Beauty IS a beast would be an apt way to describe this 1969 Dodge Super Bee. Based on the Coronet, the Super Bee was originally a budget alternative to the R/T version, but all of that econo-muscle stuff is in the past here, including the car’s OEM engine. Instead, a comprehensive, no-expense-spared, nut-and-bolt rotisserie restoration taking an estimated 4,000 hours was performed and then coupled with the fresh installation of ‘ol “King Kong” himself, the vaunted 426 Hemi V-8 engine. This new powerplant was built by Best Machine of Farmington, Michigan, and it now features a race-balanced rotating assembly, a nitrided Comp Cams hydraulic camshaft with matched Comp Cams Mopar High Energy hydraulic lifters, a cut and polished crankshaft, Clevite rod bearings, a bore increase to 4.255 with Diamond 52500-005 Hemi pistons (9.3:1 compression plus a Total Seal Moly ring set), the Avon Pro Gear timing chain, and a Melling M63HV BB Mopar oil pump. There are cut valve guides for performance seals, eight hardened exhaust valve seats, a CVF eight-rib serpentine belt kit, dual electric fans and the correct Hemi K-frame, core support and rear leaf springs. This is mated to a heavy-duty TorqueFlite automatic transmission and a new Dana differential equipped with 3.55 gears and Moser axles. A Wilwood 4-wheel disc brake kit with red calipers was also added. The exterior is done in B5 Blue paint with the chrome-trimmed hood blister and white Super Bee graphics. The interior retains its mostly stock appearance, assisted with air conditioning flowing from a factory dealer-style port design system, column shifter, matching new blue interior pieces from Legendary, an in-dash clock, a 150 MPH speedometer, a thumbwheel-style radio and a column-mounted Sun tachometer. There was new NOS glass installed, dual outside mirrors with driver’s remote, chrome exhaust tips and billet-construction Schott five-spoke wheels (20x8.5-inch front and 20x12 rear), done in chrome and bare-metal finishes and wearing redline tires. There is even a factory-type redline tire in the trunk as well. A far cry from budget muscle, this ‘Bee is now the Scat Pack on steroids.
