What are you working on? Cyclone Race Car!
I recently received the following information from one of our friends who prefers to remain anonymous but I can tell you the car is in Florida.
Our mystery man states that he has had the car about four years with most of the work being accomplished in the past two. The car started life as a 1969 Mercury Cyclone “Color Code” Cale car. I am sure this makes some of you cringe but many times these cars are so far gone there is a limit to the authentic restoration process.
He has installed ’68 side glass (this is a speedway roll up window car as was the #98 Talladega) and he even started with ’68 front fenders. The car, when finished, will be a REPLICA / TRIBUTE CAR of the 1968 Bud Moore Red, Black and white number 16 Tiny Lund Grand National. That car competed in 13 NASCAR Grand National races in 1968. The original race car was re-bodied over the 1967 #16 Cyclone driven by Bobby Allison in 1967. A second 1967 Cyclone was sold by Bud prior to the 1968 season.
I could not find my photos of the Tiny Lund Cyclone but I did find this photo of a diecast.
To be authentic as possible the car carries the 1967 FACTORY Dash as was retained for the ’68 season. Our master craftsman suggests you try to find a ’67 dash with factory dash pad and then retro fit it into a ’68 around the roll cage. The car was on a rotisserie for over a year while he did the many required chassis modifications and installed a FULL H&M suspension, brake system and correct H&M 8 1/2″ wheels. The roll cage is an exact copy of the original.
He expects to have the body in full primer for final blocking this by early February and in full color by the end of February.
He has a 427 long block and a NASCAR Tunnel Port Intake. As a favor he has asked if anyone out there has or knows were a GOOD / COMPLETE set of Tunnel Port heads might be. If you do please contact me at: rfleener@comcast.net and I will let our Mystery Man contact you.
His GOAL is to debut the car at INDY Brickyard 400 event in JULY if it is held again this year. If not I am sure we will see the car at the Talladega Reunion in 2014!
