Strange Trim Tag

[ds1]

Pete told me Paul Blevins car was a four link. I looked at Pauls car because the tach and cable were in the same place. I purchased a copy of November 73 Super Stock and Drag Illustrated off Ebay. As soon as I saw the cowl and door hinges I knew it was not the car. I talked to guys at the York show and was told Pauls car was not treated correctly after acid dipping and the tail pan was rotting out in 3 years. This has been quite a learning experience. I will run the car. I am having an all new Dart 427 sbc being built for it. My work schedule only allows me to race twice a month. I plan only. To run down to 9.00. Any faster and the chassis will need updated and I will need a competition license. Remember I also have Joe Scott's first super stock 67 RS Camaro, that is the car I want to get done. But I love and respect history. These cars need exercised. Don't just put them in a pedastall and look at them. I am gathering vintage parts for the car. May even build a 331. But it looks like I will need wheelie bars for sure. The Grump said said wheelies sell T shirts. I have some plans there also.

[RichSchmidt]

Yes,now that you mention it you are correct,it was confirmed to be Blevins' old car. Still going strong as a bracket car,I just hope he doesn't wreck it.

[ds1]

It is hard for me to think that a Body in White is a rare piece since I have one. We know of at least 4 Bodies in White. Pete said they built very few cars off non production cars. As time goes on information is harder to get. Gary Drenk said the car was bought through the Grump, owner 2 backed that up and added it was the 3rd or 4th car built, which is consistent with what Pete has told me several times. Pete said that if the car has ties to The Grump it would have gone through Dick Whitman. That is where the problem lies now. They have passed and any of that information is gone. I am lucky that someone from Chicago gave me a huge lead and things went quickly. I am waiting on Gary to scan build pics of the car. He has pics of the body being dipped. My car has been continuously been raced since new, it has had changes and upgrades. So it is not as first built, but enough is still original to know who built it. Along the way I have learned about some interesting dealings and ties these guys had to illegal money. These guys were not a squeaky clean as history makes them out to be. Even the Grump was no angel. I met Bill when we did the Nostalgia races as well as most of the legends. I am glad to have this little piece of history

[ds1]

Adds

[Kurt S]

JohnZ commented:
Yup, I remember when we built those "tacked" bodies and shipped them out on wooden pallets. Nothing used to happen in the plants that the UAW didn't try to screw up - remember that 1973 was two years after GMAD absorbed the Chevrolet and Fisher Body plant at Lordstown, and neither Division existed there any more (I was the Chassis Production Superintendent in 1973),

When it came time to palletize the first "tack" Vega body, the previously-Fisher Body carpenters demanded that job exclusively, and threatened to walk out if any previously-Chevrolet carpenters were allowed to work on the "race car pallets". Ultimately, we (GMAD) got the UAW in Detroit to remind the Union local President that ALL of the carpenters were G.M. carpenters, and management had the right to assign skilled trades work as they saw fit.

John

[Xplantdad]

Interesting info Kurt!

[ds1]

We are trying to figure out what month the body was built. It is number 051. Would it have been July? I talked to Mike Mathias and he remembered the skids the bodies came on sitting outside SRD shop.

[ds1]

Here she is going into the acid tank

[Mr70]

Thanks for sharing all this with us.
No disrespect to you or the company dipping it whatsoever,but make sure they rinse the heck out of that when done.
I had a door & hood acid dipped years ago and they leached long after they were painted and had to be scrapped.
Business that did it for me went bust,so that says something about them.

[ds1]

It has held up to this point. I read about the process. These are 45 year old pictures. I have a Super Stock car the acid dipping did not last on. We measured metal I cut from up under the dash and it is.023 thick. Factory was around .043 thick Also this car has been updated so it is not 100 percent as originally built. Last updates were about 1980. Little has been changed since then.