Karl Gould Hemi Superbird

[farm966]

Mike, as big as you are I thought you would have lifted the nose of that car military press style as Michael pushed the engine underneath it....I am just jealous...

[gymratt30]

Just to throw my opinion and two cents in.....I hope you return to the Karl Gould paint job as that is how most would remember it.  Having said that, IF the car hadn't been a racer and better known with the Gould paint job I want have voted for keeping the custom paint job you purchased the car with.  Not sure I care for it all that much, but that is besides the point.  The point I would make is that to many of these cars from back in the day that had standout custom paint jobs have/are being restored back to stock and therefore losing their past.  And, while I appreciate a bone stock restoration....I like to see some of these car left as they were back in the day.   

I agree and congrats on the great find. It's nice to know these cars are still out there. I liked it better with the Centerlines over the rallyes.

This will be an interesting thread to follow. Hopefully more info gets uncovered.

Best of luck!

thanks Dave, I really liked the ceneterlines also, but about 80% of the pics ive got shows the car with keystone classics on the front and black rims on the back...... I went with that look,

[gymratt30]

Mike, as big as you are I thought you would have lifted the nose of that car military press style as Michael pushed the engine underneath it....I am just jealous...

I told you it was "off season" ... Im fat and happy..lol

[gymratt30]

so cool  nice score  Mike

thanks Stuart.

[held1823]

i'd probably do the race version, too, but it would absolutely break my heart to remove that custom paint job to do so.

you HAVE to burn up a camera or two taking photos of it beforehand. they simply don't make 'em like that anymore

[gymratt30]

Im thinking Im going to keep the trunk lid for "wall art" ... im going to be looking for another trunk lid as a donor.

[gymratt30]

 .

[gymratt30]

 

it was the first time Ive ever put one in from the bottom,.....not for the faint of heart.... it was a "job" with only 3 of us and no lift.
But it was a nice feeling to bolt  those 4 k-member bolts in and sit back and think about how long I would have fought those dang headers....lol










Hemi superbird article was called grooming the elephant they to used the cherry picker and did hemi from the bottom

[gymratt30]

so the engine was pulled out with less that 10 miles on it so im told.... so could these exhaust  stickers be originals..
.

[gymratt30]

heres the full picture

[nascarxx29]

Does it still have the resonators

[gymratt30]

Does it still have the resonators

no it does not

[dyslexic teddybear]

Im thinking Im going to keep the trunk lid for "wall art" ... im going to be looking for another trunk lid as a donor.

Definitely keep it!

Looking at the pic......got a really weird feeling. Almost like I'd seen it before. Not the car, just the mural. Finally jogged the memory.......back in 77, my cousin picked up a red 73 340 RR. He saved up for a bit, took care of rust issues, and had the car painted. Talked to a custom painter to do a mural very close to that on the trunk lid....didn't quite come up with the $$$, so he but he didn't get. Wile didn't have a knife in his version, but otherwise very close.

Keep it.......very cool.

[djcarguy]

     great find MIKE ,WOOD BEE  neet to keep that paint for few years,just get a good air brush guy to touch up nose an hood.  make some magnetic or air brush signs for the side.. 

     mike & son racing

    mikes Bird Rescue

   GymRat  Racing


        I think the rallies are to small an tame looking?      keystone ,centerlines or cragers with big tires or slicks look killer with the custom paint.

        some day do the karl G race paint but make nose match the quarter paint it kind of looks like crash repair the way its block painted in most of the pics.. kind of like 2nd an 3rd repaints better?

DJ,oregon

[mopar4ya]

so the engine was pulled out with less that 10 miles on it so im told.... so could these exhaust  stickers be originals..
.

I would say NO.

[Redbird]

Just curious,

In the late 1970's I looked at the Jack Werst SB when Ken Jennings owned it. The wheel lips at the rear quarters were rolled over. Probably for 2 reasons, first  they probably moved the rear wheels forward and fixing the wheel wells probably hid it better if they did that, second to reduce chances the rear slicks would get cut.

2 years ago I was at the Mopars in the Park show with the Sox & Martin reunion. I felt under the rear quarters of the cars while I was there. S & M had a distinctive way of rolling their quarters under at the wheel wells. As much as I can recall it was different than the Werst car.

Were the quarters rolled over at the wheel wells on the Richards car? Rear wheels moved forward?

[FJ5WING]

I cant get over you finding that in my back yard!!

I also find it interesting they didn't take delivery of a non undercoated car.

[gymratt30]

Im thinking Im going to keep the trunk lid for "wall art" ... im going to be looking for another trunk lid as a donor.

Definitely keep it!

Looking at the pic......got a really weird feeling. Almost like I'd seen it before. Not the car, just the mural. Finally jogged the memory.......back in 77, my cousin picked up a red 73 340 RR. He saved up for a bit, took care of rust issues, and had the car painted. Talked to a custom painter to do a mural very close to that on the trunk lid....didn't quite come up with the $$$, so he but he didn't get. Wile didn't have a knife in his version, but otherwise very close.

Keep it.......very cool.






You're not the first to tell me that that type of art work looked familiar ..... I talked to Le Hodges of Hodge restorations about this car..
Le mentioned that there was a particular artist that did those scenes back in the 70's almost described the painting before i told him the details of the artwork.
(didnt know the artists name..... but again , another cool piece if history that has surfaced)

[gymratt30]

Just curious,

In the late 1970's I looked at the Jack Werst SB when Ken Jennings owned it. The wheel lips at the rear quarters were rolled over. Probably for 2 reasons, first  they probably moved the rear wheels forward and fixing the wheel wells probably hid it better if they did that, second to reduce chances the rear slicks would get cut.

2 years ago I was at the Mopars in the Park show with the Sox & Martin reunion. I felt under the rear quarters of the cars while I was there. S & M had a distinctive way of rolling their quarters under at the wheel wells. As much as I can recall it was different than the Werst car.

Were the quarters rolled over at the wheel wells on the Richards car? Rear wheels moved forward?

Yes, the fender lips are rolled in, and YES to question 2 the rear wheels are moved forward. I was surprised how easily the 29.5 inch slicks fit under the car.... actually had room for a bit bigger tire... the rear shocks have some fabricated lower flanges to give the car more lift in the rear, while still retaining good damper for better launches(im guessing.)..... in talking with Paul Messemer, unlike the 5/50 car, the front wheels are not moved, along with the engine cowl still in its original position...( 5/50 car has its engine moved back a inch or so). Paul did mention that there were some "modifications " made that slipped by track officials, Including filling the spare tire with about 150lbs of something.... cant remember what exactly he mentioned the substance was , calium?, sulfer?.

Bob Carpinet  told me that they had stuffed the wing with about 150lbs of a lead wool that is used in the Plumbing industry. Im not sure if the spare tire was still in the car or not,,,, But he (Bob carpinet ran a Plumbing business and the wool was avialible to them at work..lol).


This car like the 5/50 car has two big electric fuel pumps mounted down on the frame rails near the rear tires and it also like the 5/50 car has the N96 optioned XXX ed over on  the fender tag.



(ill post the fender tag pic later)

this car also has a dana 60 in it ....Paul and Tim took the 8 3/4 from the begining

[gymratt30]

I cant get over you finding that in my back yard!!

I also find it interesting they didn't take delivery of a non undercoated car.

yep this car stayed in PA for the last 43 years until I brought it to SC in July of AUG/SEPT of this year.

cant say much about the delivery of a non undercoated car... BUT Tim Richards, did mentioned that they ordered a Bench seat car for weight reasons.

[odcics2]

so the engine was pulled out with less that 10 miles on it so im told.... so could these exhaust  stickers be originals..
.

Having worked with exhaust systems in the 70s, they'd have those paper stickers with part numbers on them.
Head pipe stickers would burn off the fastest.   But on a tail pipe, it would take a few miles...   

I say they are original. 

[FJ5WING]

I thought the resonator question cleared up the originality factor?

[odcics2]

I thought the resonator question cleared up the originality factor?

The paper stickers are original.  May not be the original pipes, but those stickers are real!   

[472 R/T SE]

Congrats, way cool. 

I remember reading about the Werst car's paint job having a design that pulled the eyes towards it that way no one would ever study the location of the rear wheels.  Technology in '69 at it's finest.   

[nascarxx29]

    I remember hemi fred telling all the changes made to jack werst bird steel speaker deck one altered wheel in front to catch stage beam 150 lb tail lights etc  when Jennings had it out of the box headers wouldn't work .Engine was relocated