Cross Country Travels with my Superbird

[hemi68charger]

...  I have by now already built the 440 six pac I always wanted with TRW 10.5-1 forged pistons, 509 Mopar purple shaft, hi volume oil pump, double roller timing set, ported 452 heads, ...

Sounds like a killer machine.. Are you running power brakes? Auto? The reason I ask is the .509 Purpleshaft may give you fits with regards to low rpm vacuum production. I know that a stock center carb on a factory duel plenum requires vacuum. Then, you have the booster (if you're running power brakes) and the headlamp buckets require it to stay closed. I had a '70 six pack Charger R/T once in which I put a .484 purpleshaft and I had problems with the brakes and adjusting the center carb. Sure, things can be modified here, then there, etc...

Good luck on the build.........

[limelightsuperbird]

When I built this car back in 1994 I knew the 509 mopar cam might make low vacuum. I figured if I had any trouble with the power brakes I would add a reserve vacuum can either in the nosecone or up in the dash so it would be out of sight. I really only would lose power brakes if I pushed the pedal many times within a few seconds in dead stop traffic. Never while any speed over a crawl. I had only lost power three or four times in the six years that motor was in the bird. It never happened enough to make me add the can, but I always told others to be aware when they drove it because you would have to be ready for it. I am quick and when it would happen I was always ready. I ran my idle a little higher than stock since it was a stick. From the first day I got it running and adjusted the carbs I never had to touch them again. I added a vac. reserve can to my tubbed regal back in 1991 that I still own. It has a Kenne Bell stage v 468 C.I. and it cured the problem on that car very well, and it had it bad. Any more question please ask. Here are more pics continuing my build.  I would also like to add at this time I am a 1 man Resoration shop since I was 14 years old. It is how I earn a living, not just a hobby. That first car was a white 1965 mustang convertible, white with red top and interior. I'm 100% self taught and the only work outsourced is engine block machining and chrome plating. Everything else is done by me, EVERYTHING.

[limelightsuperbird]

Sand, sand everywhere! And spraying self etching primer. Sometimes it seems like sandblasting is the longest part. Kind of like teaching myself to load, crop, resize, and post. All part of the learning curve. Don't be afraid to learn something new. I try to learn new things everyday.

[tan top]

   awesome pictures  guys !! thanks for posting      love looking at this stuff 

[limelightsuperbird]

Thank YOU for looking.  I'll be posting all of the build pictures shortly, up until we went on the Hot Rod Power Tour, for now.  Many more to come.  I've never shared these pictures before and had I thought about it before hand, I would have posted these pictures FIRST, before the finished project.  Don't want to confuse anyone, thinking I am restoring the bird now.  Although, I do have a car I've been thinking about cloning too. 

For anyone reading this thread, if you happen to have any pics of superbirds with wacky, wild paint schemes , please post them for me.

Thanks again for the comments

[limelightsuperbird]

Here is a pic of the motor already done waiting to go in. It's gonna sit on the stand for several months until all the welding and painting is done. The other three pics show some of the factory markings I found during disassembly. The bottom cowl shot shows a HUGE run, with a white crayon line swiped across it. Hard to see it because of the shadowing. You can also see it in the earlier engine compartment shot. Does anyone know what the door markings mean?

[limelightsuperbird]

More sandblasting and priming.

[limelightsuperbird]

Original tire decal and lots of bondo. I have to finish gutting the inner firewall and weld in a trans hump from  a rusted out hemi orange 383 road runner. Everywhere I grind more I find bondo. Time to slice and dice. Replacement panels are from Sherman replacement parts ( Jim has had his superbird since 1976).

[limelightsuperbird]

Drivers side engine compartment sandblasted. Cut off the 1/4 panels and getting ready to install the trunk floor. Passenger door sandblasted ready for primer.

[limelightsuperbird]

Work, work, workin' on the trunk floor. Getting it welded in along with spare tire and jack holdown brackets. It's a little cramped in there when grinding. Applying filler to the car for the first time. Getting into some bodywork now!

[limelightsuperbird]

Now the trunk floor is sanded and primed. More sandblasting continues on door jambs and any areas I can access with the 1/4's off.  Doors and jambs now get a coat of self etching primer.

[nascarxx29]

 Always great to see a before cars starting point and work progession tilll show ready. on your build

[held1823]

The level of workmanship is something to admire.

[limelightsuperbird]

Thanks again nascarxx29! I agree with you and hope to view start to finish pics of yours and others builds and restorations. You don't usually get to see the whole effort that much in detail. Here I have just finished welding the pass. 1/4 on and starting to do some grinding. Welding up the tail panel trim holes too. This is also when I notice how small the rear tire looks. I decide to cut the rims in half and weld in a 2" strip of steel to widen them on the backside. This will offset them too far inboard so I fab 1" buillit aluminum spacers from scratch. Now the wheels are centered between the framerail and wheel well opening and I fit 275-60-15's in there. I had to change the rear wheel studs to long racing style ones because the stock ones were now too short. Then I cut some off them to the length I needed. Stock looking lug nuts fabbed from stainless steel hex stock finish them up. Seems like a lot of work just to use the stock trim ring and not alter the face of the wheel but I am glad I did it.

[limelightsuperbird]

 Here the left side trunk floor extension and outer wheel well are welded in. Next comes some cutting and a lot trimming to test fit the new 1/4... then the wheel well is welded up. Notice how straight the leafsprings are. I will put super stock springs on it when I assemble it.

[limelightsuperbird]

Now I can test fit the set of fenders and the hood I will later modify like Creative Industries did back in the day. The passenger 1/4 is primed now and I'm also test fitting a second set of fenders I have. Welding up more trim holes too.

[limelightsuperbird]

In the top two pics I have sandblasted and primed the trunk jamb, underside of trunk, roof and rear window channel The window channel  will of course require some welding repairs. Next on to dropping the rear axle and suspension to finish sandblasting the underside. Wrapping up the metal work on the driver side 1/4 panel in bottom pic. Does anyone know what the axle markings represent?

[limelightsuperbird]

Test fitting the 1/4 extensions and tail light bezels and finish work on the lower rear tail panel in first pic. Third pic down shows the right front corner push in. I weld on lengths of chain and pull in back out, then lots of hammer and dolly work to get it straight. Bottom pic shows rear end and k frame with suspension. Manual drum brakes will be upgraded to power disc plus a complete rebuild of the  suspension with urethane parts. I will rebuild the original 318 steering box because the pressure spring inside it gives good road feel, compared to boxes from cars with larger engines. I will also use 318 car torsion bars for a smoother ride than the thicker big block ones.

[limelightsuperbird]

These 4 pics show the undercarriage primered and ready for paint. Now onto smoothing the 1/4's and doors.

[limelightsuperbird]

First is a shot of the bare front subframe in primer. Next some shots making huge strides in getting the bodywork done. More priming, more sanding. It's getting straight now.

[limelightsuperbird]

The doors and 1/4's are super straight now. Time to modify the front fenders as was originally done by Creative. Then I sandblasted them inside and out and got 'em mounted. It's really coming along now.

[limelightsuperbird]

The pics I have posted since the bodywork has begun were all taken at my brother in laws' garage. He was very nice in letting me use his garage for a month to get the car ready for paint. At the time my wife and I were waiting to move into our first and only house with huge pole barn. Most buy a house for the house. In our case we got lucky and bought our house for the pole barn. Just so happened the house was nice too. All work done to the car prior to the bodywork was done in a 1 car garage.  In the bottom pics it's obvious the Ted Janak superbird kit has arrived. The parts are perfectly made and his fiberglass gelcoat only required some normal quick 600 sanding prep just to make the paint stick. Because of that this part of the build is SPEEDING along!

[limelightsuperbird]

Now is the funnest time of the build. The nosecone and extensions fit perfect. Here I am building up the tops of the fenders with fiberglass to match the contour of the nose. You can see in the second pic where I painted black to show how much height was needed to get it right on. A great friend of mine I've know for 16 years grew up in the house right next to Creative Industries and saw all of the daytonas and superbirds as they were built there. One of my favorite story's is how Creative had very little storage space and all of the neighbors were quite upset for 2 years having the wing cars in various stages of completion parked up and down both sides of their street and also the other neighboring ones. His stories of all the trash nosecones and wings are bummers for me. You wouldn't believe how many daytona hoods, etc. they would stuff in the dumpster! I will get his pictures and post them later on. Attention to detail NOW makes for a much better fit and finish than ones built there.  In the bottom pics I have the trunk lid off to repair the trunk gutter, and then reinstalled with it's last coat of freshly sprayed primer.

[limelightsuperbird]

Top pic shows the hood under construction next to the Janak extension. Now that the front fenders are done I am excited to start painting the interior in the next three shots. Awesome!!!!   Janak windshield wind deflector can bee seen in bottom pic.

[limelightsuperbird]

Next I paint the undercarriage. Helps to use goggles with pull off sheets.  And in the bottom pic I have removed the front fenders to paint the backside. Lots of progress !