My wife and i are thrilled to have had the chance to meet Ed and buy the car he cared for built and stored for over 40 years ...He bought the car why living in Ny state in 1967 .Then after moving back to Pa in 69 and a bet from a buddy one night a the local station the the Surprise Package was born .
The bet was the 413/trans Ed had scored from a wrecked NY State cop car would not fit in the chevy .The time limit one week .The prize a steak dinner ...Well Ed won (thanks to a wooden body lift )Don't tell the tech inspector .
After investing time and money in the swap including having flat towed the chevy from bloomsburg Pa to York Pa to have the legend Jere Stahl build the headers for the odd combination .Ed needed to go faster so he made a deal and bought a spare 426 Max Wedge motor
from one of the old teachers pet cars ..
Custom tunnel ram intake from Offy as well as a bunch of trick parts he fabbed or had done.
Their was even a story he told of a call he made to Petty racing on a dare from buddies to figure out a problem with the new 426 ..(Eds word ring ,ring "Petty Enterprises, this is Richard." "Hello, Mr Petty?" "No, Mr Petty [Lee] is up at the house, this is Richard." "Oh great, I needed to as you some questions!"
After getting the bugs worked out, the car needed to look as good as it ran so Ed paid a local sign painter "$100, and about all the beer he could drink... he'd only start working after about half a case"; what he got is what you see today. Other than a brief suggestion for the theme having something to do with a "surprise package" due to the car's unique engine choice, the artist was given free reign over the design of the graphics and came up with the firecracker motif himself. The paint on the car in my opinion stands the test of time and the detail exemplifies a dying art.
We've owned the car less than a week and every time we look at it we find another detail that surprises us, in either ingenuity or craftsmanship. The car was built in an era when you often had to build or fabricate what you needed, rather than just order out of a catalog. From locally-made bronze bushings in the front suspension, to the farm tractor battery they used for weight and cranking amps.
Glad you guys enjoy the story as much as I do.. will be posting more pics of little details and the truckload of spare parts that came with it. Thanks again to Matt (Fast67) and my wife, both of whom I blame (maybe thank, later) for making me bring this car home.
www.photobucket.com/surprisepackage