MCG Rips on new owner of the old Carroll Beeler Bird

[SFRT]

its the dudes car he can do whatever he wants to it.

however....if it had been my car...the way I see it theres already a lot of super perfect restored ones...so , if I was in the position to blow 150K on a resto on this car not only would I restore it back to its 70's appearance, but I'd go even further and do it completely up in all pimped NOS 70's hotrod gear and have the interior redone super insanely custom in the style of the day etc and create an awesome, awesome 70's freakout. drive it around wearing an afro wig baby. Hell take it to the nostalgia drags once in a while...would be a blast.

really get into it ya know...I bet 99 out of a 100 people would just dig that at shows, while the resto purists could have a field day hatin'...everyones happy.

[Ghoste]

You know, MCG is still my favorite Mopar magazine but I can never decide for sure if they are Mopar extremists or just trying to become the Mopar Enquirer.

[SFRT]

I like the magazine,I subscribe. I mean, what other one has an editor that proudly sports a mullet? one a certain level thats like 100% awesome.

[69bronzeT5]

There are simply too many orange Superbirds out there. BUT it all comes down to the fact that its the owners car and he can do what he wants with it. Yes I agree, the car was very cool and should of been left alone OR restored back to that colour scheme BUT I think MCG went overboard and it wasn't called for.

[Ghoste]

That's what I mean, they pull no punches and this car is a good example.  Their opinion may be over the top, but congratulations for having the balls to print it.  Some magazines gush so much over every car and advertiser that you just don't know when to believe them.  With MCG, the encouragment would have to be "form your own opinion and be just as vocal about it".  We don't have to all agree to all love this hobby or this car.
T5, you may have missed my point.  When I used the "too many" example, I mean it in context of a show with a bunch of others.  Driving around my hometown, it would be the only one for a hundred mile radius (excluding Detroit).  What I was trying to say was that as much as I appreciate automotive history and trying to preserve, in this case is the cars history (meaning the custom paint) any more valid than it's next history?  I see both sides but I think at the end of the day I can't say one viewpoint is any more correct than the other.

[69bronzeT5]

When I used the "too many" example, I mean it in context of a show with a bunch of others.  Driving around my hometown, it would be the only one for a hundred mile radius (excluding Detroit).

Yes but when you go to wing car shows in particular, there are a lot of orange Superbirds, where as that one would stand out for sure. But like I said, it's his car, he can do what he wants with it. I know what I would do if I had it but I dont...

[bzabodyn]

As others have already stated, I'm a firm believer of returning these cars to their "left-the-factory" look, BUT history is history and the truth of the matter that this is the ONLY car with it's history - period (as many of these same cars have NO significant history)... Like they mentioned in the MCG article, if you are not willing to preserve the history of the car - leave it alone and don't buy it in the first place! He could have easily bought the best example of what this car will end up being for much less than what he'll have tied up in it after the resto... 

YES - the 'Bird needed the resto, we have all came to that conclusion from CornDog's pics
YES - it should be taken back to it's former glory
NO - it should not have it's history wiped away simply because the current owner thought the car was "ugly" - the fact of the matter is that he shouldn't have bought the car in the first place!

BZ

[Ghoste]

Now wait a minute, didn't the car you are currently restoring have a Daytona wing stuck on it at some point in it's history?  Shouldn't you be preserving that?

[bzabodyn]

hahaha - slapping a wing on something after it's sat not running for some time and never saw the road that way is NOT history... if you read through my original thread - I actually looked for old pictures of the car (then Allen posted some w/o the wing right before it was parked) because I WAS going to keep the wing if I could document it... everyone on this board and then some knows how this car spent the majority of it's life (not as a stock orange 'Bird)...

BZ

[BigBlockSam]

i would have stabilized all the rust issues and driven the wheels off the car .

did your boss buy the car to flip it and make money ? or is he keeping it for himself.  that sucks if he's changing this car just to flip it .

[Ghoste]

I'm only playing devils advocate BZ, again I say I am very much on the fence on this one.  Although likely not, the possibility does exist that there are some who would argue against your not putting a wing on the car.  Remember the flak about the donor car?  It's not completely dissimilar.

[Aero426]

Yes but when you go to wing car shows in particular, there are a lot of orange Superbirds, where as that one would stand out for sure. But like I said, it's his car, he can do what he wants with it. I know what I would do if I had it but I dont...

It's true that there are a lot of EV2 Tor-Red (aka Hemi Orange)  Superbirds out there.  The EK2 Vitamin C cars like this one are not seen nearly as much.   It's a pretty nice color to have. 

[Ghoste]

So as one of the wing car blue bloods Doug, where do you stand on the restoration of this one?   Let me rephrase that, you have stated where you stand on what is happening to the car, how do you feel about what is happening to it's history?

[dkn1997]

I will never understand this love affair with 70's paint jobs.  At what point is a car that was modified 30 years ago transition from 'he raided the JC whitney catalog, what a tool" to "cool day 2 car" 

Nobody can answer that and shame on MCG or anyone else for trashing this guy for wanting to put the car back to stock.  and once the car gets finished, who's to say that another owner couldn't put it back to the 70's look?  after seeing justin's pics, it's clear that the car would be far more accurate if parts of the car were painted a few times before the good ole' red/white/blue was applied anyway.

[hotrod98]

I guess everyone has a different idea about what nostaglia means to them. When I built my 71 Cuda clone, I threw in a few things that reminded me of my cars that I drove back in the 70's. Rear speaker covers, tach mounted to the column, peace symbol on the dash, etc. My son thought that it looked tacky. He still drives it though...every chance he gets. I plan to build my real 71 cuda to correct factory specs. I don't really feel that there's a "right way" and a "wrong way". Just different ways. I believe in "My car...my way".

[moparstuart]

I guess everyone has a different idea about what nostaglia means to them. When I built my 71 Cuda clone, I threw in a few things that reminded me of my cars that I drove back in the 70's. Rear speaker covers, tach mounted to the column, peace symbol on the dash, etc. My son thought that it looked tacky. He still drives it though...every chance he gets. I plan to build my real 71 cuda to correct factory specs. I don't really feel that there's a "right way" and a "wrong way". Just different ways. I believe in "My car...my way".

   do what makes you happy , if someone likes it different tell them to make there own  ! 

[62 Max]

Maybe I should have left this the way it was!

[BPTRacing]

Maybe I should have left this the way it was!

My  ---- NOPE - Save the pics to reminisce about and drive the car they way you want it!

Since its unlikely that I will ever see your car in person - from where I'm sitting you have the best of both worlds!

Two sets of pictures of a car that belongs to you!   


Scotty

[Dodge Don]

MCG can kiss my derrier. The owner can do what he wants and I'd prefer a factory resto vs some ugly cheesy custom paint job that has NO REAL RELEVANCE to Mopar history. Loud mouth shnooks. 

[62 Max]

Maybe I should have left this the way it was!

My  ---- NOPE - Save the pics to reminisce about and drive the car they way you want it!

Since its unlikely that I will ever see your car in person - from where I'm sitting you have the best of both worlds!

Two sets of pictures of a car that belongs to you!   


Scotty

That was in 1982 when I bought it,this is now

[70daytonaclone]

     So what else would you expect from that publication.(not going to name them) Just looking for a story and start controversy. I out grew that tabloid 2 years ago. Rather deal with this site or C-C.com. I do the net not paper(MSM)
    The SuperBird had a history of a bad paint job. how UGLY! I much perfer the factory COLOR!  It will be more valueable with a Classic Factory Color than that UGLY Backyard paint job! rusty70cuda  

[Ghoste]

That was in 1982 when I bought it,this is now

Another orange Superbird?     

[CornDogsCharger]

This sure is a sore subject with some... but it's definately something that many of us here could probably go both ways on.  I love a factory correct resto, but I also love... and can really appreciate period custom paint jobs.  BigBlockSam.... to answer your question, my boss plan to keep the car.  He has a few other mopars, but has wanted a Superbird since they were new.  In his teenage years, the closest he came to having a Superbird was when his cousin bought a '69 RR.  They tore up the streets in Jackson back then and ever since... he wanted a 'Bird. 

Randy Holden is a good friend of mine and is the the one responsible for the article.  I know Rob only from when I have dropped into the office at MCG and spoke with him.  He seems alright but haven't really gotten to know him.  Knowing Randy like I do, I can probably tell you why he was so negative in the article.  First off, Randy loves wing cars and has owned at least one of them in the past, possibly more.  Secondly, Randy is a HUGE history buff.  He loves everything to do with old war tanks, planes, guns, and other memorabilia.  Heck, he loves everything that has anything to do with history.  Just read a few of his articles and you'll easily see.  He likes to start off an article with it's earliest known history and go from there.  He was heavy into mopars back in the day when it was common to see cars like the one I am restoring.  When I first mentioned to him that I was restoring this car, he knew exactly which car I was talking about and was very familiar with it.  So you put all of that together and it is easy to understand why Randy feels the way he does about this car.  It is one of the few cars that still retained it's 70's era look... and now it is erased. 

Justin
"CornDog"

[General_01]

I say let him make the car his way. I think making it back to original is the way to go. It will be worth more in the long run and as was pointed out earlier, restorations cost alot of money. Having the final product meet the most economic potential possible is only smart. This car is only special to a few hardcore wing car lovers. If he restored this car to the custom paint job and put it up on Barrett-Jackson, do you think it would get as much money as he would with the factory correct paint. I don't think so. Not saying he is going to do that. I read he is keeping it, but these cars are not Volare's. These cars are big bucks and keeping the economic aspect of these cars as high as possible has got to be part of the decision process. And those of you who say its only paint and can be changed, remember that next time you bash a Charger with a General Lee paint job.

[BigBlockSam]

igBlockSam.... to answer your question, my boss plan to keep the car.  He has a few other mopars, but has wanted a Superbird since they were new.

    very cool, i'm glad he got his dream car . then  he deserves to have it the way he wants it.