The Thunderbolt project

[Raceman]

This is the other new project. I haven't been all that much into cloned cars until the last year or so, but have changed my thinking for a couple of reasons. First, the cloned cars are bringing excellent money. (as if I ever get around to selling anything :D ) Second, making changes from what originals would have been for personal tasted doesn't destroy the historical value of an othewise correct car in the case of foolin' with a rare original muscle car.

[Raceman]

The Fairlane body was another E Bay find within the last several weeks and the above picture shows it loaded on the sellers trailer just as it was pictured on E Bay. It's amazingly solid. I've already ordered most of the Thunderbolt stuff from Crites Restoration in Ohio................ the teardrop hood, glass front fenders & bumpers, cold air package through inner headlights, etc. What I'm missing is a 64 dated 427 high riser and a top loader, plus some factory steel wheels. Anybody got a 427 Ford layin' around collecting dust?

[captcarb]

I see them occasionally on this site (http://www.ffcobra.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi) . There is a 460 there now.

Jim

[Scream And Fly]

That looks like a great find, and an amazing platform for a project. Keep the pictures coming!

Greg

[rpm racing]

man you have a ton projects!!!!! I don't know how you find the time or money for everything!!! I wish I had the same problem. Good looking car but the vette you just got is my choice, that is a very nice car. Have fun and get back in your STV boat or let someone drive it to try to reach 140+mpH, I think it will do it.

[BarryStrawn]

Reminds me of one my brother in law had many years ago with a similar intention of building a Thunderbolt clone. It was a stock 6 cylinder but all black, straight and clean. But it went down the road to make room for a Boss 429. I can check on engines, he had a few 427s and some spares. Built by Reher-Morrison of all people.

[Chummy]

THAT SHOULD BE FUN NORRIS, A BUDDY OF MINE HAS A TOPLOADER LAYING UNDER HIS WORK BENCH IF YOU WOULD LIKE I'LL ASK HIM IF HE WANTS TO SELL IT. DON'T WANT TO TAKE ON A CHEVELLE PROJECT DO YA:eek: J/K

[heath brinkley]

FORD....the great thing about cloning a ford is you don't have to worry about destroying the value, hell you could melt it down as scrap metal and not ruin the value. Even the originals aren't worth the wasted garage space.:D :D
Now just don't go hanging a 3.0 rude on that stream.

[heath brinkley]

Originally posted by Raceman
Anybody got a 427 Ford layin' around collecting dust?

If anybody's got a ford 427 I promise you it's laying around collecting dust, or more likely laying outside collecting rust.:D :D

Sorry the ford's are just too easy to pick on.

Cool car, do a Hubert Platt clone.

[Raceman]

Chummy, I'd appreciate it if you'd ask about the toploader. Since I've always fooled with Chevy stuff for the most part I don't have many Ford connections.

Heath, I'm with you on the pickin' on Fords, it's almost as much fun as pickin' on OMC's. Did old Hubert have a Thunderbolt? I remember that he had a 64 or 65 A/FX Falcon which was roughly the equivalent to the Thunderbolt, but just in a Falcon body instead of a Fairlaine. I think Ford only made about a half dozen Falcons. I'd been thinking about building one of those from an old 64 body I've had for years until I ran across this Fairlane.

[heath brinkley]

I'll have to look through some old pictures and see for sure, but I thought before the blowers showed up in 64, which led to the AWB movement in 65, that he had a thunderbolt. it seems like maybe Gas Rhonda and Butch Leal among others had thunderbolts. Hubert was by far my favorite. Incidentally, Houston Platt had a AWB Nova named "Dixie Twister" that was a really cool car. I always liked Hubert's Longnose mustang fastback the best.

[heath brinkley]

Yes, I wanted to say it was blue as well. I found black and whites of Butch Leal's California Flash as well as Hubert Platts Georgia Shaker. but no color pictures. I could never get the link to the website here for you (way beyond my computor capabilities) but go to www.timfrederickstudios.com and go to the ford page and he has a color print of the car, it's artwork not a actual picture. haven't found Gas Rhonda's picture yet but I could swear he had one as well.

[heath brinkley]

well I'll be dipped in dog****, just click on the website in my post and it'll come up. I'm so smart I did that without even trying.:D :D

[Raceman]

When I was a kid the first dragstrip around here was on a deserted WW II airfield. They even ran it with a flag starter instead of a christmas tree, and they continued that way long after the more modern tracks (which ultimately put this one out of business). The Platts useta come and run here. I don't recall the blue Thunderbolt, but remember seeing the blue Georgia Shaker AFX falcon. I also remember the Nova. It was a 63/64 body style and had a fastback grafted on. I also remember Phil Bonner's Falcon running at least once, but had forgotten all about it until I saw the site you posted the link to. Those were the days of the AFX cars and the Super Stock Max Wedge and Hemi Mopars, not to mention the "Mystery 427" in the 63 Chevy that looked like a 409 with it's W style cyl heads. Another notable car that ran at this old track was Richard Petty in his Hemi powered 65 (or close) Barracuda that he drag raced the year that Nascar banned the Hemi.

[heath brinkley]

Tim Fredericks also has a lithograph of Richard Petty's '64 'cuda, although it may not be on his website, did you know David Pearson and Cotton Owens also ran a drag car during that hemi ban. It was called the cotton picker a freaky looking station wagon.
the fastback Nova you're referring to was Fritz Callier's, unless there were two. Houston Platt had a two door hardtop AWB 66 Nova that was really cool.
I always liked the AWB cars too bad Mecury cut that short so soon, it would have been nice to have 'em for another year or so.

[heath brinkley]

I just looked at his website and he does have Petty's car on it under the mopar page. Alot of his stuff isn't on his website.

[Raceman]

I don't recall the name Calliers or Houston Plat's AWB 66 Nova. By that time I'd started driving and was interested in other stuff besides the dragstrip. I'm pretty sure Houston had a 63 or 64 that had a fastback on it.

I liked the AWB cars too, especially the 65 Mopars. Looks like some people are building nostalgia drag clones now like some of those old mid 60's cars.

I'll have to go back to that website and look for the cuda. I'm on my dial up connection tonight and it takes forever to load.

[beko21]

Raceman, I just called a friend of mine that I sold a Thunderbolt Clone to a year ago, he has a toploader but it's a 70', if you are interested let me know.

[MirageSmack]

So whats the color scheme going to be? Any cool options?

[Raceman]

The orginal cars only came in white or maroon. Both colors got a beigy/gold color interior that was extremely boring. This particular car came white with red interior, and although the red interior would be noticeably wrong, I'm thinking about doing ti red since the white/beige was so ugly IMO. I guess the interior color did look better with the maroon color, but it's not the best looking thing I ever saw either. There's a red clone on E Bay now that's super sharp lookin' all except for the pro streeted rear end look which I don't like anymore.