Not since before the purchase or up until now have I or anyone else who I've spoken with about it has seen another equipped this way. I know of three other 4 speed 383hp 70's but this is the only bench car making it perhaps a one of one Ma Mopar creation.

  Shortly after buying it, and  during the test drive, I thrashed on it one too many times and it spun a rod bearing. After rebuilding the engine and laying down a few more tire smoking burnouts I took a loan out on it and subsequently lost it.

  Fortunately, the loan shark, er, friend did a quasi resto on it and eventually sold it back to me with usual vig attached to the price! Feeling extremely fortunate to get my car back I vowed to never sell again, until I did. But once again it was to another friend and he also sold it but back to me!

 Yep, you guessed it! After some hammering on it I sold it to yet another friend who picked up where I left off but soon found himself in a spot and sold it to his brother. All of this took place in my home state of Washington where I moved from to the SF Bay Area in 1999 to work for my friend who had originally inherited the car from me the first time. He had moved down here a few years earlier and needed help on a project which was to last 3 weeks. I like to say I'm still here temporarily!

  Anyway, after a year I met a woman who happened to be a love cars and we started going to some shows. It was at one of these shows that I spotted a 70 Road Runner for sale. The memories of my old car prompted me to make a phone call and as luck would have it the car could be had. The very next weekend my girlfriend and I were on a plane to Tacoma .

   We drove the car back to the Bay Area and participated in a few car shows that first year. It was then time to do what I had wanted to do long ago. That original semi-resto was showing it's age and a couple of the owners in between had added their personal touch.

  Although I like most types of cars from rat rods to low riders my heart is at home when it comes to OE restored Muscle Cars. So it started, the plans, disassembly and collecting of parts. As I stated earlier some parts are specific to the 70"Sport" Satellite besides the obvious badges. For example, even most Mopar guys do not realize the rocker moldings and wheel opening moldings are unique to this model and year. I managed to find an NOS set of WOM's and one bent rocker molding which I had restored along with a good used one.

  While I did my homework I continued with the disassembly, all the way to the shell which I placed on a homebuilt rotisserie. There was the usual rust in the window corners, cowl, and lower quarters but since it was an undercoated car the floor pans were solid.

  Although I started out intending on an OE, paint splotched, date coded type of restoration I realized doing so would also mean I would have a trailer queen and that's something I did not want. I wanted to be able to drive my car so along the way some changes were made. For example, bare metal parts were preserved with paints that resemble bare metal. Instead of the original style bias-ply's I chose BFG T/A's for ride, handling, and looks.

  I then chose to detail areas the way the factory may have had they had the time. An example would be the exhaust manifolds, fuel pump, pcv valve, and valve cover grommets were not painted unlike the factory procedure which does.

   One of my favorite alterations is the steering wheel. Unlike the previous two years, which have a smooth finish rim, 1970 uses a “pebble grain” texture which had worn smooth from years of “palming”. I had it leather wrapped and dyed to match the interior. Although not stock I like the feel of the leather over the hard plastic.

   The biggest non stock item for this car is the hood. Since I was no longer going OE I decided that after looking out over the flat hood the car was delivered with for so many years it was time for a change. I decided to go with the Air Grabber which I think is the ultimate hood for this body style.

  After 5 years of laboring after work and on the weekends the car was finished in March of 2008, just in time for the Mopar Spring Fling in Van Nuys. I had displayed the car there during that first year of "re-ownership".  My girlfriend and I continued to go to this and many other shows during the restoration years.

   This was a very special event for me since one of my dreams had been from the early nineties to have this car in one of my favorite car magazines, Mopar Collectors Guide. As it turned out, Rob Wolfe, the editor, was at this event and approached us about an article which I of course said yes.

 That, in and of itself, would have been enough but unbeknownst to me there was more to come. During the ceremonies we were awarded MCG's editors choice award. The car is in the August 2008 issue, a dream come true. This may seem trivial to some but as I said it was something I had always wanted and the years of blood, sweat, tears, and yes money made it all worth it. We displayed the car at more shows throughout 2008 and garnered some more awards. It was a great year! 

  On a final note, the article that appeared in MCG was written by Randy Holden. What I didn't mention here that I did with him is the trouble this car has given me, almost as if it were possessed. The birthdate of this car is Friday the 13th, along with a 666 and the number 13 in the VIN. Well, Randy titled the article "Born Under A Bad Sign" and even though it's been over a year since the car has been done it's still giving me grief. Time to go get it exorcised!

1970 Plymouth Sport Satellite

4 Speed

1 of 185 built with this engine/trans combo

3:55 Sure Grip Differential

Deep Burnt Orange Metallic exterior (FK5 1970 only)

Burnt Orange interior (P3K4 1970 only)

P3K4 = cloth/vinyl bench seat with fold down armrest