1969 Dodge Super Bee - The Timber Wolf Project

With the car painted, the engine going together, and the parts procured, the end of Project Timber Wolf is finally in sight. Of course, now it's up to us to get everything put together in time for the car to be given away, but we're used to working nights and weekends. Somehow our motivation level just gets higher once we know we have everything in place to complete a project. The feeling of completing this car and taking it for its first testdrive will be almost as good as the feeling we'll get when someone wins this car and gets to enjoy it for years to come.

Since yellow is a light color...        read full caption Since yellow is a light color and doesn't cover very well, J.D. applies a single coat of white basecoat to the car to ensure the final color is consistent over the entire car.	After allowing the white basecoat...        read full caption After allowing the white basecoat to flash, the yellow basecoat can be applied to the car.	To properly paint the doorjambs,...        read full caption To properly paint the doorjambs, the doors are removed from the vehicle. This is important for proper paint coverage since we're changing the color of this car.
The engine bay is often overlooked...        read full caption The engine bay is often overlooked while a car is being painted. We like to prep our engine bay the same way we do the rest of the car, ensuring the car's owner won't be embarrassed to open the hood and show off what's underneath.	The doors, hood, and trunk...        read full caption The doors, hood, and trunk are all painted separately from the car. This ensures good coverage and allows hard-to-reach areas to be better prepped for paint.	For a show-quality finish,...        read full caption For a show-quality finish, the paint is wet sanded and buffed after it's allowed to cure. This is the step that gives the paint that smooth-as-glass look we're after for this project.
Since this car doesn't have...        read full caption Since this car doesn't have accents like a vinyl top to break up the yellow, we decided to paint the hood satin black. This should be a nice contrast, especially when we put the stripe on the back.	While the car was being painted,...        read full caption While the car was being painted, Kevin at Auto Performance Engines was busy machining our engine parts. The heads will be treated to all new guides, a high-performance, multi-angle valve job, and new springs to match our Comp flat-tappet camshaft.	It's common for the exhaust...        read full caption It's common for the exhaust bolt-hole threads of big-block heads to be in poor condition, especially if the car has had headers installed. Our heads needed a couple of Heli-coils, and the rest of the holes were cleaned up with a tap.
For a clean appearance, the...        read full caption For a clean appearance, the wheelwells, underside of the car, K-frame, and master cylinder support are all taped off and painted black.	Our parts are back from the...        read full caption Our parts are back from the machine shop; now it's up to us to assemble the engine. We'll be using Speed-Pro forged pistons in this 383, as well as internals from Comp Cams, Clevite, and Mopar Performance. Look for the complete engine build in an upcoming issue.	As you can see, our project...        read full caption As you can see, our project has come a long way since we started. There's still a lot to do, but the end is in sight. This will be one sweet Super Bee when we're finished, so look for the completion of project Timber Wolf in future issues, and be sure to register for the drawing as this car will be given away once completed, quite likely to one of our readers!