Possible Petty Superbird ??

[Mike DC]

That's what I was thinking too.  The presence of factory subframe rails suggest the chassis was put together early enough for it to have worn a 68-70 car's skin. 

[6bblgt]

Is this the car that has rumor/speculation possibility of being Pete Hamilton's Daytona 500 winning Petty Enterprise Superbird?

[wingcar builder]

the Pete hamilton Superbird is being restored at petty's as we speak. I'm going to check it out saturday morning while i'm there.

[C5HM]

I was just talking to my buddy Greg Rager about this car. He thinks the white wheel is out of a CHP Dodge. Says that was an exclusive to CHP. Interesting. Anybody know about the dash. Looks like a stock Plymouth part from '71 or '72?

[66FBCharger]

 

[gtx6970]

I'm going to be of no help on the questions,but cool car

but my hat is off to anyone who has the stones to even attempt a project of this nature

[moparstuart]

I'm going to be of no help on the questions,but cool car

but my hat is off to anyone who has the stones to even attempt a project of this nature

you can actually do a legit rebody and make it worth more   

[68pplcharger]

 

[200MPH]

  im tuned

[tallzag]

My 72 K&K Insurance car has factory front frame rails in it so that doesn't mean anything.  The tranny crossmember looks to be a 71 and later Petty piece as well.

[CornDogsCharger]

My 72 K&K Insurance car has factory front frame rails in it so that doesn't mean anything.  The tranny crossmember looks to be a 71 and later Petty piece as well.

Maybe I'm thinking about the Nichels built cars.  I'm not 100% positive.  Maybe someone else will chime in with better info.

Justin
"CornDog"

[Mike DC]

     
I remember reading at some point that NASCAR was talked into allowing raw box tubing (for subframe rails) in either 1969 or 1970.  The only thing the presence of factory subframes was still doing was making it more of a PITA to rebuild after wrecks.  The chassis were so hand-built by the end of the 1960s that it was a formality to demand factory rails. 

I don't know if the person recalling that date was correct or not.  But I'm totally sure that's what he said, because it really stuck out in my mind for being so early.  (I kept thinking, "Box tubing rails on wing cars?") 




We all know there were cars on the tracks with factory rails for several years after that.  Whatever the year technically was, I imagine it wasn't a rule kicking factory rails OFF the track.  They probably just started to allow the option of using box tubing.

I know I've seen at least one (restored) 71-72 Mopar GN racer with the rails looking like raw box tubing.  Can't be sure but it looked like it.

But I've also heard GM guys recalling that they still had to use chunks of factory frames to satisfy NASCAR into the mid-1970s, too.  So I don't know what to make of that.  

      

[C5HM]

NASCAR began to allow Grand National teams to use fully fabricated (rather than stock reinforced) front snouts (front frame members from the firewall forward) in the middle of the 1969 season.  The rules book continued to pay lip service to "stock frames" by requiring the use of at least stock side rails until sometime in the mid seventies. After that, it has been fully fabricated frames ever since.

[DENCON]

Never Mind

[CornDogsCharger]

Wow Matt, Great info there.  That really sheds a lot of light on the history of the car.  So now what to do with the car??  Restore it back as a 71/72 bodied GN car or back to the Bonneville car?  Tough call.

Justin
"CornDog"

[DENCON]

Never Mind

[C5HM]

Looks like Scores must have had Ray Nichels fly out to build the front clip on the car for him (if the magazine story is to be believed).
Could have happened.
I guess.

[DENCON]

Looks like Scores must have had Ray Nichels fly out to build the front clip on the car for him (if the magazine story is to be believed).
Could have happened.
I guess.

Ya know what. never mind. I knew I should have not gotten involved.

[Mike DC]

NASCAR began to allow Grand National teams to use fully fabricated (rather than stock reinforced) front snouts (front frame members from the firewall forward) in the middle of the 1969 season.  The rules book continued to pay lip service to "stock frames" by requiring the use of at least stock side rails until sometime in the mid seventies. After that, it has been fully fabricated frames ever since.

Good confirming data about the rules, but does it tell us anything for sure about this particular car?  I'm not sure yet.  

If that framerail rule change was making box tubing optional (and not yet mandatory), then it only proves that this chassis MIGHT not have been built after 1969.  We would still need to know when this car's chassis builder actually stopped using factory rails.  

[C5HM]

Looks like Scores must have had Ray Nichels fly out to build the front clip on the car for him (if the magazine story is to be believed).
Could have happened.
I guess.

Ya know what. never mind. I knew I should have not gotten involved.

Not exactly sure why you feel that way. Unless you have adpoted and now vouch for the data in the article, questioning that article is no reflection on you? And it certainly wasn't intended to be. Thanks for posting it here and on the modeler's forum.

The near identical configuration (in both large and small details) of the front clip in the COG Daytona photos (circa 1970) and the snout in the Plymouth under scrutiny do not support the article's contention that the car is a Left Coast home built.

[Randy]

We have been working on the car for about a week and have straightened the front frame and changed a portion of the right rear frame rail and trunk floor.  We are currently looking for the following parts:  complete 426 hemi dry sump motor or parts to assemble a motor and a NASCAR red stripe gearbox.  If anyone has any pictures of under the hood of a Petty Roadrunner they would be a great help in our restoration effort.
Randy
707-974-8061

[nascarxx29]

Dont know if this guy has what your looking for .But has Petty archive pictures in all his albums
http://s707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona%20500%20Black%20Top%20Car/

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/b_body/mopp_0904_1971_plymouth_roadrunner_exclusive_photos/photo_13.html
http://www.turbosracingphotos.com/OLDSTOCK/rpetty.htm

[hotrod98]

Not sure if you need it, but I think Howie here on the board is thinking about selling his hemi bathtub intake and nascar oil pan. He has a set of original Cotton Owens hemi headers but it may take some arm twisting to get them away from him.

[nascarxx29]

Any good for your application
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BWP-426-Hemi-Billet-Dry-Sump-Gear-Drive,-NHRA,-NITRO_W0QQitemZ330412765085QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100313?IMSfp=TL100313136009r13778

[wingcar builder]

I had trouble posting pictures in my last post so I am going to try again here.  The history I have of the car is that it was purchased from Petty by Frank Burnett who sold it to a woman named Nafey (sp?) who ran it at the Bonneville Salt Flats. it was built (a possible Petty Superbird?) would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you all for your help and I look forward to hearing from you. could have possibly been built She sold it to Jack McCoy and I purchased it after his death.  I talked with Patrick McKinney (who has restored a Petty car) and he said that he thought that the floor boards and some other details were possibly from as early as 1968 (which means the car then).  Any help in identifying which races this car might have run in and in identifying when
Randy

Hey I didn't see this earlier that this came from Jack McCoy,but I was selling Jack a set of Blue Streak tires for this car couple weeks before his death.  Jack told me this was a Nichels chassis then and after studying the photos i would have to say this is not a Petty built car. it has the same exact fabricated firewall and front engine cage configuration as other nichels chassis i've seen.