need advise on 69 plymouth satellite

[turbobitt]

If the car is a 383 car it is probably rare. If is a 4 BBL car it is even more rare. Most were 318 cars.

 

[UNGN]

If the car is a 383 car it is probably rare. If is a 4 BBL car it is even more rare. Most were 318 cars.

Rare doesn't automatically = good. 383 Sport Satellites are only rare because for a few dollars more you could get a 440 GTX, which is why there was nearly 18,000 of those built in 1968.

Nobody would say a 383 sport satellite was worth more than a GTX, even if it was "rare".

 

[ngc414]

It was a 383 2bbl, which tempted me at 4500 bucks, but decided I would rather hold out and pay a little more for a project road runner or charger. I seen a couple nice 383 satellites on ebay and nobody seems to be interested in them.

 

[turbobitt]

Rare doesn't automatically = good. 383 Sport Satellites are only rare because for a few dollars more you could get a 440 GTX, which is why there was nearly 18,000 of those built in 1968.

Nobody would say a 383 sport satellite was worth more than a GTX, even if it was "rare".

Didn't imply rare=good. Some people like having rare cars especially if there well documented. Mopars have a different following. Its all about what you want and what your willing to do with the car.
If the car is very rough as you described, than maybe hard to regain any investment. If it was a 4 BBL car I would say you could probably flip it for more $$$ with no additional investments. But then again , the market has change a bit over the last year.

 

[Yankee John]

Didn't imply rare=good. Some people like having rare cars especially if there well documented. Mopars have a different following. Its all about what you want and what your willing to do with the car.
If the car is very rough as you described, than maybe hard to regain any investment. If it was a 4 BBL car I would say you could probably flip it for more $$$ with no additional investments. But then again , the market has change a bit over the last year.

Well said! As an example, My brother had a couple of E-body Mopars (Cuda's) that were very slightly less-than-desireable, even if they were really really rare.

The first was a 1971 'Cuda 340/3speed manual in Hemi Orange paint, One of only 151 built that year. The second was a 1970 'Cuda 383/3 speed manual in Sublime Green, one of only 150 produced that year.

If these were 4 speed or even Torqueflite automatic cars, they would have been worth mega dollars. But because they were 3 speed manual cars, they sell for about 20-30% lower than a 4 speed or auto car. He had a hard time selling the cars (at a very fair price) because they were 3 speed cars. I'm sure they eventually ended up having 4 speeds installed

Rare doesn't always mean high dollar!

John

 

[Chuck Leeper]

I can "identify" w/ what Gary said!
I did a 3 yr build on a 6T5 Belvedere 1.
530 HEMI, 5 speed Tremec, Dana, RO1 interior, yadda, yadda....LOTSA $$$$!
KILLER CAR! Sold it for BIG BUCKS, and moved out into the country.. Spent the $$ on the new property.
The Buick is also gone.. Got tired of wearing out engine hoists!
Of all the cars I've "messed with", the Mopes are the priciest!

 

[Chuck Leeper]

My Mope.

An extremely hi $$ endevour!!!

 

[turbobitt]

This is mine. Lots of money but I would do it over again.

 

[Gary Wells]

This is mine. Lots of money but I would do it over again.

Striking car, beautiful, I would do that again if i had iot to do over again.

 

[UNGN]

I would do all of my mopars over again because I doubled, tripled and quadrupled the money I had in them... but there is no way I would pay for them what people paid me for them and I sold all of mine too cheap.

There are just too many better cars out there, and wasting a Saturday afternoon in a lawn chair sitting by my car listening to car show BS about how "fast" someones car is just isn't much fun for me anymore. Mopars are most valuable when kept stock and kept stock, they suck to drive... and I would rather be driving.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Nice Challenger.

Mopars are most valuable when kept stock and kept stock, they suck to drive... and I would rather be driving.

Well that may be true, but then again what's important to you? Old school looks with todays technology, or how much it might be worth to someone else? I try to focus building it my way, for me to enjoy, and not worry so much about the resale value.

 

[UNGN]

Nice Challenger.




Well that may be true, but then again what's important to you? Old school looks with todays technology, or how much it might be worth to someone else? I try to focus building it my way, for me to enjoy, and not worry so much about the resale value.

In order to build it "your way", you will have a money pit so deep you will never get out from under it without taking a bath and when you take it for a sunday cruise you will curse the buckboard ride, overboosted steering, the bog-uretor(s) and the 11 mpg.

But it will be a cool color and nice to look at.... if you don't have to drive it.

What's important to me is a car that does good car things at a price that is reasonable for the amount of performance delivered. Mopars used to deliver performance for a reasonable price, before they became "icons" and there Price to performance ratio went ballistic and people were paying full sentimental value for them.

 

["Turbo-T"]

In order to build it "your way", you will have a money pit so deep you will never get out from under it without taking a bath and when you take it for a sunday cruise you will curse the buckboard ride, overboosted steering, the bog-uretor(s) and the 11 mpg.

What's important to me is a car that does good car things at a price that is reasonable for the amount of performance delivered. Mopars used to deliver performance for a reasonable price, before they became "icons" and there Price to performance ratio went ballistic and people were paying full sentimental value for them.

You make it sound as if you're going to build it to sell it.

I've got myself a classic restored Chevy Nova that I'm still wanting to do a bunch of upgrades to. Before I'm all said and done with it, I'll probably have more invested in it than it's actual value. But I'm not building it to sell, I'm building it for me to keep and enjoy.

What do you mean by the "buckboard ride" or the "overboosted steering"?

A car that does good things at a price that is reasonable would be a Chevy.

 

[turbobitt]

You make it sound as if you're going to build it to sell it.


What do you mean by the "buckboard ride" or the "overboosted steering"?

I don't get it either ? My Challenger handles great. It is not as good as a stock Turbo Buick but it is definetly better than my Buick now since my car has a ladder bar in it. I guess when you rebuild the steering/suspension with good components they are not that bad, even nose heavy with a fat Hemi under the hood.

 

[UNGN]

You make it sound as if you're going to build it to sell it.

I've got myself a classic restored Chevy Nova that I'm still wanting to do a bunch of upgrades to. Before I'm all said and done with it, I'll probably have more invested in it than it's actual value. But I'm not building it to sell, I'm building it for me to keep and enjoy.

What do you mean by the "buckboard ride" or the "overboosted steering"?

A car that does good things at a price that is reasonable would be a Chevy.

I don't build anything to sell, but when you have $30K in a car you could buy off E-bay for $15K or you could buy a nice Z06 for what you have in an old rust bucket or a Honda accord is faster in the 1/4 mile than your $30K "classic car", you have to say to yourself "WTF????? Why am I doing this??? so I can park it at a car show and stare at it?"

If you've ever driven a mopar, you would know what overboosted steering is. You can drive the car with your pinky and it doesn't matter if you are parking or going 130 mph. Sure, now you can spend $500 on a steering box to have it feel like a '70's cop car...

The buckboard ride comes from Mopars idea that "more leaf springs = better". Sure it will handle "great"... in a parking lot. Just don't hit a bump in a high speed turn or you'll spin into the weeds when both rear tires leave the ground.

This Satellite would make a cool stroker motor sleeper... If you could build it for less than $20K in it. Restoring it and driving it stock might be cool for someone who is 65+. Restoring it to anything approaching stock would suck to drive.

Putting more than $20K in it and you could buy A LOT better sleepers: you are getting into "Stage 2 1987 Regal limited" territory.

 

[turbobitt]

If you've ever driven a mopar, you would know what overboosted steering is. You can drive the car with your pinky and it doesn't matter if you are parking or going 130 mph. Sure, now you can spend $500 on a steering box to have it feel like a '70's cop car...

The buckboard ride comes from Mopars idea that "more leaf springs = better". Sure it will handle "great"... in a parking lot. Just don't hit a bump in a high speed turn or you'll spin into the weeds when both rear tires leave the ground.

.

Hmmm. I have a Mopar and I don't know what you are talking about ??? Stock stearing box and front suspension in my Challenger with split monoleafs w/caltracks in the rear and it handles very good EVERYWHERE..

 

[Gary Wells]

Being an ex-mopar guy, I would like to comment here. I was exrtremely fortunate to own 2 great mopars back in the day. The 1st, a 1969 Ply GTX, 440, air, performance hood, automatic, 375 horse, white exterior over white interior with blue trim, flawless 30K mile car. I bought it in about '71 or so, and then traded that for an extremely original low mileage (26K) purple 1970 Dodge Challenger TA, 340 six-pak car.
I would virtually die to be able to have the '69 GTX 440 again today, even with it's inherit questionable flaws.
When I moved back to Kalif, I bought a '68 hemi GTX, white exterior over black interior, slightly used at about 50K miles, occasional weekend warrior car by the previous owner. Not near the car the 44 was. If I could afford to own a pristine, extremely low mileage, extremely nice '69 GTX today, I would literally die for that too, but I would never attempt to rebuild any of the above due primarily to costs. My hats off to anybody that does, especially to those that do it for love of the sport and not to make money at. The Challenger pictured above is one of the nicest Mopars that I have seen in a while. Confgratulations.

 

[turbobitt]

Being an ex-mopar guy, I would like to comment here. I was exrtremely fortunate to own 2 great mopars back in the day. The 1st, a 1969 Ply GTX, 440, air, performance hood, automatic, 375 horse, white exterior over white interior with blue trim, flawless 30K mile car. I bought it in about '71 or so, and then traded that for an extremely original low mileage (26K) purple 1970 Dodge Challenger TA, 340 six-pak car.
I would virtually die to be able to have the '69 GTX 440 again today, even with it's inherit questionable flaws.
When I moved back to Kalif, I bought a '68 hemi GTX, white exterior over black interior, slightly used at about 50K miles, occasional weekend warrior car by the previous owner. Not near the car the 44 was. If I could afford to own a pristine, extremely low mileage, extremely nice '69 GTX today, I would literally die for that too, but I would never attempt to rebuild any of the above due primarily to costs. My hats off to anybody that does, especially to those that do it for love of the sport and not to make money at. The Challenger pictured above is one of the nicest Mopars that I have seen in a while. Confgratulations.

Thank you for your kind compliments. I built this car myself including the bodywork and drivetrain with help from a good friend that happens to be what I think is the best painter around my area. Although it will never be as fast as my Buick, it definetly fun to drive around with the wife and kids.

Knowing that I would never restore a car like this for myself again, I tried to do the best I could detailing everything. Even the bottom side of the car.

 

[UNGN]

Hmmm. I have a Mopar and I don't know what you are talking about ??? Stock stearing box and front suspension in my Challenger with split monoleafs w/caltracks in the rear and it handles very good EVERYWHERE..

Split monoleafs and caltracks aren't stock. The Stock steering Boxes in all muscle mopars suck compared to a "modern" car... like a 20+ year old Mustang GT. I had a 27K mile 440-6 'cuda. For every "improvement" I bolted on I had to take money off the value.

As good as you think your Mopars handles, a kid in a 20+ year old 5.0 will likely drive circles around it.

Mopars were great cars for 1970 and if you are trying to relive 1970, that's fine. If you want to buy and drive a car that can compete with a modern performance car, a musclecar era mopar is not where I would I'd start.

 

["Turbo-T"]

If you've ever driven a mopar, you would know what overboosted steering is. You can drive the car with your pinky and it doesn't matter if you are parking or going 130 mph. Sure, now you can spend $500 on a steering box to have it feel like a '70's cop car...

The closest thing to a Mopar I've ever driven is a 1990 Dodge Ram bobtail. Step on the gas and the nose shifts one way or another.

The "overboosted steering" sounds like the steering on my 69 Nova. It's very very very easy to steer....I call it "steering for muscular dystrophy people". Like you said you could steer the car with your pinky.