Car of the Month

This month's featured 1970 GTX is owned by Bill Lineham of Canada. According to the 1970 GTX registry this is only black on black with P6K4 burnt orange interior with automatic transmission currently known. The registry has 50 black GTX documented with 5 having the rare burnt orange interior, 4 are black on black-three 4 speeds and Bill's automatic plus one 4 speed with black vinyl top. This GTX was built at the St. Louis plant with the standard 440-4bbl HP motor and 727 automatic transmission. It was ordered with the burnt orange bucket seat interior, black side stripe, 14" Road wheels, clock/tach, light package, center floor console and flat black hood performance paint. Please continue reading what Bill has to say about his rare GTX.

Back in August 2004 my son and I went to the Hot August Nights car show in Reno, NV. As a side trip we checked out the Silver Auction where about 1,400 cars were auctioned off over a 3 day period. We found the 1970 GTX in a separate building where they stored cars that had a reserve price but didn't sell. I left my card on the seat, not expecting a call as I live in Canada, but to my surprise about a week later the owner, Bill Bundy of Bend, Oregon called. We made a deal and completed the import paperwork.

The car was complete but very tired. I found a copy of the title which showed the former owner being from South Carolina. We did a full of a restoration as we could, added a few things that caught our attention. We were, however, careful to keep all the original parts.

We pulled the entire power train, gauges, upholstery, etc. The body was stripped to bare metal and thankfully no rust was found. We sent all gauges, console, exterior trim, grill and some dash pieces to Glen at GCar in Chattaroy, Washington. They do great work as all items came back looking 100% factory. Only one problem occurred when the Purolator guy ran over the box holding the console and totally destroyed it. Glen found another out in California and restored it.

We built the 440 to 575 HP and built the transmission and rearend to handle it. It is now great fun to drive, but mind you at the expense of mileage.

I restored everything I could from the air grabber system to the arm rests. We added the 6 pack setup, lower side rocker mouldings, gold side stripe, 3" TTI cross-over exhaust system and electric cut-outs. Also we pulled the 3.91 gears and replaced them with 3.55s for better highway travel. We kept the original color combination, black exterior and burnt orange interior. I understand this is not all that common, particularly with the automatic transmission. (Only black automatic 1970 GTX with burnt orange interior known at this time, documented in the 1970 GTX registry)

This 1970 GTX has the light package (included hood mounted turn signals), center console, driver's side outside door remote mirror, clock/tach, and AM radio. With the exception of the rear window, all glass was replaced with new old stock Mopar glass.

I have been a huge Mopar fan since my teen years and am very pleased to own my favorite car, the 1970 GTX. I'll turn 60 this year, proof that you're never to old for this hobby.

Photo of Bill's GTX once restoration was completed.

Note: the correct steering wheel was burnt orange metallic but needed repair so the black was installed.

April 2013

Past Car's of the Month