I spoke with Larry Lindsley today!

[Wingnut426]

   I'm sure most of you know I own the "Lindsley's Superbird" that was raced at Bonneville. I was contacted by Larry today, he found the original scissors jack that came with my "bird! He is sending it to me
for an agreed $ amount, more of a donation toward racing fuel for his Firebird, which he still races. His fasted MPH in the Firebird is 333! He said he steers with one hand! LOL!
   I asked him about the mileage on my Superbird, which now reads 3,980 miles. He said he and his father drove the Superbird on the street for about a year before going racing. The odometer has never been touched, so the mileage rings true.
    I hope to talk with him again sometime soon.                          Wingnut 
 

[tan top]

wow WN426  , thats great    ,  don't know if i missed the post  , how fast did he run ?

[Dans 68]

That was decent of him to do. Lots of good folks in this hobby. 

Dan

[ChgrSteve67]

how cool.

Get a video camera and video tape him talking about the car and his experiences. Also get him to verify the mileage of the bird on tape.  Will make a great video diary for the Bird and its future owners as well as a little documentary of Larry.

[moparstuart]

   I'm sure most of you know I own the "Lindsley's Superbird" that was raced at Bonneville. I was contacted by Larry today, he found the original scissors jack that came with my "bird! He is sending it to me
for an agreed $ amount, more of a donation toward racing fuel for his Firebird, which he still races. His fasted MPH in the Firebird is 333! He said he steers with one hand! LOL!
   I asked him about the mileage on my Superbird, which now reads 3,980 miles. He said he and his father drove the Superbird on the street for about a year before going racing. The odometer has never been touched, so the mileage rings true.
    I hope to talk with him again sometime soon.                          Wingnut 
 

great the king of the jacks gets his original jack back  LOL

[hemi68charger]

That's great Pete !!!!!     

Hemi-less

[Dave Kanofsky]

Very cool.

[nascarxx29]

  Way to go Pete

[BigBlockSam]

very cool Pete.    your white bird is my favorite  superbird . 

[69_500]

Congrats Pete. Always glad to hear about something good going on in the hobby.

[C5X DAYTONA]

  I'm sure most of you know I own the "Lindsley's Superbird" that was raced at Bonneville. I was contacted by Larry today, he found the original scissors jack that came with my "bird! He is sending it to me
for an agreed $ amount, more of a donation toward racing fuel for his Firebird, which he still races. His fasted MPH in the Firebird is 333! He said he steers with one hand! LOL!
  I asked him about the mileage on my Superbird, which now reads 3,980 miles. He said he and his father drove the Superbird on the street for about a year before going racing. The odometer has never been touched, so the mileage rings true.
   I hope to talk with him again sometime soon.                          Wingnut  
 

I have a great video of Lindsley's bird at Bonneville.   Foot to the floor shifting from 3rd to 4th at around 180mph.   Vernon Judy took it in 85-86ish....   I think it was the run where he went 221mph but he didn't back it up the next morning..

[nascarxx29]

http://mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=SC0509-79415

[wrenchgirl]

I've never really posted on a Board like this.  However, I need to set the record straight in regards to the "Lindsley Bros. Team Car" auctioned through Mecum because there is so much misinformation in the auction listing that it makes my (and my Dad's) blood boil. 

My Grandfather (Jim Lindsley) purchased a brand new Hemi Superbird from Sheffield Chrysler in Southern California and I'm pretty sure he paid cash for it.  That car was not given to him by Plymouth, Chrysler or anyone else.  Nor was there a second car purchased new or given to him.  He ordered the car with an automatic transmission and a bench seat as he did with all of his new vehicles (almost exclusively Chrysler products).  He was born with polio in his left leg and had trouble with clutches, and he liked bench seats so my Grandmother could sit next to him in the "girlfriend seat."  I'm pretty sure that the Lindsleys Plymouth Superbird was the only Hemi-Automatic-Bench Seat combination produced at the factory.  My grandfather drove it off the floor at El Mirage at least once, and then it was made into a Land Speed car.  He and my Dad wrapped and stored all of the stock parts that were taken off of the 'Bird because they knew that it would be a collector's car.  They were also very careful about making any modifications to the stock parts of the car, although there was a hole cut in the dash to accommodate a kill switch. The car is now owned by Wingnut and still has the hole in the dash.

There was never a "Lindsley Bros." Superbird.  My Dad's brothers and their teenage boys would occasionally go to the Lakes or to Bonneville to help out, and my brother (also named Jim) would go to the races to help out when he was a teenager.  The Superbird was a joint project between my Dad (Larry) and my grandfather.  As far as I know, the only other drivers of the Superbird were me (licensing runs in 1984, and all passes in 1985), and Les Leggitt who I believe only made one pass at Bonneville in the mid- to late-70s. 

My Grandfather did purchase a second white Hemi Superbird in the 70s.   I believe my Dad saw it sitting in a yard somewhere in East LA or South San Gabriel while he was working in the area.  I rode along when my Dad took my Grandfather to purchase it.  He paid a relatively small amount of cash for the car and drove it to his house in Cudahy.  It was purchased as a parts car but I believe the only part used from it was the hood, and possibly the block.  It never made an appearance at El Mirage or Bonneville, and was not used as *team* transportation. 

After my Grandparents moved to Grand Terrace, this car sat out behind their barn and was visible from the adjacent freeway.  People would frequently stop by and inquire about it.  One of the people who happened to see it and stop by was a really nice guy who (with HIS father) collected Mopars.  He was an accountant and came around quite a bit for the next several years, did my folks' taxes and I think helped them incorporate their business.  My grandfather ended up selling him the "parts car" and as I look back now it was probably to fund my driving and record attempts in 1984 and 1985.

I think most people know that my grandfather's truck caught fire and burned to the ground in the middle of Nevada on the way home from Bonneville '85.  The Superbird suffered some front end damage before my Dad could get it off of the trailer.  The Superbird was fixed and painted by Little John of New Mexico (I think Belen or Bernalillo), who we had met at Bonneville in years previous when he was running his Corvette.  The Superbird made at least one more appearance at El Mirage but never went back to Bonneville.  My grandfather sold it to the accountant, actually I think the accountant's father purchased it, and bought the Firebird that my Dad still races.

My Dad just turned 70 and is lining up sponsors and plans to take the Lindsley-Leggitt Firebird back to Bonneville this year.  As WingNut mentioned, his last one-way run at Bonneville was 333 mph, and my cousin Gary set a record in the car at 291 and some change.

C5X Daytona:  I'd love to get a copy of your video.  If it was 1984, it was probably my Dad driving and could have been a 221 mph run.  I recall that after my Dad's attempt that year, I made my licensing runs.  It if was taken in 1985, it would have been me driving and my top speed was 213.

I've got several pictures of the Lindsley, Aasland and Vern Judy Superbirds at Bonneville in 1985 which I'm planning on scanning and posting in response to the thread about the Bonneville Birds one of these days!

If you made it this far into the post, thanks for listening.

Pattie (Lindsley) Nelson

[nascarxx29]

  welcome to the board and for your shared info

[Aero426]

Hi Pattie, welcome to the board...

[Brock Samson]

 A great read! Thanks! 

[Ghoste]

Welcome to the site Pattie, have you contacted Mecum about that info?
First the Bobby Allison car and now this one, so much for fact checking to preserve their reputation.

[wrenchgirl]

I love that picture of my Grandparents.  I think it was probably the last time my Grandfather drove, and my Grandmother's last Bonneville.

I have not contacted Mecum but will.

Thanks!

[Wingnut426]

   Thanks Pattie for setting the record straight on the "Mecum Auction Hemi'bird".
    I received the scissors jack monday and it is now back where it belongs, in the trunk of THE "Lindsley's Superbird".  The jack is in excellent condition, I don't believe it was ever used!
    The Lindsley's are good people, they sent the jack to me before they received the money order.  Of course they still haven't gotten it, with my luck its lost.(Snail Mail). LOL!         Thanks again, Wingnut

[C5X DAYTONA]

I love that picture of my Grandparents.  I think it was probably the last time my Grandfather drove, and my Grandmother's last Bonneville.

I have not contacted Mecum but will.

Thanks!

Hello Patty,  I have to look but I have a ton of video of everyone at Bonneville.    I put the 'runs' on another tape that everyone wants to see.    I went with Vernon Judy a couple times to Bonneville with his #691 Daytona and 1 time went with my dad in his #22 Daytona...   I know your uncle Gary,   Saw him at the Palm Springs Cruise about 3 years ago..   If I remember right, Vernon did say that when you were getting your licence you were then going to try to get in the 200mph club.  That was a long time ago.   I might have that wrong.  But I do have video of you there and of course the tennis balls in the fuel injectors on the bird..       

[wrenchgirl]

C5X Daytona -- I just scanned a bunch of pictures from '85 Bonneville and I only remember one person there with Vernon . . . besides his wife and daughter (Elise?), and think I have a picture of you at the starting line, and also with you head under the hood of his car.

I made 13 attempts at Jim Frederick's record in 1985 and came within a few tenths of a MPH of qualifying.  Back then you had to run up and back AFTER qualifying so I was still a ways from the record.  The goal was "first 3rd generation member" of the 2-club, to follow up on my Dad being the "first 2nd generation member."  The fire on the way home and my move to New Mexico later that year kind of ended my driving days.  My cousin Gary did get in the 2-club with the Firebird but by then there was already at least one third generatino member.

I've got 23 photos scanned and ready to post but need to figure out the best way to post them.  They scanned at 300dpi and are larger than the maximum size allowed, so I may have to rescan them before I can post them.

[Dans 68]

Here are the first 4 of 23 photos that Pattie wanted to post...just thought I'd help by resizing them. Enjoy...I sure did!   

Dan

[Dans 68]

Photos 5 through 8...

[Dans 68]

...photos 9 through 12...

[Dans 68]

...photos 13 through 16...