Yeah I will comment on this... Kim,
First of all, you are correct about getting the facts straight. Both cars you mentioned (Kirby funny car and Tom's funny car) were posted as something they thought they were. Upon further investigation into each car, different results came out as they were noticed and proven to be different as originally thought to be.
First, the Kirby car was advertised as one of Dick Harrell's drag cars. Dale Pulde and maybe Dave Libby (I don't remember) did jump on this statement because it was not true. It was never Dick's car as it was owned all the time by Jim Kirby. When the truth came out on that car it was proven to be a Dick Harrell team car and it was driven by Dick (see photo article below) at the 1968 King of Kansas City Race, and in Kirby's car, Dick won the event. The Kirby car was Dick's match race car in 1969, so he could use his '69 funny car in the points races. That would explain why it was painted in the team colors both in late '68 (with Courtesy on it, this paint scheme was painted by Dave Libby's brother I think) and early '69 when it got it's current and final paint scheme in red with gold lace (painted by Oop in Dick's shop). Also, Dave Libby was the one with Dick that got the funny car from Kirby in late August '68 and he personally said that he put the supercharged 427 motor in it. Matt's car is and always will be a Dick Harrell team car and built by Dick Harrell's shop.
Now, to Tom's car. First I'm glad to see you agree that it isn't a Dick Harrell funny car. When Tom told people about his car being Dick's original funny car from '68 no one had any reason to believe him that it wasn't. But, when it first came out at the Funny Car Reunion in Englishtown, NJ, Dave Libby and Dale Pulde and others started to notice things that didn't look quit right, and Dave even talked to Tom about them at that event. After looking into it they found out that not only was the body not Dick's correct body, but that the chassis wasn't the right chassis either. Dick's Body had a door from the very first race, and Don Hardy, the man who built Dick's '68 and the '68 Kirby funny car has verified that. Dick's '68 chassis was also sent back to Don's shop in late '68 to get it fitted to the new '69 body, and that is the reason why Dick needed another car to continue running races until his car was done. That is where the Kirby car comes into the picture. Both Jim Kirby and Dave Libby will tell you that Dick used it from late August until he got his '69 car back from Don Hardy in December of '68. Both cars were then repainted in the '69 color scheme Candy Apple Red with Gold Lace.
I hope this helps you and others understand why what people say at one time can be changed at a later date once certain facts come up.
