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Petty '68 Roadrunner

 
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JWVD5953



Joined: 06 Nov 2018
Posts: 365
Location: Florida

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 9:16 pm    Post subject: Petty '68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

I have a set of decals for Richard's '68 Roadrunner. I am guessing
a good starting point is the AMT 1968 Roadrunner kit. If memory
serves me right it has a 426 Hemi in the kit. I built it maybe 10
or so years ago and don't remember if it had any racing parts,
wheels, roll cage etc. Anyone here ever tackle this car?---John

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Tom M.
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No racing parts whatsoever. It does have a nice Hemi but it's the street version with 2X4 barrels which weren't allowed for the Hemi in '68 until Darlington in the spring.

I'd be curious to know how many of those sheets Paul printed back in the day? They have to be very scarce! They were the best ever done until the recent Powerslide sheet.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



Joined: 19 Oct 2018
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 11:04 am    Post subject: Richard Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

Go over to the Post labeled Johan Petty Superbird for some good info on kitbashing B body Mopar GN cars.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:36 pm    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

As discussed on another post, Richards 68 vinyl top Daytona 500 car was one of the most radical cars to hit the track in the mid-to-late sixties. Above and below, there is a ton of radical Bodywork all in the name of better aerodynamics. A few years ago, there was some pictures on here of some of the work under the car and many years ago, there was a feature in Circle Track magazine with some of these pictures. We are talkin some radical stuff here. Stuff that Smokey got in trouble for and Junior Johnson got told not to bring the yellow banana back for, but because it was King Richard's car it was allowed to race. Probably, also because of Big Bill France's issues with Ford at the time. The pictures of the Bodywork outside of the Roadrunner show some pushing of the rules. The chassis shots that I've seen show nothing less than streamlining the entire underside of the car. Again, really radical stuff going on under that Roadrunner.
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Tom M.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In fairness, I've seen photos of '67 Fairlanes with the rear spring shackles sticking out of underbody fairing too. The Petty Roadrunner got a lot of attention because it was the only Mopar within 4 MPH of the front but everyone was pushing the envelope.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 2:54 pm    Post subject: Richard Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

As usual, pictures please!!! How about a sticky of under car Aero tricks? Not just the vinyl top Roadrunner, but Smokey's Chevelle, the yellow banana, these Fairlanes Tom mentions or how about even Bobby Allison's convertible back bumper!?! The stuff Legends are made of.
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AdamtheWayne



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

According to Richard himself, the black topped car was not vinyl. It was a textured paint. He wanted to see if the textured surface would break up the air and help the car slip through, much like the dimples on a golf ball. Thank you for offering me the chance to use "dimples". Such a fun word. Smile

The white topped car in July was merely an attempt to beat the heat.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:07 pm    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

If it was just painted black, why did the sheet metal tear at the top of the windshield? Could it be that it was acid dipped too much or cut and sectioned? I've seen close up pictures of that car several times in the past and it is no doubt the most tricked up car, as far as the sheet metal goes, that Richard ever ran. Cotton ran his cars with black tops for three years without them coming apart at a hundred and ninety miles per hour! I think everybody knows at this point that the top was painted black to look like a vinyl top and the story has gone around about the black texture coming from the Aerospace program. Woodward garage South? I've always found this car fascinating and I've also found it interesting how much body work they did to it before they bought it back to Daytona in July with the white top. This car deserves a sticky all by itself.
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AdamtheWayne



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apparently it was due to a bad weld. And yes, it was the most tricked out car, from the wedged front fenders to the nearly sealed for freshness chassis.
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

AdamtheWayne wrote:
Apparently it was due to a bad weld. And yes, it was the most tricked out car, from the wedged front fenders to the nearly sealed for freshness chassis.


And let's not forget the front bumper was pulled forward, along with the fenders, to get air over the car better.
Car met the centerline template, which went to the hoods edge.
Rather than lean the grill back, shortening the hood, pull it forward at its bottom!!

Petty did the same thing to the 73-74 Chargers he raced on the big tracks.

Extreme rake got attached air flow over the car, reducing drag. Cool
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"Fireball"



Joined: 09 Feb 2018
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wonder how much Petty borrowed from Smokey on the underside aero treatment he did on that '68 RR? Be interesting to see some comparison pics of those two cars.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:07 am    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

Yes, pictures! I've seen a lot of pictures of this car and the various things done to it, like the decklid being kicked up effectively turning it into a huge spoiler. It's been awhile since I've seen detail shots of this car. I remember Circle Track had a whole mess of pictures of this car years ago and not that long ago, this forum had a bunch of pictures on it as well. I distinctly remember a garage area three quarter shot of of the back of the car showing both above and below Aero related modifications.
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BVAUGHN



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PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember they did not want one of the other Plymouth parking next to Petty!
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john843



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is this it?

http://www.superbirdclub.com/68DaytonaRaces.html


John
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 3:20 am    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

Do you think you'd ever see Richard under the back of Harry Hyde's car? Maybe Isaac was a double agent!
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Gary66
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

it's been said that when the car was at speed all during practice you could hear a whistling sound coming from it.
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gary66 wrote:
it's been said that when the car was at speed all during practice you could hear a whistling sound coming from it.


Indeed.

There was a small hole on the roof front where the roof skin hits the inner.
That's where the wind eventually broke the welds on either side...

You know the rest of the story.
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Gary66
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:51 am    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

Do you think this is the point where Richard was thinking to himself"i gots to get me a Ford"? LOL! For some reason, I can hear Bud Linderman saying"and Petty drops the hammer!" Yeah,right,it's just black paint on the roof! Merry Christmas everybody!
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john843



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PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does anyone know if this car (speedway RR) is the car the Petty's sold to Jabe Thomas skinned as a '70 RR? I'm assuming the Petty's started the 1970 season with with at least one new build RR , a back-up (new or an update?) and of course, the two 'birds. Thomas makes a statement in the Hard Chargers video (shot during the '70 season) about buying a car from Richard "that I knew would fly but by then they had moved on to the next idea and while we were flying, they were soaring"
I guess it comes down to if they cleared out their Chrysler inventory before or during the stint with Fomoco in '69.

John
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 4:39 pm    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

I'm not sure which car was which, but the Star City team had a 69 Roadrunner in 69 which maybe means the car was updated to 69 sheet metal before Richard signed the Ford deal. But I'm pretty sure they also had a car with 68 sheet metal on it in 69 as well.I read on here a while ago how this car was left on the Thomas family property until very recently when one of Thomas's Sons, ignorant to the fact that it's an almost Priceless historical race car, junked it. As far as it being updated to 70 sheet metal, I'm sure it was. I know that they were running a 70 Roadrunner at the end of 1972 and unlike switching over from 66/67 sheet metal, switching over to 71/74 required major surgery. A very interesting story about this car is about how Richard borrowed it back! Turn in your credentials as a race fan if you haven't seen "Hard Chargers" yet. It's on the Sandeep Banerjee Channel on YouTube. It's a documentary that told the true story of factory support and what it meant to racers with and without it.
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Wingcar Builder



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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If memory serves me correct. Roberts told me the 68 road runner they got from Petty was one of the 67 Plymouths (I would guess the one they built that wouldn't hook up) and Petty's put that one aside and updated the 66'Daytona 500 winning car and run that one. Jabe did get a couple road runners from Petty tho. One photo I have of Jabe in the car looks like Petty interior work for sure.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 1:44 pm    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

So if that's the case, what is the car that has been out there in the world for many years as the 27 wins car? I was under the assumption that's the same car that won the 66 Daytona 500.
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Tom M.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Contemporary reports had the "27 wins" car (which was indeed the '66 car, probably the Daytona 500 winner as well) being sold to Dub Clewis and Richard Brickhouse.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 1:16 pm    Post subject: Petty 68 Roadrunner Reply with quote

Oh man, so what is this car that Richard claims is the 27 win car? Is this the car that was sitting in the Darlington Museum years ago with the big sign on it that said it was the 27 win car? I know there was a reproduction built a few years ago but this is getting out of control. Future Generations who care about this sport (if there is going to be any) are going to have a real problem with all this fake stuff out there. .
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