Barn find hemicuda convertible.

[PhilS]

I bought my black convertible from Phoenix attorney Patrick McGroder about 15 years ago. I knew it had been a successful race car and had been a barn find in Taos NM where it sat unused from the mid '70s until '89. Since my purchase I've worked to reconstruct the car's history. I learned that the first owner damaged the engine at about 7 or 8 thousand miles. At that point he stopped making payments and the car was repossessed. Reportedly a warranty engine went in and the car was sold to Alex Bowers for $2,400. Alex briefly drove the car on the street until he, his brother Bob and friend Stewart Way had Barnett Automotive turn it into a race car. Barnett built the engine in the car and added '71 sheetmetal to create a contender. Bowers had success with Terry Earwood driving but the car went on to greatness after being purchased by Steve Bagwell which is well documented. By '76 the car was purchased by Taos drag racer Laurence Chase. Soon after the trans was seriously broken at Green Valley Raceway in the Dallas area. Then silence until '89 when Ernie Blumenthal discovered what was thought to be a coupe in hiding. Pat bought it and began the restoration.
Several years later I was still trying to fill in all the blanks and decided to look up Mr Chase. Surprisingly still in that same barn were several pieces left behind by the new owner. The '71 fenders, front valance still sporting the Bagwell paint job, the engine block from the glory days and the broken trans with a big story of its own. About three years ago I drove to Taos, purchased these historical pieces and brought them home.
Fast forward to December '16. I've consigned the car to Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. As I've attempted to accurately answer questions I've had to go back to Galen's report concerning the engine dates. The report provided information I had never really noticed before. The block was restamped so I was never that curious. Now I was curious about the old race block. It didn't have a vin which would be consistent with a warranty block. I rolled it over to see the numbers on the flange under the starter. Finding a date 13 days before my car I decided to enlist an expert which led to the revelation that this block is a production unit and according to the order number most likely original to my car! I told Stewart Way who has helped me with the history of the car. Apparently the warranty replacement was an assumption after the car quit running. The missing vin was actually ground off like a lot more of the block material for weight saving.
I guess that makes two great finds from that barn but there's one more. The Torqueflite has been confirmed by Turbo Action as the experimental unit referred to on their website as the start of the Cheetah. They're still selling them today. Here are some barn find pics and the engine stamps.

[COPO]

Cool story. Always love to hear the history of these great cars.

[njsteve]

The numbers photo you supplied is the engine assembly date info. The 1970 and 1971 engines were cast in 1969 and then assembled shortly thereafter. They were then stored away til orders came in to match them up with a car. April 17 of 1969 is not 13 days earlier. It is a year and 13 days - if your car built in April/May of 1970.

Here is a photo of my old 1971 hemicuda ragtops assembly info - it was built a little more than a year before the car in 1970 for a May, 1971 car.






The 1970 and 1971 cars had 1969 dated blocks, if that is of any help. The foundry that made the blocks had cast so many that they kept using them for two more years in production cars. If you ever find a 1970 or 71 cast block is most likely one of the rare (and valuable) high-nickel content, over the counter, blocks that the racers loved due to their strength. While it is unlikely it is your original block if the serial number is not the same, weirder things have happened (like when I found the block from a hemi '70 Charger built on the assembly line one car before mine and was 17 digits away from my VIN).

Do you have a photo of the casting date and the area where the VIN is/was on either block?

[cudino]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The numbers photo you supplied is the engine assembly date info. The 1970 and 1971 engines were cast in 1969 and then assembled shortly thereafter. They were then stored away til orders came in to match them up with a car. April 17 of 1969 is not 13 days earlier. It is a year and 13 days - if your car built in April/May of 1970.

Here is a photo of my old 1971 hemicuda ragtops assembly info - it was built a little more than a year before the car in 1970 for a May, 1971 car.


</div></div>
Steve,
Adding/adjusting your info, on this pad on Hemi blocks, the date that looks like a date is the date the block was machined, or something like that. This date on your old ragtop’s block was 4-20-70. Most Warranty Hemi blocks will also have this date stamp. And you’re right that these machined blocks got stockpiled. But all the other markings on both your block and on Phil’s will only be on blocks assembled for production use, and these other markings do show the date the engine was fully assembled. The &quot;G&quot; on your block designates ’71 usage, while Phil’s &quot;F&quot; designates ’70 usage. Along with this letter these production blocks also got the “MN426xxx” number (or in most ’71 examples “NM426xxx”, with the first 2 digits reversed). As Phil mentions the 4 digits after MN426 are the 10K date code stamping, showing exactly when the block was assembled. In the case of your yellow ragtop, your NM number shows that its block was assembled on ‘3570’, which is Friday, May 7, 1971. I looked up the Scheduled Production Date for you old car and it was scheduled for build on 519 (May 19, 1971). So your car’s block was fully assembled 12 days before your car was scheduled to be built.
- Wade

[njsteve]

Cool info!. So the 12 day span of my old car's block corroborates the 1970's car's mystery block assembly date of 13 days prior.

(And I still have both giant photo albums of my old car's dissassembly and restoration in the event anyone ever wants it, along with one of the extra broadcast sheets. I have offered it up but the current owners don't seem to be interested in it. Hopefully someone will want it some day before my next of kin toss the stuff in the dumpster) [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

[Stefano]

I'll take it!

[iluv69s]

what's the 'maltese cross' stamp mean? Was that a MOPAR thing?
(obvious Chevy guy here)

[njsteve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iluv69s</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what's the 'maltese cross' stamp mean? Was that a MOPAR thing?
(obvious Chevy guy here) </div></div>

It's a mark of the Illuminati [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Actually the assemblers had a number of stamp codes used to denote over or undersized parts in the engine for later use. The maltese cross was (if I recall correctly) an indicator of a .001 undersized crankshaft bearings.

[njsteve]

Just to clarify, when I was saying it is unlikely that it's your car's block I am referring to the block that you have who's &quot;vin which would be consistent with a warranty block&quot;. Warranty blocks had a blank engine VIN pad. Is that the 4/17/69 block or the other block you have?

(I didn't mean to raise doubt on your finding just to get more clarification of the info on the two blocks) [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Here's a link to the auction listing: http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Event...MI-CUDA-201349

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

&quot; Finding a date 13 days before my car I decided to enlist an expert which led to the revelation that this block is a production unit and according to the order number most likely original to my car!&quot;

Very cool and interesting.
Who was the expert you are referring to?

There is only one person I know that has a comprehensive list of all the bottom of block assembly dates and the sequence numbers.