shorter one car garages of the day that an impala was too long for and the front clip was getting hammered by weather... then after years of stopping each trip to try to buy it...they'd had it towed and that bent the whole frontend up... the brackets, fenders, inner, hood hinges, fan shroud... everything was al from windshield forward. It then just vanished. I saw a z11 up close (that ended up in reggie jackson's collection until it sold awhile back), not sure who owned it when I saw it. That was at one of the very first late great chevy car shows in St Charles IL in early 80's. I think that one was a 1962. I was into the 1964 ss impalas and wanted a 425/409 64 so the z11 blew me away and these two z11 guys where older back then and into them when they came out. I then found an article about them in a chevy magazine. I do not think they made them in 1964 but i eventually landed a couple 409 4spd ss impalas, 400/409 hardtop and a 425/409 ragtop. In 1961 they made a very few impala ss cars. Only about 285??? Only a few were 409s. Knew an older guy that ordered one red on red to drag race...came with the 348 so he did not accept it and to get his 409/409 had to take a 62 409/409. That car was still show room perfect in 1982-3 when I was trying to buy it...price kept going up until a pilot for John Deere gave him over 6500... a lot of money then... but a great investment if they still have it.

I've got to give Junior Johnson his respect! The man has earned it. I wish I could just sit down and jaw with the man for a spell. 🍺😋👍

Outstanding. RIP Junior. Legend.

That was a real pleasure listening to those two good old boys just talkin about what they love

GONE are THE GOLDEN YEARS. NOW we all live a ****** - up live! DAMN ITTT!!!

That mystery motor was bad ass.

I've seen this video maybe 5 times. It's just a testament to what it took to win back then!

When you combine hard work a strong set of hands a knowledge you can go win races,ive done everything like that 25 years too late,I would have loved to have worked and raced back then,much respect

I saw Junior win the 1963 fall race at Charlotte NC in a car like that,i believe it was called The National 400 at that time.

7:58 The look on his face to when he is asked: 'You never took the body of the chassis you just lay there on the floor.' Says: 'No sonny, we didnt take no body off no chassis.'

Tremendous video...I luv hearing Junior talk the specs details of this car...it really was way ahead of its time...the old NASCAR guys were exceptional Engineers even if they weren't degreed.

One of the greatest. Real nascar era.

That dam two piece drive shaft with center support bracket would break every time I tried to get a hole shot.lol

A descent man! Wish I could have seen him race!

Ray Fox's shop was across one of those drainage ditches in Cocoa, from Smokey's shop...and spies were sent...kids...Ray's sons...Ray Jr. and David. (BOTH brilliant HEMI engine builders.) Met BEAM as I started working for Melling and Bill Elliott, and David Fox, then Ray a couple years later. David told stories at lunch for a couple years.....HATED Talladega...and gave me his VIP tickets to races all over for friends. Only learned this year WHY the Foxes, under DODGE contracts, hated Talladega for the first race (CUP) run there. RIP Ray, Ray Jr. Race In Peace.

I saw Junior Johnson in one of these cars race Richmond, Virginia when it was dirt . He losses breaks in the first the second lap in road around the top of the track is still was out running everybody until something broke . He was a hell driver

Junior Johnson told me in person , while sitting with me on my porch, that Ford Motor Company spent 3 million dollars in 1963 trying to catch that Mystery Motor.

Junior Johnson is a true legend/Outlaw

So much to love about this. Junior was a mechanical genius but the simplicity with which his mind (still sharp here) framed his reply to Beam's question@3:35..."Did this thing arrive as a "body in white" (new body shell only) ? Junior: "No, it was a car." (Not a plane or train or sheet metal, lol) "It was a car."

The Godfather of Nascar.

7-800 Horse Power in 1963 , If they stayed together they won the race Nothing in 63 would touch that , the suspension was also superior at that time R.I.P. Junior Johnson

Joseph Monaco1 second agoThat motor was a 427 bored over.30. It was a 433 CI Engine with 12 1/2:1 Compression with closed chambered heads with 219 intake and 188 exhaust valves. It had a 376 crank in it, with a holley 780 double pumper in it. It had the original big-port heads in it. The heads had round exhaust ports and had two-cast iron pushrod guides per head. My motor came with forged 12 1/2:1 Compression TRW Dome top Pistons. It had a forged steel cross-drilled crank. It also had the rod journals were carefully radiused. The exhaust studs were extended to use a windage tray to keep the hot oil off of the crank. Chervoret really used their heads when they made their motors. It had the L-88 cam, part number 3925535 with 0.540/0.560 lift and 269 duration at 0.50 at a 110 lobe separation. That motor in reality put out around 600 plus H.P. Not like they advertised in the 1969 Corvette, because back then, your car insurance was based on the H.P. of the car. So, Chevrolet rated the car at around 435 H.P. so the buyer didn't get raped on insurance, but, like I said, those components in a .30 over 427 with 12 1/2:1 compression engine put out about 600 H.P. Respectively. Ask Junior, and see what he has to say about it! I have one of those exact motors only I have the Big Rectangular Open Chambered Heads on mine. It breathes a lot better because the spark plug is angled so it doesn't have to run straight into the intake and exhaust valves. Read up on the head design of the open chambered heads and you will see that they breathe a lot better than the closed chambered heads. Although, the closed chambered heads were Killer also. Either way, It's a winning combination.

Glad you got to meet him junior Johnson was always one of my favorites and yes I am that old lol 😂

Junior was a Superman.

Wow, what a treat to glean this history of Mr. Johnson.

I hated this guy......I was a huge fan of Holman-Moody and Freddie Lorenzon and the other Ford drivers and this guy blew them into the weeds. If you were a Ford fan you wanted to choke Junior as well. In later years I used to look over at his sprawling house off of highway 421 outside of Wilkesboro and wish that I could stop and shake his hand and thank him for what he did for Wilkesboro and North Carolina, and NASCAR. RIP sir. None of them now can hold a candle to you.

Truly a priceless car !! And for so many reasons...The historical significance of this car to NASCAR, and Chevrolet...The biggest part of that is the engine..The Mark II big block 427..Fewer than 50 was ever made before Chevrolet pulled out of racing..The block was basically the same as the Z11 427 "W" motor, but what made this perform was the "porcupine" style heads that later found there way on the modern Mark IV engines.. Some of the Mark II engines are still floating around and are considered priceless..But to have one of these engines in the car that was intended to race it is....Wow..How do you go beyond priceless??

R.I.P. Junior. thank you.

Thats how you build a hot rod! You dive in and reinforce everything!

the man and the car ,truly one off

enjoyed talking with Junior

Ho tanta ma tanta nostalgia di quelle automobili,di quelle gare,di quella gente(i nostri padri e le nostre madri...)di quegli anni felici della nostra giovane vita che non tornerà mai più.....

Thats an Eaton HO52 rear end. GM used those axles in 3/4 ton trucks from 1947-1972. Its a full floating axle with an option of a no slip diff. Parts are hard to come by anymore but a lot of the 10.5in 14 bolt internals will swap right over to the Eaton.

I think there was yellow car too. I watched him in 63. Darlington, Charlotte. I seen him lap field like they were sitting still.

That's one sweeet ride

Great Upload, car has lots of history.

What a sweet car! Seemed like Junior always had the team to beat during the 70s and 80s.

So, that diff is an Eaton unit out of a mid sixties Chevrolet 3/4 ton pick up that is fulll floating.

great racer, and very great engine guy.

DW has a great story JR told him we will win every race till they catch us

CHEVROLET, THE KING OF NASCAR!

Thank you for this video, this is priceless.

REAL STOCK DRIVERS..

I like what Junior told DW, I can't pay you a lot, but you're going to win a lot.

Even JJ admitted that the Chevy "Mystery 427" engine was not reliable. Another weak point was the X frame.

63 real steel 🚗

What A Great Video Thank You 👍

Back when stock really meant stock.

That was, excellent, car building.

When stock car racing meant stock car racing R.I.P. Junior

Sorry, they were not pulling 700-800 HP in 1963. Bill Howell, GM engineer who supervised testing and development of the Mk II mystery motor said it pulled 530-540 HP and never knew of any cars, even the drag cars with dual quads, pulling 600 HP, even if just for 12 seconds. For reference, the Ford 427 was pulling 580-585 HP and the Chrysler 426 Hemi was pulling 585-595, after 6-7 years of development and rule changes, while the Boss 429 was 580 HP out of the box and pulling 610-620 HP with modified heads and Wood Brothers/Holman Moody tuning by 1970. Those numbers come from Chrysler and Ford documents and interviews with Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates. Yep, the windshield wiper motor had to stay, the window operating mechanisms and even the seat had to be stock and of the same make. Shoulder harness became mandatory in mid 1965, making it into the 1966 rule book. And for those that like to claim everyone ran a Ford rear end, please grab a rule book and read it. All parts had to be 'stock' for the make but swapping for "HD" (truck) parts or other model was allowed. As for the HP numbers on the hood, those had to be 'factory stock' numbers, which is why it says "427 HP". As for Junior Johnson's HP numbers.. Add 5 HP a year as the tales get taller and taller, like a fisherman adding an inch to that fish that was caught each time the tale is told. ;-) Have fun!

In 1963 at Daytona 500 Fred Lorenzen won the pole 160.943 mph in a Holman-Moody Ford. The 100 mile qualifying races were both run with no caution flags. Johnny Rutheford won the 2nd one at an avg. speed of 162.969 mph in a car prepared by Smoky Yunich. Junior won the first won with an avg. speed of 164.083 mph. Both races faster than the pole speed. In the 500, Junior's engine didn't last but 26 laps. He led 12. The race was won by Tiny Lund driving for the injured Marvin Panch whose life was saved days earlier by Lund and others in a turn 4 crash. He drove the Wood Bros. car to victory by making one less pit stop and never having to change tires.

It was one of the very best engines ever. Years ahead of time think about this had it been totally polished the wins and records it would have had. It would have been the only engine that could go toe to toe with the hemi. Smokey told me that the push rods would break and he had to do it all over he would have use titanium instead of steel. He said the hemi can be beaten and was beaten and it's not God like these mopar people think. In matter of fact a dirty little secret Junior and Ray switched over to Chrysler in December of 1963 before the 1964 season. They took there Chevrolet to San Angelo Texas and worked with Chrysler on the Goodyear test track they had the track is a 5 mile course. They were like a jackrabbit and the hemis the greyhounds. Even Chrysler officials said that was an excellent car and hated to face it had it been polished and GM was still in racing. The big 3 always borrowed, stole, gave and help one another no matter what people say Detroit is a family.

Heck Yeah, A thumbs up liked. Great Race Man !

Junior right! My '61 Buick had a 215 ci V-8, the piston cylinders we're about the size of a Coke can.

Love it !

When your around the stuff all your life you loose about half your hearing

Yes

Hey. Junior. Johnson. I. Was. Born. In. 1963. And. My. Name is Charles wade Linn jr. Ok ok 👍👍👍

good stuff

That's an American icon right there.

That's a Real Stock Car❤ dam nascars😂

very nice, very nice

Love to hear what the he'll there talking about

What did the other chevys run that year? I remember seeing a lot of 63' Impalas/Belairs in that race.

The old saying is if you can't find them grind them !

When Nascar was Nascar.

Where can a video of this car or video of junior johnson racing his 63 chevy be found?

is this the aluminum fender car?

Amazing stuff. 3/4 ton Ford truck axle housing. Chevy truck arms. Windshield wipers still work. And yeah, you want her to rev, big bore short stroke which will test that valve train. Wow!

The hood markings say 427 Horse Power not 427 Cubic Inches! That was how NASCAR did it back then.

That's a stock car.

Best driver for moonshine ever created

I prefer the earlier Impalas - 1957.

Jr Johnson was my 4th cousin

I would bring up what happened in 1964, but I'll be nice!

12-1500lbs right rear spring 🤯