Welcome and nice car. The gear head instinct here would be ask if you have ever tried to track down the engine and rear axle. Of course, that subject may be coming up in the next chapter...:grin:

Oh I have tried. Not during the first decade or more of owning it, because I bought the car when I was only 19, and who cared then about originality, right?

The car hauler search never really got off the ground, I did find a correct engine block for the car, right engine casting number, correct date casting number, and correct MO engine stamp with the right date that coincides with the casting date and the date on my data plate on the car. But I'm always looking.

I found out well after I took ownership of the car that a friend of mine has the 12 bolt that came out of my car before the Dana was installed. He got it from the second guy who raced it that Bob Johnston sold it to. But that 12 bolt was not original to the car. The original one might have been blown up in it's earlier days of racing.

I have casually looked for the Muncie and the rear end but, never found anything with the right partial VIN.

Frank, Welcome!

Glad to see you here also (at CRG)

JIM

When I first bought it, it was still in race form, covered with sponsorship decals and lettering, and had no engine, transmission or gears in the Dana.

The first drive train I put in it consist of a 1970 300hp 350 in it, with a Turbo 400 auto, and put 4:10 gears in the Dana. The car still had the 4 point roll bar in it, no back seat, and the original deluxe door panels had been replaced by standard ones with the arm rests removed so you could close the door with the roll bar in the way.

Welcome to the site Frank.Great story,keep it coming!

Thanks. I have photos that go with every post, when it was new, when it was raced, when I bought it, and all the renditions it went through in the last 42 years until now. But, I'm not being allowed to post them yet, I guess. I'll have to add them in later posts.

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Welcome Frank
Great stuff so far, looking forward to more also pics.
:beers:
~ Pete

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This is the car brand new. Notice the absence of front or rear spoiler, and the black rally wheels.

You can see the factory black Z28 stripes in this picture.

There was no antenna or antenna hole in the fenders or rear quarters, and when I bought it, it had a radio/heater controls/ashtray block off plate on the dash for weight reduction so I'm not sure if it was a radio delete car from the factory.