Wellborn Unrestored Boss 429 visits Town & Country Ford for Mustang's Birthday
Wellborn MuscleCar Museum
- Wellborn Unrestored Boss 429 visits Town & Country Ford for Mustang’s Birthday
- Amos Automotive Weekly Digital Edition features Wellborn Museum’s GSX
- Flashback: Wellborn Museum’s 1971 Charger Event Sets Stage for 2012 Show
- Tim and Pam Wellborn: Love, Life and Musclecars
- One of the Many “star cars” Expected at the ’71 Charger Anniversary Event
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Welcome to the Wellborn Musclecar Museum NewsBlog. Stay up to date with all the latest news, events and happenings.
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Amos Automotive Weekly Digital Edition features Wellborn Museum's GSX
Noted restorer Roger Gibson is seen driving our big bad Buick for an article about the GSX heritage in last week's Amos Auto Digital issue. Includes the cover; cut and paste the link below into your browser to view it! http://editions.amospublishing.com/AEW/default.aspx?d=201202240
Flashback: Wellborn Museum’s 1971 Charger Event Sets Stage for 2012 Show
2012 WMM Show date is announced! October 11-13
Charger fans gathered at the Wellborn Musuem last October for the 40th Anniversary of the 1971 Charger .
story and photos by Geoff Stunkard
The Wellborn Musclecar Museum hosted a very special show late last year honoring the 1971 Charger. With vehicle attendance available by invitation, this unique inaugural has set the stage for an even larger, more inclusive edition this coming October 11-13, 2012.
“We wanted to honor the Charger’s 40 year heritage last year because that vehicle has meant so much to Pam and I,” says Tim Wellborn. “However, we really desired to showcase and host something that was for the whole hobby. This October, we are making plans for an event that will be open to all makes of musclecars at our facilty here in Alexander City.”
Due to the invitational nature of the show itself, some people might have misunderstood that attendance to the event’s display was open to the public. The invitational process was simply done to ensure the museum was not overwhelmed by participants, and is again open to a limited number of participants for that reason. The Wellborn Musclecar Museum will release the details for the 2012 version shortly, and recommends that interested parties consider registering early to get one of the available openings. There is room for approximately 150 cars between the museum’s immediate parking lots and the nearby small-town shopping area.2012 Show Dates: October 11-13
Shown this week are a few images from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum show last October. Taken by Geoff Stunkard, several images are also slated to run in an upcoming issue of Mopar Muscle magazine.Three sequentially serial numbered Hemi Chargers were among the highlights of the event, which was largest gathering of 1971 Hemi Chargers ever done.
One unique car that came in for this event was the original 440-equipped model that paced the Winston Cup World 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte, N.C., back in 1971.
Inside, a new exhibit on display was this just restored operating Hemi cutaway, one of two in museum and the only one still existent with the transmission attached.
Not only Chargers were on hand; these two E-bodies staked out a comfortable corner in the lot. The Uniroyal sign is authentic and still part of the operating garage next door.
Late models on hand included cars like these from private owners as well as a Petty Enterprises beast with a supercharger that was driven in.
On Saturday night, the Sonic store next door to the museum graciously allowed attendees to fill up the parking lot with vintage musclecars. Contact the museum for 2012 event information!
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Tim and Pam Wellborn: Love, Life and Musclecars
The Convertible E-body: 1970 440-4 'Plymouth Cuda
The 1970 'cuda 440 convertible was recently restored to its original
splendor by Andrew White of Apex Autosports.
Musclecar Milestones by Geoff Stunkard
Text by Geoff Stunkard / Photos by John Stunkard
“My dad had Fords, and my first car was a Mustang, so I was not a Mopar girl when we first met; in fact, I had never seen a Hurst Pistol Grip until our first date when I climbed into Tim’s Charger. I saw it and said ‘what is that thing;’ my first thought was that it was some aftermarket redneck part.”
Pam Wellborn was laughingly recalling her first encounter with Chrysler’s legendary musclecar options. Tim Wellborn and Pam Twilley had known each other in high school, and Tim had arrived in a 1970 Charger for their first date that occasion. While the two enjoyed those carefree days, career and life choices would cause them to go their separate ways into other relationships and responsibilities after graduation. Pam moved to Birmingham to get her nursing degree, while Tim ended up beginning his serious work responsibilities at the family business, Wellborn Forest Products.
Tim and Pam Wellborn, with several of the legendary Chargers that formed the basis of what became the Wellborn Musclecar Museum in Alexander City, Ala.
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One of the Many "star cars" Expected at the '71 Charger Anniversary Event
This 1971 white Dodge Charger 440 4-barrel is heavily laden with options--sunroof (only 33 Charger R/Ts were equipped with sunroofs that year and only three of those were white), 727, power windows, buckets, console, hideaway headlights and, get this--headlight washers. The car was ordered with 14-inch steelies, Goodyear Polyglas G70-14s and no wheel covers (as per the build sheet). Oddly enough, first owner did not opt for air conditioning. To the second owner, Steve, who bought at age 17 in 1971, this Charger was just a car and it became a daily driver. He kept the car stock with the exception of adding an aftermarket A/C system, Keystone mags (but he saved the original rims) and a Bonsonic 8-Track player Oh yeah, he did add louder mufflers but they came off after a couple of year when he finally had enough of those. Steve registered the car in his dad’s name until he was 25 for a break on insurance. After driving it daily until 1978 and logging more than 105,000 miles, Steve parked the car.
Despite several offers to purchase the car, Steve happily kept it in storage. In 2010, Steve wanted to put the car back on the road. A friend of Steve’s told him about a Mopar restoration shop--Creations by Gemza—located about 3 miles from his house. They had heard about this Charger and were anxious to see it. Steve drove the car over and talked about a possible restoration.
Upon inspection, the Gemzas realized that the Charger was a piece of Mopar history and essentially an unmolested survivor. Steve learned that this was one of two identical '71 Chargers purchased by the owner of Charlotte Motor Speedway, Richard Howard, to promote national NASCAR cup races. Howard bought the cars in February ‘71, lettered them and he and some of his employees drove them thither and yon as rolling billboards to promote the races. The World 600 ran on May 30th (the National 500 ran on October 10th) with Bobby Allison taking the checkered, followed by Donnie Allison, Pete Hamilton, Richard Petty, Fred Lorenzen and Buddy Baker in that order.
The Gemzas bolted back on the original rims and wanted to re-letter the car back to its pace car trim, but there was no reference material to go by. Tim Wellborn, noted collector of 1971 Hemi and 6-pack Chargers, among other cars, plus a ton of memorabilia, saved the day. He had an original program for the 1971 World 600 race, plus a sales brochure with several color photo of the pace car lettered, and he sent copies to the Gemza shop.
Steve will be showing this amazing Charger at Mopar events including the Charger reunion at Tim Wellborne’s Musclecar Museum in Alexander City, AL this October. The car should be quite a hit!
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Strictly speaking, most muscle car hard-liners don't believe the Big Three produced cars after the 1972 model year. And for the most part they are right. One brand in particular held the candle out longer than most any other- Pontiac. Their most desired Pony Car didn't even debut until 1973 when the 455 Super Duty hit the scene. In TVland, Dodge was resting on the laurels of their 1969 Charger ten years later, with the premier of the Dukes of Hazzard in 1979. Pontiac kept Jim Rockford in a fresh set of wheels. As a Private Investigator, James Garner's character couldn't pull off the Hemi Orange and welded doors look. I am guessing the giant "01" on the doors and Stars and Bars emblazoned on the roof would be easy to make when he was attempting to tail a bad guy.
Jim Rockford drove a street sleeper, this very 1978 Firebird Esprit for the majority of the series AND in the made for TV movies 1994-1999. Un-adorned by a screaming chicken on the hood and white walls, the bad guys would never suspect the performance driving Rockford was capable of.
Jim Rockford's Firebird pulls a "J" turn into the Wellborn Museum
Strictly speaking, most muscle car hard-liners don't believe the Big Three produced cars after the 1972 model year. And for the most part they are right. One brand in particular held the candle out longer than most any other- Pontiac. Their most desired Pony Car didn't even debut until 1973 when the 455 Super Duty hit the scene. In TVland, Dodge was resting on the laurels of their 1969 Charger ten years later, with the premier of the Dukes of Hazzard in 1979. Pontiac kept Jim Rockford in a fresh set of wheels. As a Private Investigator, James Garner's character couldn't pull off the Hemi Orange and welded doors look. I am guessing the giant "01" on the doors and Stars and Bars emblazoned on the roof would be easy to make when he was attempting to tail a bad guy.
Jim Rockford drove a street sleeper, this very 1978 Firebird Esprit for the majority of the series AND in the made for TV movies 1994-1999. Un-adorned by a screaming chicken on the hood and white walls, the bad guys would never suspect the performance driving Rockford was capable of.
Tim Wellborn wanted this car for the museum for its contribution to muscle car culture. "The Rockford" or the J-turn has left a mark on popular culture as much as the General Lee jumping over a dirt pile while Bo and Luke screamed YEE-HAW! When trying to evade someone tailing him or when otherwise cornered, Rockford would shift into reverse, speed up backwards in a straight line and sharply turn his wheels. This maneuver would spin his car around 180 degrees and he would then quickly shift back into forward gear, speeding off to escape while maintaining a straight course the whole time. The most recent episode of Top Gear USA, "Hollywood" as Tanner Faust and the boys as they put their TV star stand-ins to the test to see who can do "The Rockford" the best. Check the embedded video as the man himself evades a C5 Corvette in the 1994 television movie. And yes, Mr. Garner does all his own stunt driving.
Top Gear 2: Hollywood Cars. [Internet]. 2011. The History Channel website. Available from: http://www.history.com/videos/top-gear-2-hollywood-cars [Accessed 21 Sep 2011].
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Wellborn Proudly Welcomes Unrestored, 10k mile, FM3 Dart to Collection
1970 Dodge Dart, 10,100 original mile, in factory FM3 Panther Pink.
- The Wellborn Musclecar Museum welcomes this 1970, FM3 Panther Pink, Dart Swinger to the collection. With only 10,100 actual miles and in intact unrestored original condition, this one would definitely be an object of lust for any enthusiast. The first owner, however didn't quite see it that way. The car was originally purchased by the first owner's mother as a graduation gift. His friends continually teased him about cruising around in a pink car. Embarrassed by it, the Pink Swinger was parked the car and bought himself another set of wheels. The car surfaced again in 1985 with a mere 4,100 miles on it. At the time, she was still wearing her original plugs, wires, belts and hoses. The car still wears them to this day. The original IBM card was found when the car was recovered, but the broadcast sheet was not discovered until 2006 when a curious new owner pulled the rear seat for the first time. Car remains one of the most desirably optioned, unrestored 1970 Dodge Dart 340 Swingers known to exist and is a welcome addition to the Wellborn Museum collection.
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The first car ends in serial number 00023, and was originally delivered to the legendary Grand-Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. This was likely the very first Hemi car delivered there, and was among those rarities of rarities – a pilot car that was not scrapped.
Pilot cars were done to create several examples of each vehicle package; it was especially critical in that summer of 1970, as the B-Body Dodges and Plymouths were completely redesigned for 1971. Moreover, most pilot cars were scrapped as they were actually ‘test shots.’ The pilot process gave engineering, management, and laborers time to decide the sequence of construction, parts fitment, and other details that would be harder to solve once the production line was up and running at speed.
More specifically, the 1971 model year ended up being the performance finale for Dodge’s musclecar production – the R/T, the Hemi, the Six Pack, and the Super Bee (now based on the Charger platform) all exited at the end of the model year. To that end, Tim began searching for the final highest-numbered 1971 Hemi Charger, whose VIN ended in 90774. The car turned up in Michigan, and shows just under 43,000 miles on the odometer. Painted FY1 Top Banana yellow, the car is similar to the pilot car since it is an R/T and included the Hemi / four-speed combination, console interior, and black graphics. The car will eventually end up with Gibson as well, since it is an older restoration; there is no question that it is the highest-known VIN Hemi Charger.
These two bracket no less than 23 other 1971 Hemi Chargers in the collection. All of the cars at the museum will be part of a special event that will take place on the second weekend of October, the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the 1971 Dodge Charger, which will showcase a group of 150 cars that have been selected for display. The two-day occurrence will encompass presentations and special displays. While the field has been set as of this date, weekend admission to the entire program is available, with local accommodations available. Contact the museum for more info.
Wellborn Musclecar Museum256-329-8474www.wellbornmusclecarmuseum.com
'71 Hemi Chargers: Beginning & End
Story by Geoff Stunkard * Photos by Geoff & John Stunkard
Tim and Pam Wellborn’s legendary collection of musclecars is anchored by their incredible group of authentic 1971 Hemi Chargers (as well as examples with other power from that model release). After all, one of the first cars in the group was a Tawny Gold 1971 Hemi Charger that Tim’s father had purchased not long after these cars ended up on the street. In the ensuing years, Tim and Pam gathered other examples, including famous ones that were road-tested by national magazines and used in factory advertising. Recently, they debuted one of the earliest and the final 426 Hemi examples built.
Here are the two Chargers driving down the road. Like all the cars the Wellborns own, they are kept in running order and get ‘regular exercise.’
The underside of the pilot car’s deck shows that no provision to mount a rear spoiler had been created yet.
This is the production car spoiler mounts, seen on a 440 Six Pack 1971 Charger that is in the collection.
Roger Gibson did use replacement door panels since the ones on the car were marked as trim plant samples when they were created. The car is a time capsule showing what changed leading toward the beginning of production later in 1970.
“It’s really unbelievable to own a car built as early as this one,” says Tim Wellborn, who owns it now. “What’s more, we also have the final one built in 1971, meaning you can see both the first and last 1971 Chargers when they are on display.”The pilot car is painted FE5 Red and was recently subjected to a very complete restoration by noted artisan Roger Gibson as it was purchased disassembled from its previous owner. The car had many unique pieces on it, and Gibson was careful to either replicate or restore those items. This included things like one-off stampings and parts markedly different from what ended up in later production. The window glass is dated 2-70 and the rear springs are off of the 1970 model.
More specifically, the 1971 model year ended up being the performance finale for Dodge’s musclecar production – the R/T, the Hemi, the Six Pack, and the Super Bee (now based on the Charger platform) all exited at the end of the model year. To that end, Tim began searching for the final highest-numbered 1971 Hemi Charger, whose VIN ended in 90774. The car turned up in Michigan, and shows just under 43,000 miles on the odometer. Painted FY1 Top Banana yellow, the car is similar to the pilot car since it is an R/T and included the Hemi / four-speed combination, console interior, and black graphics. The car will eventually end up with Gibson as well, since it is an older restoration; there is no question that it is the highest-known VIN Hemi Charger.
One thing that was standard on the Hemi-equipped 1971 Charger which had never been offered before was the functional Ramcharger hood scoop; no prior Charger had used one, and it got an A+ for ‘cool factor.’
The interior was a complete change for 1971 as well, taking major cues from what had been introduced in the E-body line in 1970. Four-speed cars got the Pistol Grip shifter.
The Ramcharger package used a special hood-mounted system that would open and close the door when an underhood level was moved. It is operated by vacuum through a canister.
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Pocket Aces: The 1970 Chrysler Trans Am A-Bodies
Musclecar Masterpieces by Geoff Stunkard
They were called pony cars, models that fit a small but sporty segment between economy models and midsize cars. Named for the sales niche that Mustang had established in 1964, all the major manufacturers were making offerings to this marketplace by 1970. Prior to that, Plymouth had used their A-body platform to release the first Barracudas, but sales proved that it and the Dart from the Dodge Division was not quite what the public wanted. For 1970, it was the new Duster 340 aimed at the economy muscle market, because now Chrysler had released a completely new design, designated as the E-body, to meet the desires for ‘pony’ muscle.
These new models, Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda (that was called ‘cuda in performance trim), could be had with any engine in the Chrysler line-up, right up to the 426 Hemi. Though based on the B-body platform, big blocks in the E-bodies tended to be nose heavy. When it came to handling prowess, the refined 340 small-block ended up being the best overall choice, and you could get the four-barrel version in the both the coupe or convertible E-body styles. For hardcore fans, you could also get a very special E-body with a Holley six-barrel layout, which arrived in the special A53-coded Trans Am models that came off the line in March.
The Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-Am racing series had become a big deal for the manufacturers, and 1970 was by far the most visible year the SCCA ever had. Dodge hired Sam Posey to direct their Challenger program, while Dan Gurney’s All American Racers oversaw the Plymouth ‘cuda development. Part of the SCCA rules required that race-engineered equipment needed to be available on production examples. Thus the Cuda AAR (named after Gurney’s company) and the Challenger T/A (named after the racing series) were born, to homologate that hardware for the racetrack and promote the factory’s involvement in the series.
Continued Read more
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1970 Dodge Challenger T/A Survivor
Musclecar Masterpieces
“I think this is likely the best survivor T/A in existence,” says Tim. “There are a couple of things that have been changed or fixed on it over the years, but it is a real time capsule. I don’t own many small-block cars, but I have never regretted buying this one. Like the AAR, it is a lot of fun to drive.”
