I'll take door number one Monty !

[birdsandbees]

Ever since I started hanging out here, my mind has been telling me it's time to set 23 years of aircraft work aside and to start reliving life by getting back to my roots.. CARS!  

While I see my 'Bird on a daily basis, covered in dust and mouse turds as it's sitting in the hangar, it's been a long time since I had a good look at my Superbee. It got buried behind all my kid sisters junk when she died back in '09 and I had to go clean out her apartment. I've sorted through her stuff over the years and almost had it gone, then my youngest came home from University and added her crap to block me in some more. I think tomorrow I'm going to throw all that furniture into my enclosed trailer so my prized possession can see the light of day again. It's only a 40 foot push or pull !!  

But then again I have no where to get it inside after I pull it out of the container. Guess I'd better work on cleaning up the shop first!  

Looks like I need a steering wheel, it only had one crack in it before I put the car in the container a decade ago. Does anyone make repops? or know where I can get a good used one?

[birdsandbees]

 

[skip68]

That's a beautiful bee.   

[tan top]

sorry to hear about your sister ,

super bee looks good      four speed ?  

[skip68]

Also looks like that container is sealed real well.   After 10 years in there it looks great.   

[Alaskan_TA]

Doug can help you with the wheel - http://www.stwheelz.com/

[birdsandbees]

Thanks guys!

Skip that's why I put the cars in the containers to start with, once you catch the mice that are living in the cars they can't get into the containers. Not even dust gets in it seems in the pictures, although that's just good PPG paint shining through the dust.

The unfortunate part is the containers are like dutch ovens, as you can see from the steering wheel. I had my bird behind door number 2 for some time and it came out when the first crack appeared in the steering wheel. I also noticed that all my door panels in the Bee are mouldy so they are going to need to be replaced. Not a big deal, the ones that are in it belong to a '68 Satellite, just because I could way back when and liked the wood grain panel. Wish I had of kept the original panels though, I see the repops are $350 US.

..and Tan Top yes 4 gear, 383 magnum and the only non-numbers matching component is the 2.76:1 rear axle. Police didn't like me as an 18 year old with that ratio I can tell you that...  

Thanks for the wheel link ATA.. a Canadian even and a Dodge nut as well ! Can't beat that, well until I see what he charges! 

[Alaskan_TA]

Doug is a great guy, he drinks hockey & plays beer. ;-)

[billssuperbird]

 

[Lord Warlock]

Very nice bee!  My favorite year, and it looks similar to the color I had to choose from when I got my charger in the 70s. Had to choose between a 4spd car with engine out (bee) or automatic car with engine in (charger) for twice as much (800 vs 400) Hard to believe these cars once cost 3 or 400 bucks.  Now that will cover about a single piece of trim.

[birdsandbees]

Yep, I just ordered my interior door panels. $350 US + 36 shipping cost me $576 Cdn ! .. from a Canadian company    Sure hope those panels I have in it will clean up so I can resell them. They're OEM..

I paid my father $2800 for the car in late 79 early 80.

[Lord Warlock]

I tried to talk my dad into buying a superbird for me when I was 15, didn't work out for me.  saw it sitting brand new, on dealership lot, for 3000. salesman said they had it inside for display but moved it out, and no one was interested, probably due to the fuel crisis at the time.  Will always remember sitting in a new superbird and missing a great deal.

[birdsandbees]

Well I said the hell with it! Found the invoice for my marine containers today as well and she's been in there for almost 14 years, but she's coming out today right after I finish this sandwich ! 

[tan top]

..and Tan Top yes 4 gear, 383 magnum and the only non-numbers matching component is the 2.76:1 rear axle. Police didn't like me as an 18 year old with that ratio I can tell you that...  

  2:76   & a four speed                

Well I said the hell with it! Found the invoice for my marine containers today as well and she's been in there for almost 14 years, but she's coming out today right after I finish this sandwich !  

[birdsandbees]

"what do you mean if I scratch it I own it?"    

I guess she already does, considering we've been married for 33 years in 2 weeks time and this was the vehicle we left city hall in !

Doesn't look too bad for being in there for 14 years, very little dust even but the paint has a few issues. A few places look like the clear coat is on too heavy and has gone wavy, have a sinking feeling it starts below the paint that was applied in '89.

Interior looks great and those Satelite door panels will be gone soon as my proper ones will be here on the brown truck tomorrow!

.. and I put a booster pack on it and my motor turns just fine!  Didn't want to start it on old gas, but did want to make sure she wasn't tight.

BTW, the Steering Wheel Guy... $800 to do a wheel!

[skip68]

Wow, looks great for being stored for 14 years.   True testament to shipping containers.        Even the tires look good although I don't think I'd trust them over 30-40MPH. 
Congratulations on 33 years.    

[birdsandbees]

Not quite ready for a toot around town, but she started on the third crank over and there is absolutely ZERO smoke out the tailpipes. More than one use for an outboard can!

Sure wish the paint looked as good standing beside it as it does in pictures 

[Lord Warlock]

If you are old like me, just back off a step or two and the defects will go blurry and the car will look perfect. Sometimes age has its benefits.  Personally I can't be happy if I see any orange peel on the car even from 3 inches away, spent the last 5 years looking down the side of the body while sitting in a chair in the garage, and every defect shows.  Was looking at the wife's car yesterday while changing a tire, and noticed her paint isn't smooth at all.  If I'd stopped at that level of paint I would have been done 10 years ago.

[birdsandbees]

I'd have to cruise at night or be embarrassed to have her on the street in daylight! In a few places the clear coat looks like when you put multiple heavy coats of varathane on something and it slumps. Paint has a multitude of bubbles / blisters on drivers fender and passenger door. Did some reading and apparently caused by water out of the gun or improper timing for flash off between coats. Took 20+ years to "pop" out! Not sure what to do now, sure didn't want to get into a full restoration on this with all we have going on in the house (daughter is 6 years into a now losing Ewing's Sarcoma battle). Was just keeping my mind going forward and occupied. Guess I know it runs, will put it up on the hoist, see what she needs mechanical and go from there. Trying to clean enough area in my shop so I can get both my cars in, so I can work on them this fall / winter.

[Lord Warlock]

If its in the clear, you should be ok with doing some light wetsanding and rebuffing the surface out, you can do that with sags if you are careful and cut completely through the clear coat.  Or it can be sanded and re-cleared to resolve the chemical pop and sags.  If the paint is single stage with no clear overcoat it will be a bit tougher but single stage can be wetsanded and buffed.

If the sag was pronounced, I'd probably try to use a razor blade to scrape off the heaviest concentration, bend razor in middle and hold it perpendicular to paint and carefully work edge or run out.  Or you can get small run eliminator files designed to cut runs out of finished paint, the ones I have are about 1 inch square and have a wavy pattern edge on one side.