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Fresh 383: 1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee

Some project cars tick more of the right boxes than others, and finding the correct candidate to suit your needs can take time and patience. If you have been searching for a rock-solid classic American muscle car, this 1970 Dodge Super Bee may be the vehicle. Its rust problems are minimal, and returning it to a cosmetically factory fresh state should not be difficult. Adding to its appeal, its engine bay houses a freshly built V8. It has been sitting for years and needs somebody to return it to its rightful place on our roads. Located in Oakley, California, you will find the Super Bee listed for sale here on eBay. Intense bidding has pushed the price beyond the reserve to $21,000.

The seller is this Dodge’s third owner, and he goes to some lengths to emphasize its originality. This includes the factory Hemi Orange paint, and although it shows its age, it still shines surprisingly well. The buyer will undoubtedly undertake a cosmetic refresh, but this classic’s lack of rust means that their welder and grinder won’t be working overtime. There is a small section of rust below the back window, which is common in these vehicles. Since the buyer will probably remove the glass to perform their repaint, that would present the perfect opportunity to address this issue properly. Apart from that spot, the rest of the car seems rock-solid. The seller indicates that the underside is rust-free, including the floors, trunk pan, and prone rear frame rails. The car has spent most of its life stored indoors in California, so its solid state is no surprise. The distinctive Super Bee badges are present, while the remaining trim appears restorable. The tinted glass is crystal clear, and as we can see, this Super Bee should represent a straightforward cosmetic restoration.

One of the great attractions of cars like the Super Bee is that there was no weak drivetrain combination within the range, and this car demonstrates that. Its engine bay houses the entry-level 383ci V8, and with 335hp on tap, it was no automotive wimp. The original owner also chose a four-speed manual transmission and power brakes. In its prime, the Dodge would have demolished the ¼ mile in 14.6 seconds, which wasn’t too shabby. The news for potential buyers looks pretty positive. The seller is unsure whether the engine is numbers-matching, but he has confirmed the originality of the four-speed. The previous owner treated both the motor and transmission to a rebuild, and the car hasn’t roared into life since. The 383 received internal upgrades, including ported and polished cylinder heads and a complete blueprint. That type of attention should have liberated a few more ponies, which never goes astray. The seller has only bolted the drivetrain back into place, but some of the ancillary components await installation. Completing this work will fall to the new owner, and they will also have the pleasure of coaxing that beautiful V8 back to life.

The owner believes that the Black vinyl interior trim is original, with no evidence of prior restoration work. While it appears in the supplied shots that a few pieces are missing, the seller indicates he holds all parts to reassemble the car. If that’s accurate, it seems that it should take more time than money to return it to its former glory. A few rough edges will need to be addressed, including the “weathered” finish of the steering column. Someone has also fitted an aftermarket Sun Tach into the gauge cluster, but removing this and reinstating the factory appearance should not be difficult.

It is not unusual for Mopar products from this era to suffer substantial rust issues, making this 1970 Super Bee a refreshing prospect. The thought of spending countless hours cutting and welding to return a bodyshell to a structurally sound state can deter some enthusiasts. That is not the case here, and this project shows a lot of promise. Have you been looking for a candidate like this Super Bee? If so, are you tempted to join the bidding war?

Comments

  1. Avatar Greg B Member

    I had owned and restored a ’70 Dodge Superbee back in the 90’s. I got mine from the original owners family. The wife passed away and I bought it from her husband. Mine had a 383 and 727 Automatic Transmission on the column. It also had the N96 hood scoops that had the Fresh Air tab to pull out to get fresh air into the carburetor/air induction set up. I really liked the look and also the ride quality of the longer B body wheel base as compared to the sexy E bodies, Cuda’s and Challengers. Mine had a 8.75 rear end that I converted to posi with 3:54’s. Mine had a bench front seat too. I only paid a few thousand dollars, less than 7k as I remember from the original owners husband. I rebuilt the drivetrain since it had like 214,000 miles on it. She drove it everywhere and had one of those high hairdos. We knew that car when she drove it.

    These are great cars!

    Like 1
  2. Avatar Pat

    Looks like someone has replaced the shifter. I had 340 Duster that someone did that to. With a bench seat you needed gorilla arms to reach all the gears. I quickly replaced it with a Competition Plus shifter.

    Like 6
  3. Avatar wuzjeepnowsaab

    When I was a kidster it was all about the ‘meep beep’ but every time a Bee comes up I love the look of them more and more!

    Like 5
    • Avatar stanley j kwiecinski

      went from a 65 pale blue ford custom. smoking 289 3 on the tree. almost came in my pants picking up a 70 B plumb crazy. white interior. hockey stick stripes. damage to the R rear quarter. not bad. 361 ci blown throw out bearing only problem. loved it till i crashed it….69 gtx was my next victim. mopars were my target all my life. couldn’t hide 33 mopars under my crawl space! God forgive me! LOLO

      Like 1
  4. Avatar donovan myrie

    Same listing as from March 13th with a different price and on a different site.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Could be a good buy, could be a big can ‘o worms.

    Seller knows the transmission is original but not sure on the engine? Sounds like something that a 10 minute check would confirm, so let’s assume it doesn’t and he just doesn’t want to admit it.
    Then, the engine was blueprinted and rebuilt some years ago, but never run.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar johnny

    Looks alot better and better priced. Then some of these rust out pieces of Chargers,Mustangs,Comarro,s and Frebirds look. I had 4 friends get killed in a car, That was identical to this one.Plus a college student. The man that caused the wreck was NOT CHARGED and it was his fault. Don,t tell me MONEY DOESN,T TALK. 1977 Marlinton Road,in the Mongohelia National forest.Near Richwood,W.Va. The college student was going to college at Marshall University in Huntongton,W.Va.

    Like 3
  7. Avatar Kev

    Nice car but it’s had a repaint on the drivers side lower quarter / work on the passenger side upper quarter, rear panel has been painted/ and it’s a non matching numbers engine, possibly a 440 not a 383, but it’s pretty solid

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Brad

    Pretty sure it should have come with a factory, long handle pistol grip shifter. Doubt the engine is original. Nice car though.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Jimmy

    The big concern I have is the passenger door is tweaked.

    Like 0

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