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 entrée 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 Lunati #53712 camshaft with 276i/284e @050 duration and .690 lift 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 we woke 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
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