Back in the heyday of the musclecar era, the option sheet was whereperformance fans went to satisfy their appetites for performance andstyle. Take your average, plain-Jane '71 Charger, for instance. Likelyyou'll find the standard utilitarian bench seats dominating anearth-tone interior, big rectangular gauge cluster sans tach, columnshift, 318 2V, 904, drum brakes, boulevard suspension, a hood as flat asa flight deck, puny steel wheels with skinny bias plies dwarfed by thehuge wheelwells, and the bold body lines concealed by an inoffensivecolor such as April Green Metallic or Tahitian Walnut Metallic. Back in1971, this was as close to urban camouflage as you could get, whichsuited many a new car buyer to a tee.
Order up the correct options, and that same basic shell is transformedinto one of the brassiest movers ever to roam the boulevard. Ask for thetwin high-backs facing a radical full instrument cluster andthick-rimmed Tuffwheel. Add a console housing a Pistol Grip or SlapStick, take your choice, and the driver's quarters are ready for roadduty. Raise the performance ante with an E86 or E87 440, or Hemi. Choosethe Track Pack or Super Track Pack, with pavement-smashing heavy-dutysuspension and disc brakes to bring its capabilities to the ground.
Outside, start with the R/T package, and pick up the Power Bulge hoodwith the wild louver treatment or the insane pop-up Air Grabber,complete with chew-ya-up Ramcharger graphics. Fill up those massivewheelwells with the appropriate 15x7 Rallye wheels shod with fatPolyglas tires. Make your intentions known with the uncivilized R/Tstripe package, and a screaming high-impact paint color. Garnish withchrome hood pins, and those savage machine gun flash-suppresser-styledexhaust tips. That nondescript Charger becomes one of the boldestperformance statements of the era.
Still not enough? Dig deeper into the option list: hidden headlamps,color-keyed bumpers, and dual racing mirrors. Finally, pull out all thestops and check off code A45 for the Spoiler Package, complete with theGo-Wing rear-deck airfoil. This piece was the last word in performancestyling options available at the time. Although a rather rare option,its bold statement has left an indelible impression in the minds of theMopar faithful.
While it's quickly closing in on 30 years since Mopar fans had theirchance to play the options game with factory-new offerings, the samegluttonous appetite for performance and style has us playing the samegame in a variety of ways. Optioning-up, cloning, or just trying topiece back together missing original parts, has left many of theperformance pieces in scarce supply. Near the top of this list is theunequivocal Go-Wing. While a variety of universal pedestal mount wingshave been offered by the aftermarket for years, for the devoted Moparfan, if it's not true to the original form, it just doesn't seem right.Until recently, locating a correct Go-Wing has been virtuallyimpossible.
We were intrigued to hear that First Place Auto Products had availablereproduction Go-Wings, in both the early style and the '71 version withthe swept-back tips. With a '71 Charger R/T in our possession beggingfor one of these rare wings, we put in a call and our new wing waspromptly received.
Wow! Every once in the while the after-market delivers a product thatreally makes you take notice, and the Go-Wing from FPAP is one of theserare cases. The wing kit consists of the plastic (as stock) airfoil,cast pedestals and angle adjusters, inner reinforcing brackets, and afistful of unique attachment hardware. The quality of the pieces makesit clear these guys are as serious about their products as we are aboutour cars. This Go-Wing is the real thing.
1 The Go-Wing kit from First...
1 The Go-Wing kit from First Place Auto Products includes theairfoil, pedestals with rubber seals, angle adjusters, and all themounting hardware.
2 No common, universal hardware...
2 No common, universal hardware here. Pedestals, adjusters, andhardware are all unique items, and the quality is outstanding. From leftto center: screws, clips and inner panel reinforcement, airfoil mountadjuster and pivot pin, special inner brace nuts, pedestal, seal,mounting nuts, and pedestal studs.
3 Parts come coated in black...
3 Parts come coated in black primer. We shot them with acrylicurethane black with 25 percent flattening base for a semigloss finish.
4 The adjuster/mounting bracket...
4 The adjuster/mounting bracket is fixed to the pedestal with asteel pivot pin.
5 Tighten the steel backing...
5 Tighten the steel backing brackets into the airfoil, and thenscrew on the pedestals.
6 The pedestal mounting studs...
6 The pedestal mounting studs are 1/4-inch NC. Lock two nutstogether to fully seat the studs.
7 All '71 Charger decklids...
7 All '71 Charger decklids we've seen have the spoiler cutoutsalready cut into the inner trunk panel. Other models may not be precut,and will have to be opened up to mount the wing. The configuration ofthe inner cutouts varied with other car lines and years.
8 We checked, and the inner...
8 We checked, and the inner cutouts were exactly the correct 36inches apart, from center to center. To mark the drilling location, thecenterline of the cutouts was marked, and then the 13/4-inch studspacing was marked as shown, centered on the cutouts. Precise measuringand drilling will ensure that the inner brace lines up with thepredrilled inner trunk sheetmetal.
9 Make sure your measurements...
9 Make sure your measurements are correct; this is the point ofno return. To prevent the drill bit from walking, center-punch thedecklid (ouch!). Have a buddy back-up the center-punch location with ablock of wood (backed with a towel to protect the paint) to preventdistorting the sheetmetal.
10 Use a 9/32-inch drill...
10 Use a 9/32-inch drill bit to punch four holes in that virginsheetmetal. Back the area with a block of soft wood while drilling toprevent panel distortion. (Can't use a towel this time, but masking tapewill work).