“Well, she really felt it was not good for me to have something that looked like a racecar for my first car age,” Tony laughs now. “We had to let that deal go.” By the way, he also has a Daytona now, but it cost a little more than 500.00!
While some cars told what engine was under the hood in the side trim, Plymouth chose this unique location for the 383 call-outs.
 Tony may have left some changes in place, but the engine was restored to exactly perfect using NOS and 1970-correct parts. This is how the engine would have looked when it was brand new. |
That same $500.00 would end up purchasing this convertible instead, and the car was sitting in Tony’s dad shop by the time he turned 14, where his ongoing school metal shop class training was being put to use. Tony wanted to add a Dana rear to the car, and found a wrecked Six Pack GTX for 250.00 to scarf up the 4.10 housing. The rest of the hardtop’s carcass was sitting behind pop’s shop, and Tony soon found he had made back his 250.00 investment by selling pieces off of the car. Tony’s Parts was underway. Meanwhile, Tony was able to buy NOS dealership sheetmetal (this was the early 1980s), and did a decent restoration on the convertible.
The air cleaner layout was the large oval one first used in 1969 and available on Six Pack and Hemi applications; the 383 would have normally received a smaller version. You can also see the mechanical box that allows the car to take air from either the scoop or underhood.