IDIDIT in a Nova
September 23, 2022
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
SOBE IT
When the sun is high and you want to reach for something cool, the presence of this surf-inspired ’60 Mercury station wagon is meant to provide onlookers with the next best thing to a refreshing SoBe beverage. We think the effort is successful—the Merc is a refreshing approach to vehicle personalization.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Borgeson’s Performance Steering Shaft for G-Body, F-Body, & S-10
If you’re all about upgrading your ride’s steering game, then the Borgeson G-Body, F-Body, S10 Steering Shaft is your ticket to automotive nirvana. Designed to fit snugly into 1979-1988 GM G-Body, 1982-1992 GM F-Body, and 1982-1993 S10 pickup models, this bad boy brings a whole new level of performance to the table.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: DieselSite’s High-Performance Turbocharger for Ford 7.3L Trucks
Built with a custom Wicked Wheel® 2 performance billet compressor wheel and a Turbo-Master™ mechanical wastegate controller, this upgraded turbocharger guarantees enhanced power and responsiveness. The center section boasts a journal bearing support system with a 360° thrust washer, enabling it to handle higher boost levels. Additionally, the turbocharger is fully rebuildable, ensuring longevity and allowing for future maintenance and upgrades.
Spotlighter
SUPERBIRD REBIRTH
Replacement Sheetmetal Panels From Year One Recreate a Solid Body for a Complete Restoration
Author
Josh Kaylor
Photography by Bill Woodard
The Introduction of the 1970 Plymouth Superbird
In 1970 Plymouth introduced the Superbird. It was equipped with an aerodynamic nose, a shape that was ahead of its time, and it had a ridiculously high wing that gave it track performance and a unique trademark. Only in 1970 were the Superbirds produced, and a mere 1,920 left the factory. Of those, 23 percent were painted Lemon Twist. The Superbird did very well in NASCAR, as it won its first race at the 1970 Daytona 500, with Pete Hamilton behind the wheel of a Petty Enterprises Plymouth. After it did so well in ’70, NASCAR developed a rule stating that winged cars were limited in engine size, and so Chrysler decided to pull the plug on the program.
The Decline and Resurgence of the Superbird
In 1971, Plymouth introduced the new model year of cars, and the Superbirds just sat on showroom floors, as dealers almost couldn’t give them away due to their high price and unusual styling. With the sudden rage in anything Chrysler and Plymouth from the ’60s and ’70s, people are beginning to pull these spectacular-looking cars out of hiding and spend some serious money to bring them back to life.
Jim Smith’s Lemon Twist Superbird
Jim Smith of Dayton, Tennessee, has owned this Lemon Twist 440 four-barrel car since it was new. Jim was the owner of Smith-Clayton Dodge in the early days and purchased this car for himself. After some years Jim retired but kept the Superbird seen here behind his barn. Eventually, he decided that it was time to bring it back to life.
The Restoration Process Begins
To do so, Jim enlisted the help of Bill Woodard, longtime friend and master bodyman. Bill and Jim determined what they would need for the Superbird and then called Year One, located in Braselton, Georgia, for the beginning of a long list of parts that would be required to bring the car to as-new condition. In about a week, new trunk floors, wheel housings, and rear quarter panels arrived at the shop, and the work began. We plan to follow this car through to completion, so read along as we revive one of America’s most sought-after muscle cars.
1. The driver’s side of the quarter panels was missing the bottom couple of inches, and it looked as if it had been crushed at a NASCAR event.
2. The trunk floor and the floorboards were full of rust holes where water leaked in and sat in the trunk, which deteriorated the sheetmetal.
3. The trunk floor was rough, as you can see in the photos. It was easier to drill out the spot welds and replace the rotted floor with a new one from Year One.
4. The trunk floor was completely removed from the car to accommodate the new pieces. The steel frame has surface rust but is not rusted through anywhere.
5. Installing the new trunk floor will require a few tools and a full weekend. A side grinder, a drill equipped with a hole saw and a small bit also will be needed.
6. The new floorboards come with original-style high-quality stamping, which resembles that of the OEM parts.
7. The side portion of the trunk was gone, so Bill clamped the side portion to a piece of the new floorboard and welded them together.
8. These are nice parts. Year One prides itself on trying to make every piece fit better and look nicer than the originals.
9. Each of the braces has held water, as you can see, which helped the rust grow. The braces are cleaned up to prevent any further damage from occurring.
10. If you are wondering what all these lines are, Plymouth spot welded the floor along these lines every 3 inches.
11. Here you can see Bill as he traces the next piece for the lines.
12. Bill is a perfectionist: A ruler was used to make sure that every 3 inches a hole was drilled for spot welding. This car is being restored back to factory-original condition.
13. Here you can see the holes that were drilled for the spot welds right back to the original specifications.
14. This small tool, known as a spot weld cutter, allows for drilling spot welds free as well as drilling the proper-size holes.
15. When welding sheetmetal together, it isn’t a bad idea to coat the parts with a weld-through coating. It resists rusting in tight spots where moisture may occur.
16. Eighty holes later, it is now ready to be welded into the car. With restorations such as this, having everything appear as it did from the factory is key.
17. The wheelhousing had plenty of rust along the bottom. Bill cut out the lower half of the wheelhousing and replaced it with a new half.
18. The Plymouth is beginning to have a back half again. You can see where the new trunk floors are now in place, awaiting the quarter panels.
19. Next the quarter panels were laid into position and welded in place. The new Year One panels fit nicely. A thin coat of primer gives the rear a whole new look.
20. The new quarter-panel edges wrap around the rear nicely, just like the originals. How often do you hear that in the aftermarket?
21. The door-to-fender gap is nice and the Superbird rear is starting to take shape.
