This 1966 Plymouth Satellite ticks many of the right boxes for potential buyers. It is an overall solid car that is in sound mechanical health. It would benefit from a cosmetic refresh, but potential buyers will be starting this process from a solid base. The owner has performed some recent work which means that the buyer could enjoy the car immediately. Located in Yonkers, New York, you will find the Satellite listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has hit $9,600 in a No Reserve auction.
The first thing to note about this Satellite is that the Black paint that graces its panels is not original. The Trim Tag indicates that it rolled off the production line wearing Bronze Poly, but somebody has performed a color change. The quality of the existing paint is not great, and the buyer will undoubtedly choose to treat the car to a cosmetic refresh. That raises the question of whether they will apply another coat of Black or return this Satellite to its original Bronze. Regardless of which path they choose, they will be starting the process with a car that is essentially rock solid. The owner supplies some clear underside photos, and apart from the occasional sprinkling of surface corrosion, it is structurally sound. Externally, rust appears to be confined to some repairable areas in the bottoms of both doors and some surface corrosion in the lower rear quarter panels where years of road grit has blasted away the paint. Otherwise, the welder and grinder will not get a massive workout on this one. The trim looks acceptable for a survivor, although the bumpers would probably benefit from a trip to the platers. The windshield has some cracks, but there are no visible flaws or defects in the remaining glass. The overall impression is that this should be a pretty straightforward restoration project.
Lifting this Plymouth’s hood reveals the 318ci V8 motor that should be producing 230hp. Those horses find their way to the 8¾” rear end via a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission. While that combination may not place the Satellite in muscle car territory, it should still be capable of covering the ¼ mile in 16.6 seconds. It seems that there is a bit to consider with this car because, despite the untidy presentation of that V8, the owner assures that it has been recently rebuilt. He has also replaced the fuel tank, sending unit, fuel pump, brake hoses, tires, and battery. The result of this hard work and expense is that this Plymouth runs and drives extremely well. The owner says that the motor feels strong, the transmission shifts smoothly, and there is no free play in the front end. That means that the new owner should be able to enjoy this classic immediately and perform the restoration work at their leisure.
Opening the doors reveals an interior that has its good and bad points. The owner is candid about its overall condition and admits that the buyer will need to spend around $200 on a new carpet set. The headliner has also pulled away near the back window, and it’s unclear whether this is repairable. The lid is missing off the console, but there are a few other flaws or problems that are worth mentioning. The dash and pad are in good order, and the seat upholstery is impressive. There’s no evidence of significant wear or physical damage, and the door trims and remaining upholstered surfaces are in a matching state. Apart from bucket seats and a console, this interior has few other luxury touches. The factory AM radio remains intact, and there have been no aftermarket additions. The owner admits that the fuel and temperature gauges are inoperative and that it may be a problem with the cluster. It could also be a faulty earth, which would explain why both gauges are inoperative. Investigating this should not be a massive challenge for the new owner. Overall, returning this interior to an extremely presentable state is not going to break the bank.
While it may look a little bit rough around the edges, this 1966 Satellite shows plenty of promise as a project car. There is a certain attraction in buying a classic that can be enjoyed immediately, with any restoration work being performed when time, circumstances, and finances allow. That is what is on offer with this Satellite, and the fact that it has received twenty bids to this point suggests that people like what they see. Given its overall condition, I suspect that we’re probably reaching somewhere close to where the bidding will close on this beauty. With that thought in mind, would you be tempted to throw your hat into the ring on this one?
Fine Old MOPAR. Looks like it’s ready for a cruise night. Drive it the way it is or restore, Maybe even RESTO Mod. Mopar makes some SWEET CRATE MOTORS. These were never good for curves but in THE 1320 I’ve seen some runners. Someone gone to get a good cruiser.
Very nice. 66s were of a much better build quality than 1968 and up. Yeah it had a few blisters, but I looked at all the underneath photos. Very solid for a 56 year old anything. I am not a fan of black as I detail cars for a living. Wife says Corvette in the garage has to go before I buy this. Bah humbug.
Question – Why is black unfriendly to a car detailer?
Can’t go wrong with a 318 in those days. They always delivered respectable performance, until that awful lean burn system made the scene. My dads 79 LeBaron had it and what a slug that thing was.
Beautiful car in the profile view. I love this model regardless of trim level.
First of all I would want to upgrade the brakes to at least a dual reservoir master cylinder and maybe swap in discs for the front. Now a days better brakes are important.
Secondly if this car was originally bronze I’m guessing that someone painted the engine compartment as well. It’s hard to tell from the pictures if the door jambs etc were also painted black. Anyway I’d eventually return it to the original color.
And thirdly if the engine was rebuilt it either was done a long time ago or they didn’t bother to clean up/respray the engine.
I’m just going by what I can see in the pictures.
I also don’t see any license plates on it so it must not be registered.
“Ticks the boxes.”
Great googly moogly, man, can you not dream up another phrase? What boxes? What ticks?
Sincerely,
Your High School Writing Teacher
Quweequeg you should read properly before commenting
Ticks the boxes being,
“It is an overall solid car that is in sound mechanical health.”
Your Junior School Reading Teacher
Adam generally assumes all buyers special order and will write “the original owner ordered…” , so I’m assuming he means the boxes ticked were on the option list ; but the truth is most cars are purchased right off the lot and not special ordered .
Learned to drive in a 1967 Bronze Satellite; would love to have this car and restore it back to original, but…
Queequeg this refers to years ago when you could go to a dealer and get an order form and mark the box to the options you wanted that where that saying comes from. You could order some really weird combinations such as interior and exterior colors that did not match you could order a hemi car without ps pb you could even order no. Heater no radio that was ticking the right boxes
1980 – Really – Are you sure? You’re saying that specifying ‘heater – no radio’ would be ‘ticking the all the right boxes’? I have never HEARD of someone saying “I simply MUST have NO Heater – I LOVE to shiver!” Whatever – I know it’s just an example, even if a less-than ideal one -at least for your purposes of illustration, IMHO – BUT, it did raise a MATERIAL question for me – namely, speaking of REALLY ticking all the right boxes – not just using phrases so over-exposed by internet use as to read as trite, hackneyed, and/or un-imaginitive – or, dare I say it, and God FORBID, ‘Bot written’, Does this car have air conditioning? A review of the interior and engine bay pics says NO – also, re the above comment about the engine not being cleaned/re-sprayed after the engine rebuild, it makes me wonder if maybe an engine was dropped in and whether this is a ‘numbers-matching’ vehicle.
The current owner must have dedicated his life to the concept of “color change”. Not only did he cover all of the original Turbine Bronze, but the 318 Poly engine, even in its farewell performance for 1966, was never Hemi Orange. It would originally have been red.
Phil D – if true, good catch – see my comment about the engine too – but your comment also suggests that maybe the owner should have painted the brake hubs ‘Brembo Red’ all around!
Ticking the boxes is an English expression for checking off what you want.
Steve – can you PROVE that, or are you just putting on airs, old bean, what? Further, what of ‘Ticking me off’ – I suppose THAT is English too – used in the mixed drawing room company of the upper classes and all of THAT rot.
Cheerio!
ed sel,
No, not putting on airs. In 1980 I formed The Philadelphia MG Club and was the President for 35 years, so I became well versed in British car idioms. For instance, hood = bonnet, fenders = wings, top = hood and trunk = boot. Tickin the bird is just another Britisism.
In reply to another comment about not ticking off the box for a heater – for awhile a heater was an option on some British cars – seems odd for a country that is often cold and damp. Eventually the heater became standard equipment.
Steve
Please leave the writers alone. I am a none paying members of Barn Finds. This is the only forum I read, and the only forum that I find entertaining. I don’t have cable television, nor internet service. English is my second language and I still can’t differentiate the word sun,son, sung song. Nor cheap, ship, or sheep. I love the term if you put the foot to the metal it would run out of breath at 120 miles, or 130 miles. please understand that I look forward to reading Barn Finds. I am grateful to have this form of entertainment. and above it all. I like the comment section as readers point out things about a car that I hadn’t even noticed. Yes I get educated from some of the writers wittiness. What I can’t stand is someone being disruptive and just writing to critized the type of speech, or comment that a writer made. Keep in mind that Bran Find gave you a chance to become one of their writers so since you’re so well versed in the English language by all means become a writer, as that will help me expand my vocabulary. Thanks
“Ticking” simply means “checking” , like putting a check mark in a circle or square , as you would do when taking a test or possibly on a voting sheet.