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Dodge A12 Bee finally getting attention!

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1969 1/2 Dodge Super Bee. WM23M9A. R4, Former race car.

Time to bring it back to life.

I have LOTS of questions, but will limit to a few:
I just verified that the trans, engine, and trunk lip have the matching numbers with the VIN plate. I also verified the correct K member as explained in the thread about a A12 Roadrunner. My under hood was painted black as well!

I have a rear that is supposed to be the original (long story). Where would I find that number?
 
There should be some numbers on the right side axle tube. It will not be a VIN#, but will date it.
 
Here’s a try to post a pic.

34908FAA-F046-4175-BC7B-EC595F117005.jpeg DE0EE1ED-2319-4E46-8E1A-E5DF18C0C528.jpeg
 
There should be some numbers on the right side axle tube. It will not be a VIN#, but will date it.

So the axle did t get a VIN stamp like the trans and engine? I verified the trans last weekend and the engine and body today.
 
Looks like you have a great starting point for your project.

It’s very solid but has a hard life. The original owner bought it to race and at one point broke the rear shock mount crossmember out and hack welded it back in. The sheet metal in the trunk over that crossmember is actually torn!
 
Lotta cars have the shock crossmember blown apart.... Common enough that AMD reproduced the crossmember.... I've had a couple Charger R/T's & A Challenger R/T with the shock crossmember blown apart...

Great Car!!

As mentioned no Vin on the rear axle, there should be a BOM # and a date code

Here's what one A12 owner found on his very original Super Bee...

2 17 9 B1 (Manufacture Date February 17 1969)
2 20 9 B7 3 (Assembly Date February 20 1969)
C 34155 (I think this is the Chrysler vendor code for Dana Corp.)
602957 6 (Part number ?)
 
We need more back story on this car!!

If you insist!

I was active duty Air Force stationed in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The fellow I worked for was from Ahoskie, NC and was teaching me all about factory hot rods. I had a 1971 Camaro in High School, but it wasn’t with me. I saved some money to buy another car and he helped me search for something. We spotted the taillight of this Dodge under blankets and boxes in a guys carport, so stopped to inquire.
The car had belonged to a friend of his that bought it new to race. He had installed an AC electric fuel pump, Moroso Cool Can, Accel dual point distributor and Super Coil, installed a “purple” cam, and swapped out the six pack for a 2x4 tunnel ram setup that required modification to the original fiberglass hood. He also installed a Mr Gasket in-line shifter, a smaller diameter steering wheel, different front seats, and slotted aluminum wheels.

The fellow that now had it had removed the tunnel ram and put on a single four then swapped out the rear axle - all to try to make it more streetable for gas mileage. At least he still had the original D60 rear in his shed. He drove it for awhile when it just quit running. He thought it had been parked there since 1978.

We finally convinced him to sell it. He was concerned that he’d have no place to store his boxes! But he finally signed the title over and I called a tow truck.

Back at the base garage we started to investigate and found a bad meter in the dash. I shorted those wires together and it started right up!

Back then it was hard to find parts for Chrysler’s. It sat while I played with my SS 396 Chevelle and a 1970 383 Roadrunner and tried to find things like original seats and a six pack for the Bee. During this time my truck was stolen. The fender tag to the Bee was in my tool box in the truck because I had been cleaning out under the hood to strip off the black paint. That made me so sick, I stopped doing anything with the Bee. Then I received orders to go to Germany, so I sold everything but the Bee which I towed to my parents place and stuck in an old garage on the property. It sat there while I served overseas, did my time for the first gulf war conflict, returned to the states, finished my career, retired, got married, and raised two boys. It’s been 38 years since I bought this Bee and need to do something with it!

I bought a trailer and retrieved the old Bee. Filthy from the barn life and a destroyed interior from critters, it’s still as solid as the day I parked it. Now I just have to decide which path to take - get it running again or do a full restoration. At least I have correct seats for it now!
 
Lotta cars have the shock crossmember blown apart.... Common enough that AMD reproduced the crossmember.... I've had a couple Charger R/T's & A Challenger R/T with the shock crossmember blown apart...

Great Car!!

As mentioned no Vin on the rear axle, there should be a BOM # and a date code

Here's what one A12 owner found on his very original Super Bee...

2 17 9 B1 (Manufacture Date February 17 1969)
2 20 9 B7 3 (Assembly Date February 20 1969)
C 34155 (I think this is the Chrysler vendor code for Dana Corp.)
602957 6 (Part number ?)
Awesome! I’ll check AMD for a crossmember replacement and trunk sheet metal.
I’ll be able to check the rear next weekend. I’m 95% sure it’s legit - especially since I just verified after all these years that the numbers all match as I suspected they would.
 
Put all your correct parts on it, get it running, and driving good, then decide if you want to tear it apart and do a full restoration. Just my opinion.
 
Swap on as many correct parts as you can find, gather as many better parts as you can find but avoid a complete rest unless you feel shoving needles under your fingernails is a good time...

Put a trunk floor in it, repaint the engine compartment, swap on an unmodified A12 hood.... Replace the worst parts with better parts but restoring it will not be nearly as much fun...

Trust me, I've restored enough cars, I love a fresh shiny restored car but when driving it your always stressed to a certain level..

Plus getting anyone to do work for a reasonable cost or in a reasonable length of time is about as likely as the Titanic pulling into New York next week..
 
Put all your correct parts on it, get it running, and driving good, then decide if you want to tear it apart and do a full restoration. Just my opinion.
Good advice. I think this is the approach to take - get it where I want it, then blow it apart and do it right.

I’m just torn on taking it to how it was originally built, how it left the dealership (which would include a trunk wing), or how it was raced with the dual quad setup.
 
Swap on as many correct parts as you can find, gather as many better parts as you can find but avoid a complete rest unless you feel shoving needles under your fingernails is a good time...

Put a trunk floor in it, repaint the engine compartment, swap on an unmodified A12 hood.... Replace the worst parts with better parts but restoring it will not be nearly as much fun...

Trust me, I've restored enough cars, I love a fresh shiny restored car but when driving it your always stressed to a certain level..

Plus getting anyone to do work for a reasonable cost or in a reasonable length of time is about as likely as the Titanic pulling into New York next week..

We’ve had this very concern. If fully restored, how can I relax driving it anywhere?

I’ve even considered putting the engine/trans in storage and putting non-original parts in so I don’t have to worry about throwing a rod if I want to play.

But to keep it as a survivor, the front fenders need help and I’m not sure what to do with them. With all the years of people leaning over the fenders tuning at the track, the paint was worn off. Then sitting all these years, they’ve surface rusted pretty badly. If I fix/paint them, they’ll be much nicer than the rear of the car. I can’t leave them as they are. So many things to consider before really moving on this!
 
Great car and welcome to the site. Wonder if @Big D A12 knows about this one?
 
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