You can see where the hood...
You can see where the hood clearance issue came from, with the tall intake manifold under the big Holley four-barrel. A little milling on the intake, plus a custom-fabbed air cleaner, solved the problem.
Sure Grip
- Suspension: (Front) Magnum Force's tubular K-frame/A-arms and spindles with QA-1 coil overs (Rear) A Year One-fabricated 4-link with a Panhard bar and QA-1 coil overs replaced the OEM leaf spring setup
- Brakes: Big Baer discs all around. How big? Try 13-inch rotors with Baer 6S six-piston calipers--at all four corners.
- Wheels: Aero 59 Series NASCAR wheels, 15 x 9 inches all around, wearing BFGoodrich Radial T/A gForce tires (27 x 10 x 15).
High Impact:
- Body: Original 1970 B-Body hardtop unibody was converted from a Plymouth Satellite into a Superbird by adding a Jannek fiberglass nose cone and rear wing. Remedial body work included replacing both rear-quarters, trunk floor and extensions, and rear wheel wells. Fabrication work was by YearOne's Mark McDonald.
- Paint: Steve Jones at YearOne sprayed on the BASF Petty Blue-over-black color scheme (The Body was powder-coated top to bottom by Miller's Powder Coating prior to paint)
- Interior: Inside the roll cage (fabricated by Mark McDonald) is an interior that's been upgraded with Kirkey racing buckets and a YearOne repro "Tuff wheel" steering wheel. Interior restoration by Henderson Upholstery of Sugar Hill, Georgia
Here's what the car looked...
Here's what the car looked like when YearOne got it: A well-used '70 Plymouth Satellite.
The Cause Behind The Car
The Darrell Gwynn Foundation
When the Bill Goldberg-inspired, YearOne-built '70 Superbird tribute crossed the auction block at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale event this past January, it not only drew attention because of who inspired it, who built it, and what went in it, but also for the good cause that the car's sale was benefitting: The Darrell Gwynn Foundation.
Back in 1990, Darrell Gwynn was at the top of his game as a Top Fuel Dragster driver in NHRA's Winston Drag Racing Series. Then, on a test run in England, Darrell was left paralyzed after his dragster crashed at nearly 300 mph.
Before that crash, Darrell had selected The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis as his personal charity, and had been raising funds for that organization--and he'd added their logos to his race car.
Since then, his compassion for those with spinal cord injuries has grown, leading him to create the Darrell Gwynn Foundation in 2002. Its goal: To prevent, provide for, and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating spinal cord related illnesses.
This inside view came during...
This inside view came during replacement of the Plymouth's rusted sheetmetal. Along with both rear quarters, the trunk floor and extensions, plus both rear wheelwells, were replaced.
The Foundation's website
(www.darrellgwynnfoundation.com) details how it helps improve the quality of life for those already afflicted with injury or illness by providing necessary equipment or special services. You'll also see how the Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research (in hopes of expediting specific cures), and you'll also see its dedication to injury prevention, with a special emphasis on programs aimed at children.
"I have learned that hope, encouragement, and determination aided by education, are among the keys in creating a meaningful, satisfying life despite physical obstacles," Darrell says on the Foundation's website. "I have a wonderful family and an amazing collection of friends and business associates who share my commitment to build a better future for those with spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders. Significantly, there has never been a time of more important and promising research to find a cure for spinal cord paralysis then right now."
The $501,000 raised by the 'Bird's sale (and an additional $176,000 pledged to the Foundation during the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale weekend) will go a long way toward funding spinal cord research and improving the quality of life of those with spinal cord injuries or central nervous system disorders.