Restoration Progress – S&S Mopar Muscle

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021

1967 Ford GT500

While Mopar is in our name, it is not the only thing we work on. We love all exciting cars, no matter the make or model. This latest restoration project is a very rare and unique car that we absolutely love.

This is a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. It is one of only 2048 GT500s produced in 1967. It has a factory numbers matching 4 speed transmission and a matching 428 Police Interceptor motor. The car is fully documented with a 7 page build sheet from Shelby even has Shelby’s signature on it. This has been a California car for 99.9% of its life and there is no rust anywhere. It has a very solid body with with the original red primer and paint on the floors.

The car still has the original fiberglass hood, nose and trunk lid with all the associated scoops. The car was ordered with lime gold paint and black interior and as was indicated, it came with the very desirable 4-speed manual transmission. The car is being restored back to OEM concourse condition by us here at S&S. We will be using all original restored or NOS parts during this restoration. The car is just too unique and valuable not to.

November 10, 2020May 5, 2021

1969 Plymouth Cuda 440

Yes, this is one of the ultra-rare 1969 Cuda 440s. This one especially unique in that it is the only black one made that came with blue interior. An actual one of one. Unfortunately, this car spent a large portion of its life as a race car, and the body shows it. A lot of work has gone into getting the body work done, but it is a labor of love and is the personal car of one of owners of S&S.

More body & paint work – Nov 2020

When a car demands something far beyond the ordinary, something that “outshines” any car around, we use a special paint process that we came up with. This car demanded and so we shot it with a single stage PPG Concept and then added clear on top of that which gives it the deepest richest black paint job on the planet, you can see the results in the pictures below, which do not do it justice. To get the full effect you have to see it in person, the paint looks like it is five feet deep. We have also started work on the headliner and interior.

January 9, 2020May 5, 2021

1967 Plymouth Satellite

We bring another progress page to you! This time it is a 1967 Satellite that we found for a customer and are now doing a restoration. It is an original blue car with two town white and blue interior. It should look sharp!

28 Jan 2020 Update – We have been hard at work on the restoration of this 67 Satellite. The car is now painted, under coat has been applied, the paint is color sanded, and the interior is getting ready. Still lots to do…but the two tone Satellite paint looks gorgeous.

Car continues to move along nicely with the paint work all wrapped up and the car coming back together. We have the rear glass in and working on all the other parts as well.

Front end is now complete and looking amazing, as is the two tone interior, just the way it came from the factory.

October 22, 2019January 28, 2020

1970 Cuda 440-6 Sublime Green

This is an amazing car to restore and we are glad to be a part of it. It is a factory 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda 440-6 pack with 4 speed manual and Dana 4:10 rear end. This car was a race car from the first day out of Chicago area. After its racing days in the 1970s were done, it was left for dead and when it was finally found it was highly cut up and rusted bad.

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019

1969 Camaro SS

This is another one of those projects that we take in where we just fix a few things and move it on its way. We are prepping this SS Camaro for a new top and then doing some fixes to the paint work and then a complete polish and buff.

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019

1966 Ford Mustang

This is a quick project we took in to keep some inside work this winter. The owner bought it for his wife for an anniversary present sight unseen from North Carolina and shipped straight here (in California) for some quick work and a clean up. Just needed exhaust and a top (yeah, we have heard that before). After installing the new top we tried to drive it over to the upholstery shop. On the way the tires blew out and the car didn’t make it. Since we got it back home we had the rims powder coated and new tires installed. The interior was so wiped out it was brown instead of blue and white like it was supposed to be. None of the electrical worked…and we mean nothing. So there ended up being lots of work ahead for us. What was going to be a quick project is turning out a bit longer

January 11, 2019February 20, 2020

1970 Dodge Challenger Pink – $POR

This is a factory original 1970 Dodge Challenger RT 440 Magnum car…but what makes it really unique is the color combination!

The car is a factory FM3 Panther Pink car with Hot Magenta stripe and blacked out hood. Yes, it was originally ordered that way and we have the original build sheet! There were only 2 Pink/Pink 440 4-barrel cars produced from Chrysler. So it is a one of two built car. It has been off the road since the late 70’s and has only accumulated 44k original miles. Unfortunately it was side swiped on the passenger side (fixed now) and then left for dead in the original owners yard. The motor and trans were pulled and the car was sold to the 2nd owner in Michigan. Restoration was started in the 80’s, but only a small amount was completed. Mostly it sat around in the garage with other pink cars.

Mopar Collectors guide did an article on this car back in the 90’s, but still, nothing more was done. We purchased the car in the early 2000’s and began finding parts and working on the restoration. Because we took our time, the car has tons of original parts. The interior is mostly original including seat covers, door panels and the dash pad. The carpet and headliner are new.

The motor has the correct dates F440-HP along with the transmission. Most of the parts we used are OEM or NOS. The rear wing was added by the 2nd owner and we left it in place. The car is on the last leg of restoration and is getting close to being finished and it will be for sale when completed.

22 Oct 2019 – Update! Its a big day for the pink Challenger. We install the motor and front end all as one unit, just like at the factory.

Feb 2020 – After final buffing, this car is done and is amazing! If you would like to come see it, it will be at Muscle Cars at the Strip 2020. March of this year. Certainly a car you will probably never see another one like.

January 9, 2019October 22, 2019

1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S

This restoration project has a personal story to it from S&S. The family member that manages and takes care of all of the technology side of S&S (that’s me) has always loved all three generations of the Barracuda, but the second gen cars (1967-69) were always my favorite. When this basket case 1968 Formula S car came up for cheap (well, the end price is never cheap) at a swap meet, we jumped on it. That was a decade ago! Finally, the car has moved up the queue, after seemingly always getting pushed behind a customer car, and the restoration has now begun! The best part about the car is that it is exactly how I would have ordered a 1960s Mopar if I could have! Even the choice of colors. It is a Formula S, 340 with a 4-speed tranny. The paint is light yellow with black sport stripe and black interior. There were not many other options, though it does have power brakes, but manual steering. Perfect!

23 Jan 2019 – Tear down is just about complete and trim and bright work has been sent to the restorers.

11 June 2019 – Shell has been taken to the sand blaster. The gauges have been completely rebuilt and restored. The driveshaft has been rebuilt. All the chrome has been redone as well.

October 2019 – The shell is back and all sealed up. Lots of parts have been redone where possible and purchased new when had to.

December 19, 2018July 11, 2020

1968 Dodge Charger R/T – $POR

Here is another very rare and unique factory 1968 charger R/T that we are restoring right now and offering for sale. The car was purchased from an estate sale in 2011 in Reseda CA where the car had been sitting since 1990. Amazingly the car is registered in the original owners name with the original title on hand. The front end of the car was bumped into and then sat from that point on and has less than 100k original miles. The car was 95% original before we started the complete restoration.

Unfortunately the car was stored outside and the weather took its tole on the original paint and interior so we had a lot to do. It was so original and clean we chose to do a complete rotisserie restoration and use as many OEM parts as we could. Many NOS parts have also been installed to this black beauty.

The story from the family goes like this: Bob, the original owner, watched the movie “bullitt” in the spring of 1968 and loved the Charger in the movie so much that he just had to have one. He had a family friend that owned a Dodge dealership in Chicago and he contacted him and ordered this Charger almost exactly like the one in the movie. A month later the car arrived and he flew out to Chicago and drove it home to California.

The car was ordered with some great options to make it a comfortable driving car. Options include:

Air conditioning
Power steering
Power disk brakes
440 Magnum
Bucket seats with console
Tachometer
Headrest
Possi (Sure Grip) Rearend
and many others.

Of course the color of Black with black interior was chosen to match the car in the movie and it looks as sinister as ever. The car was never driven in bad weather and was not driven on a daily basis. Therefore the sheet metal is in remarkable condition. The front fenders were replaced because of the fender bender but OEM originals were used. Therefore the car retains all OEM Chrysler sheet metal, even the trunk pan. The core support still retains the correct SO number and matches the original fender tag. The car does have a very nice build sheet for documentation and an inspection card found under the seat from the factory. The motor and trans are correct with numbers matching. They have never been out of the car or rebuilt before the car came to us. The alternator, starter, carburetor and components are still original for the car and have been restored. All the side glass is original to the car and in great shape. There are a few minor scratches but we wanted to use the original glass. The front and rear glass were replaced with ECS aftermarket due to the originals being a little too pitted and scratched. The bumpers and pot metal pieces have all been rechromed and are not after market. The stainless steel pieces have been highly polished. Interior has been redone using Legendary interior components. The dash pad is still the original. Gauges were totally rebuilt by Redline gauges. Gauge faces were done by Gcar.

The car is in the middle of a full restoration and will be for sale when it is completed. This is an amazing car with all the right components for a blue chip car. Call for pricing. Expected to be complete in the summer of 2019

Update 4 April 2019 – The dash and gauges are all completed and now installed in the car. Interior is mostly complete and we now have the rear-end complete as well. Windshield is in, front end completed, and trim and wheels going on.

11 June 2019 – The car is starting to get close to completion, just finishing up the last remaining details.

Spring 2020
This Charger is absolutely stunning, as you can see in the pictures below. It turned out amazing and it is now going to be loved by one lucky owner. Car is on the road and alive again.

December 14, 2018February 6, 2021

1970 Dodge Coronet Convertible

S&S purchased this 1970 Dodge Coronet convertible from southern California several years ago after it had been sitting in a barn for many years. Registration showed the last time it was registered was in 1982. The car was a very good solid convertible and we got it back on the road as a daily driver with some interior work and just a light tune up. We even installed a new top. This cool car started life as a 318 and 3 speed on the tree. Early on in the 1970’s it had been converted to a 4 speed but never was fully finished. We finished the conversion and installed the proper pistol grip. What an awesome car and fun to drive. We had told a friend about the car and it was sold to him to become a Hemi conversion with a color change that will make it incredible. Watch the total transformation into an amazing recreation of a Hemi car that you will ever see. With only 3 real Hemi convertibles produced there are not many to choose from. This car is being built as if our customer ordered it himself.

15 Dec 2018 – The paint is finished and the red bumblebee stripe has been added and interior work has begun. We have also started working on the convertible top. Take a look at some of the paint pictures and you can see the mirror like reflection in the paint. Black is the hardest to paint, but man, when you nail the body work, nothing looks better.

Jan – April 2019 – Work has moved to the interior and getting everything put together there. Front end is complete as is the rear end.

October 2019 Update – The dash board and gauges have been completely rebuilt and installed. The seats, carpet and other interior pieces are all done.

July 2020

Progress continues on this gorgeous 70 Coronet. Engine is completed and installed and we are wrapping up the details to get ready for the first drive. Looks amazing.