There are many different ways to "skin a cat" when it comes to car restoration. Some people like to go absolutely stock, redoing everything exactly like it might have looked when it left the factory assembly line or dealer showroom. Others might prefer to begin from the ground up and upgrade the car with the latest technology. In between is a happy medium for a third group, creating great-looking cars that could pass muster as restored classics yet hosting subtle changes that personalize their cars.
For tool-and-die technician Al Balk and his wife Bets, the Turbine Bronze Metallic '67 Dodge Coronet R/T depicted here was a labor of love. The couple had a few other cars (a stock '70 AAR 'uda and a '72 Challenger), but the Coronet was recreated to be a special cruiser. The classic RB-motived beast came into the family in 1989. Sold new in Hillsdale, Michigan, the car was showing its age, but Al remembers a fairly lengthy discussion with the second owner regarding the vehicle's final disposition; the owner wanted to be sure the car would be redone, not parted out. Once the deal was consummated, the car was on its way south to a new home in Cullaoka, Tennessee, to begin a six-year process of reconstruction.
Sheetmetal was first, and the R/T got new front fenders and rear quarters, along with a pair of front floor pans to replace the damaging effects of the Wolverine State's winter road salt. Ironically, it went back to Michigan to Stan's Body Shop in Allegon for the new skins, as well as the application of the spectacular paint.
The 440 engine, which is numbers-matching to the car, stayed in the Volunteer State and was given to Frazier's Machine Shop in Lawrenceburg. it was fortified with parts that could have come right out of a Hustle Stuff catalog circa 1970. Six Pack rods and pistons on a steel crank, a .484 lift Purple Shaft cam, roller rockers, 452 heads, and a factory iron Six Pack intake all added up to create a more visibly appealing package when the hood was lifted. In keeping with the stock flavor of these parts, Al and Bets stayed with the tried-and-true factory exhaust manifolds, which feed fumes to a pair of 211/42-inch tti pipes. The engine is rounded out with a Mopar Performance electronic ignition, a set of Moroso wires, and a Duralast battery for ease of operation.
The gorgeous R/T interior-which Bets gets credit for detailing with soap, a toothbrush, and elbow grease-is highlighted by a few aftermarket gauges from VDO and Summit, the factory 150-mph speedometer, and a cool factory AM radio with a reverb unit mounted in the trunk. Legendary was called on for the seat covers and carpet.
Under the stock chrome shifter is a 727 rebuilt by Al with a J. W. Performance converter in the bellhousing. Al also takes credit for redoing and detailing the 831/44 rear hosting a 3.55 Sure-Grip cog (we even talked him into testing it for us). The one big addition made during the restoration was frame connectors; Magnum 500 rims shod with Goodyear P225/70R15 rubber complete the package.
Like many projects, this one swallowed its share of $100 bills as it came together. But the quality shows. the Balks ended up with a numbers-matching car that turns heads (and could be put back to bone stock if desired)-a street cruiser that can hold its own on Main St. and a personalized statement that reflects the words of the late Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way."