The roof skin peeled back because they cut and modified the top of the windshield opening to rake the windshield. They beat the area of the car with hammers so Nascar couldn't check the car after the race.
Richard Petty's "Special" Textured Roof - 1968 Daytona 500
- Thread starter Richard Cranium
- Start date
I had not heard the aerodynamic "golf ball" theory before. If true, why are ALL planes flush-riveted? The golf ball dimples induce turbulence, which causes the boundary laher to remain attached farther back, reducing friction drag. The tiny curved projections, 'vortex generators", on the top of the wing, and sometimes on the bottom of the elevator do the same thing ,managing the boundary layer and delaying flow separation, but they are carefully deigned, and tested for effects. The P-51 Mustang laminar flow wing had the same effect. Leave your rivets out, proud in the slipstream...and just get a bigger engine!!
As to the upturned wing tips on current airliners, they control "spanwise flow" - another boring aero topic...
As to the upturned wing tips on current airliners, they control "spanwise flow" - another boring aero topic...
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
It looks stock to me. I have had a ‘68 Plymouth since 1988. Petty’s roof and the vent wing looks like my car. I think the vent wing is the same on the Charger. I’ve had my ‘70 since ‘85. I’m pretty sure the cowl and windshields are identical on both of them. Did you read is an article somewhere that said the Petty’s altered the roof and vent wings?
Look at the picture again. What you said is exactly what the Petty team wanted Nascar to think as well. It worked,they got away with it. They even admitted to beating the roof so Nascar wouldn't be able to put a template on it.
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
And this pic was taken after the “bodywork” on the roof. The vent wing and windshield rake is visible here.
They had all kinds of tricks. On the 71 to 74 cars they use to raise the forward edge of the rear dutchpanel to make the bottom of the rear window glass higher . This decreased turbulence and increased areodynamic efficiency! The air flows better over a flatter surface.
You can see the rubber vent window gasket at the forward corner of the vent window,it's flush with the door edge at the rear edge of the vent window.
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
Oh… I know. Cheatin’ is winnin’! But since the ‘68 Belvedere still has vent wings and door handles, which would disappear for ‘69, it would be much harder to change the angle of the windshield without removing the vent wings. On this closeup you can see it’s a Chrysler OEM part.
Did you ever watch Kindig modify the roof of the 67 Coronet R/T they did,the same thing was done to this car. It's only a one inch modification,but at nearly 200 MPH that one inch makes a huge difference!
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
I’m sure it is. But I don’t see any modifications on Petty’s car in pix from the ‘68 Daytona 500.
In this picture the vent window is not modified yet and the car doesn't even have the drip rail moldings. In the picture I posted the curved driprail moldings are on the car,and the rubber at the rear lower corner of the vent window is down inside the door shell.
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
I’m just curious. Where did you hear of this? I never heard anything about a different rake on the windshield, or modified vent wings. There is a YT vid of excerpts from the ‘68 Daytona 500. In it you see Petty beating on the roof. I just assumed maybe they left the body in white in the acid bath too long. The car in the pix I posted is from the weekend of the race, and in the race.
By looking at your picture I have to wonder if they templated and qualified one car,and raced anpther. Now a days Nascar locks the cars down after they qualify,maybe back then,they didn't.
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
I made the at speed pic bigger. This is after the pit stop roof antics.
Petty said they cheated that car in every possible to try to compete with the aerocars. He said the beat the roof up so they wouldn't be able to template it.
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IMO what Petty did 'was Genious' not cheating,
you don't win if you don't think outside of the box...
Almost everyone else is doing that stuff too...
Mythbusters did an episode on golfball dimpling tech.,
On a car (some crap-box Taurus IIRC)& checking for
better gas milage gains/or aerodynamics & it worked
it was on a far bigger scale of dimples or roughness too...
you don't win if you don't think outside of the box...
Almost everyone else is doing that stuff too...
Mythbusters did an episode on golfball dimpling tech.,
On a car (some crap-box Taurus IIRC)& checking for
better gas milage gains/or aerodynamics & it worked
it was on a far bigger scale of dimples or roughness too...
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
Another side angle of the car. A better angle to see the roof.
Without the watermark.
Without the watermark.
If one train leaves Chicago at 10:00am local time, and a second train leaves New York at 2:25pm, both travelling at 65 w/m per hour, what are the driver's names?
It's only cheating if you get caught,and they didn't,because Richard beat the schit out of the roof,above the windshield where the modifications were done!
440 PHIXX
The Island of Misfit Mopars
If anything was done to this roof, they wasted their time. The beautiful “ribbon” rear backlight is what killed the car on the Super Speedways against the Torino and Cyclone.
At the 6:00 mark. Petty the “bodyman”. The rubber gasket that the ‘68-‘70 cars still used is dangling.
At the 6:00 mark. Petty the “bodyman”. The rubber gasket that the ‘68-‘70 cars still used is dangling.
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