This is what I found about the Mopar: 1965 Plymouth Satellite hardtop, 361/2bbl, 727 automatic driving a 2.76 rear end, 117,000 miles (apparently). Options include: Air conditioning, power windows, dash clock, vinyl roof, tinted windows, bumper guards, plus a bunch more minor ones you can read on window sticker that came with the car. |
The Plymouth listed for $3,957.85 although the dealer invoice that came with the car showed someone knocked it down to $3,875.00. That was a lot of money back then! |
The bad: - A few dents in each lower rear QP. - Front pass side bumper has a small hit. - Rust-through in trunk lid and trunk floor pan. - A lotta surface corrosion from sitting in a Boston garage for 15 years. - Normal wear and tear on the interior, cracked vinyl console lid, minor tear in headliner. |
The good: - Haven't found any hidden rust. - Only a few minor bubbles in vinyl roof. - The suspension and steering are beautifully tight. - The seller gave me a 4bbl manifold, plus an AVS carb with the car. - The A/C and two power windows are the only things that don't work. - Everything is there, trim, lenses, accessories, including the original hubcaps - undented. - I found the customer order form, dealer invoice, window sticker, broadcast sheet and more in the glovebox. |
I have my pit crew ready for the restoration, too! |
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I was recently contacted by another 1965 Satellite owner (Dennis Nagel) who saw the my Web page on this web site Dennis asked how things were going with our restoration, and we shared a few emails this past month. Dennis and his wife own a beautiful teal-colored Satellite which they have kept since his wife bought it before they met! He shared a few tips with me relating to my plans for various upgrades.
So, our emails motivated me to write with this update on our progress to date.
Lets title this Remember: Plans Change
After some further thinking and logistical planning, we decided to restore the engine, drivetrain underside and engine compartment FIRST the opposite of the way I was thinking back in 2006. After these areas are done, then we'll tackle the exterior body dents and a bit of rust. We'll do the interior last.
So things got underway
After an initial round of trim removal, the first task was to check how and where the car would be placed in our limited garage space before she would be immobilized for the duration....
We decided it couldnt take up both garage spaces, and with this decision came the acknowledgment that progress would be slower than ... well, than if we had more room.
Below is the basic position the Satellite has remained in since Spring 2007. Disassembly began in earnest once she was up on the jack stands
An early logistical decision was whether to pull just the engine/tranny out the top, or to drop down the entire engine K-frame and front suspension. Well, theres only one way to maximize access to the engine bay when the car is limited to one garage bay s so we dropped the K-frame and assembly as one....what fun!
At this time I read a good step-by-step guide to a typical Mopar restoration (Project Charger by Larry Lyles). The author emphasized the importance of record-keeping in both written and photographic form. With this firmly in mind, the disassembly continued.
Everything removed was photographed before and after, with dated written notes about condition, paint colors, fastener sizes, sequence, etc.
Parts and fasteners were bagged and tagged with dates and contents. Assemblies were typically organized in milk crates.
It took about two months of piecemeal work before we were ready to drop the engine/tranny/K-frame onto a homemade rolling cradle.
Before we would take the 361 engine to the machine shop it was stripped of all accessories, thoroughly cleaned, then manifold, oil pan and heads removed for a visual inspection.
The engine went to the machine shop in November 2007 for a rebuild with .010 overbore, a mild cam and increased compression. The transmission was sent out for rebuild too.
Shown here (below right) is engine arriving back in December 2007 with a 9.4:1 compression.
With the engine assembly out, I cleaned the entire engine bay with GoJo hand cleaner. Good results. The left side is done in the photo above.
Vacations and other obligations interrupted summer work, plus the removal of console cables and a decision to overhaul the A/C system brought about the need to disassemble a good part of the interior.
In the winter of 2007-2008, less time was spent in the cold garage, and shifted more to restoring the various subassemblies; dismantling parts, sandblasting, repainting, reassembly and back onto the engine, or into a box waiting to go back on the car.
2008 saw the renovation of our kitchen and dining room, so work on the Satellite remained focussed on the subassemblies: Various engine items, front suspension components, brakes.
I remain pleased with the results and steady, if small, progress.... |
Thanks to encouragement from people like Dennis, I hope 2009 will offer more time to work on the big stuff!
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