Dewinged and nosed Superbirds

[moobster]

I know of one that was de nosed and de winged in Sudbury ON. Done at the dealership, they couldn't sell the winged car.

 

[matthon]

Cool story, no nose for 20 years or so, saved from a junkyard. I'm no expert, but most I've read about were converted due to damage.

http://www.wwnboa.org/vossuperbird.htm

 

[odcics2]

Couldn't tell you. It was far cheaper to replace with the '69 parts, I'd bet money. Plus, the nose and other bits were probably NS1 by 1976.

Found a smashed Bird on a lot for $500. in '76.
Dealer wanted $700. for a complete cone assy, ready to bolt on!!!
I had to pass, but did get the wing off the car in the 80s.
It went to a local junkyard after the kids that owned it wrecked it beyond belief.
(paid 150. for the wing)

 

[Wingcar]

Back in the day, when I owned my original 426/4sp Superbird: I was driving to lunch in Whittier, Calif. When I came across a yellow RR that had the plug and rear window…but a stock front clip and no wing. I flagged the owner down (turns out he was a Sheriff) and asked if he was interested in selling his “RR”. He wasn’t so I told him he was driving a Superbird like mine and showed him the rear window, along with the VIN number. To the untrained eye his was just a RR. He never had a clue as to the cars true identity…he did after I talked with him. His could have been one of the Superbird's we heard stories about……..

 

[440 PHIXX]

I thought the question was did the dealer or factory do it. I saw a ‘69 Road Runner back in ‘79 that had a 402 Chevy in it. I doubt the dealer did it.

 

[Wing It]

A friend of an employee of mine stopped by to show off his newly purchased 70 Roadrunner to us. He paid $500 for it (about 1987). I spotted the rear window immediately and I asked him to open the trunk. There on either side were the Z brackets. Needless to say he was very pleased to hear that he had actually just purchased a Superbird for $500. It WAS 1987, but still..

 

[moparedtn]

A friend of an employee of mine stopped by to show off his newly purchased 70 Roadrunner to us. He paid $500 for it (about 1987). I spotted the rear window immediately and I asked him to open the trunk. There on either side were the Z brackets. Needless to say he was very pleased to hear that he had actually just purchased a Superbird for $500. It WAS 1987, but still..

LOTTO!
Dude made the score of the month right there for sure.

 

[matthon]

the question was did the dealer or factory do it

FSM de-wing procedure:

 

[gtx6970]

About 1976 or so a friend of mine bought a 1970 Roadrunner . Red with black top and interior. I think it was an auto . Once home he got to looking at the rear glass thinking something was off about it .
So he got to searching ( no internet back then ) Found out it was a Bird, dont remember what engine it was originally

He sold it in less than a year after he bought a limelight six barrel 4 spd bird complete / intact out of Portsmouth Ohio. This would have been about 1977 as it was his senior year of high school . And he came driving it in the school lot one day in this limelight winged wonder. All the car guys went nuts

 

[72sunroof]

I love all these fantasy stories.
The whole front clip including the hood has to be changed.
The quarters have holes in them to mount the wing.
Honestly it would cost more for a dealer to convert it than sell it for a loss.
Never have seen one at a show, never saw one in a magazine honestly never saw an ounce of proof someone would go through the trouble of doing all that work to.make it into a 70 roadrunner.

 

[matthon]

Here's a different angle on this topic.
Everytime I see an old school pic of a wing not on a Daytona or Superbird, I think one was at a minimum in a junkyard, or worse.

The white car is all over the internet, iirc the guy still has it, and the wing was taken off a junked Superbird. I believe the car with the girl is the same car, not sure.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I have a Superbird engine ....

someone converted it to a superbird w/o a body - it's just missing it's nose and tail and everything in between

And so it begins.

 

[Y07Roadrunner]

I love all these fantasy stories.
The whole front clip including the hood has to be changed.
The quarters have holes in them to mount the wing.
Honestly it would cost more for a dealer to convert it than sell it for a loss.
Never have seen one at a show, never saw one in a magazine honestly never saw an ounce of proof someone would go through the trouble of doing all that work to.make it into a 70 roadrunner.

Agree 100% !!!! These stories are all urban legend perpetuated by people who "know someone who told them what a friend's neighbor told them". If the dealers were looking at moving a vehicle off the lot they would deeply discount it (to the point of losing $) or DX (dealer exchange) it. NO ONE would spend the coin to change the fenders, hood, grille assembly, and do the body/paint work to "convert" a Superbird just to sell it. That is just plain dumb. It certainly is a cool anecdote to a vehicle that has such a legendary heritage, but the fact is these "converted 'Bird" stories are all pure BS. But the myth continues on bc it befits such an outrageous production automobile.

 

[patrick66]

Agree 100% !!!! These stories are all urban legend perpetuated by people who "know someone who told them what a friend's neighbor told them". If the dealers were looking at moving a vehicle off the lot they would deeply discount it (to the point of losing $) or DX (dealer exchange) it. NO ONE would spend the coin to change the fenders, hood, grille assembly, and do the body/paint work to "convert" a Superbird just to sell it. That is just plain dumb. It certainly is a cool anecdote to a vehicle that has such a legendary heritage, but the fact is these "converted 'Bird" stories are all pure BS. But the myth continues on bc it befits such an outrageous production automobile.

Like the '66 Coronet four-door Hemi cop cars (FBI)...pure myth/fantasy.

 

[70chall440]

Well the one thing I have learned about Mopars is never say never. I seriously doubt many if any dealers reverted a Superbird to a RR many because they were already invested in the car and converting it meant that they would have to spend more money that they most likely were not going to get back not to mention having parts (read liability) laying around. It would be much easier just to mark it down until someone took it with a trade in and then they would try and recoup some money on the trade.

That said, there is no doubt that some owners did concert the cars especially after damaging the nose in some parking lot. The owners could probably get parts locally out of a salvage yard or even in some cases new from a dealer. I have no doubt that a replacement nose was a lot more expensive than normal RR parts.

It was probably done by some dealer but given the low volume of cars made statically speaking it most likely was at best a handful.

 

[Longknife]

I went to work at a small Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in August of 1969 as an apprentice mechanic. One of my Duties was to service the new cars. There was quite a commotion one day when everyone was going to the parking lot to see a new B5 super bird roll off of the transport. I serviced it and took it for a test drive. That nose and wing sure made it hug the road at higher speeds! It sat in the show room till the '71's came out and then was moved to the shop and covered. I really don't remember what ever happened to it! The dealer ship building is still there, Hmmm, Maybe I better go look!!!!

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Has anyone ever come across one of the Superbirds that were sent back to Detroit and returned to a 1970 Road Runner, I have heard all was changed back except the rear window. Also I have never heard how many were changed back

I remember stopping by a small dodge dealership in Southern Illinois with my dad. He was checking out powerwagons and I wandered over to used car area to look at a yellow roadrunner with big ole PLYMOUTH on quarter panel. Superbird with roadrunner nose no wing…had plugs in quarter tops where bolted on.

 

[EWJ]

Here's a different angle on this topic.
Everytime I see an old school pic of a wing not on a Daytona or Superbird, I think one was at a minimum in a junkyard, or worse.

The white car is all over the internet, iirc the guy still has it, and the wing was taken off a junked Superbird. I believe the car with the girl is the same car, not sure.

View attachment 1246020 View attachment 1246022 View attachment 1246024 View attachment 1246025 View attachment 1246026

The white car is still owned by the same person and is still in the same state as the first picture of it.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

I stopped at a small used car lot back about 1988 or so. They had a B5 blue 70 Road Runner with a Superbird wing. The sales guy did his best to convince me that it was a 'Bird with the front end changed. When I explained the rear window and A pillar differences, he pretty much told me to f*** off and go away. He thought he had a super valuable piece in that RR with a wing tacked on. I always wonder whatever happened to the real 'Bird...