Those who have waited years to see the unearthing of a 1957 Plymouth Belevdere from a time capsule began arriving in Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday, reported the Tulsa World. The newspaper talked to visitors from California, Georgia and England.
Excavation of the burial vault that contained the Plymouth started Tuesday.
There was, frankly, not that much to see on Tuesday, but that was generally considered to be good. No sign of structural failure could be seen as the excavation crew dug down to the top of the vault and around its edges.
“The concrete looks good,” said Art Couch of W.N. Couch Construction.
A brief, unexplained rattling of the lid accompanied the breaking of the Gun-all seal around the top edge of the vault at midafternoon. Some thought this signaled an equalization of air pressure, while others speculated the lid had shifted.
The actual removal of the car from the vault will be at noon Friday, with the public unveiling of the car at the Tulsa Convention Center at 7 p.m. Friday. Some expert car mechanics, including Boyd Coddington, will actually try to get the car running by the unveiling.
The unveiling event became a sellout two days ago. However, you can watch it live on local television station KOTV and over the Internet at KOTV.com and OklaTravelNet.com. And there undoubtedly will be extensive coverage by other media outlets that day.
ON MY WAY TO TULSA
Wednesday, June 13, 2007, 8:22 p.m.
Less than two days till showtime. On Friday noon the famed 1957 Plymouth Belvedere Sport Coupe will be lifted from its fifty year slumber to be readied for its 7:00 p.m. Tulsa Convention Center presentation to the 21st century. Acclaimed hot rod builder Boyd Coddington of American Hot Rod fame, has been flown in to perform the magic of waking this Sleeping Beauty.
In 1957 the Belvedere had been inserted into a purportedly watertight time capsule as part of the fiftieth anniversary celebration of Oklahoma statehood. The population of Tulsa that year was recorded as 382,457. This mint condition MOPAR would be given to the person who at that time came closest to guessing the population of Tulsa in 2007.
Unfortunately, as Robert Burns once observed, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. In this case, the theoretically watertight vault failed in it mission. This morning, workers unearthing the two door hardtop Plymouth Belvedere were shocked at what they found when they removed the cover of the 12 x 22 foot vault. Several feet of mucky water had seeped into the vault. Though shrouded in protective plastic to preserve it, however, the evidence of potential disaster presented itself in full view of an array of onlookers who stood aghast at the sight.
As many as fifty thousand people from the world over are expected to attend this event. At center stage will be a unique car at a unique moment in history. To get the car running, Boyd Coddington will be installing AMSOIL synthetic lubricants and filters.
Whatever happens with regards to the Belvedere, Tulsarama chairwoman Sharon King Davis has proclaimed that, “The Party goes on!” The weekend events include two classic car shows, a sock hop and more than 260 scribes recording history in the making.
Ed Newman
ennyman@northlc.com