Club Membership Is Now Due!

April, 2018 Club Membership Is Now Due! President: Rockey Rozell rrrgtx@gmail.com Vice President: Dean Yates plymouth-man@carolina.rr.com Secretary/Membership: Jonny/ Carolyne Oliver Joliver@ctc.net Treasurer: Joe Brown travelman97@yahoo.com Activities / Webpage / Newsletter: Dean Yates plymouth-man@carolina.rr.com http://clubs.hemmings.com/carolinaplymouth A Note From The President The season for cruises and shows is beginning; shine your collectable and get ready. Next weekend will be one of the largest, Charlotte AutoFair, next to Hershey PA. A Carolina Plymouth Owners Club member can get free two-day tickets to show your gem by paying your dues. Unfortunately for this show, if you have not paid your membership dues you may not be able to support the show but you can get ready for the Fall show. There are a lot of other club activities to participate in including cruises and our own show in June. I remind Carolina Plymouth Club members that you are supposed to be a member of the National Plymouth Owner Group. I do have some free tickets for all four days of the AutoFair, just contact me. A Facebook page has been created to aid in communicating and sharing your favorite photos. Go to Facebook search bar and enter, Carolina Plymouth Owners Club. Look forward to seeing what you are doing and sharing on Facebook. The former Viper plant, Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, will be the new home of FCA s US car collection and will be holding an auction of Viper memorabilia to benefit United Way. The Viper Plant will display more than 400 concept and historic vehicles but there is no announcement when the facility will be open to the public. The Auction of Viper memorabilia will benefit the United Way of Southeastern Michigan. The Company s Historical Services group selected more than 1,800 items including eight signed hoods, more than 500 pieces of art, prints, signs and posters; and an assortment of Viper merchandise from key chains, apparel, and coffee mugs will be available for auction. The auction has been up for bid online since March 21 and runs through April 13. A full list of items and bidding is available at: https://auction. unitedwaysem. org. Rockey Rozell President

1928 Plymouth <-> 2001 Plymouth A Note From The Editor & VP On March 17 th the Carolina Plymouth Owners Club held its monthly meeting at DC Classics in Mooresville, NC. President Rockey Rozell was unable to attend because of business so I conducted the Club meeting. DC Classics is in the process of changing its name to Classics & Shelton Performance. John Gibson (Consignment Manager) talked with us about the auto consignment business. He also talked a little about the long process of changing a business name. DC has many fine cars on consignment but MOPARs were little on the lite side. Tanya and I got there somewhat early so that I was able to take some photos of the better cars (my opinion). For information on our meeting please see the Club Meeting Minutes in this newsletter. After the meeting a few of the members drove over to What-A-Burger where we enjoyed an old fashion burger and flies. Luke In Front Of Petty s 43 Jr 1965 Plymouth Barracuda. Early 70 s Petty Dodge Charger And Luke. Another event that took place in our area during March was a Petty (Richard) Cruise In at the Petty Garage in Level Cross, NC. The weather for the cruise in was far from the best as it was a cool rainy day. There was still a very good turnout but most of the cars attending were the newer cars. My grandson Luke and I attended but our stay was short as Luke had some other activity later that day. I took some pictures of both events and a simple of them can be viewed below. More Petty Race Cars And Luke. Petty Cruise-In Luke Standing By A 1971/72 Petty Plymouth RR. Luke Is Ready For Bumper Car Action And With The King Richard Bobble Head Petty!

DC Classics Beautiful 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Hemi. DC Even Has A Fiat Nice 1973 Plymouth Duster. Looking For A Hudson? How About A 1927? The Duke Boys Are Back In Town, 1969 Dodge Charger. Or A 1956 Hudson May Be Better? Our next outing will be the Spring AutoFair. At this writing I still have a few tickets for Sunday only. So shine up your old Mo-Buggy, pray for good weather, and come on out to the great AutoFair. Till we meet again, remember to keep those old Plymouths running and on the road, and God Bless you all. Very Early Model CJ Jeep. Dean Yates Editor & VP

* We discussed getting a trailer for club materials. Someone would need to be in charge of it and perhaps also take it home with them. Would it need to be insured? Who will be responsible for it? Topic was tabled until next meeting. Meeting Minutes: DC Classics Mar 17 th Club members met at DC Classics in Mooresville, NC. DC Classics' name is in the process of being changed to Shelton Classics. Nine members were present: Terry Drumm, Andrew Drumm, Don Fontain, Dante Kindley, Carolyne & Jonny Oliver, Terry Richards, and Dean & Tanya Yates. Vice President Dean Yates opened the meeting welcoming everyone. President Rocky Rozell was in Alabama on business. Meeting Minutes Club secretary Jonny Oliver read the minutes from the last meeting. There were no additions, deletions or changes required. Treasurer s Report Treasurer Joe Brown called in the treasury report to Dean. The treasury is stable. Sick Call Joe Brown is having medical procedures done to his eyes. Old Business * Dean Yates has business cards to advertise our club's Mopar show on June 9, 2018 at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. This is an all Mopar show. Get some cards from him, fill in the date, and pass them out to Mopar owners. The cards serve as reminders of the show and where and when it is held. * Dean Yates is working on getting the Facebook page in control of active club members so we can update it regularly. Dean has called Keith Mitchell a few times but has not made contact with him yet. Keith also has the Plymouth Club banner that we would like to have at meetings and activities. * We need someone to be in charge of the trophies and dash plaques for the club show. Trophies and plaques need to be designed, ordered, received, and delivered to the show. * Reminder: Rocky Rozell can get free spectator tickets for Thursday thru Sunday to the Spring Auto Fair. Contact him for tickets. New Business * The location for the Appreciation dinner has been set to Talley House in Troutman, NC at 5:00 PM November 17, 2018. Dinner is served family style with bowls of great food brought to the table plus dessert. People who attended the dinner last year made a motion to go there again this year. Motion was seconded and passed. * Spring Auto Fair tickets have been mailed. Our next outing and meeting will be there. * The meeting adjourned and some members went to eat at What-A-Burger in Mooresville, NC. Jonny & Carolyne Oliver, Club Secretaries April Birthdays: Shane Binkley Cindy Bratton Jonathan Courtney Andrew Drumm Cathering Drumm Jonny Oliver Nick Wooten Neneth Zink

was made sometime in the 90s and has a date code on the instruction sheet of 1993. I have many built and un-built model car kits (almost all MOPAR). Below is a picture of a build kit (yes I have two, one un-built and one built). Future Meetings & Activities: Apr 7/8 Spring Charlotte AutoFair, (8am); Concord, NC May 12 MOPAR Fun Run, (10am); Farmington, NC Jun 9 Carolina Plymouth Club Car Show, (8am); Spencer, NC July 21 Mt Airy, NC Cruise In, (2pm); Mt Airy, NC Aug 18 China Grove Cruise In, (2pm); China Grove, NC Sept 8/9 Fall Charlotte AutoFair, (8am); Concord, NC Oct 20 NC Zoo, (9:30am); Asheboro, NC Nov 17 Appreciation Dinner, (5pm); Talley House, Troutman, NC Others: 3/23-25, MOPARs At The Rock 7/7-8, Chrysler At Carlisle 7/24-28, Ply Club Grand National 8/10-12, MOPAR Nationals 11/10-11, Don Garlits MOPAR Show nd 2 Saturday, Kannapolis Cruise-In 3 rd Saturday, China Grove Cruise-In Future AutoFair s 2019: 4/6-7; 9/7-8 2020: 4/4-5; 9/12-13 2021: 4/9-10; 9/11-12 2022: 4/9-10; 9/25-25 Toys & Stuff Christine, The Model: This is an un-built model car kit (by Revell) of the Christine Pro Mod race car. This kit Christine, The Promo: This Christine is like a car promo. I have very little information on it or where I found it. The only markings on it are Chrysler Corporation on the bottom with the number 1019Q. It has no interior and no race decals. Christine, The Race Car: This car was in the garage area at last year s AutoFair. This car is owned by someone in the Mooresville area. The original Pro Mod Christine was built by Richard Earle of Brooksville, FL. Under the hood lurks a 557 ci Chrysler wedge engine that pumps out 1600 HP. On the first pass, Christine ran 8.18 second quarter mile. You can see a short You Tube video of Christine at Mooresville Drag Strip at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bjewgu-l7m. If you have any toys or unusual stuff, just send me a picture and a few lines on what it is and I will try to get it in our newsletter. Dean

Dan Gurney: the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II and the 1970 Road Runner Superbird By Mark Moskowitz; in March issue of My Classic Garage, with photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions. It seems fitting to spotlight cars with a Dan Gurney connection. The racing legend died in January. One of NASCAR s wilder eras was that of the aero wars fought by Chrysler and Ford in 1969 and 1970. Gurney had experience with cars from each camp. In early 1969, Mercury released the Cyclone Spoiler II, a model replete with aerodynamic modifications. NASCAR officials were shown enough of them to be convinced that the 500 car minimum for homologation had been fulfilled. Cyclone II s could be purchased as a red and white Cale Yarborough edition or in the blue and white livery associated with Dan Gurney. Yarborough had produced an enviable record for the marquee the previous year, having won six NASCAR races including the Daytona 500. Ironically, Gurney piloted Mercury s on just two occasions in NASCAR s premier Grand National series. Neither finish was memorable. The slippery shape of the 1969 Cyclone II put Mercury in victory lane eight times during its two NASCAR seasons. Most were won by Yarborough who might have won many more if not limited by the Wood Brothers who entered less than half the NASCAR events each year. During that period Chrysler products represented Ford and Mercury s major competition. Dodge introduced its winged Charger Daytona in 1969. Plymouth anxious to lure long time standard bearer Richard Petty back to the Chrysler fold followed with the Road Runner Superbird in 1970. A change in homologation rules meant Plymouth had to build at least 1920 winged cars, one for every two of its dealerships. Aerodynamics and the 426 Hemi engine led to Chrysler dominance that season. Bobby Isaac and his Dodge were champions but the surprise was Pete Hamilton, the junior teammate at Petty Enterprises. Pete Hamilton & his Petty 1970 Plymouth Superbird However, Gurney was already a legend and a trophy by association. He had excelled at home and abroad. He brought Porsche its only Formula 1 World Championship win. He achieved five overall victories in World Sports Car Championship events including the 24 hours of LeMans where he had famously teamed with Ford and AJ Foyt. One week later he became the only American to win a Formula One contest in a racecar of his own design. He won seven times in the Indy Car series and had five major NASCAR wins. He s credited with popularizing the fullface helmet and with introducing Lotus to Ford, a combination that triumphed at Indy in its third outing. 1971 ended the aero wars as cars with specially streamlined bodies were handicapped with a 305 rather than the standard 427 cubic inch displacement limit. Cyclone Spoiler II s are easily identified by an elongated nose; it extends 19.5 inches in front of the wheel wells. Named a D-nose, it protrudes less at the center and the sides than the W-nose of the standard Cyclone. The Cyclone s hood has a scoop and retention pins and ends abruptly at the grill. The Cyclone II s hood has no adornments and flows smoothly into sheet metal which ends flush with the grill inches beyond. The elongated nose required an interior hood release which can be found beneath the dash.

Cyclone Spoiler I Cyclone Spoiler II The rear spoiler was a dealer add-on and its absence may not be a mistake. Look for an elongated tab beneath the rocker panel; typically these are ¾ inch. Mercury re-rolled the rocker panels pressing the sheet metal below. The rocker panels were higher and once the sheet metal below was cut, a lower ride height as measured by NASCAR could be achieved. Untrimmed Spoiler II s tabs approach 1 3/4 inches. Perhaps as important are the Mopar mechanicals. All Cyclone II s came with a relatively anemic 290 hp 351 cubic inch Windsor engine backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission and a 3.25 rear end. The shifter was column mounted. Superbirds were equipped with larger, arguably more legendary, and more powerful engines; available were a 440 cubic inch Super Commando topped with three 2-barrel carbs or a single four barrel and the famed 426 Hemi with its two 4- barrel carburetors. Unlike the Mercury it could be had with a floor mounted manual four speed or an automatic, and the rear gear was lower. Sports Car Market s 2017 price guide lists median auction prices for the three Superbird configurations as $155,700, $127,500, and $343,800 respectively. Median price for the Cyclone Spoiler II is listed at $33,000! There were a few Dan Gurney/ Cale Yarborough Editions released in standard Cyclone trim. All sorts of options were available including the powerful 428 Cobra Jet. Prices of these vary little from the Cyclone II s. Whether you re a NASCAR fan, a Pixar s Cars fan or just someone stunned on the street by the oversized spoiler, recognition of the Superbird comes easily. Distinguishing it from a clone may be difficult. The spoiler was aluminum and supported by metal braces in the trunk. There you ll find two jacks, a scissors jack for the front and a bumper jack for the year. All Superbirds have vinyl roofs to cover the rear window surround, an aerodynamic improvement. The nosecone is metal and painted with lacquer. The Dodge Coronet fenders and the rest of the body are painted with acrylic enamel. The headlight covers are fiberglass. All came with hood pins, power front disc brakes and power steering. None came with air conditioning. Experts and VIN decoders may be helpful here. The price differential between the Plymouth and Mercury is stunning. Though Superbird production was four times that of the Cyclone II, the average Superbird auction sale price is more than four times that of the rarer model. The Plymouth s outlandish façade and colors are part of the explanation.

MOPAR Cars And Parts For Sale And Want Ads Members are free; all others are $3.00 per month (plymouth-man@carolina.rr.com) For Sale, 1923 Dodge Touring $15,000 obo, many extra parts (complete engine, trans, starter, and many more); Jimmy Sifford, 704-279-7813 Just a few more show T-shirts for sale. Dean at: plymouth-man@carolina.rr.com or 704-223-1195. For Sale: 1970-1976 A-Body AM Radio; late model MOPAR AM/FM/CD Radio; after market AM/FM/CD Radio. Wanted: 1962 Plymouth Fury convertible trunk lid. Dean at: plymouth-man@carolina.rr.com or 704-223-1195. For Sale: 1934 Plymouth PE, 2 Dr Sedan; All original project; AutoFair (ER-042), $10K Roger K. 704-575-3715. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Plymouth Funnies

Dean Yates P.O. Box 69 Faith, N.C. 28041 Support The Carolina Region