hemicuda and superbird...

[bruce kepley]

This photo is of an unrestored 1941 Willys Gasser...so what's the big deal...in 1965 around the carolinas this car with a 64 Hemi superstock engine from a Belvedere was virtually unbeatable...the engine from this very car is shown earlier on this posting hanging over a pot bellied stove...the Willys now resides in Mooresville, NC, at the Memory Lane Museum...By the way, the Belvedere was sold new to a Mr. George Nesbit (of Duncan/Nesbit fame) in Monroe, NC....

[bruce kepley]

Photos I took of the 140K Daytona at Carlisle, Pa, in 2007 or 2008...bk

[nascarxx29]

That green daytona is in Australia board members Tim L prior well known past owners Ernie Palachances and David Patik.Seller at time of carlisle was Tom from N.Y

[bruce kepley]

This is a famous poster...I was there the day that the photos were made for the daytona and superbird...the location was Charlotte, NC, turn 4, the Daytona that day was driven by Kenny Brackett and the Superbird was driven by Richard Garland...the date was around summer, 1983...I took a mint 72 Challenger Ralley, EV2 car...The 66 Hemi Charger on the right belonged to Don Duncan...the Superstock car, top left, belonged to Marvin Hughes...as I remember the Daytona was for sale for $6,000...I rode with Kenny in the Daytona and then Richard in the bird that day...have many photos...I think Otis Chandler ended up with the hemicuda convertible on the bottom left hand side...

[bruce kepley]

Engines for sale at Carlisle...a bunch of engines...

[bruce kepley]

The front line at Beeney Motors, nostalgic building, Carlisle, Pa., July 2009...blue hemi rr visible...

[bruce kepley]

This was supposed to be a "restored" 68 charger...notice anything wrong with the rear end?...you guessed it...

Upside down...

[bruce kepley]

Don Grotheer, the guy in the blue hemi rr posted earlier, is drawn in character as the blonde headed guy just to the right of center and  just above the cuda in this very famous nostalgic advertisement/poster...

[nascarxx29]

I got that retro poster.Kenny Bracketts daytona is the rare tan interior car .Alot of those cars on the poster I recall or met .Steve now has the Diamante Challenger .At that time it was still Dave Hoshas

[bruce kepley]

Green 70 Hemi Charger RT/SE 43 speed, rare car, I got this car from Cameron Flack in Hendersonville, NC, who got it from Ron Adair after I told him it was up there...traded a POS Austin Healy Spitfire (1978) and 5 grand...traded this car to Kenny Brackett for his Superbird that appeared on the cover of HP Mopar in late '86 or '87...Kenny sold it to Marvin Hughes, then Mason Dixon (DJ), then some guy in Indiana, and supposedly to Reggie Jackson...not sure about the Reggie Jackson thing, heard rumors...sn was XS29R0G125170...photo was taken at Kenny Brackett's house in Hendersonville after he had it painted...

[bruce kepley]

71 383 Challenger 4 speed that I picked up somewhere in 1984 or 1985...think I paid 700 bucks...little rust...had a 70 grille and emblems...

[bruce kepley]

Photo of the 72 Challenger Rallye that started it for me in 1978...photo was taken at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1983 at same time some of the photos for the famous Hemi cars were made (posted several spaces above this)...

[lngp]

Here is a photo of the 69 Hemi runner 4 speed post car, bucket seats, no console, at Beeney Motors in Carlisle...Beeney Motors is the nostalgic dealership that magically transforms itself (with the help of Dennis Kohr) each year into the next years model celebration...

I use to street race in this car a LONG time ago ! I think i paid 700$ for it and sold it for 600$ It did have a very nice rust free body . Glad to see it restored , looks great !

Did you ever find the transmission or engine ?  If you remember me i prefer you do not post my name , thanks

[Old Moparz]

This was, & is, a great thread. I can't believe I completely missed it the first time around. Hope to see more added one of these days.   

[Topher]

Rumor has it that Don Duncan still owns the 66 Hemi Charger. There's a road trip in the near future for me...........

[F6Bee]

Bruce, what a great post and insight into your life of Mopars. Love the old pics, post all you want.

[GTXtreme]

That old chrysler dealership in millin, georgia.  My father bought a 70 six pac gtx from there about seven yhears ago.  We drove 16 hours each way to pick it up. The owner had a few barradcudas there, 70 ts challenger and a 71 n96 pink panther cuda that was just painted.  That place was filled with old parts. I always wondered what happend to that place.   

[1969chargerrtse]

In about November, 1983 or 1984, my friend (Richard Garland) and I went to Galax, Virginia, to buy some Superbird parts from a doctor...when we arrived he said that we could have the parts for $50 or the whole car, title and all, for $100...well, the car was rusty (including quarters), the nose was missing as well as the wing but it still had the window plug, trim and wing supports...so we told him we wanted the parts only, and the photo of the blue bird that you see is that bird with me holding the chisel...I'm chiseling out the wing supports that are spot welded underneath the quarter panels...that car today would have easily fetched about ten or twenty grand because it had all documentation...who knew?...after we bought the parts the owner crushed the car with a dozer and buried it...we cut up a black on black on black 69 4speed hemi charger because it had southern rust in the trunk and quarters...stripped it, cut it up with a hacksaw and put it into the back of a pickup truck...and that's just scratching the surface...but at that time a completely restored hemi charger would sell for around $4,500 to $5,000, so for a car with no engine who cared?...it's all a function of time...bk

Wow amazing stories.  A hemi Charger only went for 4 or 5K? 

[Old Moparz]

Wow amazing stories.  A hemi Charger only went for 4 or 5K? 

Cars were pretty cheap in the early 80's compared to today's prices. Of course if you were broke & about 18 or 19 years old like I was back then, the cars may as well have had today's prices.   

Some ads or cars I remember seeing while hunting for something to drive were....

1970 Superbird, disassembled, rust repairs already done, needed to be painted for $2200. (Already sold when I called)

1971 Challenger Convertible, new top, new carpet, don't recall what motor for $1200. (Already sold when I called)

1969 Dart GT Convertible, slant 6, rusty, but ran & was driven daily for $200. (I passed on it because of the rust)

1970 Superbird, B5 blue, completely redone & very nice for $10,000. (Way overpriced at the time....lol)

1970 Superbird, yellow/black, dash damage when stereo stolen, tail panel & deck lid damaged attempting to break into it, the rest was in decent shape for $5300. (Slightly overpriced at the time)

1970 Barracuda Convertible, 318, solid car but recent white repaint over yellow didn't cover the door jambs, under hood or trunk & looked sloppy for $2800. (I passed since it looked sloppy)

1969 Hemi Road Runner, 4 spd, no engine, was a former race car that still had the red, white & blue paint that Sox & Martin had put on it for $3000. (It was double the price of what my budget was so I had to pass on it)

[1969chargerrtse]

" Cars were pretty cheap in the early 80's compared to today's prices. Of course if you were broke & about 18 or 19 years old like I was back then, the cars may as well have had today's prices.   "

Great point. That's what I always wondered. Is it fair to say the prices today for a Daytona/Bird are above the price for a Muscle car as they were back then?  So if a Hemi Charger was 5,000 back then, would it be fair to say a average Muscle car was about 1,000 to 1500.00?  Or are today's wing cars just way above the normal Muscle car price due to the 80's collector push?  I feel they are higher today to comparison of the 70,s or early 80's. 

[charge69]

Well, the prices were all cheap back then and $1500.00 could buy you a very nice old car back in the early '80's. Yeah, it was in driver condition but not too expensive. A HEMI , especially original , was a rare find in most places but they were out there. You just had to look around.

By the time they were 10 years old or a little older , the gas crisis was upon us and just about any musclecar that was a driver was .10 cents to .25 cents on the dollar by then. People had a hard time giving them away , much less selling them for what they were worth. Too expensive to drive around !!!! 

I actually bought my Charger back then (late '70's) and you would be shocked at how cheap they were in driver but original condition.

[68X426]

Is Bruce still around? He hasn't posted in over a year. Bruce, your stuff is great.

[bruce kepley]

Yes, bruce is back...he's now the VP of Motorama Classic Cars in Monroe, NC, and you will be tuned in fairly soon to a facebook page that will be dynamic and very much like the material in my posts...bruce kepley

[hemi68charger]

Yes, bruce is back...he's now the VP of Motorama Classic Cars in Monroe, NC, and you will be tuned in fairly soon to a facebook page that will be dynamic and very much like the material in my posts...bruce kepley

Excellent.. Your photos and recollections take me back to my days as a young-gun-up-incoming-mopar-guy.... Back in '80-'86 tore up the streets in my six pack '70 Charger R/T as a daily driver (those were the days,,,, sort of)........... Glad you're back in the mix and good luck with your new interprise..  Nice lookin' '62 413 max wedge you have there.......   

[F8-4life]

Good stuff! Being 21 I never got to see any of this period and I really dig hearing the stories and pictures. Great thread.