73 Satellite

[justanotherguy]

Good afternoon everyone!

It's my first post here and wanted to share my recent purchase and look for a little advice. It's a 1973 Plymouth Satellite 400 BB with some upgrades by the previous owner. She's seen better days, but I think I got a good deal for a project car.

Runs and drives, but definitely needs a good tune up. Dif is leaking, gauges don't work, interior is less than appealing.I'll be changing the fluids and plan to run it on 92 non ethanol octane.

Where would y'all start?

 

[Curiousyellow71]

Welcome.
Looks like it has some neat features...Big block, Ralley Gauges and console. Possibly the Ralley Gauges were added unless its a Sebring plus. Start there and get the oil pressure and temp gauges working. Fix your leaks, tune the engine and get the interior livable.
Lots of potential

 

[justanotherguy]

Thanks for the reply! I ran the VIN and it started life as a sebring plus with the "Premium" price class. No longer so premium. The nice thing is the guy selling it originally had a 2nd satellite he pillaged parts from and came with. All the interior trim, panels, center console and seat is there just needing to be installed. I paid $4300. Did i do ok?

 

[Sam69sat]

That looks like a good start. If you're not feeling the green interior you could always get some vinyl paint and plastic paint to change colors. There are some members here that have done just that with really nice results.

 

[Builderguy]

Welcome Sir!!!! Hmmm, where to begin? I have restored this body style (see "73 Roadrunner 340 Auto" on this site) and I would start with a simpler question, "What do you want to do with this car?" Drive it as is, drive it while restoring it (pretty hard but can be done), resto mod it, or put it in the garage and restore it. Once you know what you want out of the car you will have a direction to go. This body style has a boat load of curves and few flat panels. Not the easiest to finish but they are pretty forgiving since you can curve things into a pretty good look. I guess I would start with the hardest thing to replace, the quarter panels. As of last year, no one reproduces the whole panel so you have to work with what you have. Another hard to find piece is the fenders. There are not that many out there and when you do find one, people think they are gold. If you start with the hard stuff, you can do little projects while you wait for parts, etc. Regardless, save it and have fun with it.

 

[hanks73340]

Welcome aboardLooks like a sweet ride and looks quite solid. 4,300 sounds like a very good price. The advice from Curiousyellow71 is what I would do also. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Mackman]

One of my favorite cars was my 73 Sebring Plus.

 

[justanotherguy]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Definitely good suggestions. She's never gunna be a show stopper, just looking to make it into a dependable cruiser. Looking forward to learning as I go!

 

[496 polara]

That 400 doesn't need premium gas with its low compression.probably run fine on 87 unless the timing is over advanced. Find some non ethanol 87 or 89 and it should be happy.

One thing at a time and having the extra interior goes a long way.

 

[70chall440]

My advice is to work on making it functional (engine, trans, etc) then focus on safety (steering, alignment, wheels/tires, suspension, etc.) and lastly look at interior/exterior issues.

It looks pretty complete and I'd say you got a pretty good deal for $4300 assuming the driveline isn't toast and one side isn't caved in.

I once had a 74 Roadrunner that I loved however I loved E bodies more so it got traded off but they are cool cars.

 

[Gus chiggins]

Thanks for the reply! I ran the VIN and it started life as a sebring plus with the "Premium" price class. No longer so premium. The nice thing is the guy selling it originally had a 2nd satellite he pillaged parts from and came with. All the interior trim, panels, center console and seat is there just needing to be installed. I paid $4300. Did i do ok?

$4300.00 not bad, big block.

 

[multimopes]

Welcome aboard from another 73 owner. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do with it!

 

[Usnguenther23]

Welcome to the group, I've only just begun on my 1971 Plymouth Satellite and these guys here have been so helpful. My biggest suggestion if this is your first rebuild is take way more pictures of everything you remove than you think you have to and label everything!!! My cars been in the garage for about 5 years and finally got it on the "back roads" the last few months, nothing was worse than wondering where each piece went over the last few years as I forgot when I took it off.

Good luck have fun and stay safe.

 

[justanotherguy]

Welcome to the group, I've only just begun on my 1971 Plymouth Satellite and these guys here have been so helpful. My biggest suggestion if this is your first rebuild is take way more pictures of everything you remove than you think you have to and label everything!!! My cars been in the garage for about 5 years and finally got it on the "back roads" the last few months, nothing was worse than wondering where each piece went over the last few years as I forgot when I took it off.

Good luck have fun and stay safe.

Haha, yeah.... rushing ahead without fully understanding is going to be my biggest downfall here. Thanks for the advice. Gotta remember to take it slow.

 

[YY1]

"RP" is indeed a Sebring Plus, so the rallye dash is factory.

The clock, however is nice because a tach can be put in it's place without too much trouble.

From one guy with an F6 green interior to another- welcome!

 

[YY1]

Big block bucket seat floor shift car under 5K is pretty good in today's market.

From what I can see, the quarters look pretty good. that's a "deal killer" area on these 73/74 cars.

You might want to look closely at the inside ends of the quarters so you can nip in the bud any rust that starts to form there.
Not sure why, but 73/74 Plymouth B bodies start to rust from the inside there.
I'd also look at the rear windshield gutter, under the trim.
The corners like to rust out because water pools there, especially if the car is raised in the rear or has a vinyl top.
Once that happens, the rain goes right to the wheel arch area.
The other common rust area is inside the cowl vents. That's also a deal killer unless you enjoy drilling spot welds and flowing lead.

 

[bandit67]

A Rattie Sattie, love it, I have one. But in far worse shape than yours. My vote is get the drive train road worthy while cleaning up/up grading the interior and DRIVE IT. There is something so relaxing at first time enjoying an unrestored car with no concerns of "scratching" some up . The more you drive it, it will come to you as to what condition you want the car to end up in and time frame to get there.

 

[roadrunnerh]

Welcome to the site. Satellite Sebring Plus? Nice score, you have a lot to work with! That 400 block is strong.

 

[justanotherguy]

Anyone have some oil recommendations? Looks like 10w40 with high zinc is suggested?

 

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