This 1980’s racer has been hibernating for quite a while, but is ready to go racing again with a new owner. In its glory days this Belvedere was powered by a 426 Max Wedge, and was raced by a his and her team. With some time and effort this Belvedere will run down the track once again. Bidding has only reached $2,125 and the auction is half over! Find it here on ebay out of Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
After one of it storage stints, this Belvedere was separated from its 426 Wedge, and again after a while without a heart, the last owner installed what is assumed to be a stock 440 with a 727 Torqueflite transmission. This current drivetrain was swapped 8 years ago and was pulled from a running car. So we assume not much has happened since the engine was swapped 8 years ago. The current owner bought the car about 6 months ago but hasn’t had the time to do anything with it.
The interior is bare bones as one would expect a drag car to be. This Belvedere retains its stock dash and steering wheel with an added tachometer, and racing seat. There looks to be some various surface rust and rust holes sprinkled over the floor. The rear wheel arches are there, but the driver side one certainly needs some help. Tubbed with a narrowed axle, this Belvedere is far from a stock body.
This Belvedere is looking to be a very affordable drag roller, with a long standing history of racing. It will certainly need updates, and some work, but maybe for the budget minded drag racer the current drivetrain could be fun until it went kaput. Who is looking for a little fun in the form of a racer with some history? What would you do with this Plymouth?
I like it! Slap a. Big cam in there plus some better heads and a tunnel ram and go racing for cheap!
Wheel Stander potential for sure !
Certainly could be a candidate for the Wheel Standing Nationals at Byron Dragway in upper Illinois.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfDFQ_MTKzY
Boy, IDK. 1st, drag racing is big bucks, and to refit this so it is legal would cost a fortune. I think a better use for it, would be to redo it like a drag car, but you could skip a lot of things, and just run it to a show. Of course, you’d need the “lumpity-lump” cam, and open headers, but just as a nostalgia car, this would be great. These were fast cars in their day. And the altered wheelbase Plymouth’s were some of the 1st funny cars. Cool find, for sure.
About to mention the same thing Howard! That’s an altered wheelbase, one of the original funny cars, and source of the term since they looked just a bit “funny”.
Find a late model donor and resto mod it. leave the rear axle for the Kool factor. would be some work but fun project.
Has anyone noticed it does not have a master cylinder.
No go, No woh. Good call.
Given the car’s relative proximity to the Cecil County Dragway, I suggest running at the Friday night “Run whatever you can” events…
A very cheap way to get started in drag racing.
$15 to run as many passes as you can.
Sure, a lot of work.
But the smiles following the toil would be so worth it!
Easy to pile on a lot of money, if a modern setup were to be contemplated, but plenty of other options that would not require that much of an investment.
I REALLY want one of these.. actually, any of these early Mopars.. Dart, Coronet, Sebring, etc.. those lines are awesome. Don’t care if its original, just want a big motor, big axle, big rear tires! painted steelies in back, pie plates, Cragars in front on thin, lightly treaded tires.. Dag Nabbit!
This was for sale around me about 6 months ago then disappeared looks like a good solid starting point. Love the stance on it.
The problem is the 440, I just sold one for $500, lead sleds. A good Max Wedge on the other hand will cost you something like $10,000 to $20,000.
The car has tons of issues. The buyer will not only will have to bid his way to own it . That is just the beginning. If he decides to put it on the street he will have to deal with not having a valid title. In most states he is done. It isn’t as easy as it looks to bring a thrashed old race car back to the street anyway.
Making it back into a race car looks like there is a lot to straighten out. Motor/Trans electronics, brakes, tin work, wheels and tires, paint.
Going the race car route buy one that runs now and save yourself time/money and heartache.