Road Runner Wagon Candidate: 1969 Plymouth Satellite


I'll admit it: I dig station wagons, especially vintage American ones. The American station has slowly become a thing of the past in today's automotive industry, though a few companies (Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Volvo, etc.) build or have built station wagons in the past five years. I even told a person that once I become a dad, I would rather rock a station wagon than a minivan. A perfect project for the winter months is this 1969 Plymouth Satellite station wagon, which already looks pretty close to a Road Runner. Find it here on eBay in El Paso, Texas, with reserve not met.



























Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that this wagon should be made to look like a Road Runner. After being introduced in 1965 as a top-of-the-line sporty model in the B-body lineup, the Plymouth Satellite and its B-body stablemates were redesigned in 1968, gaining Coke-bottle styling that was modern and edgy. This Satellite is a 1969 station wagon model, and is one of 5,837 built for 1969. Painted in two-tone silver and black, the car appears to be fairly solid, though its front bumper is currently removed and the rear door handles and all of its side trim are off of the car and possibly gone. There is a set of Chrysler Road Wheels (aka Magnum 500s) fitted to the car, but they look faded and grungy, so they would need to be redone if the new owner desires to keep the wheels. I personally would build up this Satellite station wagon to look similar to this Road Runner station wagon.



























Though a 440 was in this car for a period of time (the owner thinks the 440 came in the car from the factory, but I'm pretty sure the top engine available in the Satellite was the 383), a small-block 318 is currently fitted. The year of the 318 is unknown, but my dad had a 1974 Dodge dump truck with a 318 that looked like this, so I''m guessing it's from the early to mid-1970s. Backed by a three-speed Torqueflite automatic, the rear end is the desirable and venerable Dana 8 3/4 rear end, but the gear ratio is unknown. I would swap out and sell the 318 and use the funds for finding a 383 or a 440 if a 440 is affordable enough. Additionally, I would upgrade the rear gear to a 3.23 Sure Grip and fit a Gear Vendors over drive unit to the Torqueflite.



























I'm definitely digging the overall start this interior has! Inside, the interior is resplendent with brown bucket seats; unfortunately, the rear seat is missing, so a new one will need to be sourced. The steering wheel has also seen better days, so I would source a replacement. I would also ditch the tachometer and add-on gauges and swap in gauges from a Road Runner, and also try to find a Road Runner console. Other things that should be replaced include the headliner, sun visors, and tailgate panel. I would source everything, convert the car to floor shift, and give this interior the restoration it deserves. Though a bit rough, this Satellite wagon has a lot of potential, and would be a perfect car to convert into a what-if Road Runner wagon. What would you do with this Satellite station wagon?
Location: El Paso, TX, USA

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