1957 Plymouth dig up

[Steve]

Well kids, the winning number was announced yesterday, 6-1-07.  And the winner is:

382,457 !!!!

The U.S. Census Bureau's estimate of Tulsa's population (city limits proper, not the SMSA) on 6-1-07.

Whomever guessed closest to this number, or their survivors, will win the buried 1957 Plymouth Belevedere!

I can't wait to see the list of entries published in the paper.  I am dying to know if my parents entered this contest.  And in the small, slim chance that I would win the car (being as my parents are deceased), I would be glad to give everyone a free ride around town in it, for an appropriate fee, of course!

[BKDotCom]

Made BoingBoing.net
BoingBoing post

[sauerkraut]

Hey Gang- Turns out no one but VIP's the press and speical invites will be allowed on the site to view the dig-up in person. The area will be closed from 7th & Denver to 6th & Denver. Unauthorized people in the area will be arrested. They will show the dig-up live on TV at the convention center. The ones who have rooms at the YMCA across the street will be able to watch a byrds eye view of the event and they will be the only lucky ones.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

Hey Gang- Turns out no one but VIP's the press and speical invites will be allowed on the site to view the dig-up in person. The area will be closed from 7th & Denver to 6th & Denver. Unauthorized people in the area will be arrested. They will show the dig-up live on TV at the convention center. The ones who have rooms at the YMCA across the street will be able to watch a byrds eye view of the event and they will be the only lucky ones.

Arrested?!?!?!  This is a Tulsa thing.  What a bunch of elitest snobs.  I get there has to be a safe zone due to construction equipment, but making people pay $25 to be a part of Tulsa history is bogus.  They should have done a lottery drawing for free viewing.  

Boyd Coddington my donkey.  No telling how many qualified mechanics there are in town who could get that old sled running and they want to bring in some quasi-celebrity.  [V][!]

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

Hey Gang- Turns out no one but VIP's the press and speical invites will be allowed on the site to view the dig-up in person. The area will be closed from 7th & Denver to 6th & Denver. Unauthorized people in the area will be arrested. They will show the dig-up live on TV at the convention center. The ones who have rooms at the YMCA across the street will be able to watch a byrds eye view of the event and they will be the only lucky ones.

I have absolutely no problem with the dig site being closed to the general public.  It is not a large street intersection and there is simply not enough physical room for everyone that wants to to be there.  Of course registered press will be allowed and they have invited surviving persons that were involved in the 1957 Tulsarama and original burial to be present.  The burial site will only acommodate about 400-500 people to view the exhumation live.  You simply can't please everyone in this case.

The unearthing will be simulcast at the convention center, and broadcast live on CBS KOTV Ch. 6, starting at 7:00 PM I understand.  The car will then be on display all weekend long, FREE to the public, along with the FREE classic car shows.  I plan on watching the raising at home, from the comfort of my den sofa, and then go down on Saturday to see the car in person, assuming that something has survived that is worth seeing!

As mentioned before, KOTV is also doing a live internet show of the exhumation, for those that are not in Tulsa or in their TV viewing area.

[sauerkraut]

I wish  public would be allowed to view the dig up, But I know the area is tight and there's not much room. From what I understand the only people allowed to watch the dig up will be the press, VIPs, and invited guests like the people who were around in 1957 and guests of the VIPs. I guess they will close Denver from 7th street to 5th street. Anyone unauthorized in the area will be arrested, (no press pass or invite letter)From what I read they will dig out the heap and plop it on a trailor still in it's wrappings and wisk it away till 6pm. I hear "Hot Rod" will have a film crew there filming it for their TV show.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

I wish  public would be allowed to view the dig up, But I know the area is tight and there's not much room.

Right.  The planners are doing the best they can.  20,000+ people or more trying to crowd themselves around 7th & Denver, everyone pushing and shoving for a view, would be a nightmare.  Tempers would flare, and all it would take would be one crazy madman with a handgun to destroy the event, not to mention lives, for everyone.  In this day and age when parents beat each other up at their kids sporting events, and encourage their spawn to do the same, I think the 2007 Tulsarama planners are doing the right thing by limiting access to the burial site.

Even the press & VIP's at the burial site will not see the uncovered car.  It will remain in its wrapping, and trucked to the convention center for unwrapping and evaluation by the clean-up crew before it is paraded out to the live and TV audience.

Only 1 week to go!

[sauerkraut]

There's been some rumors about the vault that I have seen on other forums that say things like VIPs have looked in the vault, and one rumor said some guy with sonar immaging scaned the surface of the vault and found it to be full of water, another is that a hole was drilled in the vault lid back in May and a camera sliped in and it was found to be full of water. Things like that. I myself think the vault is dry and the car will be brand new looking. I did hear that the '57 Plymouth was a very rust-prone vehicle though.

[sgrizzle]

I heard the lid was scanned and intact.

Sonar is not going to tell a great diffrence between water and air. It is looking for differences in sound that would suggests edges and cracks or gaps, not testing density.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

There's been some rumors about the vault that I have seen on other forums that say things like VIPs have looked in the vault, and one rumor said some guy with sonar immaging scaned the surface of the vault and found it to be full of water, another is that a hole was drilled in the vault lid back in May and a camera sliped in and it was found to be full of water. Things like that. I myself think the vault is dry and the car will be brand new looking. I did hear that the '57 Plymouth was a very rust-prone vehicle though.

That is all completely untrue, wild hearsay and rumor out of hand.  They did remove the dirt down to the gunnite vault lid about a month ago, to inspect for damage or cracks.  No damage or cracks were found and they found the original lifting rings on the vault top intact to remove the top sections.  No evidence of cracking or water damage was found, and they covered it back up for the final exhumation on 6-15.

I used to think that the car would be a big pile of rusty glop, but recent events make me think otherwise.  This trumps anything OKC could have planned for the Oklahoma Centennial (and I think the 1957 Tulsarama folks were well aware of that!), and I can't wait for the dig.  FIVE days and counting!

There was an article in today's Sunday Tulsa World with a man that has a restored 1957 Plymouth Belevedere, identical to the car buried here in downtown Tulsa.  He claims his car is worth $75,000!  

[Conan71]

That's his opinion.  Restored is seldom worth as much as all-original in pristine condition.

Unless he's got a very rare package (i.e. 392 hemi with a special induction system with power everything, etc.) he's the only one it's worth $75K to.

[sauerkraut]

This is very exciting, the time is near to go and dig it out, it was a fast 50 years, seems like we just planted the car in the ground and now it's time to go and dig it out... I understand they will be using a 200,000 pound crane to lift out the 4,000 pound car. I think it'll be intresting if they could find and use the orgional crane that planted the car in the ground 50 years ago, but I guess that crane is long gone. I seen in the Tulsa newspaper that they have tons of back up plans just in case something goes wrong. I think it should be rather straight foward, I think the orgional metal platform should be OK to use that the car is sitting on, perhaps they even left the hook  and the orgional "spreader bar" resting on top of the car just under the lid, everything may have been left attached and ready to lift out.

[sauerkraut]

Yikez! I heard that they will remove the vault's lid on Tuesday and do test lifting on Wednesday. They will know by Tuesday if the vault is dry or flooded. The events Friday will be on channel 8 live.[]

[blindnil]

Actully it's on channel 6 and the vault will come off for a bit of Wednesday and Thursday.

[Breadburner]

I have my tickets for the unveiling....Will try and get some pics to post....