Growing Up With Mopar®

Words: Jim Hill

Living the Mopar® Life.

Like most of us Mopar® nuts, I grew up in a Chrysler products family. It all started when I began driving my mother to church—and most everywhere—in my dad’s ’50 Plymouth 4-door. I must have been about 14, with no driving permit. I remember that Dad owned a ’56 Plymouth, ’58 Plymouth station wagon, a ’63 Dodge and a ’67 Dodge.

My first car was a ’52 F*rd for most of my high school days, but my girlfriend Jeanie (now my wife of 46 years) had a ’58 Plymouth. After high school I had a ’56 Plymouth for a short time and then I was off to the Navy. During my last year in the Navy I bought a ’60 Plymouth—an ex-FBI pursuit car.

Jeanie and I got married in 1964 and in 1965 we bought our first real Mopar, a 1965 Plymouth Satellite 383—4 bbl, 4-speed. It was a real hot rod and my wife even liked the 4-speed. As all stories go, our son was born in 1968 so the hot rod was downsized to a ’66 Fury—4-door hardtop with A/C.

Over the years there have been many Mopars: a Colt station wagon, an Aspen station wagon and a Dodge Diplomat. Jeanie got hooked on the first minivans and has had four since.

In 1970, my dad’s car dealer found us a 1969 Charger SE. That was the restart for us and muscle cars. The 1969 had only 1100 miles. The story goes that the owner bought it new when he got out of the service in the western part of the U.S. He drove it to Virginia and traded it in on a 340 Dart. We still have the Charger today, after 40 years and a complete restoration.

My son Keith had a friend named Frankie with a ’69 Road Runner for sale. He was at our house with the car and Jeanie asked him, “How much?” As we talked she disappeared into the house. She came out later and handed Frankie a check for the full amount. She really liked the car, and the 4-speed brought back memories. Afterward, we were told the life story of the car: The original owner wanted a black ’69 Road Runner. His dealer couldn’t find one, so they made a deal for a R6 red ’69 Road Runner to be repainted black. The car was taken apart and everything repainted black like a “factory paint job.” The dealer found and installed a set of W23 wheels. The owner was in the Navy so most of its early life the car stayed in a chicken barn in North Carolina under a cover. The original owner was killed in a farm accident and the car was sold to a relative and ended up in Virginia. The wheels alone are now worth more than what we paid for the car.

Just about the time my wife bought the Road Runner, I had a call from a salvage-yard friend telling me of a ’70 Charger R/T that was for sale. The owner of the car told me it was pretty much original—a Six Pack 4-speed from the VIN number that he gave me. Several days later I called him and he told me that it had been sold. After a year or so, I got another call and was told of a ’70 Charger R/T 440 Six Pack for sale in the western part of the state. When I called, the owner was surprised that I had the VIN code. It wasn’t going to slip away again. The next Saturday morning we took the trip to meet the owner. He told us that for the price of the car we also got all the other Mopar parts he had. When we got there, Keith, who was then high-school age, jumped out of the car and dove under the Charger. He came out with a big grin and a thumbs up. The engine and transmission numbers matched the car. It was a numbers matching original R/T. The only major part missing was the Dana rear. Later we found out that the carbs were original and so was the alternator and radiator.

Over the last 15 years I have had the bodywork repaired and painted. The motor has gone through a complete rebuild and has been run on a dynamometer several times—showing over 400 hp. Most of the parts on this car have been refurbished, rebuilt, re-plated and many NOS parts used. For example, I spent two years finding a date-code-matching starter. The completion date is still to be determined!

About the parts we had to take as part of the deal; Leaning against a tree was a 1969 Air Grabber hood. Under the hood, protected from the weather, was a 4-speed 440 high-performance motor!

Growing up in a Mopar family, our son Keith (now 41) also had his share of Mopars, starting with a 1970 Dart, 1969 Road Runner, two Ram Chargers and two diesel pickups. Once, my father ordered a new ’76 Dodge custom Slant-6, 3-speed. We received notice that the truck was on the way, but delivery was delayed by a railroad strike. We found out that the train was stopped at a yard near Norfolk, Va., so we drove over and saw the truck on the train. After a few years our son bought it from Dad. Out came the Slant-6 and in went a 318 automatic. Keith drove it several years and then opted for bigger and better! He installed the 440 high-performance motor we got with the ’70 Charger. It’s now a 440 Six Pack with a heavy-duty 727 TorqueFlite. The truck is now his Saturday night cruiser.

Other cars I own:

1965 Plymouth Satellite. Since our first new car was a Satellite, I have always wanted another. We found this one near Kansas City in a small roadside museum. It is all-original; a 383 4-barrel with factory A/C, AM/FM radio and many original parts.

’71 Plymouth GTX. This car belonged to a friend’s wife. They only brought it out several times a year. It caught my eye, being GY3 Citron Yella with a white interior. It was built and lived in Windsor, Ont., Canada, until the owner sold it to my friend in Virginia.