Looking for info on Corp. Blue Superbird Indiana? RM23UOA175694

[tupelopugs]

Any history on the above Bird? We bought the car this spring from a guy in Michigan who had it since March of 1999. He pretty much parked the car, took it out on rare occasions but mostly it sat in the garage for 20 yrs (he put less than 3,000 miles on it). He purchased the car from Adcox Imports in Florida. He did nothing to the car and it remains as he purchased it 20 years ago. Working backwards I located and personally spoke with Gerald Adcox. He remembers the car well. Bought it at a collector car auction in Atlanta (Jim Charleston Auction). Showed it a couple of times, kept for a year in his showroom & sold it to the fellow in Michigan. He confirmed that he also had done nothing to the car to alter it's appearance, confirmed the color and the unusual "tag" on the fender. He recalled the car was sent to auction by a dealership in Kentucky which from the paperwork that came with the car I knew to be Freedom Dodge in Lexington. A little bit of homework later I located Paul Clever who at one time owned Freedom Dodge. He too remembered the car well. He bought it at a Kruse Auburn, Ind auction in '97 to be a showroom king, purely for display, never drove the car and he too never altered the car.  He described the car perfectly to me. I also have an ancient floppy disk with photos of the car sitting in his showroom. Unfortunately Mr. Clever doesn't have any paperwork regarding who consigned the car to the auction. So, the trail ends here. I have paperwork docs from all three previous owners. All have never altered the car and because of the "tag" on the fender wall all seem to believe this was supposed to be some kind of race car that never made it to the track? A body man confirmed this is the original color. It is the last car of run 22 on the Nascar list. Now the rub: It doesn't have a fender tag or a build sheet. Car is currently be gone through and getting new tires (yes I'll save the old ones) so I can drive it. Any help is sincerely appreciated. Want to separate fact/fiction and I'm hoping with all the collective knowledge on here someone will know something about this car.  I joined and registered the car with both Wing Clubs. It was a previously unknown car. Picture of tag below. Profile pic is homecoming day. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Birdflu]

Congratulations on your 'Bird! I wish you luck on your search for history! SWEET car! 

[6bblgt]

not much to ad, but can you share more pics?   what interior, transmission, other current options?

VIN is appropriate for a "Corporate Blue" Superbird

EPA didn't exist when car was built, so the tag is after the fact.  EPA began operation on December 2, 1970 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency

also, it has entry/exit dates from the Clairpointe conversion facility so it did start life as a VIN'd street car: #1537   in Tuesday, December 9, 1969    & out Thursday, December 11, 1969 - edit

thanks "RealWing"  had an extra row around 0A173000 that messed that up

[moparstuart]

wow nice score   

[tupelopugs]

6bblgt it's a 440 six pack car. Console automatic. Black interior, buckets seat (obviously). Clean as a whistle inside, out and underneath. Battery blew up (sideways) in the car this winter and did some minor damage (battery was defective per previous owner). Getting new shoes and good going through... the photos are all recent. Humm, don't know why two are upside down...

[RealWing]

not much to ad, but can you share more pics?   what interior, transmission, other current options?

VIN is appropriate for a "Corporate Blue" Superbird

EPA didn't exist when car was built, so the tag is after the fact.  EPA began operation on December 2, 1970 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency

also, it has entry/exit dates from the Clairpointe conversion facility so it did start life as a VIN'd street car: #1602   in Wednesday, December 10, 1969    & out Thursday, December 11, 1969

My list shows # 1537 in Dec 9th and out on Dec 11th for VIN 175694. (#1602 is for VIN 175693)
Jim

[tan top]

Any history on the above Bird? We bought the car this spring from a guy in Michigan who had it since March of 1999. He pretty much parked the car, took it out on rare occasions but mostly it sat in the garage for 20 yrs (he put less than 3,000 miles on it). He purchased the car from Adcox Imports in Florida. He did nothing to the car and it remains as he purchased it 20 years ago. Working backwards I located and personally spoke with Gerald Adcox. He remembers the car well. Bought it at a collector car auction in Atlanta (Jim Charleston Auction). Showed it a couple of times, kept for a year in his showroom & sold it to the fellow in Michigan. He confirmed that he also had done nothing to the car to alter it's appearance, confirmed the color and the unusual "tag" on the fender. He recalled the car was sent to auction by a dealership in Kentucky which from the paperwork that came with the car I knew to be Freedom Dodge in Lexington. A little bit of homework later I located Paul Clever who at one time owned Freedom Dodge. He too remembered the car well. He bought it at a Kruse Auburn, Ind auction in '97 to be a showroom king, purely for display, never drove the car and he too never altered the car.  He described the car perfectly to me. I also have an ancient floppy disk with photos of the car sitting in his showroom. Unfortunately Mr. Clever doesn't have any paperwork regarding who consigned the car to the auction. So, the trail ends here. I have paperwork docs from all three previous owners. All have never altered the car and because of the "tag" on the fender wall all seem to believe this was supposed to be some kind of race car that never made it to the track? A body man confirmed this is the original color. It is the last car of run 22 on the Nascar list. Now the rub: It doesn't have a fender tag or a build sheet. Car is currently be gone through and getting new tires (yes I'll save the old ones) so I can drive it. Any help is sincerely appreciated. Want to separate fact/fiction and I'm hoping with all the collective knowledge on here someone will know something about this car.  I joined and registered the car with both Wing Clubs. It was a previously unknown car. Picture of tag below. Profile pic is homecoming day. Thanks in advance for any help.

hello & welcome 

[birdsandbees]

VERY nice!! I see you are in the same boat as me with a nose seal installed backwards. I currently have my nose off to correct same. 

[Mopar John]

Very nice Superbird!
But if it is a six barrel the vin should be RM23V0A175694 not RM23U0A175694?
I brought the 999 paint code thread back to the top.
Maybe you can help fill in the missing info on your Superbird?
MJ

[benny70hemibird]

I saw it quite a few times when it was in the showroom at Freedom. Nice car.

[tupelopugs]

Very nice Superbird!
But if it is a six barrel the vin should be RM23V0A175694 not RM23U0A175694?
I brought the 999 paint code thread back to the top.
Maybe you can help fill in the missing info on your Superbird?
MJ

Hi Mopar John, what other info is needed? We don't have a fender tag. We know it's not matching numbers. Speculate that the car was raced (not any big track - just local stuff) and engine/tranny replaced? We have paperwork for the car only back to 1998. Sigh.

[tupelopugs]

I saw it quite a few times when it was in the showroom at Freedom. Nice car.

Oh wow!!! Thank you for your response. Did you ever ask about it? Can you remember any of it's history? Mr. Clever remembers going to the auction, watching the car get unloaded and deciding then and there he was going to buy "that" car. He thought it had been either repainted or restored but he couldn't remember which. He also thought it had been a former race car. Not any of the big tracks but locally (thinking Midwest meant local). I wonder if it had been raced as it doesn't have the original 440 4b it came out of the factory with. It now has a 440 6pack. I am so happy you remember seeing it.

[Mopar John]

Very nice Superbird!
But if it is a six barrel the vin should be RM23V0A175694 not RM23U0A175694?
I brought the 999 paint code thread back to the top.
Maybe you can help fill in the missing info on your Superbird?
MJ

Hi Mopar John, what other info is needed? We don't have a fender tag. We know it's not matching numbers. Speculate that the car was raced (not any big track - just local stuff) and engine/tranny replaced? We have paperwork for the car only back to 1998. Sigh.

Here is the missing items:
What was the original trans auto or 4 speed?
What were the original seats bench or buckets?
What was the original interior color white or black?
Most importantly what is the "J" number?
I think that is only on the fender tag and broadcast sheet?
MJ

[tupelopugs]

Mopar John,

Without a fender tag I can only guess that the original tranny was automatic. Why would anyone change a stick to an automatic?
The car has had buckets seats since 1997 so I can only guess that's what it came with? But again, without a fender tag...
Interior is black... automatic console car.

With out a fender tag or build sheet I can only speculate. I was hoping that I might find the previous owner and if I struck the lottery they would have the fender tag for old times sake...

That would be a pretty big lottery to win.

Patti

[Redbird]

So here is what you know:

It is on the Superbird 1920 list. So a Superbird 2dr hardtop.
It is a 440+4 car.
It has PS, PDB, and a cooling package-with fan shroud
It had 3 spd windshield wipers.
It had a black headliner. It almost certainly had a Black Carpet.
It had a Rallye Dash.
It had 2 trunk jacks and the accompanying instruction sheets on the inside trunk lid.
(is the original trunk stud there for the 2nd jack?
It did not have air conditioning or an air grabber.
You generally know, within a month or so, where all the assembly date codes should be.

If you do not have the broadcast sheet or fender tag many people would default credit it to being equipped as follows:

Black Bench Seat.
Auto on column, no console.
Black 3 spoke Steering Wheel
AM radio.
14" wheels and 70 series tires.
No pedal trim, no power windows, or no oddball options (show car finish for an auto show, deluxe seat belts, or a second car with a Blue interior e.g.)
Non-remote driver outside mirror, no passenger outside mirror.
No credit for being a 999 car.

Basically a base model.
There are a lot of these cars. Yes everyone wants theirs to have a higher trim package, but there is a floor for a low base base model Superbird. You know a lot more than a base model Daytona, Road Runner, or Hemi 'Cuda. You certainly generally have a well equipped car, far above a base Road Runner in terms of options.

Now for seats and console-if you pull up the carpet you can see if the reinforcing plated and console mounting brackets are there. If they are and the floor pan has the original factory finish on the inside, it was probably was equipped with them. You may not get full credit from others, but you have some real hard clues.

Same for looking for a factory tach, no credit, but clues are there.

No one will give you any credit for 15" Wheels with F-60 Tires, AM/FM radio, or a wood steering wheel.

If it is a common color it will often be in a run of similarly equipped cars.

You could look for clues for paint, interior white you would no get credit for, but you could find clues. Black interior is lowest common denominator. Exterior color-without the Broadcast sheet or Fender tag no credit for a 999 car.

The gate # on the fender tag is not really going to tell you much except if an incompetent has faked a tag.

The J number is interesting, probably more for a 999 car. But is really an academic exercise at best. It is pretty easy to approximate a range of numbers of where it should be.

[tupelopugs]

I learned to day that our car was shipped from the factory on 12/13/1969 to Kehoe Chrysler Inc. in Wellesley, MA. Also know at Wellesley Auto Sales, Inc. From the dealership to the Kruse auto auction in 1987 I know nothing about this car.  So.... anyone out there remember this car from that dealership in MA?

[bannedbird]

Keep digging!  As for previous owners and trim tags: that is not unrealistic.  I've had to search the garage and attic for items after selling a car.  Last year I cleaned up a Snap-on tool box I hadn't opened in 20+ years.  Found a dash plaque with number (Cosworth-Vega).  I also have copied down fender tag info from Aero cars from 1980 - 1999... just need a computer with with a 5-1/4" floppy drive to read it! 

Keep asking around and you may hit the lottery.

[Homerr]

Could that odd tag have been issued during a period, maybe the late '70's, when importing a car from Canada?