1969 Plymouth Satellite driven on the road
(Image/Eric White)

Even for muscle car fanatics, spotting a genuine Hemi-powered Mopar isn’t an everyday occurrence. However, for Dave Hart, laying eyes on a bona fide original 426 Hemi engine was as simple as taking a trip out to his garage.

There was only one problem: That hulking elephant engine didn’t have an engine bay to call home.

A Mopar man at heart, Dave grew up in the backseat of his father’s Hemi-powered ’Cudas. “My dad’s first new car was a ’70 Hemi ’Cuda. He waited forever for the delivery of the car,” Dave tells us. “Unfortunately, he wrecked it just a few months later.” In fact, the ill-fated ’Cuda was bumped hard enough to crack the block.

Undeterred, Dave’s dad, David Sr., picked up a replacement block from the Mopar parts counter alongside a brand new ’71 ’Cuda with as few options as possible. Armed with everything he could salvage from the original engine, a new block, and a speed parts catalog, the ’71 received a hopped-up Hemi ready to burn up the streets.

engine bay inside a 1969 Plymouth Satellite
(Image/Eric White)

Almost 40 years later (and tired of getting beaten by his son’s supercharged Mustang), Dave’s father pulled the Hemi out of the ’Cuda. “When Dad put a 605-inch Hemi in his ’Cuda back in 2010, he gave me the 426,” says Dave. “For years, I didn’t have a car for it, but once I started it on the stand—open-headered—I thought, ‘Good grief, I have got to get this in a car.’”
 

1969 Plymouth Satellite in parking lot
(Image/Eric White)

Originally on the hunt for a clean Road Runner, Dave eventually found himself enamored with this 1969 Plymouth Satellite. Although it had rolled out of the factory with a more pedestrian Slant Six (which was later upgraded to a spicier 440), the car had already been reworked by a previous owner. As Dave puts it, “I knew I was going to do a little cutting on it. I really wanted a Road Runner body, but when a clean Satellite came along—looking like a Road Runner for thousands less—I grabbed it.”

1969 Plymouth Satellite doing a burnout at dragstrip
(Image/Eric White)

Dave dropped his orphaned Hemi into the B-body and prepared to enjoy his new ride. “A lot of the motor came from Dad’s original ’70 ’Cuda,” says Dave. “Until just recently, the cylinder heads, rotating assembly, and intake manifold all came from that car. I did get new cylinder heads while I was transitioning to this new combination, but they have the valvetrain from his car.”

According to Dave, “I was settling in on just having a nice Hemi Satellite.” But a rebuild brought on by receding oil pressure and a water pump failure sent Dave down the rabbit hole. “That’s when I had the vision of adding a supercharger, intercooler, and fuel injection,” he says. “Like most guys who don’t use their heads, I started ordering parts. And once you make that commitment, you’re at the point of no return—with a heck of a lot of money and speed parts sitting in your garage.”

440 6 barrel sticker on a 1969 Plymouth Satellite hood scoop
(Image/Eric White)

As a second-generation mechanical engineer, Dave wasn’t satisfied with any old off-the-shelf solution. “I wanted a specific blower in a specific spot,” he says. “I wanted a serpentine drive with a spring tensioner. I’m very detail-oriented, and I wanted it to be perfect.”

So Dave got to work pursuing his vision, measuring everything in the engine bay and bringing it into AutoCAD, where he planned the entire serpentine drive, blower setup, and intercooler mounting digitally.

“To fit the blower in exactly the way I wanted, I had to design the bracketry and move the alternator over,” says Dave. “Once that design work was done, I sourced parts and had custom brackets and pulleys fabricated.” The result? “Everything bolted up without one single problem. It was amazing.”

family posing next to a 1969 Plymouth Satellite
(Image/Eric White)

Of course, all that digital wizardry has conjured up some real results. Built to enjoy, David regularly flexes the Satellite’s muscle on the street, including HOT ROD Drag Week 2024. “Drag Week was amazing,” says David. I thought it was going to be good, but it was ten times better. I took my 10-year-old son and Dad with me. It made for some great memories and a cool experience.”

rear view of a 1969 Plymouth Satellite driving down a road
(Image/Eric White)

1969 Plymouth Satellite Fast Specs

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Engine & Transmission

Induction & Fuel System

Ignition & Electronics

Body & Chassis

Wheels & Tires

Special Thanks To:

Mom and Dad, my wife Jessica, and my kids Alexis, Courtney, and Austin.

Keywords
catalog gatefold vehicles, Mopar, Plymouth, satellite
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Author: Dominic Righetti

While a passion for Mopar muscle ignited his love of all things motorsport, Dominic has since fueled the flames by adopting a Honda VFR and a pair of Fiat Spiders. When those are parked, he takes to the virtual track for some sim racing, especially at Laguna Seca (his “home track” since the Playstation 2).