Hello from Ontario

[birdsandbees]

Looked like the best place.. been reading here for awhile and thought I should join in.

To sound like a dating site I'm 53 years old and have been around Mopars my entire life. Born in '62 the first car that I can really remember is our Plymouth Belvedere w / push button Auto (I thought my uncle had a messed up car when he showed up one year with a shifter on the column!). Our Belvedere had a "funny" to me look under the hood at the time, with "things" sitting over by each shock tower. Not funny to me anymore and if my father wasn't already gone I'd kill him for selling that long horn cross ram car!

Next car up was our 1969 Dodge Superbee Coupe'. 383 magnum x 4 gear w / 2.76's in the back! When it was about 10 months old Dad ditched it one night after a few wobbly pops and bent the passengers side control arm back. It went into our old garage and stayed there and he bought a 318 x '69 Fury II to replace it with a "family car".

My brother never showed any interest, or Dad said no he couldn't have it. I don't know for sure as he was 7 years older than I am. At 17 I finally managed to get Dad to let me have the car for a whopping $3600 (1979). Payment plan @ 10% interest... considering I was making about 3 bucks an hour. I scooted out to the junk yard, jacked a rear ended 69 charger off the ground and removed the entire K frame, arms and all and in return gave the junk yard lady an old washing machine for the weight swap (man I miss those days, the only thing that cost us money was radiators, they were 20 bucks!). Brought the K frame assembly home and had the 'Bee ready for the road again the next day. It had now been sitting for 10 years, but fired in only a few turns with the original fuel in the tank. I drove it as is, scuffed and scratched from 10 years of storage, for the 4 summers while I went to University. Put 45,000 miles on it in those 14 or so months. Then I got married and it went back into storage until 1989 when I had it repainted and started showing it at car shows.. and used it almost as my daily driver for awhile. Car has been tucked away again (in a marine container) for about 10 years now with health issues in the house, but I hope to get it cleaned up again this winter. It has just over 58,000 miles on it.

Fall of '89 I picked up a 440/4 x Auto 'Bird from a "kid" (he was 3 years younger than my then 27!) that needed first and last months rent as his parents had just kicked him out. It needed some attention to detail on engine compartment and body rubbers, but the price was right. Car is an unmolested, original body, car as best I can tell... other than it was hit in the front left fender at some point in it's life. Suspect the fender was replaced as it's mint, but you can see the inner fender and hood edge were fixed. Other than that, looks like minimal body work and some numb nut repainted the car Lemon Twist. It's an EW1 car from the build sheet and a few places in the truck the yellow has flaked and you can see the original white. The good part in that, there is enough places where the paint has flaked off to see that the quarter panels are original.. never reskinned! Original engine and trans are gone, but it has a 1970 casting date 440 magnum / super commando in it. 56,210.7 original miles on the odometer.

Best picture I can quickly grab of both cars together... this was on the way to World of Wheels in Oshawa in 1990. That son of mine is now 32, daughter 30. My son only has his eye on the 'Bee and as far as I'm concerned he's a smart lad!  

Picture in my avatar is from 2 years ago when I pulled the 'Bird out and made sure it still ran. Gave it a good wash and put it back in the container with the 'Bee.

[Lennard]

Welcome to the site! Great story and awesome cars!

[tan top]

 Hello & welcome   

[polywideblock]

hello welcome to the site       cool story and cars   

[Shakey]

Great introduction and photos - welcome to the site!   

[birdsandbees]

Thanks guys... as you can assume the 'Bee is a numbers matching car, other than I blew the rear end one Friday night (Tire was presenting itself in the mirror when turning left!). Looking back it was probably just a retainer, but being 18 years old it still drove.... and you HAD to make your appearance every night on the main drag of town.. so off we went to Ma Fitzgerald's junk yard to scout a replacement. Flipped over a '68 Coronet, if I remember right, determined it was a posi and took it springs and all. Gave her mine, again for weight trade, a few days later. I'm also missing my Magnum 500 wheels, they grew legs at some point in time from Mom's garage while I was running the aluminum mags.

The thing I hate the most of what I did to the car over the years, was the first summer I "borrowed" a buddies Ramcharger hood from his '69 Bee Hardtop when his was on blocks and I left him with my bubble hood. I'd sure like it back to return the car to "as bought".

I also run a Lakewood scatter shield, as I value my right leg! 

[Mopar Nut]

Welcome aboard!

[skip68]

Welcome and awesome story.     

[Back N Black]

Welcome from New Brunswick. 

[Dan T]

welcome from Milton Ontario!

[RIDELIKEHELL]

Welcome from just outside of Sarnia Ontario

[70 sublime]

Welcome from Welcome Ontario (just outside of Port Hope)

[wingcar]

Welcome from sunny Arizona, where all the cars are "HOT" (to the touch anyway...LOL)

[ODZKing]

Welcome from Syracuse, NY

[charge69]

Great stories about your cars and their past and great cars in general!  Welcome here and enjoy the stay!

[69rtse4spd]

Welcome from the great swamp land of N. Ind.

[1970Moparmann]

Welcome!  I know this is an old thread, but when I saw your avatar in another thread I wanted to see if you posted any pictures of your Bird.   I have a Bird myself and will be starting the restoration soon.   Do you have any more pictures you can share?  Looks beautiful!   Mine is also Lemon Twist, but red now.   Would love to see more!

Thanks!

[birdsandbees]

We share something in common Moparman... previous owners had issue with original colour. Mine is supposed to be EW1 Alpine White... as can be confirmed in numerous places in the truck and mainly the package tray (as well as the build sheet)!

[Ghoste]

Do you think it'll be white again?

[birdsandbees]

Probably not on my "watch". Based on sale values, "as is", I'd never re-coupe the costs of a repaint. Need to get my 'Bee stripped and painted first and having a hard time deciding if that's worth the 10+ to even do it.