A long 6 years for this M Code

[Darter6]

6 years, amazing how time fly's by. Something to be proud of for sure.

 

[mr. b]

great work it looks awesome

 

[kidsixpack]

Very good looking car! Congrats! Now enjoy it! I’ve put 15,000 miles on my A12 since a complete resto. They are meant to be driven!
KID

 

[66383]

WOW!

 

[Baller]

Great looking car. Nice job.

 

[Durandal25]

............and....you managed to condense it down to just a few pics! Lord, I've littered this poor forum with my minor garage accomplishments for a decade!

 

[LeoD]

Thank you all for the kind words. This one is pretty special to me. Got to do a lot of the build with my dad. We've built quite a few mopars together. I've had nothing but mopars my whole life, and I've always wanted a 69 bee because of my parents beautiful bee. The A12 was the pinnacle of my mopar love. I had restored a 70 bee and thought that was my final build. I was approached by Steve Graser on this website 6 years ago and told me he had a A12 that had been tore apart for quite some time up in Yakima Washington. We talked for a few weeks and came up with a straight up trade. So my father, John Winsler (family mopar friend) and myself started on the 30 hour trip west. When we got to Washington, Steve was there to greet us with dinner and a look around his place. We made our way to the garage and in bay #1 was a gorgeous black mid 70's magnum with a 440 in it. In bay #2, a completely tore apart 69 1/2 super bee in primer on wheel dollies. We talked for quite a few hours, he expressed to me what the m code bee meant to him. We had the same love for this vehicle and I promised to restore the car correctly, no matter cost or effort. Steve had given me the chance to own my unicorn, all I had to do was build it. We got the car back to Kansas and I started on it immediately. Taking each and every last nut and bolt through a cabinet sand blaster. The car spent its whole life up in the northwest so the metal was astonishing. I started on bodywork and detailing the suspension pieces. My friend Weston helped me knock out the body work and it was off to paint, where a good family friend Matt Kellogg laid down a absolutely gorgeous coat of F6 bright green metallic. The car sat painted in my garage for about a year with out being touched. In the meantime I started getting the interior done and dash assembled. Once achieved, I started assembly on front and rear suspension. Then moved on to rebuilding the motor. Saved the block and used another 440 block. I built a 30 over 440 with zero deck flat tops, ported 2.14-1.81 915 heads and a mopar 509 camshaft. Original intake and carbs sit a top and hidden electric ignition, with a factory looking aluminum radiator. Had a talented Hal Richardson instal a flawless black vinyl top.. I also opted to stay with the factory exhaust manifolds (thanks to Tony Hempel!). My friend Kurt Hogan topped off the exhaust with a awesome sounding 2.5" system. The Hemi 4 speed uses a centerforce 11" clutch feeding power back to the original Dana 60 that I chose to remove the 4.10 for a 3.54 swap. Now with the suspension installed and drive train in place I started withbtrunk details and installing the interior, glass and decoration chrome. Also put on my 235 70 and 275 60 redline tires. I finished my bee with the cherry on the top, the lift off hood that I painted with the correct organasol paint. Wife and I installed the stripe and all stickers.
Don't get me wrong, this build came with sacrifices, had to give up a all #'s matching FC7 70 N96 4 speed bee. Also had to sell a panther pink challenger i had built for my wife to fund my build. I wish we could keep all of them. But I look back at the past 6 years and see what a 45 year old dream looks like in fruition. I'm so proud to have stuck to my word, that this one was going to be done with love and patience. Means the world to me, I did it!

 

[LeoD]

 

[LeoD]

 

[LeoD]

 

[LeoD]

 

[LeoD]

More

 

[LeoD]

 

[hunt2elk]

Outstanding job, I tip my hat to you for your meticulous work. Unfortunate that you had to sell off some other beautiful cars, but I think you are left with the best of the best. Hope you are one that will drive and enjoy the car instead of regulating it to a trailer queen.

 

[dadsbee]

Like Joel above said, some mighty fine work! Sounds like you have a keeper Wife there as well... I sold my wife's '64 Vette Vert to fund my Bee's restoration. Well it paid for the parts collection part of it.. LOL

 

[vintage chromoly]

My dream car as well.
I’ve been following you on the lift off good site. you did a fantastic job on that car.

 

[oldbee]

Manual brakes& steering, luv it!!

 

[plymouth67]

You and I have the same dreams!!! Looks AWESOME!!

 

[moparedtn]

 

[Vinny]

Beautiful color on an A12 Bee. I am curious if you will be putting the wheel opening moldings back on? Enjoy it for many years. I've owned mine since September 1989.