Concourse or not?

I've been sitting on a '69 Sport Satellite 4 door for the past 20 years now and I've been going back and forth on this project over the years as to how to bring her back to life.
Here's the scoop: '69 Sport Satellite 4 door. RP41H9A 383 4bbl/727 8 3/4 Sure Grip 3.55s. Q5 Turquoise. Dealer ordered car out of Scranton, PA. I'll post more info and a pic when I can. Right now I'm going from memory and can't remember the code for the towing package which included the big brakes, manual drums all the way around, powering steering cooler, etc. Basically, from what I've read, the "towing package" was the cop package sold to the public with the cop package going to fleet sales. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
She's a basket case, but there's enough there to bring her back to life. And, from what I've been told, from the likes of Ehrenberg, low enough production numbers to bring back to life. (I'll be following that up with Govier.)
Why is it that everyone seems amazed that I've got a 383 powered 4 door? Chrysler made some unique one offs and low production cars, so nothing should be a surprise. Is it because it was a dealer ordered car? Or is it that low of a production number on the Sport with a 383 that guys haven't seen them or haven't paid attention when they do because it's a 4 door?
What do you think, guys? I would be happy to bring her back to life as an OE quality car and would get a kick out of it considering the OE treatments usually goes to her sisters without the extra two doors and the bigger engines or her E-body cousins. She's also the only auto in my small stable of cars, and I want my wife to be able to drive and enjoy her.

One vote for...Build it to drive!

Build it man. Make it look like the day it rolled off the assembly line, and drive the heck out of it..... :yes:

My 2 bits is if you like the car fix it up and drive it, just remember since it is a 4 door what ever amount you put into it is pretty much gone because the resale will be zip. build it for yourself and figure it's yours.

I don't want to sound like a snob or like I'm putting your car down but that's the facts as I've seen them in 30 years of restoring and swapping cars around. as a big classic car dealer told me one time " there are rare cars and there are desireable cars, only desireable cars bring good money '

I agree with beeguy as far as it's never gong to be worth anything, but it would be a really neat car to build and drive. I bet it would also be a 1 of 1 at just about any car show you go to.

BOOOOOOO!!!!! I would not dare say it would never be worth anything. I have seen 4-doors bring good money especially all original and done right. It is all about what YOU like anyway.

Having done that over the top resto thing I can say it's nice to look at and have people go WOW, but I was always kinda paranoid about DRIVING the car.

And driving them is what it's really all about

BOOOOOOO!!!!! I would not dare say it would never be worth anything. I have seen 4-doors bring good money especially all original and done right. It is all about what YOU like anyway.

X2.....I think a four door car done up right can look good. Plus with a big block, it'll have a nice rumble and some get up and go. Also like mentioned above, it's about personal preference. For example, I know a Charger should be a two door sedan, but I would love to have a new Charger SRT-8, even though it's a four door. I personally think it looks sharp and I would use it as a daily driver. My vote is go for it ! :yes:

X2.....I think a four door car done up right can look good. Plus with a big block, it'll have a nice rumble and some get up and go. Also like mentioned above, it's about personal preference. For example, I know a Charger should be a two door sedan, but I would love to have a new Charger SRT-8, even though it's a four door. I personally think it looks sharp and I would use it as a daily driver. My vote is go for it ! :yes:

totally agree. I like four-doors. Plus with the 383 you can show those kids in the two-door cars the back side of it at the stop lights.

I suppose but when a guy asks about doing a concours restoration on a 68 Satellite 4 door you need to be honest, by the time you get the body work done you're upside down in the car. as long as he's fine with that then go for it , having fun is what it's all about and as long as you never change your mind you'll be happy.

I've always been content with the car as she is. The 383 definately isn't underpowered, the brakes do their job, the suspension corners a heavy car pretty darned well. But I've had other long time Mopar guys look at her and be dumbfounded over the fact that's she's a big block car. And then check the VIN to make sure I'm not BS'ing them when I tell 'em she's factory. Seems the wow factor follows that car wherever she's parked, even in storage. I've told guys that she's not for sale and never will be, so the idea of money invested versus money in return is not a factor. I tell my wife the car is my coffin. Just prop my up behind the wheel, put a s*** eating grin on my face, and bury me in her. (Joking of course.)
I think I pointed out in the original post that I know she'll never be in the money league as her 440-6 or Hemi powered B-body sisters or her E-body cousins, but since the wow factor seems to be there now, do you think going OE standards would up the wow factor? Do you think it would spark interest in getting the "every day" cars back into the hobby instead of being used as good parts cars? (If I had a nickle for every person who told me I should pull the powertrain for a two door build or hunt down a RR that needs a powertrain and use it....)
I make no bones about it. She's not a "glamour" car that will roll through Barrett and Jackson for umpteen millions of dollars. I've got other play toys in the stable with my E-bod getting the XV suspension treatment, the new MP aluminum block, etc. Having the rare(?) car going back to OE appeals to me on a certain level.
And like Roger Gibson has been quoted as saying: "if you want a car to look like a 10,000 mile original then we need to build it like it came out of the factory and drive it for 10,000 miles."
I guess what I'm looking for is to see how others in the hobby might be react to seeing a 4 door rolling into the arena where the "glamour" cars have dominated for so long.

well said. Do it and enjoy it. Be careful when you ask for opinions on here, you will get them... I made that mistake ONCE..... Never again.

Since there appears to be a good bit of sentimental value attached to it, then I would say go for it, but you're talking about 2 different animals. Concourse restorations tend to go way overboard on the detail level, and can cost 3x more than a typical restoration. If it was me, I would do the paint and body and make it look nice, then clean it up on the inside and underneath. Can it be restored to a nice level without total disassemble? As far as the wow factor at shows, I would be all for it. You definitely do not see many 4 doors around, and I like them.

What you're talking about already takes place in the A body ranks. I don't know if it a "trickle down economics" thing or what, but you see lots of 4 door A bodies being "preserved". To a much lesser degree you see it with C body cars. So it's just the B's that people don't do.

Do it your way and enjoy it

Build it as a driver, enjoy it! I have a Mopar mag somewhere that has a beautiful 68/9 Satellite/Belvedere wagon that was converted to a GTX 440-6 bbl. It was totally cool and I think desirable.
Give'er!

I think wagons hold more value than 4 door sedans because a lot of wagons were used on the strip because of the weight distribution. Personally I would love a nice wagon built as a Super Stock racer.

Hey, i see your from NY. Why not build it as an old State Police car, they always go over big at the mopar shows around here. Good luck!

Since there appears to be a good bit of sentimental value attached to it, then I would say go for it, but you're talking about 2 different animals. Concourse restorations tend to go way overboard on the detail level, and can cost 3x more than a typical restoration. If it was me, I would do the paint and body and make it look nice, then clean it up on the inside and underneath. Can it be restored to a nice level without total disassemble? As far as the wow factor at shows, I would be all for it. You definitely do not see many 4 doors around, and I like them.

Not just sentimental purposes, but the idea of bringing a car back to life that a lot of people haven't seen before. Unfortunately the old girl can't be brought back to life without a complete full boogey rotisserie restoration. The undercarriage is fine, with the frame rails holding up very well, but the quarters, rockers, wheel houses are shot, trunk floor is full of holes. On the other hand the car has never been molested. Original hoses, all the decals in place, still all the inspection marks, everything dated coded. Tires and brakes have been replaced, but the original Magnums are in place, everything is there as a starting point.
See, one of the problems I have here is that I just finished up a '57 Chevy Bel Air convertible for a gentleman who lives near here and kept a very close eye to originality, but not concourse. The car was built more for the long haul, updating to urethane where I could, S/S brake and fuel lines, going a urethane paint job that is miles deep, getting modern shocks on it so he could run radials if he wanted. I talked him out of concourse because, 1.) he was building the car with his grandkids' inheritance in mind 2.) I knew he'd be afraid to drive it when it was done. I have the same problems with the Sport. I'd like to see it around for decades when it's done, and I only want to do it once. I go concourse do any future kids my wife and I have to go through it again in 20 years, because the rubber has deteriorated or the re-created inspection marks have faded away?
From the above statement you'll see that I go back and forth on the issue myself. One day I'm hell bent for election to go concourse, the next a nice "correct" driver comes to mind. But once I get into it, I know no matter what I do will be good enough. I know that once I start teardown I'll fill an album of how things came apart, how things should look and work from there.

Hey, i see your from NY. Why not build it as an old State Police car, they always go over big at the mopar shows around here. Good luck!

I have a soft spot for M-bodies and the old NY Sunoco colors. If I build a cop or cop clone it'll be on an M-bod.

What you're talking about already takes place in the A body ranks. I don't know if it a "trickle down economics" thing or what, but you see lots of 4 door A bodies being "preserved". To a much lesser degree you see it with C body cars. So it's just the B's that people don't do.

Do it your way and enjoy it

Yeah, you do see this going on in the A-body ranks. What you also see is a lot slants and 318s being pulled for 340s or 360s or bigger, the 7 1/4s being pulled for 8 3/4s, etc. I'm not criticizing. Don't get me wrong. I happen to believe that it's your car, build it the way you want it, the only person who has to be happy with it is you. (IE the recent controversy sparked in the pages of MCG over a Superbird.) And if it keeps another quality Mopar rolling and flexes the muscle we all know they had then go for it. My nephew has a '72 Gold Duster factory 318/904 car that will soon be a 360/833 car. As I've stated my own Bacaruda is going to flex it's muscle by getting the full boogey, let's-go-pull-the-headlights-out-of-Ferraris-on-their-terms treatment. I'm hardly a purist. When dad and I owned our restoration shop before he retired we'd "steer" customers a little. That '57 Dodge Coronet with 33,000 miles on it that sat since '69 and look like it got pulled out a time capsule, we chatted with the owner and agreed that the best thing would be to keep it looking like a 33,000 mile original car just by cleaning it up and applying new paint. That 350 2bbl powered Lemans Sport convertible the owner wanted more power out of? Well, it's his money. But I digress.

Based on everything you have said, if the funds and time are available, then I would say go for it. I think you have already made your decision, and are just trying to convince yourself it's the right one. Take lots of pics, it will be a really neat project.

Based on everything you have said, if the funds and time are available, then I would say go for it. I think you have already made your decision, and are just trying to convince yourself it's the right one. Take lots of pics, it will be a really neat project.

I think you've nailed it. Hard to pyschoanaylze oneself. Affirmation sometimes needs to come from another source, especially from within the hobby. Will be getting pics up soon (I hope).

I've been sitting on a '69 Sport Satellite 4 door for the past 20 years now and I've been going back and forth on this project over the years as to how to bring her back to life.
Here's the scoop: '69 Sport Satellite 4 door. RP41H9A 383 4bbl/727 8 3/4 Sure Grip 3.55s. Q5 Turquoise. Dealer ordered car out of Scranton, PA. I'll post more info and a pic when I can. Right now I'm going from memory and can't remember the code for the towing package which included the big brakes, manual drums all the way around, powering steering cooler, etc. Basically, from what I've read, the "towing package" was the cop package sold to the public with the cop package going to fleet sales. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
She's a basket case, but there's enough there to bring her back to life. And, from what I've been told, from the likes of Ehrenberg, low enough production numbers to bring back to life. (I'll be following that up with Govier.)
Why is it that everyone seems amazed that I've got a 383 powered 4 door? Chrysler made some unique one offs and low production cars, so nothing should be a surprise. Is it because it was a dealer ordered car? Or is it that low of a production number on the Sport with a 383 that guys haven't seen them or haven't paid attention when they do because it's a 4 door?
What do you think, guys? I would be happy to bring her back to life as an OE quality car and would get a kick out of it considering the OE treatments usually goes to her sisters without the extra two doors and the bigger engines or her E-body cousins. She's also the only auto in my small stable of cars, and I want my wife to be able to drive and enjoy her. That was a great family build it stock, Try to use everything that is there. Once you start buying toys for it thats when you will not reap any return. This was a good car before the corporate idiots took over Chrysler.

That was a great family build it stock, Try to use everything that is there. Once you start buying toys for it thats when you will not reap any return. This was a good car before the corporate idiots took over Chrysler.

The amazing thing is how much is still there. A lot of the factory decals, the factory parts stamping, such as the white lettering on the fan blade, the tags are all in good shape.

2door 4 door who cares IT'S A MOPAR!!!!!save it and drive it /have fun with it and use it the way it was intended!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!

2door 4 door who cares IT'S A MOPAR!!!!!save it and drive it /have fun with it and use it the way it was intended!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!


Oh, it'll get built, one way or another. When I tell my wife I love this car more than most of the women who's ever been in my life, I get some strange looks, but she understands. And she's supportive of it.

lol....well it keeps you off the streets...

no



that's not right....:grin:

That's true. Was joking with her the other day about the car being the only one in my stable that's not stick shift, so she'll be able to drive it. But, oh, by the way, it'll only have the AM radio in the dash, so we'll have to get her boombox to put in the seat next to her. That got me a couple of strange looks, too.

Just use a secret audio system. You'll have FM and even a CD changer if you want. Has an RF remote, so it can be kept completely out of sight

Just use a secret audio system. You'll have FM and even a CD changer if you want. Has an RF remote, so it can be kept completely out of sight

I've thought of that route, but was really wanting to tweak the wife's tail as she doesn't know such things exist. What's fun, since she has a good paying state job, is that she keeps saying she'll help fund the project, knowing how much it means to me, (we share all funding for everything, but such things takes joint decisions), is when I tell her that I want her to help in the actual hands on with the project. I want her to get dirty with it. Then, maybe, when she takes it out, she'll enjoy it more knowing how much work had to go into it. And she'll get educated on such things. It'll take the fun out of teasing her, but...

Definitely need some pics here with the detail marks etc, as they could be used by anyone with a reference resto...look forward to seeing it!

Definitely need some pics here with the detail marks etc, as they could be used by anyone with a reference resto...look forward to seeing it!

John, when we finally get hooked up and I get the car into more permenant storage I'll bring you by to see it. But, was thinking of posting some pics, anyway. She's really not as bad off as she looks from the pics that I've got.

Concourse or Not ? I would say the value the and rarity of the vehicle in question should help dictate this, Naturally the "Holy Grail" cars should be restored to their original glory, and as for the lesser stuff, build them like you want and get a little crazy sometime. This is just my opinion, nothing is written in stone. Just have fun with no matter what path you take.

It's a Sport Satellite; so it's got the good grille and tail lamps. It's Q5 (my color) and rare, You love the car, and, you wonder if you should restore it? I saw go for it. take it apart, get it media blasted, replace the metal, and build it back up, or, just drive it like you like it. This is the beauty of this hobby. We all will admire it as in whatever condition it's in!

I can't ever recall seeing a Sport Satellite 4 door with a 383, maybe I have overlooked a few and then again maybe not. I've seen several 383 four doors, most of those were cop cars, but they were not Sport Satellites just base models. The production numbers on this one could be very interesting. Check the numbers and keep us posted.

Concours I say not. This may be crude but I walk right by 4 doors at shows. I would hate to think you have 30k in a car I dont even look at. I,m not trying to enflame you only being honest.

I used to walk by 4 doors , (still do most of the time) and I have parted a butt load of them, but a handful of 66 Coronets did get the Legendary Hemi stuffed under the hoods, that alone has changed the way I look at some of these cars with Two Too Many Doors.

I saw the red Million dollar net.

Guess it's been a while since I've checked this thread :grin:

Concourse or Not ? I would say the value the and rarity of the vehicle in question should help dictate this, Naturally the "Holy Grail" cars should be restored to their original glory, and as for the lesser stuff, build them like you want and get a little crazy sometime. This is just my opinion, nothing is written in stone. Just have fun with no matter what path you take.

This is what I'm looking for: opinions.

It's a Sport Satellite; so it's got the good grille and tail lamps. It's Q5 (my color) and rare, You love the car, and, you wonder if you should restore it? I saw go for it. take it apart, get it media blasted, replace the metal, and build it back up, or, just drive it like you like it. This is the beauty of this hobby. We all will admire it as in whatever condition it's in!

Donny, it'll be brought back to life, no matter what the form, concourse, show quality driver or just a nice non reference piece.

I can't ever recall seeing a Sport Satellite 4 door with a 383, maybe I have overlooked a few and then again maybe not. I've seen several 383 four doors, most of those were cop cars, but they were not Sport Satellites just base models. The production numbers on this one could be very interesting. Check the numbers and keep us posted.

Bingo. I get that a lot. I don't know how many guys I've had pretty much the same thing. Lot's of base Satellite cops were built, but hardly anyone has seen (admittedly) a Sport Satellite 4 door with this combo. To boot it's Q5, Magnum 500s. As far as the actual numbers, the numbers guru will be consulted. I've asked for it for Christmas...
To date I've heard as low as 29 built and as high as 200. The lower number coming from an unreliable source, the higher number coming from Ehrenberg.
That being said and the idea that how many might have been parted out to bring back RR's or GTX's, been crushed (afterall, who saves a 4 door? Besides the A-body guys?), wrecked, or just junked due to the ravages of time, how many might be left? Question worth pondering. If anyone can help speed up the process and help me break it down: RP41H9A**.....

Concours I say not. This may be crude but I walk right by 4 doors at shows. I would hate to think you have 30k in a car I dont even look at. I,m not trying to enflame you only being honest.

Appreciate the honesty, DD. But for you walking past a 4-door doesn't mean everyone will, that's why they make different colored shirts. We all like different things. There are those of us out there who walk past E-bodies (and I own one!), even Hemis, because we're inundated with 'em by the mags. So when we see something different, it catches our eye.