A 1970 Plymouth GTX Gets Sorted To Perfection

The 1960s were one wild, eclectic, and anything but subtle decade. Headline news, culture, design, and pure national attitude collided in a nuclear blast, merging the fundamental sciences into one cohesive ball of reform and reinvention. The auto industry was aware of what was happening at home and abroad and strived to keep up with… The post A 1970 Plymouth GTX Gets Sorted To Perfection appeared first on The Online Automotive Marketplace.

KimKardashian

Dec 25, 2024 - 11:27

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A 1970 Plymouth GTX Gets Sorted To Perfection

The 1960s were one wild, eclectic, and anything but subtle decade. Headline news, culture, design, and pure national attitude collided in a nuclear blast, merging the fundamental sciences into one cohesive ball of reform and reinvention. The auto industry was aware of what was happening at home and abroad and strived to keep up with the stylistic trends emerging in the marketplace. As the younger generation turned its eyes to the flash and power of the muscle car movement, the American automakers shifted gears and ramped up to keep up with the young consumers asking for faster and more vibrant offerings.

Ford, Chrysler, GM, and AMC all beckoned the new “youth market” with the development of pony cars and an ever-growing assortment of high-powered intermediate models. But getting young buyers into brand-new cars often required pricing that was modest, sometimes to the extreme, as seen with the original bare-bones Road Runner.

But something was missing. The many low-cost, low-comfort rides made for ripping up the local streets and drag strips were popular, but what about the performance enthusiast who wanted a taste of luxury? Wasn’t it possible to go fast in something that was a little posher, with a bit of extra flash?

Despite being Chrysler’s practical brand, Plymouth had answered that question with the 1967 GTX. Based on the sixth generation of the stalwart Plymouth Belvedere, the GTX was a step up in class, boasting an upscale trim package, simulated hood scoops, suspension upgrades, and interior accoutrements, all while packing its engine bay with only the biggest, hottest engines Chrysler Corporation had to offer. The restyling of Dodge and Plymouth B-bodies for 1968 only added to the appeal of the GTX, despite the arrival of the bargain-priced Road Runner.

The GTX went on to solidify a place in muscle car history, taking its strong sales into the 1970s. With the Road Runner as its cost-conscious stable mate, the twosome covered the bases—whether you wanted a stripped-down, no-frills street burner, or an upscale streetcar terror, with luxury to spare, Plymouth had you covered.

Bruce Morrow of Califon, New Jersey is one of those guys who was raised during the muscle car wars of the ’60s. “I grew up in a small town in New Jersey when muscle cars were just beginning to make a name for themselves. My older brothers were interested in Chevelles and Novas at the time, so I began to catch muscle car fever as well,” Bruce says.

It wasn’t long before Bruce scored some muscle of his own. “My love of cars, and especially Mopars, started back in 1974 when my neighbor put a Dodge Coronet with a 318 up for sale. I bought it for $1,000 about a month before I could drive. But, a few months later, after receiving my driver’s license, I came upon a 1970 Road Runner with a 383 automatic on the column.” It would soon become Bruce’s go-to ride.

Bruce would go on to score several more desirable Mopars, mostly consisting of B-bodies, with a few E-bodies thrown in for good measure. Among them were a 1970 383/four-speed Road Runner convertible, a 1970 383 Barracuda convertible, a 1973 383/four-speed Dodge Charger Brougham SE, and a 1973 ’Cuda 340. You can say Mopar love runs deep in the Morrow household.

After years of Mopar ownership, Bruce got the itch to find himself a GTX, though it took two years to find the right example. In the spring of 2015 Bruce ended up finding this ’70 GTX online in Kentucky and had it shipped back to his home in New Jersey. However, once it landed in the garage, what he found was not what he expected. Though it was an honest to goodness GTX with a build sheet full of options, it also had plenty of issues that needed to be addressed before Bruce would be able to put it back on the road.

But, by the numbers, it was an interesting ride to say the least. The 1970 GTX that Bruce scored is a 440/four-barrel example (code E86) with the 727 TorqueFlite automatic (D32) that was originally painted in stunning FK5 Burnt Orange Metallic paint. It was also spec’d with optional air conditioning (H51) from the factory. It was assembled April 9, 1970, at Chrysler’s St. Louis, Missouri plant.

Bruce did some research on his new ride. “Roger Wilson, who does the 1970 GTX Registry, gathered this information for me and keeps track of all 1970 GTXs. This car is one of 750 ’70 GTXs ordered with FK5 Burnt Orange Metallic paint, which was the second most popular color ordered on the GTX. It is also one of 500 that came with the FGK4 Burnt Orange high-back bucket-seat interior. The car was ordered with the AM/FM radio, which was only ordered on a little less than 10 percent of all GTXs made.”

Bruce knew that the GTX was not restored correctly by its past owner, and there were several things that needed to be replaced to bring it up to his high standards. First off, the original engine was long gone, so Bruce did the next best thing and located a date-correct HP 440 block; it had to be shipped up from Texas. “It took me about six months to find the correct block to build,” he says. From there the block was bored .030-inch over and then built up to stock specifications using many of the parts removed from the previous 440. Since this was an original air-conditioning car, sourcing parts for that system took some time as well. “The high-side air conditioning hose took about three years to locate,” Bruce states.

Once the engine was built, mechanic John Rogers installed it. As the powerplant came together, Bruce also had to find a correct 3.23-geared Sure-Grip differential, which is now in the GTX. Other items that had to be located to bring the car back to proper factory specs included the correct 26-inch radiator, the power steering gearbox and pump (upgraded to a quick-ratio unit), as well as the alternator, wiper motor, blower motor, and clutch fan. A gas tank with the correct venting also had to be found, along with a correctly date-coded carburetor, and other detail items like the factory-correct battery cables, fan belts, exhaust system, and the complete wiring harness.

One other important thing that needed to be done was to replace the interior. Over the years, the original Burnt Orange high-back-seat interior had been replaced with a black vinyl setup. Bruce couldn’t live with it, knowing that the car originally had the far more interesting Burnt Orange upholstery, so he ordered up the required items from Legendary Interiors to bring the cabin back to its original appearance. Bruce also ended up pulling the dash and having it completely gone through to bring it back to as new condition.

Luckily, the paint was in good shape when Bruce brought the car home, which was a big help in the long run. However, as it turns out, it wasn’t exactly the Burnt Orange Metallic the car was coded for. Bruce thinks it’s a custom blend, with more orange pearl, which makes it look lighter in the sun. Though the paint wasn’t its original hue, Bruce quickly fell in love with the color and decided to keep it.

Overall, it took nine years to get the GTX back to Bruce’s high standards, a job that was just recently completed. However, as is often the case for owners of restoration projects, Bruce has found other things he would like to do. “This winter I want to change the manual drum brakes over to disc brakes to add some more stopping power.”

The difference between what Bruce purchased and what the GTX is today is clear as night and day, and he’s proud of what he accomplished. “I can’t tell you how many parts on this car were incorrect, and we’re still working on a few small issues to sort out.”

Bruce is surely smitten with his newly rebuilt GTX and having it back on the road fulfills a long desire. “I always liked the look of the GTX; it was called it the ‘gentleman’s car’ due to the upgraded options. But I really enjoy driving the car because it brings me back to the days of just getting out of high school and driving around with my girlfriend sitting next to me; she’s now my wife, Linda. That has made it a lot more enjoyable.”

In fact, Bruce says the GTX project would never have reached fruition without Linda’s support. “I would like to thank her for letting me buy ‘that one last part’ over the past nine years. I could not have done it without her. Bruce also credits his mechanic John Rodgers, and of course Tony D’Agostino of Tony’s Mopar Parts, Frank Badalson of American Performance, Tom Race at R/T Specialties, Dave Wise and Roger Wilson at the GTX Registry. All helped greatly on the build, and their assistance shows off in the final product.

Specifications – 1970 Plymouth GTX

PRICE 

Base Price: $3,535

Options: H51 air conditioning, $357.65; S77 power steering, $105.20; R21 AM/FM radio, $134.95; W23 chrome styled road wheels, $86.15; J45 hood hold-down pins, $15.40