Look for advice on a low mileage 70 Satellite that I am considering purchasing.

[kevman]

Found a 70 Satellite 318 Auto with 55k original miles that looks really impressive, but there are some issues with the body and I was wondering if I could get advice on whether or not it is worth work needed to fix it up.

Right off the bat you can see that the roof it shot will most likely need a new skin. This has lead to rust in and around the rear windows and dutchman panel which has destroyed the truck, the pan is shot in the middle, you can see the spare tire was eaten alive practically. The positives to this are that it has a great undercarriage, the car has been kept well, the interior is about as good as it can get , but there is a hole in the drivers floor.

The car starts right up, drives well, Gas tank looks to be in great shape but you can see in the fuel filter there is crud in there. The motor shows a lot of caked up oil in the picture, not sure how bad that is ?

I need to make a decision ASAP , if anyone could help with some advice I would greatly appreciate it. I am wondering if anyone has an idea of the costs associate with the extent of the work needed , I fear that the roof alone would cost like 10K+ but I have no idea when it comes to body work.

 

[R413]

55K miles is meaningless on this car.
Can you do the metal repairs? Or are you paying to get it done?
Strip the interior out so it doesn't get destroyed replacing the roof.
remove front and back glass.

Seats and headrests are recovered in a generic pattern, not original anymore.
Outside has been repainted. Rust on top of rear arm rest ash tray.

This car looks good but it's a total restoration if you want a nice car.
Then when done you still have a 318 satellite.

Move on if you can't do this yourself, buy a solid car, more money up front, less headaches.

 

[kevman]

I can't do metal unfortunately, mechanical stuff I am ok with.

 

[kevman]

55K miles is meaningless on this car.
Can you do the metal repairs? Or are you paying to get it done?
Strip the interior out so it doesn't get destroyed replacing the roof.
remove front and back glass.

Seats and headrests are recovered in a generic pattern, not original anymore.
Outside has been repainted. Rust on top of rear arm rest ash tray.

This car looks good but it's a total restoration if you want a nice car.
Then when done you still have a 318 satellite.

Move on if you can't do this yourself, buy a solid car, more money up front, less headaches.

Thank you . That last statement you made is definitely ringing in my ears...I hate to pass up on a B-body , they are so rare, but I need a reality check for sure...

 

[Rusty knuckles]

I wouldn't pay much for it. I wouldn't waste time on a resto either. If you have very limited funds this would be a good car to clean up, make reliable, and make a daily driver out of.

It's just a bare bones satellite. It's not going to command a road runner value ever. But a great bones car for a young person to get their feet wet.

 

[#41]

Fixing up classic cars is expensive. If you enjoy working and are handy, you can do it yourself with enough time, beat the cost down quite a bit. If not, it's almost better to keep saving your money until you can afford a finished car. That's the way it is. It costs less to buy a finished car than buying a project car and finishing it yourself (for most people).

Floor pan patches, new trunk floor, rear window channel and who knows how much roof issues under the vinyl... costs will vary depending on if it is Bubba down the street or a restoration shop.... but yes assume $10k-15k just to do the metal. Then you need a paint job, where again cost cary widely.... but is generally the most expensive part of a restoration.

This looks like a pretty solid project car to me. For someone with time and skills, it would be a good project.

 

[WileE]

From what minimal I can see, the car is a good candidate to do over.... if one does the majority of the work himself = metal, body, and paint. For myself and others, this would be a car I'd get for a fair price and make a nice project for myself. But, paying someone else for all that work is not economically feasible on this car.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

It will still be a 318 car when finished so no. For what you will spend to fix it (and I don’t know how much you are buying it for) you could buy a nice done 318 car.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Negative nellies are out today. As an investment, nope. For a show car? Nope. For a fun car to drive & LEARN AS YOU GO to restore? Heck yeah! That Satellite is in WAY better shape than mine when I started. If you can get it for $2k-$3k, I’d buy it

 

[RR Fan Dan]

If you can get it for $2k-$3k, I’d buy it

It would be helpful if he told us how much he was buying it for. Plus he did say he wanted to restore it so as far as that goes, there are better cars to restore than a 318 satellite. Just my thoughts.

 

[eldubb440]

55K miles is meaningless on this car.
Can you do the metal repairs? Or are you paying to get it done?
Strip the interior out so it doesn't get destroyed replacing the roof.
remove front and back glass.

Seats and headrests are recovered in a generic pattern, not original anymore.
Outside has been repainted. Rust on top of rear arm rest ash tray.

This car looks good but it's a total restoration if you want a nice car.
Then when done you still have a 318 satellite.

Move on if you can't do this yourself, buy a solid car, more money up front, less headaches.

bravo

 

[eldubb440]

It would be helpful if he told us how much he was buying it for. Plus he did say he wanted to restore it so as far as that goes, there are better cars to restore than a 318 satellite. Just my thoughts.

he could get it for free, and be seriously under water immediately upon disassembly

 

[rickseeman]

He said it runs and drives now. I have no reason to think it needs a roof. If you can get it for a small amount of money I think it's ok. But I wouldn't do a total resto. You can probably buy a pristine 318 Satellite for 1/2 what it would cost to restore this one.

 

[BeatersRus]

my question after reading thru the comments is this.
where abouts are you finding 70 318 2 door cars for cheap?

seems like 1970 was the pinnacle year for many makes so im wondering where all these 70s are,for semi cheap?

and to the Op,what you need,is a good mopar/bodyman friend.
roof work is a pita but that car looks like it has solid bones.
please let us know what the buy in price is for it.
taking apart the interior requires baggies and markers for the screws/nuts/bolts/and where they go and Lots of pics as you go.
this is doable,as long as you Dont send it to a high roller shop.

 

[66 Sat]

It really doesn't look that bad to me. The OP seems pretty inexperienced so a lot of the comments he makes about the rust might be incorrect. Yes it's had a trunk leak but that's common. The spare had some water on it - so what? Doesn't look "eaten alive" to me. Frame rails look great, floor might only need a patch - not everyone does a concourse restoration.

The roof looks like it might be ok, but you won't know unless you're looking at it in person or can pull some vinyl off and have a look underneath. "Caked up oil" on the engine? It looks pretty clean to me, and if it starts and runs well that's a good sign.

More info needed from kevman:
- What are your plans for it?
- What is your budget?
- How much is it for sale for?
- Have you seen it in person or just looking at photos like us? I assume you have seen it in person if you know it starts and drives well, or have you seen a video?

Questions, questions...

 

[ckessel]

Since you're mechanically and not body repair inclined, have any friends/associates who are? Maybe labor/skill trades to be had? For sure look the structure over. You could end up with a black hole for funds as others have mentioned.

 

[YY1]

Roof has had the vinyl top replaced once before.
I wonder how bad the rust was the first time.

You really need to remove the vinyl to truly asses the actual damage.
If it's "just" one or both corners...patches are made.
...but it could be the whole skin and drip rails.

Trunk floors are also super common rust areas in 68-70B cars.
Patches are made.

Look real close under the car, and the frame sections...directly underneath the rust hole near the driver's side floor mat.
That could be a whole 'nuther can o' worms.

 

[440 4 speed]

I have mentioned this before, if you are doing this for yourself it doesn’t matter what it costs if you can afford it. If you are hoping to have a great money making investment I would bail.
There is a nice 66 driver Charger here that the asking price of 24,000.00 Canadian. Might be completely out of your ballpark.
Codicil. If these comments are unacceptable would a moderator please contact me and I can remove the necessary portions.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

my question after reading thru the comments is this.
where abouts are you finding 70 318 2 door cars for cheap?

seems like 1970 was the pinnacle year for many makes so im wondering where all these 70s are,for semi cheap?

and to the Op,what you need,is a good mopar/bodyman friend.
roof work is a pita but that car looks like it has solid bones.
please let us know what the buy in price is for it.
taking apart the interior requires baggies and markers for the screws/nuts/bolts/and where they go and Lots of pics as you go.
this is doable,as long as you Dont send it to a high roller shop.

Not sure if he is stuck on a 1970, but for less money he would put into that car, he could have a 318 car like this.

$23,995

Vehicle Specifications​

1966 Plymouth Satellite​

• VIN
  MEL6602
• Classic Car ID
  102228674
• Stock Number
  MEL6602
• Category
  American Classics
• Body Style
  N/A
• New/Used
  Used
• Mileage
  15 miles
• Engine
  Other
• Transmission
  3-Speed Automatic
• Exterior Color
  Red
• Interior Color
  White
• Factory Air

$23,995

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1966/plymouth/satellite/102228674

 

[OKDart]

At least show us a pic of the whole car in one photo. (pet peeve of mine)
Any rust holes in the painted body besides rear window channel?
If not, IMO it's a good candidate for "cut/buff and drive as is". You don't have to be a body guy to repair trunk/floor pan rust.
Also, when I bought my '70 Charger 25 years ago, back then lots of people scoffed at a 318 Charger. Time changes things.
And the caked oil on the engine acts as a preservative (actually looks like a valve cover leak), it's a good thing.