Rob Lewis, a 24-year-old self proclaimed "young, passionate Mopar nut," sent us his entry for the Mopar Muscle Young Guns Club recently. He's the owner of this Sublime '70 Super Bee and has been using it as his daily driver and as his ongoing project. He's a life-long fan of Ma Mopar, and it doesn't look that's going to change anytime soon.
Most of our Young Guns are lucky enough to drive their projects as their daily transportation. This leaves them strapped for cash and can sometimes impact the quality of the car. We've surely all lived on a budget, but few of us have had to manage a growing passion for the Mopar hobby, while still worrying about bills, school, insurance, and everything else that teens are inundated with while working minimum wage in high school and college.
In spite of all of these obstacles, Rob allowed his love for Mopars to flourish. When he was just 15 years old, he was looking for a set of wheels to call his own. He knew that it would come from the Chrysler Corporation, but he never imagined it would come in the form and sexy shape that it did.
In May of 2001, Rob purchased the Bee and it quickly became a father and son project car. It came with a 383 and a four-speed but the original engine was long gone. In its place was a very worn out and tired 383 so he and his father swapped in a fresh 440 mated to the four-speed. The engine has a few tricks up its sleeve, however, starting with the regular bolt-ons of headers, carburetor, and an intake manifold.
A quick peek inside the RB block we find a mild camshaft that gives the Bee some low-end grunt and a nice idle. This cam isn't good enough for Rob though. "I would like to swap the cam out for a Mopar 292 .509 cam," he says. In addition to the extra power, he also wants the B-Body to look better, so a refresh to the interior is in the works. And, as if the 440 wasn't strong enough to blow the tires off, a set of rear gears with a more aggressive ratio will allow the four-speed transmission to really wake up as the rearend turns the tires quicker.
Rob feels blessed to own this car and considers it his pride and passion. "I hope and pray that it remains with me for the rest of my God-given life." It's this sort of determination that has allowed Rob to keep his Bee and make sure it's always looking the best it can. We wish him the best of luck and hope that he never parts ways with his '70 Super Bee.
Restoration Specialties & Supply of Windber, Pennsylvania, is one of the world's largest and well-known mail-order suppliers of finishing hardware, clips, screws, fasteners, and weather stripping for cars, trucks, street rods, and muscle machines. Started in 1974 as a small antique auto parts supplier, Restoration Specialties & Supply manufactures and markets a large variety of replacement window channel and belt weatherstrip kits under the brand name Topcat Whiskers. They also manufacture and carry a full line of weatherstrip packages for the Mopar enthusiast. For more information, to order a catalog, or place an arder, call 814/467-9842, or visit their web site,
www.restorationspecialties.com