Came back home for post-deployment leave, was able to recon the 'bird close-up. Here's some pics and some news!!
Love the rear glass shape... I'll hate it when I have to cut it out to fix up the window frame rust and lay paint, but at the moment, I LOVE the rear glass shape!!
Who could say no to a face like that!?
It may have been lightly wrecked on this side; green fender + slightly FUBAR'd front of door skin, etc. It's still straight, but it may have been fender-bendered...
Like I said, it's straight...
Anybody ever seen this sticker before? It was a shield with Road Runner on it, and the top left corner says "ROAD" horizontally then "RUNNER" vertically. I'm pretty sure it was some junk dime-store sticker someone slapped on each side, but would be neat to figure out what it looked like originally.
Another shot showing that beautiful 440 dad stuffed in. It's quite obviously bored and cammed with how lopey, loud, and responsive she is. I think his final number was upwards from 550-600hp before he died... Would have to dyno it to be sure, but I think factory was somewhere around 400, and I know he greatly exceeded that once the engine was finished. By the way, the engine sat under a crate in our garage since I was born, and he stuffed it in the car just six months or a year before he was killed (so about 11 years' worth of tinkering and modding)...
Luckily, not a lot of the trunk is in awful shape! I could most likely get away with just the middle of the trunk pan (the solid-rust spot), and a good sandblasting and sealing of the rest. The trunk extension pieces are still good too, though I'll have to open them up to do some light quarter and well work.
A quickie shot of the passenger floor pans. Only badass rust is in the corner of the firewall and a bit on the foot panel, the rest is bright red and pitted but not bad at all. Again, a good sandblast and seal would probably fix it, and if the sand knocks holes in it, it's such a small spot that patching would be stupid simple.
Driver's side. Again, very little bad rust. I may not even have to patch this one anywhere! The valleys behind the pro racing seat look much worse than they actually are.
Love them hips. This car has the sexiest lines I've ever seen ever.
Beep Beep! =:3
Oh ya...
Tic-toc-tac! I've heard the tick-tock-tach is fairly rare, not sure about how rare in the Birds, but I got one.
And finally, the nicest rear-end a car company has ever designed ever forever. <3
Here's the results from the fender tag decoder at
www.roadrunnersite.com. My comments are marked with <<>>.
LINE 1:
'E63' '383cid 4bbl Magnum 335hp (STD w/Road Runner) (Orange Paint) (NA w/H51)' '' <<440 is not original>>
'D32' '3-Speed A-727 TorqueFlite HD Automatic Transmission' '' <<I do believe this is still in the car>>
'RM23' '1968 - 70 Road Runner 2Dr Hardtop' 'Also used for 1970 Super Bird'
'NOG' 'Engine: 383 ci 8 cyl 4 bbl High Performance' 'Model Year: 1970' 'Assembly Plant: St. Louis, MO'
'******' 'Serial Number' 'Should match VIN' <<Clipped for security>>
LINE 2:
'EB7' 'Lower Body Plymouth: Jamaica Blue Metallic' 'Lower Body Dodge: Medium Blue Metallic'
'H2B5' 'Seat Style: Bench; Seat Color: Blue; Carpet: Blue; Door Panels: Blue; Instrument Panel: Blue; Headliner: Blue' <<Will be changed to black with buckets>>
'EB7' 'Upper Door Frame Color: Jamaica Blue Metallic' ''
'B28' Build date: 'November 28'
'******' 'Factory Job Number' 'Factory # should not match VIN' <<Clipped for security>>
LINE 3:
'EB7' 'Upper Body Plymouth: Jamaica Blue Metallic' 'Upper Body Dodge: Medium Blue Metallic'
'A01' 'Light Package (NA w/A13)' 'Ashtray, Trunk, Glove Box, Map, & Ignition Switch Lamps, Hood Mounted Turn Signals'
'B51' 'Power Brakes (Required w/B41)' ''
'J25' '3-speed Windshield Wipers (STD w/A04,E74)(Required w/N96)' ''
'L31' 'Hood Mounted Turn Signals' ''
'M21' 'Drip Trough Molding' ''
LINE 4:
'N85' 'Tic-Toc-Tac Tachometer w/Clock (NA w/J21)' ''
'R11' 'Music Master Solid State 2 Watt AM Radio (STD w/A04)' ''
'V8W' 'Transverse Tape Stripe - White' '' <<Might do a flat black, as I wanted to do the black accents for the rear deck stripe etc. to match the Roadrunner hood stripe style>>
'END' 'End of Tag Codes' ''
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I also want to put an air grabber scoop and 6-pack carb setup on, as well as a go-wing. And all you purists out there about to crucify me for not following the codes to original spec can eat me. If it had the original 383, maybe, but Dad wanted to make her a hot-rod, so that's the direction she's going. BUT! One thing the purists -will- like is this:
For years now, I always said I was going to do B7, the darkest of the blues offered that year... Yesterday while checking the fender tag, I find out IT'S AN ORIGINAL B7 CAR!!! I mainly picked B7 because I've seen very few '70 birds in B7, and I find out mine, with the plan to go B7, was originally B7!! So she will be painted the factory color.
- CK
The only pics I have.... Dad died about 15 years ago, leaving me with this project. With no money, time, access, or etc., it simply sat... A good thing and a bad thing, as it was indoors and packed-up... - CK
