Super Bee was the “budget” mid-sized member of the Scat Pack, Dodge’s line of muscle cars
Super Bee was the “budget” mid-sized member of theScat Pack, Dodge’s line of muscle cars
The pictured black-hued 1969 Super Bee Hardtop Coupe is part of the Bill Weimann collection and is considered one of the finest examples of the ’69 Hemi Super Bee on the planet. It had a base price of$3138.00 and came with the E74 $830.65 426 Hemispherical-headed engine option. A big Dana 60 rear end was factory-ordered as it is A34 Track Pak, a 4.10:1 ratio option car, at a cost of $256.45. The 4-Speed gearbox, extra-strong Hemi spec, was an extra $197.00. and outside of an AM radio was $61.55, there wasn’t much in the way of things on the car that didn’t scream out “performance.”
“Plain Jane” best describes the Dodge Super Bee for ’69 ,especially when equipped with a minimum of options. This HEMI 4-speed car has a serious no-nonsense appearance from every angle.
This feature car is fitted with authentic “Super Sports Wide Oval” Firestone rubber (Red Stripe G70x15) and is missing the stock hubcaps, with the stock lug nuts were replaced with chrome acorn lug nuts reminiscent of the 1969 1/2 “Six Pack” Super Bee models.
This rare '69 HEMI Bee is perhaps the rarest of the breed in light of its all-black presentation. If viewed from a distance the black tail stripe isn't even noticeable, and that begs the question: why did the original buyer order a black car with a black Bumblebee? Whatever the reason, it sure created an unusual variant of the 1969 Dodge Super Bee!
The bumblebee stripe was a big visual on these cars. Whenit came time to order a bumblebee stripe on a 1969 Super Bee, there were fourbasic options: V9W (White), V9X (Black), V9R (Red), or Stripe Delete. StripeDelete cars only had the round “Super Bee” markings on the rear-most part ofthe quarter-panels.
M46 rear quarter scoops were cosmetic and a $35.80option
This view shows the Dana 60 center section as well as the beefy rear leaf springs, which featured 6 leaves on the driver’s side and seven on the right (to deal with the rotation of the crankshaft). The under carriage detail on this example is spectacular!
The HEMI Super Bees in ’69 came standard with this functional RAMCHARGER dual hood scoop system, complete with cable to close system in the even of snow, rain conditions, or dust storm.
A reproduction 70-amp battery was sourced during the restoration on this car, and is faithful to the original as fitted to HEMI cars, as are the battery cables and hold-down hardware. Orange over- spray on negative cable is consistent with factory procedure circa 1969 model year.
When this Super Bee was built, the 426 HEMI was the only optional powerplant. It featured large, complex cylinder head castings, double rocker shafts, forged rocker arms, huge valves (2.25-inch intake, 1.94-inchexhaust) with cylinder head ports designed to inhale and exhale huge gulps of air! As featured here as a production 1969 example, they featured black wrinkle finish valves covers and fresh-air induction.
426 Street HEMI engines came standard with a pair of inline Carter Aluminum Four Barrel (AFB) carbs, # 4139S (front), #4140S (rear).
There's nothing quite like the rumble of a HEMI engine blasting by on a country road!
Standard bench seat adds to the “taxi-cab” appearance of the Dodge Super Bee interior, however, the 4-speed Hurst Shifter and Charger Rallye instrument panel served notice that this was a serious muscle machine.
"You're sitting watching the Christmas tree, when this thing with scoops on the hood throbs up. There's crazy on the rear and some kind of bee. Goodbye: it's Super Bee. The scoops scoop. With its new Ramcharger Air Induction System, the vent opens, and a sudden rush of cool, dense air is rammed through the carburetor. The engine gets the message loud and strong. You might say Ramcharger turns a hot mill on by cooling it. Standard with a HEMI and optional with the 383 Magnum V8."
The Super Bee was the “budget” mid-sized member of the Scat Pack, Dodge’s line of muscle cars, and they were based on the Coronet series and were “no-frills” in presentation. Dodge Scat Pack cars were “the cars with Bumblebee stripes” and the Super Bee featured a minimum of trim. Standard equipment included HD suspension, HD shocks, HD brakes, 4-Speed transmission with Hurst floor shift, Charger Rallye dash, a domed hood, and a rear Bumblebee stripe, in either Black, White or Red color. The base Super Bee was a pillared coupe car(with pop-out rear windows).
Two different engines were available for the Super Bee package, the standard engine was the “Magnum” version of the 383-cid 4-barrelV8, delivering 335-horsepower @ 5200 rpm. The 383 engine design had “wedge” design cylinder heads and the Magnums featured 10.0:1 compression ratio,better-breathing cylinder heads from the big-brother 440-cid mill, hotter cam, improved exhaust manifolds, a crankshaft wintage tray, a single four-barrelcarburetor and dual exhausts. (*In the middle of the 1969 model year a limited production A12 “SIX PACK” Super Bee was also available with a 440-cidsix-barrel engine, rated at 390-hp and complete with lift-off scooped fiberglass hood.)
More serious enthusiasts and racers chose the optional426-cid “HEMI” engine for their needs, and this monster cranked out 425 ponies@5000 rpm and used a mechanical camshaft, 10.25:1 compression ratio forged pistons, 284°/284°-60° duration, 484-/475-inch lift mechanical camshaft, and a pair of Carter four-barrel carburetors, all good for an impressive 490 lbs/ft of torque @ 4000 rpm. The 426 Hemi had cross-bolted main bearing caps, tri-metal bearings, roller timing chain, shot-peened, hardened crankshaft, and vintage tray. Basically, a de-tuned race engine for the street!
With the HEMI engine, 4-speed gearbox and 4.10:1 rear gears, getting the rear tires to break loose is an effortless adventure for this 1969 Dodge Super Bee! The car screams and driving it flat-out was something owners definitely did when these potent machines were new...and still do today!
