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My 1970 Super Bee 383 A31 car

DynaBro

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Local time
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Location
Minneapolis
Will be using this thread to solicit advice on all the little stuff I'd like to fix or correct as I make my way though the car as well as introduce it. First I'd like to thank DeltaV who was instrumental in my purchase of this particular vehicle. We went back and forth in DMs picking through every little detail and helped me out a ton to ask the correct questions and zero in on whether it was a good buy or not, and here we are. Great guy! Anyway, when I was little kid growing up in Indiana you never saw these cars, and you still don't. But there was one rotting away in the woods behind some shitbox house on HWY 20 across from a lumber yard I was obsessed with that sparked my MOPAR obsession. As well as a General Lee about 5 miles down the same HWY in front of a bait and tackle shop who sold us 1/4 sticks of dynamite when were were like 10 years old. I still can't believe that. I would ask questions about that Bee my whole life and hear all sort of kooky legends, because the owner wasn't approachable. 4 decades later I finally got my first one.

I bought it from what appears to be the third owner(s). A father and son who have had it for 25 years in LaSalle MI and only performed basic maintenance and rarely drove it. Prior to that the previous owner kept meticulous notes of every oil change and filter, as well as an engine rebuild adding harder valve seats etc. for modern fuels at 47K miles. I have all the paperwork and his notebook. Original odometer reads 65K. Was removed, and new odometer reads 203 miles total. While the body is absolutely solid, there remains the mystery of the replaced trunk pan. Paint has one respray, yet the fender tag was removed and stripped. The tag is correct, matches the broadcast sheet, and other numbers. Why did the trunk need replaced when the quarters and floors are solid? Underbody is great. Yes, it has one exhaust hanger that's wrong. The original numbers matching block was included. Transmission is original numbers matching. As well as the 3:91 gearing. How could a motor need replaced but not the tranny? Weird. Also included a spare rear end with tamer gearing.

Missing some of the wiper stuff. And I cannot find an exhaust manifold heat riser valve.

Right now the tach is not working but the clock is. Has a couple small oil leaks, and the 8 track won't play. The N96 pull cable is missing because the MSD box is covering the hole for it for some reason. But otherwise everything appears to be in good working order, original, and in great shape, but some of the work under the hood needs improved.

Right now I am trying to figure out why the tach is not working. As you see it has an aftermarket ignition system as well as the correct tach adapter, but the white wire running from the adapter is not plugged into anything. No idea why not. I would run it to that fuse block below but there are no tools at my current location or even zip ties otherwise I would do some experiments.

The other immediate concern is it runs on after stopping and pulling the key. In the original notebook he had played with the timing quite a bit for some reason after the rebuild. The last entry on timing has it 4 BTDC. Manual says 5-7, so I'm thinking this is not the issue.

Hoping to hear anything you see that needs fixed, replaced, etc. because I'd like to take great care of and improve this car as much as possible.

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All that mess you see under the hood is just dirt. Not pitting. Everything clicks shut clean. All the options are factory. (I’d love a Go-Wing though). Ran a magnet over every inch of the car. And there is evidence of overspray on a few parts like the hood pins and vinyl which leads me to believe it was just the one respray and no body work has been done other than the trunk. Which will forever haunt me. The paint is at least 30 years old and looks great. It was always stored indoors and heated for the last 25.
 
@DynaBro next purchase is the invaluable Factory Service Manual. They are indispensable.

There are original ones and reprinted ones that can be ordered. There is even a digital one available.
 
I’m
@DynaBro next purchase is the invaluable Factory Service Manual. They are indispensable.

There are original ones and reprinted ones that can be ordered. There is even a digital one available.
Came with car. Fixed the timing today. Found the fuel lines leaking at the carb from the connection joints. Both of them.

When coming to a stop I like to get into first early with the clutch in. Seems like I really have to force it. Is this common with the 4 speed? Seems like the car wants me to almost be completely stopped before it’ll accept the shift into first. Honestly all the shifting is a bit odd. Very easy to miss first and end up in third.
 
The other immediate concern is it runs on after stopping and pulling the key.

Is the idle stop solenoid set-up correctly? Is the solenoid working properly?

Not my words, but the explanation I would offer if it wasn't already past my bedtime:

The solenoid is energized when the car is turned on - thus pushing the plunger OUT, against the low idle screw. So when car is running you adjust the idle screw against the solenoid plunger (which is energized and "out"), the solenoid plunger is adjusted so the slow idle speed (when solenoid is de energize, car off) is even lower than when car is running, thus keeping engine from "running on", ensuring the throttle plates are totally closed . . . hope that all makes sense . . .
 
Will be using this thread to solicit advice on all the little stuff I'd like to fix or correct as I make my way though the car as well as introduce it. First I'd like to thank DeltaV who was instrumental in my purchase of this particular vehicle. We went back and forth in DMs picking through every little detail and helped me out a ton to ask the correct questions and zero in on whether it was a good buy or not, and here we are. Great guy! Anyway, when I was little kid growing up in Indiana you never saw these cars, and you still don't. But there was one rotting away in the woods behind some shitbox house on HWY 20 across from a lumber yard I was obsessed with that sparked my MOPAR obsession. As well as a General Lee about 5 miles down the same HWY in front of a bait and tackle shop who sold us 1/4 sticks of dynamite when were were like 10 years old. I still can't believe that. I would ask questions about that Bee my whole life and hear all sort of kooky legends, because the owner wasn't approachable. 4 decades later I finally got my first one.

I bought it from what appears to be the third owner(s). A father and son who have had it for 25 years in LaSalle MI and only performed basic maintenance and rarely drove it. Prior to that the previous owner kept meticulous notes of every oil change and filter, as well as an engine rebuild adding harder valve seats etc. for modern fuels at 47K miles. I have all the paperwork and his notebook. Original odometer reads 65K. Was removed, and new odometer reads 203 miles total. While the body is absolutely solid, there remains the mystery of the replaced trunk pan. Paint has one respray, yet the fender tag was removed and stripped. The tag is correct, matches the broadcast sheet, and other numbers. Why did the trunk need replaced when the quarters and floors are solid? Underbody is great. Yes, it has one exhaust hanger that's wrong. The original numbers matching block was included. Transmission is original numbers matching. As well as the 3:91 gearing. How could a motor need replaced but not the tranny? Weird. Also included a spare rear end with tamer gearing.

Missing some of the wiper stuff. And I cannot find an exhaust manifold heat riser valve.

Right now the tach is not working but the clock is. Has a couple small oil leaks, and the 8 track won't play. The N96 pull cable is missing because the MSD box is covering the hole for it for some reason. But otherwise everything appears to be in good working order, original, and in great shape, but some of the work under the hood needs improved.

Right now I am trying to figure out why the tach is not working. As you see it has an aftermarket ignition system as well as the correct tach adapter, but the white wire running from the adapter is not plugged into anything. No idea why not. I would run it to that fuse block below but there are no tools at my current location or even zip ties otherwise I would do some experiments.

The other immediate concern is it runs on after stopping and pulling the key. In the original notebook he had played with the timing quite a bit for some reason after the rebuild. The last entry on timing has it 4 BTDC. Manual says 5-7, so I'm thinking this is not the issue.

Hoping to hear anything you see that needs fixed, replaced, etc. because I'd like to take great care of and improve this car as much as possible.

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I was expecting to see at least a couple of loops in each brake line going to the master cylinder. Maybe they're down lower and out of sight?
 
Beautiful girl! Congratulations on rescuing her and your whole experience going forward!
 
I’m

Came with car. Fixed the timing today. Found the fuel lines leaking at the carb from the connection joints. Both of them.

When coming to a stop I like to get into first early with the clutch in. Seems like I really have to force it. Is this common with the 4 speed? Seems like the car wants me to almost be completely stopped before it’ll accept the shift into first. Honestly all the shifting is a bit odd. Very easy to miss first and end up in third.
Yes its normal for the car wanting to be almost stopped to put it in 1st gear.
 
Is the idle stop solenoid set-up correctly? Is the solenoid working properly?

I'll run a little test on that today when I address the leaking fuel lines. As far as the brake line, there is that whole nest of loops involved with the line lock. I'd take all that out if I felt like getting into that mess right now but don't really have a good reason. Probably just let it be and see if I decide to swap in discs and do it then. On one hand it's sort of a cool era relic evidencing someone really ripped in this car, but I'd rather have a clean engine bay and fewer possible fail points.
 
I bet you need some more initial timing and then less idle speed screw with todays $hit gas, and that should help the run on issue. On my Road Runner that came from Texas, I replaced the trunk pan and the quarters and drops were perfect. Just depends where the water sat after coming in a bad decklid gasket I guess.
 
I bet you need some more initial timing and then less idle speed screw with todays $hit gas, and that should help the run on issue. On my Road Runner that came from Texas, I replaced the trunk pan and the quarters and drops were perfect. Just depends where the water sat after coming in a bad decklid gasket I guess.
I went to check the numbers back there and that seal was glued on tight. Makes sense if that's the case. My dad was saying the same thing. He had a Camaro rot through just from a case of Pepsi breaking open and forgetting about it for a few weeks.
 
I was expecting to see at least a couple of loops in each brake line going to the master cylinder. Maybe they're down lower and out of sight?
My 70 charger PB drums had very little loops in the lines

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Congratulations! Hard to beat an orange/black Super Bee.
 
There is no idle stop solenoid.

Hit 95 on the HWY 20 bypass just now. No problems. Fixed the fuel leaks and idle problems. Incremental improvements seem to be making a big difference so that's great.

Local speed shop guy is trying to say rebuilding the original block isn't worth it to achieve a numbers matching car because they deck the numbers. I think he's wrong. Aren't they on the passenger side on the side of the motor?
 
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