Vehicle Description
1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hardtop
The muscle car era was in full swing in 1969 and Plymouth was all
over it like white on rice. Thumbing through the '69 sales brochure
today we find an illustrated version of the dream garage. GTX, Road
Runner, Barracuda, Sport Satellite. Loop in the B-bodies from Dodge
and you have a list of some of the hottest collectible cars on the
market today. The Road Runner was offered as the base trim
alternative to the GTX making for an affordable entree into the
muscle car world.
For consignment, a heavily modified pro-street version of the
legendary 1969 Road Runner. The big engine, big power, and a
sinister Velvet Black finish will set jaws agape at the next Cars
and Coffee when the import crowd, drifters, and boomers bow in
reverence for Darth Sidious. Here's a turnkey opportunity to get
into a built car without getting your hands dirty.
Exterior
Bathed in the deep end of the pool two stage Velvet Black, it is
mostly devoid of emblems, stripes, or molding that break this inky
sea. Big panels of glossy black paint are enhanced by black painted
Stockton steel wheels wrapped in redline tires which naturally are
staggered, heavily. 205/75/15 in front and SC445/50-15's in the
rear which is tubbed. A factory original A12 "six pack" satin black
hood is held down by four pins and sports a gaping The chrome
bumpers, window trim, side mirrors, and drip rails are in great
condition and the simple, square tail lights give the back a
classic, muscular look. The only imperfections we note are down low
with some minor chips and spider scratches.
Interior
Well, the door panels look completely pedestrian, sparse and
original and give no hints to the race ready cockpit we're about to
enter. The low back stock seats in black vinyl are brightened by
the red Sparco harnesses that are connected to the roll cage for
locking in both shoulders. A black steering wheel with red
stitching and center stripe gets things going before your eyes are
drawn to the plethora of AutoMeter Pro-Comp gauges with bright red
needles on the dash. There are more toggle switches and lights than
an A-10 Warthog in here, (not really, but a lot!), and it's
definitely a place of business. A big tachometer with shift light
is to your right and beyond that, the dash is plain, black, and
adorned with the cartoon Road Runner. The modified Hurst V-Gate
race shifter, (think modern Pro Stock style, but more on that
later), is floor mounted in a polished metal housing and rubber
boot. Black loop style carpet covers the floor, and the black
headliner is in good shape. The rear seats are gone but remnants
exist on the side walls with armrests and window cranks. The rest
is taken up by the rear wheel tubs, covered in black carpet.
Drivetrain
Let's start with the freshly built 440ci big block V8 based 506ci
stroker that has been fitted with a forged 4.25 stroke crankshaft,
a BCR girdle with billet main caps. From there we move to the
Molnar connecting rods and pump gas friendly custom Diamond forged
pistons fitted into the 4.35 bores. A TFS .600 lift hydraulic
roller cam has been slid into the block and actuates the valves in
the aluminum Indy EZ cylinder heads. Harland Sharp roller rockers
are in charge of valve actuation. Handling the air and fuel end is
a F&B EFI set up with 6-pack throttle bodies emulating the
3-2bbl carbs of yore. 66lb/hr fuel injectors are on board and
fitted into the Indy intake manifold. Lighting the fire within is a
Mopar Performance ignition system and keeping harmonics in check is
a Fluidamper along with a March pulley drive set up. Suffice it to
say, in the horsepower section of our spec sheet, it just says,
"LOTS" and with all the top of the line parts we've listed and the
seat of the pants dyno we're inclined to agree. Making things a
touch more interesting is an inline shifted A833 4-speed manual
transmission with a McLeod dual disk clutch. This setup is very
akin to modern NHRA Pro Stock cars, be sure to read the
Drive-Ability section for exactly how this works. Putting the power
to the pavement is a Dana 60 and 5.38 gears. TTI headers send the
power south and disc brakes up front are coupled with drum brakes
in the back.
Undercarriage
Remember those headers? Yeah, they also serve as the tailpipes,
meaning they're open, no back pressure here. Everything is
relatively clean underneath. The shortened rear axles are
accompanied by ladder bars and coil overs while the front retains
its torsion bar suspension.
Drive-ability
I had to call in my partner in crime to be the wheelman for this
ride as the shifter takes some getting used to and frankly this is
a very "drag race" oriented kind of car, but with some exhaust
added would be street legal. A turn of the key and as expected,
this thing is loud, very loud and upon start up wewoke the entire
village of Morgantown as well as anyone within a 3 mile radius.
Fast is an understatement for this skate, and once acclimated to
the shift pattern my cohort looked like Greg Anderson ripping up
the quarter mile with lighting fast shift movements. It took a bit
for me to understand exactly what he was doing but I finally caught
on. All the way forward with the shifter is first gear, 2 click
back for 2nd, then one forward for 3rd, followed by all the way
back for 4th. To engage reverse, the shifter is put in neutral and
the red lever is moved rearward...simple huh? We're happy to report
that everything worked as intended on the functionality front and
we gently throttled this beast back inside.
This is a mean machine and fully built, and if you're in the market
for a Pro-Streeter like this, it certainly checks all the boxes of
badassery. Great looks, a stout engine, and a legendary name from
the muscle car era. You can't go wrong. We'll see you at the mall.
Bring ear plugs and a helmet.
RM23H9G262117
R-Plymouth Belvedere/Satellite/Road Runner
M-Medium Price Class
23-2 Door Hardtop
H-383ci 4bbl HiPo V8
G-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
262117-Sequential Unit Number
FENDER TAG
RM23:Plymouth Belvedere,Satellite
Medium, Road Runner
2 Door Hardtop
H9G:383ci 335hp HiPo V8
1969
St. Louis, MO, USA
262117:Sequence number
E63: 383 cid 4 barrel V8 High Performance
D21:4 Speed Manual Transmission
R4:Barracuda Orange Exterior Color
H2X:Trim - High, Vinyl Bench Seat, Black
X9:Black Velvet Int. Door Frames
507-May 7th Build
482276:Order Number
H51:Air Conditioning with Heater
M21:Roof drip rail moldings
M25:Wide sill moldings
R11:Radio Solid State AM (2 Watts)
V21:Performance Hood Treatment
26:26" Radiator
END:End of Sales Codes
1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hardtop
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
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acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
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Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
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