1970 Plymouth GTX 440+6bbl. automatic

My 1970 GTX is one of 328 440+6bbl. built with an automatic transmission.  It was built at the Los Angeles assembly plant on Tuesday September 23, 1969.

I acquired the car from California after responding to a "for sale" ad in the WW/NBOA newsletter.  The car arrived in Iowa in May 1989.  I tried to research the car's history but I was only successful in going back two owners, before I came to a dead end.  The second owner before me said he bought it from a car trader's magazine for $875 in 1987.  Supposedly the seller couldn't get the car to start and thinking it probably needed extensive motor work, offered the car up at this reasonable price.  The new buyer replaced the fusible link in the engine compartment and the motor started right up.

When I receivd the car, it had very little rust but the primered body was hiding numerous dings.  The sheet metal was smoothed and repainted the original FY1 lemon twist color by a friend, Tim Hardyk.  The motor and transmission were 1967-68 vintage pieces, so they were sold and a lengthy search for the correct year and part number block and transmission was successful.  The motor and transmission were given to a local mechanic with years of experience building high performance motors, John Wilson.  The correct year block had been bored .060 and correct 6 pack innards were installed during the rebuild.  The 6 pack 727 transmission was built back to factory specs by John, who then assembled everything back into the GTX.

The car originally was ordered with a fair number of options, as it needed 1 -1/2 fender tags to hold all the data.  Unfortunately, the broadcast sheet was missing from this Los Angeles built car.   The original dealer and state the car was sold from is currently unknown.  I am quite sure the car was sold outside the state of California, as the fender tag is coded N42, chrome exhaust tips.  California did not allow these chrome "trumpet" tips on cars sold in the state.

Options on the car included AM radio, power steering, power front disk brakes, airgrabber hood, the A36 axle package (3.55 gears/suregrip), light package, black vinyl top, FY1 high impact paint, remote driver's OS mirror, hood performance paint, hood pins, and a console with the standard heavy duty automatic transmission.  Options added later, but which were available on this model, included clock/tach, pedal dress-up, woodgrain steering wheel, passenger side OS mirror, an AM/FM radio, and the rear go-wing.  Since this GTX was an early in the model year built car, the original trunk lid did not have the factory spoiler cut outs like the November 1969 and later GTX's had.  To mount the go-wing a later version trunk lid was used.

Since the style of original rims was unknown, 14" Road wheels were selected and mounted with modern 225x70 size radial tires.  Reproduction Hemi mufflers were purchased at the Mopar Nationals, along with the correct hangers for the pipes and chrome tips.  Sioux Muffler in Sioux City, Iowa expertly fabricated the exhaust pipes and installed the complete exhaust system.  New upholstery was ordered through Harden's and carpet was ordered from Year One.  Performance Car Graphics refaced and calibrated the instrument cluster and installed new woodgrain for the 5 dash pieces.

The car was completed in time for my son, Wes, with his new bride Amy, to drive to their wedding reception in July, 2000.