1965 Plymouth Belvedere I

Akron Don writes: I sold my 1965 Plymouth Belvedere I race car in 1974, shortly after I was married (pure coincidence, honest). In 1995, I opened the paper one Saturday morning and found two in the paper. By noon that day, with the urging of the one who must be obeyed (see – they can be supportive of our crazy ideas), I had this one in my possession. Originally a /6 automatic car from Kentucky, the Plymouth came to me with an overbored 413 and a four speed. The Mopar now has a 440 and produces close to 400 horsepower at the rear wheel.

The Plymouth’s been a work in process ever since I got it. The paint was flat and the engine seemed down on power. My first major project was to do a short-term stabilization of the body since it was showing a few spots of rust. $7,500 later, the body had been taken down to bare steel, patched and an excellent base coat/clear coat paint job had been done. Kinda blew the budget, but it looked good!

Since the paint job, the car was gradually converted into a 426W clone then migrated into a stock appearing drag car. The car initially won show trophies including a Best Plymouth in Show. However as the car was modified, the Plymouth did not qualify as a stock class and not did not have enough modifications to do well in modified classes.

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