Post by pmossberg on Dec 8, 2009 14:47:27 GMT -5
NOTE ADDED DECEMBER 10: If you already read this post, read it again and scroll all the way down. I updated with pictures of the work on the "separating roof".
The other night, Rick and I were talking with ya'll about Richard's one-time "black top car", run at the 1968 Daytona 500.
It's become folk-lore that the car had a vinyl roof. That's not the case. It was textured black paint. Call it the golf ball theory of aerodynamics. The "pockets" in the textured paint were supposed to capture air, which would allow the passing air to move more efficiently over the car at speed. Think about it as air sliding against air, instead of air sliding over the sheet metal.
During the race, the roof began separating from above the windshield frame.
Rick mentioned he has learned the car's sheet metal was acid dipped to lighten it, and this led to a failure of the body at speed. That may be true, but the book "The Cars of the King" quotes Dale Inman as saying that a significant weld was missed due to the way the front, top bars of the roll cage were installed. He said the missing weld led to the panel separation.
Also paraphrasing from "The Cars of the King": Almost from the moment the car took to the track, Richard reported he could hear a whistling sound. His pit crew reported they could hear it from the pits when the car passed, even over the roar of the engines.
During the course of the race, many pit stops were required to try to stop the roof from completely separating. At one point Richard actually got out of the car during a pit stop and was on the hood hammering on the sheet metal. The car finished the race with a ton of duct tape sealing the gap and holding the roof sheet metal in place.
In the garage area (Photo from the Superbird.com web site)
Promo Shot
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i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500%20Black%20Top%20Car/1968PettyVinylRoofRoadrunneratdayto.jpg[/IMG]
While the promo shot was being taken
Another promo shot - Richard and Al Unser
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i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona%20500 Black%20Top%20Car/1968AlUnserandRichard.jpg[/IMG]
Pre-race Detailing, Dale cleans the windshield
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i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500 Black%20Top%20Car/1968DaytonaDaleInmanwaxesthewindshi.jpg[/IMG]
The Pre-Race Line-up on Pit Road
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i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500%20Black%20Top%20Car/1968Daytona500Lineupvinylroofcar.jpg[/IMG]
Richard and Cale at speed
![]()
i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500%20Black%20Top%20Car/1968DaytonaRichardandCale.jpg[/IMG]
The roof starts to go. First the crew tries to fix it, many times
![]()
i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500%20Black%20Top%20Car/1968Daytona500pitsfixthatroof.jpg[/IMG]
Now Richard takes matters into his own hands. Can you imagine a driver today getting out of his car to work on it on pit road?
![]()
i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500%20Black%20Top%20Car/1968DaytonaRichardontheroof.jpg[/IMG]
And the duct taped car makes it to the end
![]()
i707.photobucket.com/albums/ww72/pmossberg/1968%20Daytona 500%20Black%20Top%20Car/1968Daytonavinylroofcarwithducttape.jpg[/IMG]
The other night, Rick and I were talking with ya'll about Richard's one-time "black top car", run at the 1968 Daytona 500.
It's become folk-lore that the car had a vinyl roof. That's not the case. It was textured black paint. Call it the golf ball theory of aerodynamics. The "pockets" in the textured paint were supposed to capture air, which would allow the passing air to move more efficiently over the car at speed. Think about it as air sliding against air, instead of air sliding over the sheet metal.
During the race, the roof began separating from above the windshield frame.
Rick mentioned he has learned the car's sheet metal was acid dipped to lighten it, and this led to a failure of the body at speed. That may be true, but the book "The Cars of the King" quotes Dale Inman as saying that a significant weld was missed due to the way the front, top bars of the roll cage were installed. He said the missing weld led to the panel separation.
Also paraphrasing from "The Cars of the King": Almost from the moment the car took to the track, Richard reported he could hear a whistling sound. His pit crew reported they could hear it from the pits when the car passed, even over the roar of the engines.
During the course of the race, many pit stops were required to try to stop the roof from completely separating. At one point Richard actually got out of the car during a pit stop and was on the hood hammering on the sheet metal. The car finished the race with a ton of duct tape sealing the gap and holding the roof sheet metal in place.
In the garage area (Photo from the Superbird.com web site)
Promo Shot
While the promo shot was being taken
Another promo shot - Richard and Al Unser
Pre-race Detailing, Dale cleans the windshield
The Pre-Race Line-up on Pit Road
Richard and Cale at speed
The roof starts to go. First the crew tries to fix it, many times
Now Richard takes matters into his own hands. Can you imagine a driver today getting out of his car to work on it on pit road?
And the duct taped car makes it to the end
I have Richard petty cars 1/18 1/24 scales! Etc...
