1970 Dodge Super Bee.
1970 Super Bee, WM23VOA150244,440+6, ram air, 4-speed, Track Pack Dana 60, Gator Grain Top, B7 on B7, buckets, console. The Bee was left for dead on an Indian reservation and then sat outside a Saskatchewan radiator shop in the '80's. Car is now being brought back to its former glory including N96 ram air hood.
Please find attached article which I originally wrote for Northen Mopars Newsletter in Dec. 2002. The 6 Pack Bee is now back sitting on its wheels but I had to get a California clip and a Coronet Delux parts car for a drivers side quarter as I wasn't happy with the reproduction. The car is waiting to go back to IVR for replacement of this panel while I finish restoring my '70 Plum Crazy Bee.
’70 440+6 Super Bee Resurrecting the Dead
Cam Young could have picked an easier car to restore. After all he has a ’70 383 Super Bee coupe which was planned for restoration. But wait, would a newly converted Mopar freak take the easy route?
This story really began a few years ago. Cam has always been a regular attendee at the annual muscle cruise night held by Street Freaks in Three Hills, Alberta. The sound of over 1000 muscle cars taking over a small rural town every year in Central Alberta rekindled Cam’s growing desire to own a muscle car again.
In high school, Cam had cruised downtown Calgary in everything from a ’68 390 XR7 GT Cougar to a ’62 409 dual quad Impala convertible, but never a Mopar. However, a buddy from work had a ’69 Super Bee, which must have left some sort of an impression on Cam after a drive to Radium Hot Springs in record time.
The desire to get another muscle car continued to grow, so Cam finally grabbed a ’70 383 Super Bee a few weeks before his wedding. The Super Bee was “hidden” over at a friends until the excitement of the wedding died down. The Super Bee was very original but for some reason the car sat on the back burner as Cam kept looking.
Not being a long time Mopar man, Cam missed out on a rough “M” code Super Bee in Calgary, and a “V” code Challenger in Prince George. The sellers always seemed to be asking just a wee bit too much. However, as time passed, the supply of restorable cars was growing thinner by the minute.
Then one night while browsing the web, a ’70 440+6 Super Bee was located in Squamish, BC of all places. A call to owner revealed that the car was a basket case, but most of the hard to find parts had been found and a parts car was included in the deal. This Super Bee was an original six pack, ram air, pistol grip 4-speed, buckets, console, disc brakes, Dana 60 deal. The car sounded like the right project to complete. After many phone calls and exchange of pictures, a deal was struck.
Cam loaded up the pick-up and headed out to Squamish to pick up the hulk. The Super Bee was rolled out into the light but looked much rougher in reality than in the pictures. After having sat outside for many years, the car needed some serious help. The floor pans were solid as the factory under coating had done its job, but every other panel was either rusted or dented. But after driving all the way to Squamish, there was no turning back. The car was a real basket case, but hey who would want to save an original Canadian 440+6 Super Bee?
The previous owner had found many of the hard to find parts including: pistol grip shifter, 4 speed console, buckets, ’70 six pack intake and carbs, and six pack short block, and Dana 60. However the hemi 4 speed and bell housing were long gone. Cam received some much need luck, by finding a correct date coded, mint condition, hemi 4 speed and bell housing on eBay.
Meanwhile the shell had gone to see Terry Levair at Investment Vehicle Restorations for some much needed TLC. The body was put on a rotisserie and sand blasted inside, outside and underneath. A new trunk floor and drops were installed. The quarters were replaced with one aftermarket and one nice original panel. Rust free wheel tubs, front fenders and doors were also sent to Terry for clean-up. Having been a vinyl top car, the roof skin required replacement as well. The correct ram air hood off the 383 Super Bee was exchanged with the single bump hood off the six pack Bee. After spending the winter in Terry’s care, the Super Bee rolled out on wheel dollies in the spring with a fresh coat of Dupont base clear B5 blue paint on all but the exterior.
A call to Galen Govier revealed the 440+6 Super Bee hard top to be one in a series of 6 built for Canadian export at the Lynch Road Plant. Strangely it is a B5 blue car with VIG gator grain top! Exact production numbers on Canadian export Super Bees are unknown, but there was probably less than 30. This could be the only Canadian 440+6 Super Bee with a gator grain top ever produced!
Soon after getting the car home, a collector confirmed this car had been sitting outside Whitewood Radiator and Glass, Saskatchewan for many years, beside a lime green Super Bee which hit a moose. The Super Bee had been a rolling chassis since the early ‘80s! Further invetigative work has revealed that the Bee was leased new from a dealership called “Farmworld” in Kinistino, Sask. until 1971.The original lowerback seat containing the build sheet of the Bee my still be out there. Cam would appreciate any information on this rare Mopar pounding the streets of Southern Saskatchewan (or elsewhere).
With a growing family Cam will be challenged to get this 440+6 Super Bee back on the road in the next few years. But at least it will have room enough in the back seat for 3 kids, just like Dodge intended!
Cam would appreciate any info or pictures of this rare Bee from its early days, build sheet, engine with vin code WM23VOA150244. Hopefully someone might still have this engine sitting behind a barn in Sask. ?? Cam can be reached at 403-271-5501.
