Daytona / Superbird Forum Need help and opinion on a RR to Superbird conversion......

My buddy has a 70 RR that he wants to convert to a Superbird. With that said, he has a POST car , not a hardtop. Does it make sense to remove the POST and do the conversion? There is a lot involved , I think, with doing this work and putting in roll up windows to replace the pop out ones. He, of course , has the fixed back window that pushes OUT / IN . He's getting all different opinions from people who want to sell him parts. I need honest opinions with no vested interests from people who love and work on these cars , and who know what it takes to do this kind of work. The other option he has is to just restore his RR , which is already in very good shape. It is a true RR, although it's no longer a matching numbers car because the engine is now a 440 and not the 383 it came with. I have my opinion on this but will not disclose this yet so that I get all of your opinions. I , and he, REALLY appreciate any info that you'd like to offer in this matter. PS: I told him that he could always find a base 70 Plymouth ( Belvedere, Satellite ) as a roller and do the conversion. Thank you for your time . John

Keep it a Roadrunner....
Of, have him run down to the "village" and pick up a T-girl and he can make believe he's w/ a real woman.

Hi John. Like you told your friend, keep it a road runner, and do the conversion with a hard top Satellite. The conversion from post to hardtop alone would be an ordeal.

Well I will chime in here since for once I can speak from experience.

I have a Superbird clone that I have owned for 23 years. I started exactly as you friends - 383 4 speed post car. IT still has the post. I have the parts to convert it. It has an original wing and nose cone.

I did not do the rear window conversion nor did I remove the post. I drive my car whenever I feel well enough and can afford the gas. I do not regret having the correct hardtop body. FOR MY NEEDS, it works just fine. It would be worth more as a hardtop. And make no mistake, with the rear window conversion, it would attract more interest from perspective buyers down the road.

Starting with a Satellite would work, just have to add the Road Runner dash and wiring and an 8 3/4 if not already there. Besides you will just be selling of the front clip anyway. One positive about starting with a Road Runner is that you could return it to a stock Road Runner later if you kept all the parts (except for those 8 holes in the tops of the quarters).

Since your friends car is in really good shape, I would keep it a Road Runner and sell it off to fund the cloned Superbird. Costs add up quickly on these types of conversions.

Either way, he will have a cool car to enjoy for a long time.

Godspeed,
JON


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Oh, and when I met this guy last summer , he did not mind putting his name on it. Of course he will sign almost anything! Thanks Richard!

Very nice one !!
I like the wing cars original or Not ! I love them all !! :notworthy:

I have a clone myself, started with a satellite. I wish I would have put the rear window plug in, but I am not going to tear it apart just to do it...maybe one day. I like the look of yours, nice car.

Nice Bird JON!

I also have a 70 SAT hardtop clone in the works. I didn't want to change the whole dash or alter the Vin so just reworked the face of the dash to accept the RR cluster. I previously cloned a RR into a Bird...that works too.