If you are the road runner and you can’t outrun Wiley Coyote, what do you do? You’ve avoided the Acme anvil and the Acme dynamite but he’s still closing in. Well, you could try hiding in the barn under and behind a lot of detritus in the hope that he won’t be able to see you. And that’s exactly what this 1969 Plymouth Road Runner was doing. In this case, it’s in a garage in Hamlin, New York but you can lure it out by bidding on it, here on eBay, for an opening bid of $7,500, zero bids tendered as of the writing.
The Plymouth Road Runner was in its second year of production in 1969 and it won Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year” award. It was also the first year for the Road Runner convertible but contrary to the seller’s listing, it was not the only year as the convertible model was produced in ’70 too.
Delving into this Road Runner, a lot of issues are revealed. Besides the obvious, the front floors are pretty well gone and the seller tells us that, “where the cross member attaches to the rocker panels will need to be repaired” which I guess means part of the uni-body structure. Further elaboration indicates that the quarters will need to be replaced and “the inner wheel wells can be saved” so it sounds like they are problematic too. The front frame rails and torsion bar attachment points are supposedly OK. While the seller states that the, “Front fenders, hood, grille, doors, and rear deck lid are usable” is encouraging I guess, it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. The seller claims that this convertible was stored for 10 years before he acquired it but based on what can be seen of the interior and the door cards, it looks like it was stored, at some point, outside with the top down. There is no top fabric for the convertible top frame though the frame is supposed to be OK.
Under the hood, there is no engine. The original one is gone though the seller indicates that he has a ’68 vintage 383 CI V8 block with internal parts and intake. No elaboration beyond that so there’s no telling what it does or doesn’t include – there is a matching number four-speed manual transmission, however. Out back, the wrong 8.75-inch differential is installed but the seller does have the correct one for this Road Runner and he’ll include it in the sale.
Checking out the interior, which isn’t hard to do with no top, there is mostly ruin. The door cards are done, the aforementioned front floor is missing (though the rear pan and under rear seat area is supposedly intact), no front or rear seats, the dash is missing some components, “A” pillar trim is gone, things of this nature. With this much missing that is obvious from the included images (and there are a lot of thorough images included in the listing), there is probably that much more that is needed that cannot be seen. All of the glass, however, is claimed to be present and good.
As this image illustrates, this Road Runner is going to need an enormous amount of metalwork. When the images are this revealing, there is probably still more that will be required – you just can’t fathom all of it until you get deep into a project like this. And then there is the entire matter of the motor that will need to be tackled. If this Plymouth Road Runner were a coupe or a two-door hardtop, I‘d suggest skipping it entirely and go look for a better candidate. A convertible Road Runner, however, is a different matter. Hotrod magazine cites 2,140 ’69 Plymouth Road Runners constructed out of a total of 81,000 produced – just 2.6%, a tiny number; so yes rarity plays a part. What do you think, too far gone for the Road Runner to make a getaway from Wiley Coyote or is this ’69 Plymouth Road Runner convertible salvageable and worth the effort?
I think Wiley Coyote won this match Jim.
It wasn’t hiding under detritus, it was under that tiny dust cloud you saw at the bottom of the canyon, after Wile E. finally won one.. A distant “beep-beep” was the last sound heard before the splat. R.I.P. Roadrunner.
Nope. You ought to see the coyote.
I would have been too afraid to put it on the lift. I do hope it gets saved!
Looks like it might respond well to a thorough cleaning… :)
Good Lawd. not much going for this bird, you would have to want it badly.\ mill, least its got a 4 speed to go. Parts at best. I’m thinking this spent a lot of time on the ground or in water. Lousy pics. At 7500 he’s whistlin’ dixie. Due the relative rarity, maybe some misguided soul will buy it. Think the seller figures if it doesn’t sell it can stay where it is and continue returning to nature. The Me-cum and BJ syndrome again.
Cheers
GPC
reminds me of the time. A guy sent me pictures of his 65 mustang. Good looking car. When I went to Dunbar,W.Va to buy it and pick it up. It sat down in a hole. The garage was built down hill and had a steep incline. The guy told me the motor and tranny was stuck and him and his son-in-law put a new carpet in it. I asked how the floors were.? “OH IN GOOD SHAPE” I asked if I could look under the hood and he said I could. I raised it and right away notice the shock tower rusted real bad. Then I asked if I could look under the car. Sure. I looked under it and you could put a basket ball through a hole. Where he had laid a piece of metal over the hole and put a new carpet over it. The only metal holding the car togeth was part of the rocker and chrome piece. I told him I,d pass on it. He wonder wht? hahah Yeah and I told him it was a rust bucket and it wouldn,t even make it on the trailer without breaking in too. PICTURES CAN DECEIVE A PERSON. Don,t take anyones word–look for yourself. He thought since I brought a trailer 125 miles I,d buy it. I didn,t He wanted $3,500. The next day I bought a 77 firebire in alot better shape for $1,300 and drove it home–12 miles away
Misguided soul here. It is relatively close, just a few hours to the next Great Lake from me. It would be a labor of love as it replicates a GTX convertible I had in college. With the engine missing, I could in good conscious, source a 440 of wild-ish tune and make other upgrades. The main issue is my serious lack of funds currently.
Isn’t that usually what it boils down to?…a lack of funds. If it were only for an unlimited budget we could save them all! The buy in on this car is a little to high to justify taking on such a project. Top teir restorations on these aren’t much more than $50,000
Cut out the firewall and build a new car around it. You can order everything from a magazine.
Lousy pics or not, I applaud the owner for the fluorescent shop light rigged across the interior.
What’s the point of taking a picture of the body tag if you’re not going to wipe the debri off of it so a interested party could read it? The information on that tag can sometimes make the sale or justify your asking price.
Really too bad that they did not drag that to the AZ auctions…
Would have drawn a huge crowd. Some yaya might have bid on it!
lol
Flintstones, meet the Flintstones……
Why go East when we find rust free out West? Son, you will find rust free cars, just wait. You have enough cars now anyway.
Let others have something to restore
At least the owners drove it, no matter the weather
Pretty sure this is same one that was for sale awhile back – with pictures outside – where it had been stored – same paint combo and rust…….
If only Wylie Coyote had thought to order the ACME road salt from upstate NY he’d of killed them all…
Yea. What’s the current scrap metal value today? They’ll pick it up for free and the owner could make a fast 400 bucks.
Ken, scrap would be less then $400.00, no motor, top or floor pans and the 4-speed and 8 3/4, i’m sure be sold elsewhere. I think the going rate for scrap steel is $1.00 per 100lbs. Looking at $250.00
Send it to AMD and they will change all the panels for 15k. The market had stalled on Mopar ragtops. Buyer beware! Unless you absolutely hafta do the overpriced dream car thing, this is just junk! I really believe that replacing a complete floor pan in a unibody convertible will result in a crooked car no matter what bracing/jigging you do!
Ah, it’ll buff out.
Looks like the Road Runner sitting on the double yellow center line lol! Better invest in U.S. Steel stock if you take this on.
I think the double yellow line is a strap holding the front and back ends together…
Rot box…
Does it come with the surveyor’s measuring stick, also? That would double my offer…
Parts. Only parts. The price is off by two decimal points. Should be $75.00. This is a sad ending for a rare auto.
7500 Dollars? He cant be serious… theres nothing left….
Instead of Wile E Coyote this might be a car for Fed Flintstone!! After all the floor is already removed!! What a crime to let this car waste away like this!! Was definitely run in the New York winters!!!
Rutsina!!!
constantly amazed, i think the seller is a coyote sympathizer :)
Holy moly I meant rustina…
Win the auction and they can just send you the fender tag and title. Junk the rest.
RS, don’t forget the dash VIN. plate. Could it still be called a “Restored” car? or What?, with the body #’s on the donor car being different. I know this is done everyday,maybe keep the titles from both cars, just in case.
Another dreamer. I was snowmobiling in upstate New York Saturday. On the way up RT 8 spied a blue car partially taped with a red R/T emblem on the door. Having been up since 3:30 am, I thought it was a Super Bee. We stopped. I took photos and when I got behind it, realized it was a 70 Charger. Dead blue paint. Black vinyl top rotting away in this yard. No time to knock on the door. Upstate NY cars beware. As I got back in my car, another salt truck went by. All the technology today and some jerk can order a pizza from his phone, but we can’t fund anything other than salt to dump on our roads. This Bird is toast.
AUTO Manufacturing companies… just love that salt…. dont they? It only takes a few times… not years… for that salt to get into the seams…and fester…and just rot the whole car away…Never.. Ever .. buy a Northern Car…Period…