Off Topic: 50 year old buried car revealed

[sosuzguy]

Just incase anyone is interested.

http://www.buriedcar.com/

http://www.kotv.com:80/

[tim63riv]

Note to people who bury cars: water-tight is good . . .

[Guest BJM]

It seems to me that even 50 years ago they would have had the technology, especially in an energy town like Tulsa, to encapsulate the car better then they did. We all know concrete is porous, and even though it might take some time, the car would be inundated. In mean, what did they seal the other artifacts in? They came out OK.

[sosuzguy]

I have been told by people in the undertaking business that no matter what kind of vault you select steel or concret, eventually water WILL get in.

[tim63riv]

Jayson & Jake,

The time capsule was a propane tank looking thing that was steel, rusty but still sound. I agree that water manangement is a issue with any underground burial, but surely something more could have been done to mitigate the damage the water could do to the car. I think that there was a significant amount of haste in getting the car underground 50 years ago, and we all know what haste makes!

Tim

[imported_buick5563]

I like how one of those posters stated the Belvedere was going to be a "Priceless Antique in 2007". OOPS. It's gonna cost more to dispose of it than it's worth now.

Mike

[Pontiac59]

I guess you haven't seen the price of scrap steel, or the price of some of the trim parts on that car, lately.

[Sweepspear]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tim63riv</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Jayson & Jake,

The time capsule was a propane tank looking thing that was steel, rusty but still sound. I agree that water manangement is a issue with any underground burial, but surely something more could have been done to mitigate the damage the water could do to the car. I think that there was a significant amount of haste in getting the car underground 50 years ago, and we all know what haste makes!

Tim </div></div>

They even left the battery in the car hooked up!

[NTX5467]

Wasn't there some contest related to the car, where the car would be "won" by the winning entry (by a Tulsa citizen, in 1957) of guessing the current population of Tulsa? Either the person who did the entry or their heirs? Guess that deal got a little sidetracked when they saw the condition of the car? Just curious.

Wonder what it'd look like after a good steam cleaning and pressure washing??? If the rust was all that bad, the torsion bars would have snapped (or are getting ready to!). They obviously felt like it'd look like it went in when it came out, considering the "fossil fuel" in the glass container and the battery still hooked up. I suspect some of the stainless trim might clean up reasonably well, as the anodized aluminum might be similar.

Funny thing is that many people considered those cars to be "rust buckets" after a few years, much less 50 years in a closed vault. Kind of funny . . .

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Guest AlK]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NTX5467</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wasn't there some contest related to the car, where the car would be "won" by the winning entry (by a Tulsa citizen, in 1957) of guessing the current population of Tulsa? Either the person who did the entry or their heirs? Guess that deal got a little sidetracked when they saw the condition of the car? Just curious.

Enjoy!

NTX5467 </div></div>

Yes and the winner was announced yesterday.

The man himself is dead as is his wife. He has 2 sisters and a nephew.

So now it is in the hands of the lawyers. I was at the event and was somewhat dissapointed in the condition of the car, but also surprised that it was not worse. If someone was crazy and wealthy enough it could be restored, but the city of Tulsa should somehow offer the family some money and then put the car in one of their museums in a glass case and leave it alone. the event was well worth going to, we saw cars there that you don't see to often elsewhere. O.K. so they did not plan well in 1957, stop to consider, most of us were more worried about mushroom clouds sprouting up in our back yard than anything else, Yankee fans had to suffer with their 2nd loss in the World Series in 3 years(LOL) so there was a lot going on and let's face it Tulsa Oklahoma was not considered to be the brightest star on the U.S. flag, so cut them a little slack. I was there for 4 days and was much impressed by the city and its people.

[Dales90]

I'm not near my issue of Old Cars Weekly from a few weeks ago, but I seem to remember reading, a treatment for insects or varmints was done to the vault, like on the inside when the 57 was placed.

It was water-base material, so the rust had a definite head start from the get-go.

Alas, an Old Car Weakly.......

Dale

[NTX5467]

I wonder if the workers that openned the vault took precautions against any vapors which might have collected (grown???) in there? Other than dead gas and old motor oil, the bug killer (RAID!!!!???, maybe?) was probably dry before the vault was sealed, I suspect, but some of it might have regenerated with the encroaching moisture. I wonder if it still had that "new car smell"??? lol Many things which could be pondered and discussed in this area!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[jartzh]

If it would have been in good shape with no miles then how much would it have been worth today?

[tim63riv]

Justin,

I bet you could literally name your price!

Tim

[ThomasBorchers]

Hi,

are there now newer photos around ? Did they clean up the car to see its real condition ? Can't find something in the internet.

Regards

Tom

[tim63riv]

Tom,

There was a small blurb in a recent Old Cars Weekly about the car, "Miss Belvedere" as the Tulsarama promoters are calling it. The article said it is just too far gone to even consider restoring. The shiny spot that Boyds boys found on the bumper is definately the only bright spot of the whole car. It was never designed or prepared to sit half submerged in water for 50 years. I think this story will quietly fade away, just like "Miss Belvedere" did.

Tim

[ThomasBorchers]

Hi Tim,

bad news... on the photos the car looked actually not so bad. Ok, the interior is no longer there but the body looked not bad.

If they will find the winner of the car, I hope he will keep the car or an other person.

Otherwise I will come over and pick the car up.

Regards

Tom

[tim63riv]

Hi Everyone!

There is an article on the Old Cars Weekly website that says the new owner of the car has contracted with a rust removal company that figures it will take 6 months to remove the rust from "Miss Belvedere" so that the engine will run again! If their product and processes are that good, I'm buying stock in that company! I have a feeling that when the rust is removed, most of the ol Plymouth will be gone, too!

Tim

[sosuzguy]

Here is more on the rust company Tim mentioned. Tim let me know and I'll go in with you to buy stock.

This aritcle appeared in the August 16th issue of Old

Cars Weekly News & Marketplace.

I think it's not really an article but rather a clever

advertisement. The website it references sure looks

that way. Still, for those who went to Tulsa, it

might make for an interesting read.

-Bill

==================================

MISS BELVEDERE TO SHINE AGAIN

Tulsa, Okla. - After spending 50 years quietly

rusting beneath the Tulsa County Courthouse lawn,

the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, affectionately known as

"Miss Belvedere," may soon be returned to her former

glory.

According to the Ultra One Corp. Web site, the

company, which developed Safest Rust Remover products,

has been enlisted to chemically de-rust what has

become one of the world's most famous "finned" Mopars.

Robert Carney of Frederick, Md., nephew of the car's

apparent winner, is expected to take possession of the

car following an official presentation ceremony on

Sept. 14 in Tulsa.

Carney told the Tulsa World newspaper that an

agreement has been worked out with the Ultra One Corp.

to stabilize the 50-year-old automobile, once

ownership has been confirmed.

"Once we get it derusted, we think it'll run," an

optimistic Carney told the Tulsa newspaper. "We

really think it will."

Ultra One Corp. spokesman Dwight Foster said he

expects it will take about six months to complete the

de-rusting process of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere,

along with all the other artifacts that were placed in

the trunk such as the case of Schiltz beer cans and

other items.

Ultra One recently launched a Web site,

www.missbelvedere.com http://www.missbelvedere.com/ ,

that will document the Belvedere's cleaning process.

According to Carney, the rust needs to be neutralized

to preserve the rusting Belvedere.

"We're not going to take it apart and try to restore

it," he said.

"Ideally, what we'd like to see is that when it's in

pretty good shape, the car would go back to Tulsa for

another unveiling," Carney said.

However, according to officials in Tulsa, Carney has

yet to be verified as the winner of the car.

Officials state that there is still some paperwork

that needs to be completed before the car's new owner

will be verified.

Carney's aunt, 93-year-old Catherine Humbertson

Johnson of Bowling Green, Md., is the oldest sister of

Raymond Humbertson, who submitted the apparent winning

entry in a 1957 contest shortly before the Plymouth

Belvedere was buried at the Tulsa County Courthouse.

Humbertson died in 1979. He and his wife, Margaret,

who died in 1988, had no children.

===========

[tim63riv]

Jayson,

Maybe "Ultra One" found out Miss Belvedere's real first name is "Christine". If they can get the car to run, it will revitalize itself to like new condition! Then the new owner, Arnie Cunningham, can "motorvate" over to Leigh's house for dinner and a drive-in movie! LOL!!

Tim McCluskey

[sosuzguy]

TOO funny, can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll have to keep checking the website in the future.

BTW I was curious how much the $100.00 in the savings account was now 50 years later. I did some checking and it was around $700.00, not much, but not bad for someone who never expected it coming to them.