Buried Belvedere

[Harry P.]

Hey guys... remember the time capsule they opened up in Tulsa a year or two ago? It had the '57 Belvedere that was supposed to be awarded to the person (or relatives of the person) who had come closest to guessing Tulsa's current population. It was all rusted and looked like a total loss. Whatever happened to it? Was it restored or junked or what???

[59-Desoto]

I could be wrong but I believe Boyd had it . Not heard much of anything on it.

[RodBurNeR]

it's being restored actually.

they are using some rust removal and it's working out good I guess.

a movie coming out

http://belvederedvd.com/

this was the last I read

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/legendary-...hop-127915.html

Edited June 24, 2009 by awbcrazy

[MrObsessive]

Uggggh! I cringe everytime I see that car!

I guess in 1957 they had no idea what that could do to a car sitting underground like that for 50 years. I hope they get it restored to what it was when it rolled out of the factory!

You can imagine the kind of coin that car would get!

That car is one of my first car memories as my Dad had one of those.........they could be rust prone sitting above the ground, but my Dad's car wasn't rusty IIRC-----nor do I remember him ever complaining about the car rusting.

[dwc43]

Uggggh! I cringe everytime I see that car!

I guess in 1957 they had no idea what that could do to a car sitting underground like that for 50 years.

I don't think it was the sitting underground that did it. They wrapped it in plastic with some rust coatings,but the vault seal leaked and there was a couple feet of water in the bottom of the vault when they opened it up.

[Rick Schmidt]

What ya mean ??? she looks perfect

Naw seriously lol Think she's in Maryland

The guy who was with the pristine one said she was so rusted there probably was no hope for her said the rear end had collapsed under the cars weight

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k182/mid...ss%20Belvedere/

Edited June 25, 2009 by midknightx5

[Joe Handley]

I talked to the guy who works for the Museum in Branson, MO that has that pristine one on display, it sounded like Ms. Belvedere was in pretty bad shape and would have taken a ton of work to put it back. I guess the guy who owns the museum is trying to get this one too. He also said that alot of people who have see the pristine car seem to think that it's the buried car and already fully restored

[sak]

The stuff they used to dissolve the rust is interesting in itself, check the before /after pics, If it isn't photoshopped, its pretty impressive stuff. And yeah, it wouldn't been that bad if the vault had been kept dry. It wasnt only a few feet of water, it was almost completely submerged.

[Corvette.Jeff]

Hey guys... remember the time capsule they opened up in Tulsa a year or two ago? It had the '57 Belvedere that was supposed to be awarded to the person (or relatives of the person) who had come closest to guessing Tulsa's current population. It was all rusted and looked like a total loss. Whatever happened to it? Was it restored or junked or what???

last i heard they were cleaning it up to see about either restoring it or keeping it original.....

[Rick Schmidt]

I honestly don't see how she can be restored. Cars have been scrapped or deemed no good for a lot less. And its not like ya gotta just clean up rust in the typical spots either. This car has rust Where no car should have rust. Heck its probably still got Water in places it shouldn't if ya think about it.

[mikelo]

I remember getting a link from someone on this forum who works just blocks away from where it was raised. At that time, he said a rust repair place took the car in for a good demo on their process, which they have been using for years on bridges. I can say it was amazing watching it restore the metal. The only problem I saw was where there was no metal left. I haven't seen any updates on the restoration.

Mike

[jjsipes]

Here is a link to her website. They are using some kind of cleaner that was designed for use on bridges, I believe. Seems to be cleaning up but not perfect as one would suspect. Pretty interesting stuff though.

http://missbelvedere.com/

[Chuck Most]

I talked to the guy who works for the Museum in Branson, MO that has that pristine one on display, it sounded like Ms. Belvedere was in pretty bad shape and would have taken a ton of work to put it back. I guess the guy who owns the museum is trying to get this one too. He also said that alot of people who have see the pristine car seem to think that it's the buried car and already fully restored

Bah... if they'd have buried a '57 Ford 300 instead, she'd have fired right up with some fresh gas. I've seen Mopars of this era that weren't buried for half a century in far worse shape than this one!

[TimKustom]

Funny, I came across this thread, since I was wondering about that car earlier today.

Found this link:

http://www.davemikulec.com/blog/2009/06/mi...ere-update.html

Here's a good pic of it as of June '09

Looks to be cleaning up pretty well. They have put the donor car's frame under it.

IMO, it should have been left alone. Now it's just a "restored" car...

[Harry P.]

It looks a lot better than any 50-year old Belvedere that wasn't buried!!!

[Greg Myers]

Set aside for a time http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/04/14/though-freed-from-a-muddy-gumbo-miss-belvedere-now-mired-in-limbo/

[Harry P.]

From autosavant.com:

Update 2/24/2012: I got a call back from Dwight Foster. He said that he still has “Miss Belvedere” in his possession. While the car was offered to Tulsa for a special exhibit, they have no interest in it due to (in his words) the necessity of police overtime and other expenses they weren’t willing to incur a second time. One of the car’s elderly owners has passed away (he didn’t say which one, but presumably it’s Catherine, who would be 97 if she were alive today. Mr. Foster stressed that the car is in terrible shape – basically, as it sat in a cauldron of water for the better part of five decades, the water became acidic from the various chemicals within the car, and more or less “ate itself.” So the sheetmetal is extremely thin. The car will probably never get much better than it is today.

Mr. Foster noted that he has a donor car, but is only using it for parts to get “Miss Belvedere” rolling on her own again. He abandoned the idea of replacing the car’s frame with one from the donor car because he didn’t believe it would be able to withstand something so dramatic (even without seeing the car in person, I tend to agree). For this reason, he hasn’t even tried to open the doors. He did note, however, that the car has just 4 miles on its odometer.

The car’s owners and Mr. Foster are hoping to have the car placed in the Smithsonian or in a museum in Tennessee, but nothing is set at this time.

[jbwelda]

Another pristine car recovered! Near zero miles, its gotta be nice!

jb

[Greg Myers]

Harry did you read the article from Hemmings http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/04/14/though-freed-from-a-muddy-gumbo-miss-belvedere-now-mired-in-limbo/ dated April 14 2014? :

The Smithsonian is clearly off the list of potential museums willing to take possession, but Foster is hoping that the AACA Museum (or a similar institution) has an interest in the car, which exists in an odd void between collector car and historical artifact.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Greg Myers

[2000-cvpi]

It's too bad that the car is so rough. It would have been nice to see it be mint like the original plan.

[Harry P.]

I really don't see any "historical significance" here... it's a rusted-out old Plymouth, and it's not as if it's one of a kind or anything... there are plenty of other ones out there in nice, restored condition. I don't see much reason to save this one. It can never be "restored" to any kind of reasonable condition, there is just too much damage done to the body, frame, and engine.

I say take it to the crusher. At least that way whatever metal is still left in it could be recycled and turned into something useful. Take "Miss Belvedere" off life support.

[Jon Haigwood]

Thats not rust. They call it "Patina"

[Toner283]

I wonder if the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit would have any interest in it. I kind of have to disagree with you Harry, I believe the car has historical significance. not so much as a car but as an artifact. when you go to museums you see broken bits of pottery displayed that have no real monetary value or use beyond being historical artifacts from an earlier time period. I see the Belvedere in the same light.

And I do believe that it is a one-of-a-kind car. It is the only automobile that I am aware of that was put into a time capsule. combine that with all of the hoopla about them digging it back up again and I believe that qualifies it for one-of-a-kind status

Edited April 25, 2014 by Toner283

[Harry P.]

Chris, the only thing that's "one of a kind" about it is that it was put into a time capsule (along with other stuff, BTW). The car itself has no particular significance whatsoever... it is one of thousands manufactured that year.

It's like if I take a 2014 Toyota Corolla and put it into a time capsule, and they open it 50 or 100 years from now. Is that particular 2014 Corolla any more significant than the thousands of other Corollas made in 2014? I don't see why.

[1930fordpickup]

It is just a production car that has more rust than good metal left in her. It is a shame that this has happened but these are the facts. I do not think that even if it was a Ferrari it would be saved.