"Graveyard Carz" is an automotive reality television show appearing on the Motortrend channel. They've been doing it for about 10 seasons now and the show is quite popular with a raucous band of misfits including company head Mark Worman, Allysa Rose, Royal Yoakum, Will Scott, Dave Rea, and others. The show charts the trials and travails of the Springfield, Oregon shop that specializes in the restoration of Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth muscle cars, one-offs and special editions.
And as the title of the show suggests, they take basket case old cars and return them to their former glory. Their latest build is a beauty and quite rare. Let's take a look at the "Graveyard" special Hemi-Powered 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T Convertible.
1 Of 2 '70 Dodge Coronet
To say this car is rare is an understatement. Dodge only made two Coronet R/T Convertibles with Hemis and one had an automatic and this one, the more desirable of the two, ha a 4-speed manual transmission. It was originally found rotting in a Canadian field and left for dead with a non-stock engine. Much work was required to get the car back into original shape. It was completely stripped, acid dipped and sanded to bare metal, parts were replaced and other areas were gone over extensively and repaired.
426 Hemi
The motor was a different story since the original was long gone. The block in the car was, however, a replacement unit and served fine with a rebuild. Mark is quite particular about his cars and his knowledge of Mopars is extensive. He doesn't let any car leave his shop unless it's completely original down to the last grommet and grease pencil mark. Likewise, the A833 4 speed transmission was given a factory rebuild and the guts of the Dana rear were returned to like new condition.
A Beautiful Build
The end result is absolutely stunning. And even as I'm not a particular fan of the body style, the level of detail and options on this car are incredible. It's a snapshot in time of a car and an era when Detroit was firing on all cylinders and offering unique and powerful cars with a laundry list of options. If you're interested in seeing more check out Mark and the gang on "Graveyard Cars." Buckle up.
Sources: Graveyard Carz, Hot Rod