THIS CAR WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE EARLY 70s. BUILT BY A GUY NAMED DALE GOULD. DALE OWNED A MUFFLE SHOP IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLY IN CA. HE ALSO WORKED FOR CAR KUSTOMIZER GEORGE BARRIS. BACK IN 1968 DALE BUILT A CUSTOM 1960 CADILAC, A WILD & WAY AHEAD OF IT'S TIME PEACOCK METAL FLAKE W/LACE PANELS, PAINTED BY BILL CARTER. THE CAR HAD A 1965 CHEVY IMPALA ROOF GRAFTED ON IT. THE FRONT & REAR OF THE CAR WERE RADICALLY CUSTOMIZED.

ANYWAY HE SOLD THE CAR TO A FRIEND OF MINE, HE THEN BUILT THIS TBIRD WAGON.
IT WAS NEVER 100% FINISHED ABOUT 90%. THE FIRST TIME I SAW THIS CAR, I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. THE WILDEST TBIRD I HAD EVER SEEN, I ONLY SAW THE CAR A FEW TIMES. I HEARD THAT HE SOLD IT AND THEN IT DISAPPEARED SHORTLY AFTER. I LOOKED FOR THIS CAR FOR 20+YEARS. FINALLY 1 DAY IN 1996 I WAS AT A FRIENDS PLACE IN THE DESERT I WAS WALKING AROUND IN THE BACK OF HIS PLACE AND I SAW THE FRONT CORNER OF THE CAR OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE, I KNEW WHAT IT WAS IN THE BACK WITH A LOT OF OLD WRECKED CARS AND PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED CARS. MIXED IN ALL THE RUBBLE WAS THE TBIRD. I FINALLY FOUND IT. THEN THE CAR HAD TO BE MOVED, IT DISAPPEARED AGAIN. WITH THE HELP OF MIKE FENNEL I FOUND THE CAR AGAIN IN THE MOHAVE DESERT.IT TOOK ME ABOUT 5 YEARS TO FIND THE OWNER AND PURCHASE IT.I PAID ALOT OF MONEY TO PURCHASE WHAT HAD BECOME A COFFIN FOR DEAD ANIMALS,A TARGET FOR A SHOOTING GALLERY AND A PLANTER FOR DESERT WILD FLOWERS. THIS THING WAS AN EMPTY SHELL WITH NOT ONE GOOD WINDOW IN IT, OR 1 STRAIGHT BODY PANEL, NO INTERIOR,DRIVE TRAIN,ETC ETC... NOTHING BUT A PEICE OF SCRAPE METAL WITH A SMALL BIT OF RUST.WHEN I FLAT BEDDED THIS BACK INTO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY TO GEORGE BARRIS' SHOP IN NO.HOLLYWOOD CA. THE WHOLE PLACE EMPTIED OUT AND CAME AND LOOKED AT THIS MESS I JUST TOWED IN. GEORGE TURNED AROUND AT ME AND SAID, (BEING THAT HE HAD KNOWN THE CAR SOME 30 YEARS BEFORE) IF I KNEW THIS WAS THE CAR YOU WANTED TO BUILD I WOULD HAVE CHOKED YOU. IT WILL NEVER SEE THE ROAD.HE THEN WROTE A DATE ON THE SIDE OF THE CAR OCT/2010, IF AND WHEN IT EVER GETS RUNNING.
ALMOST 4 YEARS LATER I COME DRIVING AROUND THE FRONT OF THE BARRIS SHOP AND JUST ABOUT HAD TO GET SMELLING SALT TO SNAP EVERYONE BACK TO THIER FEET FROM DISBELIEF THAT THIS CAR WOULD ACTUALLY RUN UNDER IT'S OWN POWER.
NEXT IT WAS REGISTERED AND I STARTED DRIVING IT.THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE WEST COAST IS THAT YOU CAN DRIVE IT ALL YEAR LONG WHILE YOUR BUILDING IT.
SO EVERY FEW MONTHS I GET MORE AND MORE THINGS DONE TO IT. IT'S ABOUT 95% FINISHED WITH A PROJECTED END IN 6 MORE MONTHS. SO FAR IT HAS WON 1st PLACE IN 3 BIG CAR SHOWS, "BEST KUSTOM UNDER CONSTRUCTION" IT'S NOT BEING BUILT TO COMPETE BUT TO DRIVE AND ENJOY, TO LEAVE SOME OF MY HARD WORK TO MY SON WHEN HE IS OLD ENOUGH.
NOW GEORGE WANTS IT IN FRONT OF HIS SHOP WITH ALL HIS CARS & MAKES SURE I TAKE IT TO ALL THE EVENTS IN THE AREA.
NOW THE CADDY THAT DALE BUILT IN 1968, DISAPPEARED ABOUT 15 OR 20 YEARS AGO.I AM LOOKING FOR IT WITH A REWARD. LAST SEEN IN A HIGH SCHOOL AUTO SHOP.THEY DON'T HAVE AUTO SHOPS IN SCHOOLS ANYMORE, THAT'S HOW LONG AGO. THE CAR WAS IN THE SAME SHAPE AS MY TBIRD. BUT I WANT IT, SO IF ANY BODY ON THIS SITE HAS ANY IDEA LET ME KNOW... THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TO READ THIS STORY...

THE ORIGINAL BODY IS A 1967 THUNDERBIRD 2 DOOR COUPE. THE CHANGES ARE A 1967 OLDSMOBILE VISTA CRUISER ROOF GRAFTED ON IT. THE CHOP WAS DONE BY LAYING DOWN THE A PILLARS 4 INCHES. THE DOORS WERE SUISIDED, WITH 1969 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX DOOR HANDLES. THE BACK HALF OF THE ROOF IS REMOVABLE TO MAKE IT LIKE A RANCHERO, WITH A CUSTOM MADE BACK WINDOW/TAILGATE.
THE SUSPENSION IS OLD SCHOOL HYDRAULICS.
THE ENGINE IS EITHER 428 OR 390. I CAN'T BE SURE, IT IS REBUILT BUT THE BUILDER SAYS 428, EVERYONE ELSE SAYS 390. IT DOESN'T MATTER IT RUNS GREAT & GETS TERRIBLE GAS MILEAGE. SO I MAKE SURE I DRIVE IT ALL THE TIME JUST TO DO MY PART IN GOING BROKE FAST. HA HA HA.TRANSMISSION IS A STOCK FRESH C-6 WITH A 9" REAR. THE WHEELS ARE 15" CUSTOM MADE RADIR WHEELS.(OLD SCHOOL)