Super Bee is an upgrade over Coronet
Ray Dwyer has always had a soft spot for Mopars.
In the 1970s he could be seen cruising around the Chicago area in a dark green 1970 Dodge Coronet. It had come from a dealer on Pulaski Road and was a humble machine, packing the petite 318-cubic-inch V-8.
The modest power plant didn't bother Dwyer - he simply loved it. The only rival to his heart was his wife, whom he courted while driving the Coronet and later married in 1977.
"We had so many great memories driving together," said Dwyer, now of Des Plaines. In 1979, the couple needed to downsize and made the hard decision to let the Dodge go.
Dwyer was smart and sold it to a local friend to keep it nearby. "I always had plans to buy it back," he said. Sadly, his savvy scheme was cut short. A drunken driver totaled the vehicle seven years later.
Over the next decade and longer, Dwyer kept his eyes peeled for another similar Mopar muscle machine. His eyes finally landed on one in 1999 but there was one small catch. The vehicle he saw wasn't for sale.
Dwyer spotted his 1970 Dodge Super Bee while attending the World Of Wheels car show. Little surprise he liked it - the Super Bee is the performance variant of his beloved Coronet. The owner at the time lived in Oak Park and had rebuilt the Dodge himself.
With all the sweat equity involved, the previous owner was reluctant to let it go. However, after some serious persuasion, the deal was done and he finally agreed to let Dwyer have it. Yet letting the Bee go stung more than that owner thought and soon buyer's remorse set in.
"For the following three years he tried to buy it back, even offering to trade a Hemi Roadrunner for it," Dwyer said.
While the Super Bee was real sweet, over the following years rust set in on a rear quarter panel. What began as a minor repair turned into a full-blown overhaul. Dwyer recruited Hot Rod Autobody in Schiller Park to get his classic cruiser back to like-new condition.
Soon after starting the rebuild, a whole host of other problems were found: additional rotted steel, bad patch panels and Bondo slapped over rust. The infected areas were cut out and a new body panel was installed. With the rest of the car solid, a luscious new coat of delectable Plum Crazy Purple was sprayed on.
The rear white C-stripe graphic was hand-painted. Underneath, the suspension received numerous new components. Dwyer's favorite part is what's under the hood - the factory-bestowed 440 Six Pack V-8 engine.
This rumbling beast is guaranteed to put a smile on the enthusiast's face whenever he takes flight and buzzes around the 'burbs.
"It's the hardest thing for me to lay off the gas," Dwyer chuckles.
Judging by the ear-to-ear smile on his face whenever he returns from a drive, we'd say he's going to be the keeper of the keys for a very long time.
• To share your car's story, contact Matt at auto@ dailyherald.com.