Vintage Race Car

[wingman(22)]

I am trying to find out info on this car. It was found on the West coast. I would like to know if it is Nichels car and possibly the year of the cars beginning. I can get more photos if needed so put on the thinking caps and open the archieves. I have seen what info you guys can dig up.
Bill

[68X426]

 

[wingman(22)]

Trying to load photos.............

[hemi68charger]

Trying to load photos.............

Come on Bill,,    you   can    dew     it !!!                 

Troy

[wingman(22)]

For some reason I can only attach a pdf file. How do you put photos in  the message?

[hemi68charger]

For some reason I can only attach a pdf file. How do you put photos in  the message?

When you click the reply button, you get the "post reply" window. At the bottom as you know, is the "attach" area. Make sure the files you want are in the directory you default to, or, navigate to the folder location on your computer via the "File upload" window. The picture files should have an extension, say *.jpg , *.gif, *.tiff, etc.

Look in your Windows Explorer to see the files themselves to verify they are truely where you are in the "File Upload" window.. There should not be any difference between the "File Upload" window seeing a *.pdf file versus one of the previously mentioned file/extensions... I don't believe there's a filter being applied.

Troy

[moparstuart]

 

[Aero426]

Pics, pics, pics!

Bill, if you cannot post them, email them to one of us and we'll post them up.

[tan top]

  ..... ......     ...........

[BigBlockSam]

 

[Ghoste]

 

[wingman(22)]

Doug  I will try one more time. If  I can not get it to work I will email to you.        Bill

[Aero426]

The platform is certainly a Nichels build.  It looks modified as many cars were through time, but here is what I initially see...



K frame is Nichels dry sump style.   It has the ball joint style strut rod mounts on the front of the K-frame.   This was a 1970 update.  So the car is either a 1970 build OR it was updated.   Could be either way.   It has the Nichels diagonal braces on both sides of the air box that extend to the shock towers.   The upper structure forward of the shock towers is a later update.   More detailed photos are needed of the steering box, the firewall, and the A-pillar on both sides.    Cage has been widened quite a bit on the sides to accomodate a later style body.



Above: Nichels seat mount.   Driver side torsion bar adjuster, Nichels torsion bar crossmember.  Note how it is welded to the bottom of the cage, and how the cage is welded to the rocker panel.   Need photos of the passenger footwell and lower part of the cage.  Also need side views of the cage bars.  



Above: Correct Nichels driveshaft tunnel and floor crossmember.  This is exactly like the #7 Superbird.    Cage appears to be modified for a later wider car.  Spring perch mounts raised up into the car look correct.   Cooler holes are blocked off on either side of the trans tunnel.



Overall, there is a lot of car here to work with.

[hemi68charger]

Bill, what are your plans? If it's a Daytona, make it one again?

Troy

[moparstuart]

 wow very cool , nice starting point .   

[tan top]

wow   damn !!  bet that car can  tell some storys   looks like it was petty blue  originaly or white   could just be primer though !! ,    thanks for sharing the pictures  WM22

[wingman(22)]

I wish I owned the car but I don't. I am trying to talk the owner into selling it too me. He would really like to find out its history. I just happened across it and told him I would help. I have my own cross to bare with the Hylton car.
I would like to add some info from the owner, the car was last raced by Ron Barnet in the mid 80's in Southern California. It had a challenger body on it at that time. Ron bought the car from Andy Anderson who owned a NAPA store in Apple Valley Calif. SO if anyone knows these guys and can help add to the story that would be great.

[wingman(22)]

I was also told that Ron Barnet said when he bought the car the guy Andy told him it was a Petty short track car. Just some added info.
I have also been told there has been some sanding and they found that it looks like white was first on the chassis, then silver, then a butterscotch yellow underneath and engine compartment. Ron Barnet said he painted it orange. And there is some blue and white in the engine area.

[Aero426]

More pics from Bill...


Above: The diagonal bar that ties into the torsion bar X-member and runs down to the firewall is a Nichels feature.




Above:  The short bracing bar from the firewall to the shock tower is a Nichels feature.




Power steering has been added at some point.


Car probably had a 68-70 cowl panel on it and has been removed for a 1971-up body (no cowl panel)

Why the firewall was modified (battery location?) I am not sure.


Original battery location was at bottom of the cowl behind the left front tire.   Dry sump tank would mount above that.   Cage bars have been changed out and are quite a bit wider than original.    These kind of things are pretty typical, as the cars were so durable, that so long as you didn't destroy it, they just ran season after season with whatever updates deemed necessary.

[RallyeMike]

Great photos. Thanks for posting, and good luck.

[Highbanked Hauler]

  Great pictures, do the front frame rails look like factory rails that have been boxed and welded or are they rectangular stock?

[nitrometal]

Bill, where do keep coming up with these ex-race cars?  It's like you know somebody in the business or something!   

Seriously, see if you can post more pics & info.  I love this stuff!!!   

[tallzag]

The car is a friend of mines car and he has been trying to track down the history for a couple of years now.  He has had a couple of cars he thought it was but so far every lead has been a dead end with one minor part of the car different than the car he thought it was.  Any help is appreciated.

[wingman(22)]

As for finding cars had motivation several years ago. I was told by the owner of my fathers #22 305 car that if I found him a chassis of a known driver he would trade me for my dads. Well I was on a mission then. Anytime I had in front of the computer was looking for cars or parts. I called every driver that drove a Chrysler car for years. Finally I found the Hylton car and he said he really liked the #22 and would have to think about it. Well that has been five years and I still have the Hylton car. So I am in the process of a clone of my dads car and trying to come up with the money for the Hylton car. I still look for cars, because I wanted to use a real car to do my dads with. I know where another car is in the midwest, but the guy wants a lot for just a chassis.
As for this car I asked around and found out he had the car. I wanted to buy it if possible but he was not interested in selling at the time. So I told him I would do what I could to help figure out where it came from.

[nitrometal]

Bill, that really sucks that the guy with your dads car backed out of his promise.  What a famous car to have and you should be the one to get it.  Are you gonna wait him out or have you given up?

I think I've read about that cars current condition but I can't remember.  Is it a project like the Hylton car?

[wingman(22)]

Yes the car is probably worse than mine. I have waited for years and no car. I think I will do the Hylton car if he doesn't change his mind. He did tell me he just wanted enjoy it for a couple of years and he would let e ha ve.But you never know people. So I dont hold my breath. I have bought a 70 charger to do a clone of y dads car. I think I can do it before I can do the Hylton car. We will have to see how it goes.

[Mike DC]

   

If this car in the thread had started out as a 1971/72 body then it would not have called for any serious widening to put the current 73/74 body onto it.  So it had to exist with a 68/70 bodystyle on it.  Unless it was a short-track-only chassis then it almost certainly wore a Bird skin at some point. 

[Aero426]

If this car in the thread had started out as a 1971/72 body then it would not have called for any serious widening to put the current 73/74 body onto it.  So it had to exist with a 68/70 bodystyle on it.  Unless it was a short-track-only chassis then it almost certainly wore a Bird skin at some point.  

Because it has a drivers side torsion bar adjuster bolt inside the car, it is not a new for 1971 build.   That was not legal for GN racing starting in 1971.

The rocker panels on 1971 B-bodies cars are wider.  But not a whole lot wider.    For example the #88 Daytona when rebodied to a 1971 style body, they just pulled the bottom of the quarter panels in to meet the original 1969 rocker panels.    It was not necessary to modify the door side bars of the cage.

Quite a few Nichels cars ran their entire careers without a Daytona or Superbird body.    Even if this car remains undocumented, it would be OK to body it as a wing car,  but you might not be able to say whose car it was, or whether it was a Dodge or Plymouth.

[Mike DC]

BTW - What did they do about the passenger side T-bar in cases like this?  There's only the one driver side adjuster in the cabin. 

[Aero426]

BTW - What did they do about the passenger side T-bar in cases like this?  There's only the one driver side adjuster in the cabin. 

The passenger side torsion bar setting is fixed unless you go under the car.   The drivers side is just a wedge adjustment like a modern Cup car has.    Chrysler had a "cookbook" of suspension setups, so if you used the recommended settings for a given track, you would be pretty close.    The drivers side adjustment made it easy to go through inspection, fudge a little during the race, and adjust it back if needed.