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A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

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  • Alan H. Tast, AIA
    Experienced
    • Jan 5 2008
    • 216

    #16
    I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this as I have more-important things to tend to right now, but here's a few observations to consider:

    1. My understanding of the Holman-Moody built '59s is that the bodies delivered to them were considered "rejects" due to damage during assembly, and that none of them were assigned a serial number. The running gear was also considered to be rejects or not fit for use on finished cars, and shipped to H-M in crates as part of a "deal" to buy scrap from the plant manager at Wixom. This, in part, allowed Ford "plausible deniability" for providing factory support due to the Automotive Manufacturers' Association (AMA) ban on such activities during the period. It also allowed H-M to build up the cars from bare body shells as opposed to buying completed cars and stripping them out, which would have been a real waste of money, time and effort. This story is covered in THE book on Ford racing, "Ford: The Dust and the Glory."

    2. Re. the Johnny Beauchamp/Burdick/Daytona '500' connection, Beauchamp was from west-central Iowa and spent much of his early career racing in the Midwest, including Playland Park in Council Bluffs (which is across the river from Omaha). I had the opportunity to interview an old friend/pit man of his from Harlan, IA in '94 (whom is since deceased) when I was researching my first book. He didn't know much about the T-birds as he wasn't wrenching for Beauchamp during the period, but he did tell me that part of the controversy about the finish of the race and the delayed awarding of 1st Place to Lee Petty was due to the fact that Petty's wife was the scorekeeper for the race. Conflict of interest? You be the judge - let's just say that after I heard this story I lost all respect for NASCAR and haven't followed it since.

    3. The Burdick family ran a salvage yard/parts/repair business in Omaha that's still in business as far as I know. I haven't attempted to contact them about the '59 T-bird racing effort in part due to stories I've been told that they weren't really interested in "revisiting history" and opening old wounds. My understanding is that they were purchasing the Beauchamp-driven race car they sponsored from H-M but that it had been reposessed by mid-season. A fair amount of local press dwelled on the '59 Daytona "500"/Beauchamp/Burdick connection on the 50th Anniversary of the race, and the Burdicks didn't really want to talk much to the major local newspaper here about it.

    4. There's been several people who have claimed that dual shocks on the front end could have been had for '58s, and some have installed both the outboard shocks/backets (originally installed in anticipation of using the air bag suspension system that was cancelled before production began) along with the inboard ones (i.e. inside the coil spring and bolted to the body structure between the upper A-frame mounts) on their cars. My hunch is that someone took a set of '58 outboard shock brackets and lower control arms and installed them on Mark's '59 as part of the modification process. Detailed inspection of the car should yield clues about this.

    5. In comparison to similar cars, lack of power steering and power brakes on a car optioned with a 430, heater, radio, backup lights and leather interior seems rather odd to me. Inspection of mounting points for the steering ram, the brake pedal and ventilation port for the underdash booster may yield some hints as to previous installation of these items. I suspect that the steering linkage and brake booster were removed, and that wiring probably got hacked up, at the time the transmission was changed out in order to get the clutch linkage in.

    In short, spending time with this car on a lift may yield some additional information that can put some of these questions to rest.
    Alan H. Tast AIA, LEED AP BD+C
    Technical Director/Past President, Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
    Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"

    Comment

    • YellowRose
      Super-Experienced


      • Jan 21 2008
      • 17191

      #17
      A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

      Alan, thanks for taking the time to comment on this. This story gets stranger still. If Ford had a truck deliver 6 "damaged" Tbirds to Burdicks for "scrapping", why would they buy a H&M Tbird? I know, from reading the reports, that Burdicks did not have the capitol to work with, as H&M apparently did, and that they made little money in their racing efforts back then. Maybe it was because H&M had cars already set up for racing and Burdick didn't and Roy wanted to get into the Daytona 500 run.

      Thanks for your comments regarding how H&M gained their Tbirds and running gear from Ford and why. I was aware of the AMA ban regarding racing, but I had thought it had been lifted by 1959. Perhaps not. Maybe the story about how Burdick got 6 Tbirds is not to far off the mark. Not that they actually fell down an elevator shaft, perhaps, but they were damaged enough to keep them off the line. Perhaps Burdick or someone in Omaha had a connection to the Ford plant also.

      According to Playland Speedway, the Burdick Tbird in the '59 Daytona 500 was a H&M Tbird. Not one that they put together themselves. So the good doctor had it right when he said he built his replica Tbird after the H&M Tbird. Also, this article bears out that it was Petty's sister who was the lap judge and declared that he was not a lap behind as was thought. So she was involved in the decision to give the race to Lee Petty instead of Beauchamp.. Here is the link.


      Thanks again for replying, Alan. Hopefully, later this Spring, when the weather clears up, Mark can get it up on a lift and ya'll can go over her.

      Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
      The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
      Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

      https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
      Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
      https://faye.rayclark.info/index.html

      Comment

      • Alan H. Tast, AIA
        Experienced
        • Jan 5 2008
        • 216

        #18
        My suspicion is that someone merged the story of how H-M got their bodies with the Burdick story. Knowing that the Burdicks got their car from H-M, I suspect that somehow in the story-telling chain of events the information on how H-M got the bodies and the subsequent sale to Burdick resulted in such a recollection. Don't forget that this all happened in 1959, and with the passing of 8 years a lot of facts can get convoluted by the time this car was sold, not to mention the passing of another 43+ years since then.
        Alan H. Tast AIA, LEED AP BD+C
        Technical Director/Past President, Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
        Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"

        Comment

        • Dakota Boy
          Super-Experienced
          • Jun 30 2009
          • 1561

          #19
          My car has 4:10 gears in the back with a C6 trans, and the the speedo reads 60mph when I'm actually going 35mph.

          A little reducer box will be installed this summer to correct that.
          http://www.tbirdregistry.com/viewdat...ryNumber=33517

          Comment

          • scumdog
            Super-Experienced

            • May 12 2006
            • 1528

            #20
            Originally posted by Dakota Boy
            My car has 4:10 gears in the back with a C6 trans, and the the speedo reads 60mph when I'm actually going 35mph.

            A little reducer box will be installed this summer to correct that.
            Hmm, so at about 70mph you're probably doing about 3,800rpm or so - and your top speed will only be about 110 maximum.

            Whatever the revs are, they're going to be a fair bit higher the is good for fuel economy - and motor longevity.
            A Thunderbirder from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

            Comment

            • Dakota Boy
              Super-Experienced
              • Jun 30 2009
              • 1561

              #21
              The story I've been told is that about a decade ago (when it was owned by someone in Iowa) my car was going to be a drag car; hence the 4.10 gears.

              I have 28" diameter rear tires. But yes, the rpms still do get up there. I stay off the interstate roads. I'd like to someday get a spare third member with something like 2.90 gears in it. Keep the 4.10s for when I want to go to the strip and waste some gas.
              http://www.tbirdregistry.com/viewdat...ryNumber=33517

              Comment

              • YellowRose
                Super-Experienced


                • Jan 21 2008
                • 17191

                #22
                A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

                I just had an enjoyable conversation with Lee Holman of Holman-Moody! He told me that when Ford got back into the racing program in the late 50's, the Ford Racing Team gave them access to the plant and were able to get their Tbird bodies, running gear, parts from the plant from stock that had not been through the line. Therefore, he said, these Tbirds did not have a VIN # or Data Plate information assigned to them. In that way, they did not have to strip out interiors, etc. and modify them for racing. They took the bare bodies, engines, trannys, and built them for racing. So there goes my idea about getting them recorded into the Tbird Registry! I gather that all of them have been crashed or scrapped over the years. The only one left, that I know of, is the one in a private collection that I have the pictures posted of. He said if I call back in a couple of weeks, after he gets his computer fixed, and data restored, he will send me some stuff. His Mac went out on him over the New Years holiday.

                Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
                The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
                Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

                https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
                Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
                https://faye.rayclark.info/index.html

                Comment

                • YellowRose
                  Super-Experienced


                  • Jan 21 2008
                  • 17191

                  #23
                  A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

                  Mark sent me this very interesting article on Racing Tbirds. In it, it says that Holman-Moody had 6 Squarebirds. The H&M website, and Lee Holman (who said he was 16 at this time) says they had 10 of them. They were going back and forth to the Ford plant and getting parts and stuff they needed a lot. This article says: "Ford did some investigating to find out just who built and prepared those race cars, and found it was Holman-Moody," Cotter's and Pearce's text reads. "John Holman purchased a bunch of scrap Thunderbird parts from Ford's Atlanta assembly plant, and nearly won the biggest stock car race of the year. Ford officials were amazed, and the performances certainly put Holman-Moody in good stead when the AMA ban came to an end." I was not aware that Ford had an Atlanta assembly plant for Tbirds. I have always read that Wixom was the only plant that produced Tbirds. I got the impression from Lee Holman, that their trucks were going back and forth to Wixom, but I will ask him about this.

                  This article also reports on the Ed Fincke owned Tbird that was set up for racing, but apparently never raced. I see he has "dog dish" hubcaps on his Tbird! You will find this interesting reading. I have downloaded the pictures and saved them. They are bigger than on the webpage, so you will get a better view of them here.

                  Attached Files

                  Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
                  The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
                  Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

                  https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
                  Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
                  https://faye.rayclark.info/index.html

                  Comment

                  • YellowRose
                    Super-Experienced


                    • Jan 21 2008
                    • 17191

                    #24
                    A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

                    Here are two more additional pictures from that article that I could not get in below. One of them is of Lenny Page driving #83, a Holman-Moody T-Bird Power Products car.
                    Attached Files

                    Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
                    The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
                    Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

                    https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
                    Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
                    https://faye.rayclark.info/index.html

                    Comment

                    • GTE427
                      Super-Experienced
                      • Oct 9 2007
                      • 602

                      #25
                      A couple things to keep in mind as you track the history of this car. The first Daytona 500 was run in February 1959 and this wasn't the first race of the year at that point in time. H&M or any Shop competing at the Nascar level should have been receiving cars by December 1958 in order the assemble for the new season. This 59 with a build date of August 1959 seems to be very late in the season, especially since the new 60 Ford Starliner with the 352HP engine was due and the car of choice for the 1960 season. It does seem unlikely this car was chosen/ordered for Nascar racing in Aug 59, maybe thought on a lower tier racing series.

                      As for the rear wheel wells, I see a very nice job done in matching the front wheel opening when creating the rear opening, not a quick radius job done to fit some race tires on. And that workmanship appears on the hood and front fender vents.

                      For Historical info, try to locate Period Racing Programs, magazines, newspapers from that time, reporters names and contact them. If this car had a significant history, chances are it would have been written about at some point in time. Tom Higgins comes to mind of the Charlotte Observer Newspaper, currently retired, started covering motor sports in 1957. Possible that Nascar itself may have archives from that time. There's a new Nascar hall of Fame in Charlotte. Could be allot of research. Or you may be looking towards the NHRA or other drag racing media from that period. Sorry I have more suggestions than info to provide.

                      Mark, welcome and glad to have you on board and a charter member of the VTCA, joined myself in 72 or 73, have my original scoops put away somewhere. Nice that you've held onto this car for all those years, continue to document what you can, to date, you have the most history with this car.
                      Ken
                      1959 J Convertible
                      1960 J Hardtop

                      Comment

                      • tbird430
                        Super-Experienced
                        • Jun 18 2007
                        • 2648

                        #26
                        Originally posted by YellowRose
                        This article also reports on the Ed Fincke owned Tbird that was set up for racing, but apparently never raced. I see he has "dog dish" hubcaps on his Tbird! You will find this interesting reading. I have downloaded the pictures and saved them. They are bigger than on the webpage, so you will get a better view of them here.
                        Look at the speedometer readings!!!
                        sigpic
                        The 1960 Ford Thunderbird. The WORLD'S most wanted car....

                        VTCI Member#6287.

                        Comment

                        • YellowRose
                          Super-Experienced


                          • Jan 21 2008
                          • 17191

                          #27
                          A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

                          I just spoke with Lee Holman again. He said this thing about them picking up Tbird parts from the Atlanta plant might have been true, but they were also going back and forth to Detroit. He reminded me that he was only about 16 then, working in the shop, but doing cleanup and breakdown stuff. However, he did say that he thought Ford was shipping stuff to the Atlanta plant for easier pickup by them. Henry Ford got behind the Racing program, he said, and sent a letter down to the ranks to give H&M all the assistance they could. He wanted Ford to be a force in racing again. So they pretty well got what they wanted.

                          He mentioned the Mobile Economy Run which they participated in using Falcons, as I recall. If I understood him correctly, some of the Tbirds were shipped to the Central US to other racing teams to use.... Remember, they not only built cars for them to race, but they built them for other teams, and I gather, still do.

                          I asked him what they were using for rear ends and axle rating in the Squarebirds. He said they were using full floating rear ends, and 3:25 - 3:50 axle ratings (not the standard axle rating the 430MEL cars came off the productions line with) depending on the track they were running on. He also said that their trannies were, at first the standard manual 3spd trannies and then the early T-10's when they came out.

                          He is going to send me some pictures and stuff when he gets his computer fixed. He also said that in the next 2 weeks or so, they are going to add some new historical features of their race cars to their website and he has about 40 on Tbirds that they will be adding. So in about 2-3 weeks or so, start looking for them on their website. I gather it will be a new feature. You might want to bookmark the web page. It is http://www.holmanmoody.com/
                          Last edited by YellowRose; January 3, 2011, 10:34 PM. Reason: Added text

                          Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
                          The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
                          Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

                          https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
                          Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
                          https://faye.rayclark.info/index.html

                          Comment

                          • Alan H. Tast, AIA
                            Experienced
                            • Jan 5 2008
                            • 216

                            #28
                            That '60 from Ohio and the Hemmings article is full of inaccuracies! Bill VanEss and I both wrote to the editor at the time, pointing out a LOT of the incorrect items and claims in the story when it came out, like the car having a the 360hp 352 from the factory (it didn't), so once again another myth is floating around that has to be debunked. In fact, look in this Forum's archives for the comments I gave on this car a few years ago after the article was first printed. It was at the '99 VTCI International, where I spent time looking it over and got photos of the ROT sheet. For the record here's info on the car:
                            0Y71Y153799
                            63A X 56 02E 1 9

                            CLAIMS 1-25/NASCAR; FULL INTERIOR; B-J Auction 1/97; EBAY 9/04 MILFORD, OR; '99 IC; HEMMINGS MUSCLE CAR ARTICLE

                            Yes it has a 3-speed manual and the 3.70:1 rear axle, but it also had a full interior, radio, heater, backup lights and the ROT gave no other hint about the tires/wheel covers other than it had 14" wheels/wheel covers and 14" 8.00x14 nylon WSW tires. Those '56 Ford hubcaps on 15" wheels don't help it much, and the modified exhaust and added white graphics? Puh-leease...NASCAR prep? As the old Southern saying goes, "Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit."

                            Now, take into consideration the build dates on both Mark's car (as the previous post points out) and the '60 in the Hemmings article, which is May 2, 1960. Sure doesn't look like they were too eager to build up a race car before the start of the racing season. Not only that, but as the aforementioned post notes, the '60 Fairlane tudors along with the Starliners were the cars that were being built up since they weighed less and would have been less complicated to prep for supsensions, etc. In fact, the '59 H-M-built cars were provided with '60 grilles to "update" them for '60 and '61 usage.

                            Ford had an assembly plant in Atlanta, but no T-birds were built there. It would make sense that Ford would ship parts to it from Wixom and other plants for distribution to or pickup by the stock-car builders in the South.

                            This madness has got to come to an end, folks.
                            Alan H. Tast AIA, LEED AP BD+C
                            Technical Director/Past President, Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
                            Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"

                            Comment

                            • YellowRose
                              Super-Experienced


                              • Jan 21 2008
                              • 17191

                              #29
                              A '59 Mystery Tbird Set Up For Racing...

                              Thanks for the update, Alan. If anyone knows about these things, Alan sure does! This so-called Race "Show" Car is in the Tbird Registry as #4779. I also thought there were some things wrong about that report, I don't have anywhere near the knowledge about these old cars that Alan has. This thing about it being a "moonshine" car I think was mentioned, but in one article as I recall, it was said that this car (regardless of what the plaque says) was not one of the cars used for "moonshine" runs. As Alan said, after 50 years having gone by, stories get mixed up with each other, reporters get their facts from other reports that have errors in them, (like the number of Tbirds that Burdick got and how, and the number of Tbirds that H&M put together. Some say 6, Lee says 10) and you end up with incorrect reports.. I guess I will stop looking into this, but I do think we have come up with some information that was also good. It was good to get the information I got from Lee Holman, though he was a young teenager back then. He was working in the shop and seems to know what was going on. Now he is the head of H&M. Thanks for taking the time to fill us in, Alan. We certainly appreciate you!
                              Last edited by YellowRose; January 3, 2011, 11:20 PM.

                              Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
                              The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
                              Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411

                              https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
                              Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
                              https://faye.rayclark.info/index.html

                              Comment

                              • scumdog
                                Super-Experienced

                                • May 12 2006
                                • 1528

                                #30
                                Originally posted by Alan H. Tast, AIA
                                This madness has got to come to an end, folks.
                                **** Alan, us rubes get a buzz out of reading these stories, (this madness) - of course when we find out it ain't fact we get our bottom lip down a bit!!

                                But maybe somebody will come up with a ripping story that is also 100% true? - who knows, we can only keep our fingers crossed.

                                Now about the guy over here with the factory 427 Flairbird......hehehe..

                                PS: Any story from Stateside is believable for me - I don't know jack about NASCAR history or Ford racing history etc.
                                A Thunderbirder from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

                                Comment

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