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HEMI Candidate: 1969 Plymouth Road Runner

1969 Plymouth Road Runner

This ’69 Road Runner isn’t perfect. The engine is seized up and it has suffered a color change. Still, it looks like a good start for someone who really wants one of these iconic muscle cars. After returning the color to orange and fitting a new interior, it would look stunning. The included 383 could most likely be rebuilt, but heck it could be a good excuse to fit a modern Hemi and manual transmission. If it were yours, what route would you take? The car is located in Lander, Wyoming and is listed here on eBay.

Orange Engine Bay

I’ve heard that modern HEMI engines will drop right into these cars. It is fun to dream, but crate engines aren’t exactly cheap. Plus, then you would have to find a transmission and figure out how to make all the electronics work. It’s not impossible, but it might end up being more work then just rebuilding the original engine. Then again, I’m sure there’s a couple of Chargers in the local scrapyard that would be happy to give up their innards in order to get this bad boy back on the road…

Comments

  1. Avatar Paul R.

    I am a true blooded GM man, but I have always loved these cars. You have to give credit where credit is due, and Dodge/Plymouth built some of the best looking and fastest muscle cars of the 60’s and 70’s hand down!
    Look at the aggressive stance and exaggerated hood scoops these cars had. No one did it better than Mopar did.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Gnrdude

      That’s one Reason they’ve Gotten to have Such Astronomical price Tags in the Past few yrs. Well that Combined with lower production #’s than GM or Ford & most of the cars were Sold in the North-east where Cars don’t tend to have a very long life span past 10yrs. But Yeah Mopar Got it Right. & your Talking to A guy that’s Got a Mustang.

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  2. HoA Howard A Member

    WOW, current bid is 16g’s!! Looks like someone wants to cash in on the Mopar craze. I had a friend that had one, only a 4 speed, and we beat the crap out of that car, and it took it. ( I had a ’70 Charger with the same 383, 4 speed, equally as tough) Wiki claims, most of these had a 383 ( except for 10 Hemi’s) and 440 6 pak came out mid ’69. They sold like 80,000 of these, so they aren’t exactly rare, but most were killed driving the heck out of them. Personally, the Hemi is a beast, and 383’s are a dime a dozen, so I’d go with the 383. 16g’s with a stuck motor, wow. Here’s where the money is in classic cars.

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  3. Avatar Gary I

    Whatever! Someone must really enjoy restoring mopars to pay twenty grand for the opportunity to do one. Done and show worthy this is a $35,000 car, can’t see fifteen grand getting it there. Cool car, looks like Mopars are back in the money again.

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  4. Avatar JW

    A little pricey but a nice start for a cool classic musclecar.

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  5. Avatar Bobsmyuncle

    Modern Hemi?

    Buy a wrecked 5.7 or 6.1 Magnum, Charger Challenger or 300, stand alone engine management and a tranny adaptor and engine mounts.

    Its all been done.

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    • Avatar Mike H

      That’s how I’d do it.

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  6. Avatar Chris in Nashville

    Hellcat and a six speed sounds like a good ticket to me! After of course returning the paint to stock and restoring the interior!

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  7. Avatar Ed P

    Road Runners were a ‘plane jane’ car with a big motor. The only rust I see is on the weld lines in the roof that were covered by the vinyl roof. The interior and the paint need to be redone plus the engine question. For the right price, this is a good buy.

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  8. Avatar Gnrdude

    I Would buy this one & the Other One & make One Good car.

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  9. Avatar DonS

    Yup, back to original paint, fresh original style interior and modern suspension and modern Hemi (lots on eBay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=&_osacat=33615&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=hemi&_sacat=33615 ). I’d have to do it myself as paying someone to do the work would be very pricey.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Angrymike

    My father bought a new 69 runnner, black on black with blue int, many options, ID love to find that car, ID bet it was one of only a few…..

    Like 0

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