Hot Rodding is cool, but for this rare 1970 Dodge HEMI Super Bee, restoration is the only way to go.
The "good ol' days" vary depending upon whom you ask, but for millions of American males, it was during the "muscle-car" era. Muscle cars were produced in mass quantities during the mid 1960s and early '70s and were intermediate in size for the most part. These exciting factory-built high-performance cars have become American automotive history treasures and are an important part of the American car culture. Because many models had affordable base prices, they were not just for "rich kids;" they were enjoyed by persons of all ages and incomes. All that was required was a heavy right foot.
However, for those with deeper pockets, extra-cost optional engines with even more power were available, along with optional transmissions and gear packages ideal for drag-race applications.
FLEXING ITS MUSCLES
Muscle cars were plentiful in their heyday and it was common to see scores of them at any given time on the streets and highways of any city in America. All it took to buy one at the local dealership was some cash (or credit) and soon you were ready to burn rubber.The 1970 Dodge Super Bee shown here was purchased new in Middle America by Fred Taylor of Antioch, Illinois. What makes this example different from the vast majority of Super Bees sold that year is what sits under the hood—the conquering 426-cubic-inch, Generation-II HEMI engine.
In 1970, the HEMI engine had a 425-horsepower rating, but dynamometer tests revealed this number was low (probably so young buyers could obtain insurance). An estimated 500-hp (gross) is probably more accurate. The beauty of the 426 HEMI engine is the hemispherical combustion chamber design, which delivers more fuel and air with each intake stroke than any other chamber design for normally aspirated powerplants. The hemispherical cylinder-head design brings high volumetric efficiency and, coupled with 426 cubic inches of displacement, these engines are hard to beat.Conceived to bait people into street races, Taylor had the RAMCHARGER hood removed and replaced with a standard Super Bee hood (center bulge) as used with the more docile 383-cubic-inch engine. With the hood swap, the car appeared to be equipped with the standard 335-hp powerplant, and surely there must have been newfound opponents for speed contests.
Amazingly, the original engine and transmission stayed with the car all those years (numbers matching), and except for some minor rust and a few aftermarket "go-fast" goodies added to the engine, Taylor's old Bee was still in pretty good shape in 2005 when it rolled into the Aloha Automotive Services shop located in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The initial basic "make over" turned into a full rotisserie restoration.ALOHA TEAM RESURRECTS THE HEMI BEE
Tommy White (co-owner of Aloha Automotive Services; his wife Tina is the other owner) was approached to perform the restoration duties and took on the project for good customer Bill Wiemann, a serious muscle-car guy from Fargo, North Dakota. Wiemann has a soft spot for anything HEMI powered and he felt this HEMI Bee deserved to be "brought back" to "as-new" condition.
A good "survivor" car, this HEMI-powered Dodge had seen a few different owners over the years and thankfully was still very much intact. With just 38,000 miles on the odometer, it was the perfect candidate for a quality restoration.
Aloha got busy and started to dismantle the rare Mopar and order the numerous parts and pieces needed to properly restore the car. Aloha found a stock RAMCHARGER hood, complete with the underside fixture that attached to the air cleaner base.Among the two-dozen employees at this 40,000-square-foot shop are two full-time employees who spend each day chasing down parts for various customer cars. Internet searching, mail-order house ordering, warehouse inventory, salvage yards, old dealership buy-outs (for rare NOS items), and word-of-mouth are among methods they use to find the needed items.
Once the original paint (Dark Burnt Orange Metallic) was removed, along with all primers, the Aloha team went through the body top to bottom. They located all the rust and then removed the affected metal. Then, the craftsman in Aloha's fabrication shop created metal patch panels as exact replacements.While the body was prepped for paint work, the engine crew started rebuilding the 426 HEMI engine. Aloha is equipped with a complete in-house machine shop featuring a line of Rottler machines that consist of a block machine, cylinder hone, valve grinder, and rod re-conditioner. Also in the equipment arsenal are a Sunnen head machine, DCM Magnaflux machine, AXE pressure tester, and RMC rotating assembly balancer. With all this equipment, the entire engine was rebuilt without having to leave the shop.
The engine received a full and complete overhaul (blueprinted to original factory specifications) and was run on a stand to break in the camshaft. After installation, the engine was fully tested on a Dyno Jet chassis dynamometer. The transmission and differential also were fully rebuilt as per factory specs; nothing can be overlooked in a high-quality restoration.One unique feature of the Aloha-built HEMI was the addition of a Pertronix electronic ignition system, which was completely enclosed in the stock distributor and eliminated the points. From the outside, it retained the standard factory appearance, but with improved ignition performance.
The car also received new interior pieces and replated chrome as needed, new vinyl top, new side stripes, and a set of Goodyear Polyglas F60-15 original equipment-type tires.
It was a six-month restoration, but when Tommy White took the Bee out for its maiden test drive, it looked, felt, and performed just like the day it was built, only perhaps a little better (as Chrysler cars were not known as being all that maxed-out on QC!), thanks to the talented techs at Aloha.At any given time during the process, car owner Bill Wiemann could visit the Aloha Web site (www.alohadreamcars.com), click on "Webcam," and watch live as the team worked on his prized Mopar. Muscle-car restoration is hot and provides car owners a place to truly make their dreams come true.
SOURCES
Aloha Automotive Services
Central Valley Classics
Mopar Parts America
Mopar USA
RMParts
Year One
