When it comes to the cool, rare, stuff we have seen bubble up over the years on eBay this right here is upper crust. What you are looking at is a set of cylinder heads, intake manifold, and valve covers to complete the top end of a legit 1963 Z-11 427 engine, the likes of which attacked drag strips relentlessly in the early 1960s and which were used as some sort of a high performance doomsday weapon from an era when GM was “not racing”.
The Z-11 was the ultimate version of the “W” engine series from Chevrolet. The 348 was cool, the 409 is awesome and the dual quad version of the 409 was plenty nasty, but the Z-11 was an all-out racing engine and one that was aimed at two opponents. Firstly was Chrysler with its nasty 413 Max Wedge engines and the second was a lot closer to home. Pontiac. The 421ci “Trophy” V8 that Pontiac had been quietly getting into the hands of drag racers was having the desired effect. The dominance of Chrysler and Pontiac in the youth heavy drag racing market demanded action from Chevrolet.
Rated at 430hp, these engines were thought to be making north of 500 after proper tuning. Z-11 Chevrolets were raced by some of the most important and famous names in the sport and they launched the careers of others. The cars were so fast that years later they were STILL competitive in class and match racing long after some of their other rivals were out classed by more modern stuff.
These are real parts that have been used and the seller says so, mentioning that the heads have some battle scars from the drag strip and other wear. Who cares, right? If you are someone who actually has a documented factory drag car that needs the correct engine topped with the correct heads, your ship just came in. Spend the $27,000 and watch the value of your restoration skyrocket.
eBay: Complete original top end for 1963 Z-11 427ci Chevy!
Crazy Stuff at a Crazy Price—-rarer then hens teeth for sure—would double the price of the right ’63 Impala