A flying car stopped traffic Saturday in Coffeyville, Kansas. Dozens of drivers pulled over to see a piece of Tulsa history dangling in mid-air. The News On 6's Joshua Brakhage reports Tulsa's Belvedere doesn't come out of the ground until Friday, just enough time for crews to practice picking up the car so the reveal won't be a letdown for the crowd.
It's identical to the '57 Plymouth buried under downtown. All the way from the upholstery to the accessories, the Branson Belvedere is Tulsa's twin. It usually sits in a museum, but it's about to go on the ride of a lifetime.
Ralph Hurley, ’57 Heaven general manager, brought the car from Branson. Folks said he was pretty nervous thinking his Plymouth could take a nosedive.
Coffeyville's Taylor Crane and Rigging will be running the heavy equipment in downtown Tulsa. They're using a 75-ton crane to lift a one-and-a-half ton car.
"We found the center of gravity, and of course the rigging gear is a little bit of an overkill, but we've got a real good safety factor on it," said Jim Taylor Jr. of Taylor Crane & Rigging.
And safety's important when you're dangling an antique car five-and-a-half feet off the ground.
"I looked at the way they were doing it, and they've obviously done a really good job, and Jim understands the consequences if he drops it," Hurley said.
"Seventy-five-ton crane handles it and the rigging with ease, we're gonna have a crane that's just a little bit bigger, so we'll have plenty of capacity and plenty of insurance you might say," Taylor said.
Even though they had a perfect lift on Saturday, the final design of the rigging is still somewhat up in the air. They're not sure what kind of clearance they're going to find when they open the vault for the first time in 50 years.
Minutes seemed like hours as everyone, including the Belvedere, was held in suspense. But with a thumbs up from the foreman, the crane came down. At the same time, expectations went up that the same flawless lift will soon resurrect a piece of Tulsa's past.
Watch the video: Kansas Company Practices For Tulsa's Big Unearthing
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