• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

new member - A12 clone Belvedere project

HT413

Semi Pro Bowler
Local time
3:03 AM
Joined
Jul 5, 2012
Messages
5,317
Reaction score
5,331
Location
New Jersey
Hey all, I recently picked up my boyhood dream (well, its clone anyway :) ) and wanted to show her off to ya. She's a B4 blue '69 Belvedere dressed up as a very rough A12. Picked her up on Ebay Classifieds a few weeks back (some of you may have noticed the ad). It's originally an Indiana car and was set up for the track with mini tubs, weld in 4-link and 12.5 inch MT's. Body's rough (even rougher than the pix show) but rust free. Must've been a rust bucket at some time because it has new floors, trunk pan, 1/4's and rear frame rails. Interior needs finishing but is all there and everything works (even the heat / vent / wipers - a nice surprise considering it was built for the track).

The car sounds and drives like a mad bull. :headbang: It has a 727, 8-3/4 with a 3:91 sure grip and a very odd motor - '72 413 truck motor (stamped HT413) and appears to have its original forged crank. The prior owner only had it for a few months and had no idea what was in it. All I know is it has a pretty aggressive cam and a 3" x-pipe exhaust that makes a hell of a racket as she shreds those big tires at any point in 1st and 2nd gear. :glasses9: (Haven't tried it in 3rd yet. :laughing7:)

Question - the motor is clearly newly built but all the motor bolts appear to have been marked with white nail polish (see the last picture). I've never seen this before - would a motor builder have done this or maybe some sort of tech inspection at a local track?

Immediate plans for the car - I'll be going to Carlisle Mopar Nats this weekend for a carpet kit, deck lid and some details so I can use her to take the family to local cruise nights and definitely to the local ice cream shop.

Long term plans - The body - well, I'll just take my time on that and get her done over the next couple a years. I always wanted a Vitamin C A12 since I was probably 10 years old, but honestly, the blue is growing on me.

Thanks for looking,

Dan
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3519.jpg
    IMG_3519.jpg
    56.5 KB · Views: 312
  • IMG_3516.jpg
    IMG_3516.jpg
    57.1 KB · Views: 312
  • mms_picture-2.jpg
    mms_picture-2.jpg
    58.8 KB · Views: 309
  • mms_picture-3.jpg
    mms_picture-3.jpg
    44.3 KB · Views: 353
  • CameraZOOM-20120428143403577.jpg
    CameraZOOM-20120428143403577.jpg
    78.5 KB · Views: 309
nice car, welcome, ...but how do you get your hood to stand up
like that.....not having hinges?

answer?= see if bolts move?
 
Welcome! nice to see some clones on here I am cloning my 69 too :) I see you have no power steering? how is that to drive? I like the 440 sixbbl on the scoop been debating weather or not to do that on mine with out a real six pack on the motor, dam purist keep ringing in my head! lol
 
Welcome to FBBO, nice free style A-12 69 RR clone
 
Thanks, guys. Lol, sonny, i've hired a full time hood holder-upper. She's kinda short and a little expensive, but it works. Ya think it's just to see if the bolts move? Even the fuel lines, ground wire, hell, everything but the valve cover bolts and oil pressure sender is marked.

Big man, i always preferred manual steering, just feels that the car kinda wrestles you back. It's a 2 hand car through curves for sure but if i go easy on the throttle and keep the sure grip and those big tires out of the equation, it's a pussy cat.

I know what you mean with the 6pack sticker, but that was done a long time before i got the car. From the looks of it, the hood is a *very* old repro, if not the original thing. That's one of the things i hope to confirm out at Carlisle tomorrow.
 
Carlisle was a success - picked up a very solid original deck lid for $300 and an OEM side view mirror (non-remote controlled) for... $2.00 - all it needs is a polish and it'll be in nice driver condition. The heat must've gotten to that guy lol.

Btw, can anyone help with assembling the trunk hinges? I currently only have the weld-in portion of the hinges and the arms that bolt to the deck lid. Other than that, the torsion rods and those plastic pieces on the ends of the rods, what other parts are needed? A MAJOR noob mistake not paying enough attention to how the trunk hinges go together before I got to the show. At least I could've taken 1000 pictures of the assembly had I thought of it. Damn.
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top