Found the original owner of my Superbird !!! UPDATED!!

[n9671x2]

And it was pretty easy...   I am the 4th owner of a hemi orange v code 4 speed Bird that I have had for 4 years.   I knew the history of the car since 73, from when the guy I bought it from the 2nd owner.    It is a numbers car with broadcast sheet, and Galen has documented the car about 10 years ago.   I am mentioning this as the story has an interesting twist.   I spoke with a very reputable person in the hobby who found the car in 73 and was with his buddy when he bought it.   The car did not have a wing or trunk braces, and never had.   He had said the original owner said it was a Chrysler Exec car and was ordered without a wing so it could go through the Chrysler car wash.

With the paperwork was some information including the original owners name and town, as well as that it was sold new at Monicatti in Detroit, as a matter of a fact, the car has never left MI.

After 4 years of meaning to, I finally on Saturday sent 6 letters to people with the same last name as the original owner in the town where he lived in September of 70 when he bought it.   Last night I get a call from one of the letter recipients.   "I am his first cousin and was the first person to ride in the car.. "  I am just shocked it was that easy.   Said aside from being cousins, they have always been very good friends.    Said the original owner is alive and doing well, but is away from home til January 4th and is sure he will want to talk to me.   He now lives in Canada near Detroit.   He is 62 now, so he bought it when he was 25.

I didn't bring it up, but the cousin goes, yeah, don't know if he ever put a wing on it.   I played dumb and said, it didn't have a wing?   No, that was an option he said.  I didn't argue the fact.

Really am looking forward to talking to the original owner in person and hope he has a picture of it without a wing.   The wing was added by the 2nd owner in 74 with all new parts purchased at the dealership.

Be curious as to how many miles were on it when he bought it "new" from Monicatti and if he knows anything more about the exec history on the car.

The broadcast sheet does not designate anything as far as the wing not being there, and yes, the car is real.

Man, white walls, 14" full hubcaps and no wing, that thing was UGLY when born !!

[Dans 68]

Very cool. Sometimes detective work is easy.... The wing as an option? Interesting. And please add pics when you can. 

Dan

[wingfan]

So did the rear quarter panels have the holes drilled for the wing?  Were the braces and brackets there? 

[n9671x2]

So did the rear quarter panels have the holes drilled for the wing?  Were the braces and brackets there? 

From what I understand, no.   This information came from the guy who was with the 2nd owner when he bought it in 73.   I am pretty sure he said there were no trunk braces, aside from no wing.   I still have not talked to the original owner, and hope to in the next month or so to confirm some more stuff on it.

Has me wondering, if this whole story of it being an exec car or something, I can see how strings could be pulled, but could a regular Joe off the street ordered something like that?   I am assuming very few Birds were actually ordered cars?

[PocketThunder]

What, no pictures?             

[hemi68charger]

That's very cool... Nice story..................  Looking forward to further updates from the original owner........

[n9671x2]

What, no pictures?             

Sorry, my 4 year old hard drive bit it last month, so I lost everything on it, including probably 10k plus pictures.   The car does have the wing on it now as mentioned, hemi orange/black bench seat with 15" rallys and polyglas's on it now.  The 14" deluxe hubcaps are safe in the basement, probably never to be on it again !!

[hemigeno]

Very cool story!

Thanks for letting us know your car's history - we'll all be interested in knowing what the original owner has to say about it, and about the whole "no wing" angle.

The 14" deluxe hubcaps are safe in the basement, probably never to be on it again !!

Don't blame ya a bit on that one...

[nascarxx29]

 Congrats.Its always good to be able to trackdown a original owner .When I have Ive gotten more paperwork documentation archive pictures parts etc

I searched old club membership and found a possible previous owner name to your cars description a Mike K in MI

[472 R/T SE]

I didn't bring it up, but the cousin goes, yeah, don't know if he ever put a wing on it.   I played dumb and said, it didn't have a wing?   No, that was an option he said.  I didn't argue the fact.

Which plays into the notion again that things were done 37 years ago that some people just can't grasp.  The statement is NOT directed towards anyone.  I just shake my head when folks proclaim, "Proof, where's the proof and then I'll believe it."  Things happened back then, it just helped if you knew someone.
I always remembered the Mopars as being the only manufacturer that built a car any way you wanted.  A notion that seems to be lost with todays caretakers. 

n9671x2, was it you that had a '71 B5 340 'Cuda that sold about a year or so ago?

[n9671x2]

Congrats.Its always good to be able to trackdown a original owner .When I have Ive gotten more paperwork documentation archive pictures parts etc

I searched old club membership and found a possible previous owner name to your cars description a Mike K in MI

Mike Kendall?   That was the 2nd owner, and the guy who sold it to the guy I bought it from.   I have never spoke with him, but I spoke with his buddy who found the car in 73 and turned it onto Mike to buy.   I guess the car was also done in white lace in the 70s, which I would love to see a picture of.

[n9671x2]

I didn't bring it up, but the cousin goes, yeah, don't know if he ever put a wing on it.   I played dumb and said, it didn't have a wing?   No, that was an option he said.  I didn't argue the fact.

Which plays into the notion again that things were done 37 years ago that some people just can't grasp.  The statement is NOT directed towards anyone.  I just shake my head when folks proclaim, "Proof, where's the proof and then I'll believe it."  Things happened back then, it just helped if you knew someone.
I always remembered the Mopars as being the only manufacturer that built a car any way you wanted.  A notion that seems to be lost with todays caretakers. 

n9671x2, was it you that had a '71 B5 340 'Cuda that sold about a year or so ago?

Yeah, I am definately a BIG believer in never say never with old Mopars.   Actually, I advertised the blue 71 340 shaker Cuda apart about a year ago.   I ended up keeping the car and putting it back together.   I am going to have the hood reshot before spring, but otherwise it is pretty much done.   It will probably go up for sale in the spring to make room and $$$ to finish up a car I bought in the spring.   It is a V code 70 Superbee that was built 7 days before the Bird.   The drivetrain was missing, so I converted it from a floor auto to a 4 speed.   It had 35k miles on it and was sitting in a barn forever.   Had an awesome body, and two buildsheets confirming some pretty cool options, especially for normally a stripped down car.   440 sixpack, purple, white top, white C stripe, white interior.   Ramcharger hood, ps, pdb, AM/FM, sixway seat, light group, wood wheel, tips, woms.   Like the Bird, it is also coded for white walls and Dodges deluxe 14" hubcaps.   

[472 R/T SE]

My mistake, I guess that's why you have N96 in your username.  I remember the Shaker car too.  The one I'm referring to had a rally hood and was one of the nicest sounding cars' I've ever heard.  I remember your Bee too as it's similar to one I owned.  You picked it up off ebay right?  You don't mess around.  It seems like that car was for sale just last month.

You have a collection anyone would be envious of.  I know I am. 

Your B is similar to one Kori sent me pix of.  Actually the building in the back ground looks the same and it too is a white top, int., striped v code B. 

[n9671x2]

My mistake, I guess that's why you have N96 in your username.  I remember the Shaker car too.  The one I'm referring to had a rally hood and was one of the nicest sounding cars' I've ever heard.  I remember your Bee too as it's similar to one I owned.  You picked it up off ebay right?  You don't mess around.  It seems like that car was for sale just last month.

You have a collection anyone would be envious of.  I know I am. 

Your B is similar to one Kori sent me pix of.  Actually the building in the back ground looks the same and it too is a white top, int., striped v code B. 

It was on Ebay this spring.   A guy who has a LITTLE used car lot out in the country in rural WI had it.   Ironically, he was definately a Mopar guy.   A local young kid came in looking at a 79 Camaro on the lot he wanted.   Told Dan his Dad died and left him a Super bee he bought new, and a Road Runner with a hemi in it.   Dan blew the kid off thinking he was full of it.   More time went on, kid stops back in, and was pretty proud of himself because he sold the hemi motor out of the Road Runner for 2000 bucks.   He finally took him serious and went out and checked out the Bee.   It was up on jack stands with no front suspension or rear end under it.   I am thinking the original owner was planning on putting the hemi in it as he removed the power brake booster, and Dan threw in the hemi k frame that was laying next to the car which he thought was a slant six piece.

My buddy actually won a differnt car off of him on Ebay which we were going to pick up on Wednesday.   I didn't bid on the Bee, the auction ended late Tuesday night.   Figured if it were meant to be it would still be available when we got there.    Reserve wasn't met and I brought cash so we struck a deal out after checking it over good.

I wanted to do the car, but had no one to paint it.   At Carlisle this year, I ran into a guy I kinda knew, but had never met in person.   I ended up taking it 2 states away to him on July 28th to have it painted.   It has been finished for a month, just waiting on the vinyl top.   Hope to pick it up next Thursday.   I have not seen the car since I dropped it off in July.   Even though it kinda looks like it, it isn't throw a whole bunch of money at it type of project.   The paint was very reasonable, and I have been fortunate to find some killer deals on a drivetrain.    Everything else I will do myself.

That barn does look like the one mine is in, but definately just a coincidence.   Car does look like a twin except that one is a bench seat car.   

[nascarxx29]

I found that name Mike Kendall of Lansing MI in the Daytona Superbird Auto Club old newsletters membership records.Or in the winged warrior records. You should contact Doug Schellinger on here.Or trying contacting Ed or Sue George of the winged warriors .When a club member joined up they sent in pictures and the story to go with car for the newsletter

[hemi68charger]

My mistake, I guess that's why you have N96 in your username.  I remember the Shaker car too.  The one I'm referring to had a rally hood and was one of the nicest sounding cars' I've ever heard.  I remember your Bee too as it's similar to one I owned.  You picked it up off ebay right?  You don't mess around.  It seems like that car was for sale just last month.

You have a collection anyone would be envious of.  I know I am. 

Your B is similar to one Kori sent me pix of.  Actually the building in the back ground looks the same and it too is a white top, int., striped v code B. 

Mike, I spy a white '71 Charger R/T or Superbee there behind the '70 'Bee?.. 

[1969chargerrtse]

Wow some great stories and pictures there.  I can't help but thinking, did you write you lost 10,000+ picutres  

[n9671x2]

Wow some great stories and pictures there.  I can't help but thinking, did you write you lost 10,000+ picutres  

Probably that and a whole lot more.   Obviously it doesn't cost anything to shoot digital pictures and put them on the computer, and that hard drive was probably 5 years old.   I have been fortunate to have a few cars over that period of time.   I did burn about 50 to a disc this fall to show my out of state family when I went home this fall.   I had 150-200 disassembly pictures of the Bee for reference that are gone.   My daughters are now 11 and 8, fortunately my wife was better about having alot of those pictures developed, but still lost ALOT of them which really bites, much more so than the car pictures.   On the brighter side, we still probably have 100-1 pictures of them at that age vs us as kids!

Actually this AM someone posted a picture of a 71 Cuda I use to have on the Cuda-Challenger board, so I may be able to stumble across and retrieve a couple of them !!

[C_stripes]

Sometimes you can same your pics off of the hard drive.  Take it to a computer store and see what your options are.  I hope you can get them back.   It worked for me once.

Good luck,
Jeremy

[BROCK]

I'm gonna go buy a flashdrive - saving to floppys isn't fun & it takes too long

[pettybird]

flickr is $25/yr for unlimited storage, unlimited picture sizes.  there are also all-purpose sites that store anything...

I need to get buring dvd's

[nascarxx29]

I dugout the 77 archive 1920 superbird nascar car list .To find what number page RM23VOA1662** is on and what number built 6 pack car.And Being I used to own a 6 pack 4 speed V code car.The given number was 716 308 4 speed and 408 automatic.Which this listed number in this book contradicts those numbers.Showing 665

[wingfan]

I've found 22 Superbird vin's not on the NASCAR list.  Four of those are six pack cars.  I'm matching vin's and descriptions, so send a pm if anyone wants to share info.  I own (U)167918, which is on p. 28 on the Cars in Barns site.  it's the one with green tarp parked in the desert salvage yard.  Does anyone have any more pictures? 

[PocketThunder]

I've found 22 Superbird vin's not on the NASCAR list.  Four of those are six pack cars.  I'm matching vin's and descriptions, so send a pm if anyone wants to share info.  I own (U)167918, which is on p. 28 on the Cars in Barns site.  it's the one with green tarp parked in the desert salvage yard.  Does anyone have any more pictures? 

Carsinbarns in not working right now, shucks!

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[nascarxx29]

Cars in barns not working  .My wrecked superbird is on there .THe OUCH car that was rear ended .I furnished some of my wingcar pictures to that site.Was the green desert superbird from NV