Need set of Goodyear Polyglas F70x14

[njsteve]

You gotta love original owners: Here is a photo of my car being driven by the original owner's pre-wife in Dec, 1970. Can you tell me what particular Goodyear this is? Thanks, Steve

[njsteve]

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Hey Steve, I saw your Hemi at the shop tonight. I stopped in to talk to Rich and check out the progress on my JL8 restoration. Sweet car. Nice exhaust system, was that Mufflex that put it together for you?

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Yup, Mufflex did it. (yeah I know the name sounds like some 70's Porn Star) but that exhaust job was worth 40 horsepower on the chassis dyno. The stock 426 Hemi with the original dealer installed headers put out 354 hp at the rear wheels with the factory 2-1/4 inch h-pipe and exhaust. After the Mufflex guy did his magic, the numbers went to 394 at the rear wheels through the 3" exhaust. (With open headers it put out 402 hp). I forgot the guys name but his # is (609) 890-0481 and the website on his bus card is www.mufflex-performance.com. It was fun to watch him: kind of like watching a balloon artist at a kids party. He just walked under the car, took a look and then walked over to his tubing bender and made the exhaust by hand on the first try. Fit perfectly and sounds great.

[njsteve]

Here is another photo from the original owner. I believe this picture was taken in late 1969. Nice dent! It's really hard to tell what the tire says but it almost looks like it's a Firestone Wide Oval. (This car was a Zone Office Show car and the original owner bought it in August 69 with 5000 miles on it after it went on display at a variety of dealers and a Chevy Exec used it at the Indy event). It's possible that by 1970 it had already been through a set or two of tires.

[Jeff Murphy]

They look like the 1970 and up Wide O Oval type Firestones based on how big the lettering is...

[njsteve]

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There's an original pic of a '69 Z11 in Valerie Harrell's scrapbook wearing small lettered Firestone Wide Ovals. I'm pretty sure I even videotaped it at SCR3 since I found it to be pretty odd myself. These weren't the big letter 1970 type Wide Ovals they currently reproduce, but not the traditional Goodyear Wide Treads either. I remember the door decals being noticeably crooked on the car as well, and stuck right over top of the wheel well stripe. I'll see if I can track down the clip and link it here. Anyone else happen to remember the pic I'm referencing?

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By some bizarre coincidence could that photo have been taken somewhere in Virginia/Maryland/DC area in mid to late 69? My Z11 was used as a dealer display car for the Washington DC Zone from March to July 69. As per the orginal owner, the car had badly placed decals and did have its original pinstripes intact. He also told me that the decals were terrible quality: after a few months random letters would fall off as he drove, leaving the car looking like a poster car for dislexia. You can see in my 2d photo that only the bottom section of the original decals were left by the end of 1969.

[Jeff H]

Yeah, Denny does some incredible work at Mufflex. That exhaust would like huge on a Camaro, but the Charger is a big car and the 3" exhaust doesn't look too big.

[Supercar_Kid]

Steve, here is the pic in question. I'm sorry it's of such poor quality but it's the best I can get. It was originally recorded on an older analog camcorder and then transferred to VHS, from there I recorded it onto my new digital camcorder, and then imported it onto my computer and converted into a jpeg. I'm sure there was some noticeable loss of quality in all that transfer. But after screwing around with if for half the morning, here's what you get. Harrell Z11 It's safe to say that it's definitely not your car, although I have no idea where the pic was taken. The car has "Dick Harrell" lettered on the quarter, and something illegible on the front fender. I'm sure you could probably read it off of the original pic, but through all this crappy video it's anyone's guess. You can't read it off of the original recording either, I've tried several times. I do remember taping the pic and examining it with my own two eyes at the SCR3. Although they can't be seen the car DEFINITELY had small letter 1969 Firestone Wide Oval tires on it. Unlike the one on the front of your car in the pic missing the ralley cap, these tires have the Firestone and "WIDE OVAL" lettering in much smaller font, about the size of "Polyglas" or "Wide Tread" on a Goodyear. These tires were apparently discontinued sometime between 69-70 as I've never seen a vintage pic of a '69 with large lettered Wide Ovals nor a vintage pic of a 70 with small letters. I'd say that's a 1970 or newer Firestone on the front of your car. By the looks of the pic you posted showing the Goodyear rear tire, I would have to agree with Charley and the others who say they were F70x14 Goodyear Wide Treads. I do believe that Z11's also came with small lettered Firestone Wide Ovals too, but these aren't reproduced and are about as rare as hen's teeth. Not that F70x14 Wide Treads exactly grow on trees either but my guess is they'd be a bit easier to obtain than a set of small letter Firestones. Plus you've got an early original pic of your car wearing a Goodyear tire, and if it originally had Goodyears, you can bet they were Wide Tread F70x14s. Go with the Wide Treads IMO. Hope all of this helps.

[William]

"Fiberglass belted WHITE LETTERED tires were not an option for Camaros or Chevelles in 1969.

So many nice, otherwise correct cars have the wrong tires on them. A case, I believe, of relying on other restored cars as a model and not doing the research. It has snowballed.............."

You are the guy that needs to do more research. According to the April 1, 1969 Camaro Options and Accessories option PL4 is described as "(5) F70 x 14/B Fiberglass Belt White Lettered Blackwall"

I have a shipper copy for a COPO showing option PL4, described as "5PL4JD F70 x 14 FG BELTED WH LET TIRES"

It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.