In 1997, Andy and his wife Kristin moved from Maryland to Melbourne, Florida, with the Super Bee in tow. For the next few years, he proceeded to drive and show the Super Bee regularly at many of the local shows; until 2001 when the 383 began having problems. He traced the problems to an exhaust valve not closing, so he pulled the 383 for another rebuild in 2002. He also decided the engine bay was going to get a thorough cleaning and detailing.
During this same time, Andy had become aware of an interesting drag race up in Stanton, Michigan, called the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race. So the 383 and the transmission would be rebuilt with their rules in mind. Ben Donhoff Automotive in Melbourne rebuilt and blueprinted the 383, including some decking of the block to bring the compression up to 10.25:1. The transmission was sent to JW Transmission in Rockledge, Florida, where it was rebuilt to stock specs. While the engine and transmission were being rebuilt, Andy cleaned, repainted, and detailed the engine compartment. He also bought a tti 211/42-inch exhaust system and Dynomax Ultra-Flow mufflers. He also pieced together a combination Mopar Performance and FBO ignition system parts, which he hid inside the car. Then in late 2003, with the help of another good friend, John Bober, all of the pieces of the drivetrain and exhaust were reinstalled. With everything back together, Andy has posted a best of 13.76 in the quarter
Andy always thought the passenger side 'C' stripe looked like it had been removed, and another installed in its place. He never gave it much thought until he took the car to the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals in 2000. While attending the show, a note was left on the Bee from a Mr. Skip Stanley. The note stated Stanley knew the original owners of the car and to give him a call. When Andy got home and called him, Mr. Stanley remembered the car when it was delivered to the dealership. He said the car was delivered with a black 'C' stripe on the passenger side and a white one on the driver side. Before the car was sold, the dealer removed the black stripe and put a white one in its place; it's been there ever since. Andy can't confirm if any of this is true, but it's a logical explaination of why it looks like the stripe was removed.
Even though Andy has raced the Super Bee all these years, he took good care of it. Right now it has just has just over 45,000 miles on it, and has always been garaged since it was new. About 80 percent of the exterior paint is original (except for the engine compartment and right front fender). Except for the headliner, the interior is all original also.
Well there you have it, a '70 Super Bee that has definitely seen and done it all-and lived to tell the tale.
Fast Facts
Owner: Andy Caldwell
Car: '70 Super Bee
Engine: Original 383
Heads: Stock rebuilt 906's milled to 80cc chambers
Camshaft: Stock replacement
Crankshaft: original
Rods: original
Pistons: original
Compression Ratio: 10.25:1
Induction: Factory installed 585-cfm Holley on stock, unported cast intake
Headers: Stock manifolds
Trans: rebuilt 727
Differential: 831/44 now with 4.10 gears
Paint: Factory applied red
Best Performance: 13.76