LS Fest brings out all kinds of hardware; from stock factory muscle, to full blown late-model drag cars to rat rods and pickups. Typical examples are 1st- and 2nd-gen Camaros, Chevelles, Novas and other old school GM iron. Of course there’s the occasional Fox Mustang or Chevy pickup, or import, but when we ran passed this awesome Superbird clone, we froze in our tracks.
What started out as a tube-chassis race car, the car’s owner, Shane Jones of Tred Wear Letters, implemented a pile of parts from his dad’s Mopar parts stash. So while it’s not a legitimate Superbird, and not even technically an actual Mopar, it’s an awesome example of what can be done with some old school hot-rodding and genuine ingenuity.
Digging a little deeper, we see that it’s a 6-liter donor engine from a truck, that utilizes some bolt-ons that include Holley Terminator fuel management system, ACCEL ignition coils, a custom camshaft, an aftermarket intake and other hardware to make it more fun around the twisties. Originally built for Hot Rod Power Tour, the project was sidelined due to COVID-19, but it allowed Shawn and the crew at Tred Wear to iron out the details.
The body utilizes a lot of patina, some Richard Petty flair and components from Winged Warriors and Janks body kit to complete the Superbird look. Tred Wear will more than likely bring the car out to more events in 2022, in the meantime, they’re wrapping up a 2nd-gen Trans Am project that we’re equally excited about. Stay tuned.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles; GM, Ford, Dodge, imports, trucks — you name it! When he isn’t clacking away on his keyboard, he’s building, tuning, driving or testing his current crop of personal projects!
