The 1969 model year was a banner one for Plymouth’s Road Runner. The company produced 81,125 cars for domestic consumption, with a further 3,295 finding their way to Canada. It marked a high point for the badge, with muscle car sales dwindling in the following years. Our feature Road Runner rolled off the line that year and is a prime candidate for a faithful restoration. It will be an involved process, but with its original drivetrain intact, it could be worth the effort and expense.
The seller is sparing with their information on this Road Runner’s history, although they acknowledge it has sat for over fifteen years. It is unclear whether that included time exposed to the elements, which is rarely good news in damp regions. The lack of identified significant rust suggests it received protection during its hibernation. The tired original Blue Fire Poly paint is the least of its problems, with the interior and trunk shots revealing penetrating rust. The seller claims it is pretty minor, with the solid rails ensuring the body is structurally sound. The trunk pan might be salvageable, but splashing $400 on a replacement would guarantee the rust is history. The floor pan requires more work, although its issues are restricted to the front driver’s side. Replacing that section will lighten the buyer’s wallet by around $220. However, throwing caution to the wind by spending $470 on a complete front pan may prove irresistible. Exterior rust seems confined to a few patchable lower spots, and there are a few minor bumps and bruises requiring attention. The new owner could theoretically tackle this build without entirely dismantling the vehicle, but a nut-and-bolt approach would be the best way to do it justice.
We must only look at the specifications for what is an entry-level Road Runner to understand it is a genuine muscle car. This car features the 383ci V8, which generated 335hp and 425 ft/lbs of torque in its prime. The driver shifts ratios with a four-speed manual transmission, with this car’s first owner skipping luxuries like power assistance for the steering and brakes. The ’69 Road Runner tips the scales at 3,611 lbs, giving it an excellent power-to-weight ratio. Therefore, it is unsurprising that this car could cover the ¼-mile in 14.5 seconds off the showroom floor. There are equal helpings of good and bad news for potential buyers. The car is numbers-matching, an important consideration if future investment potential is a factor. However, the engine is missing its carburetor and hasn’t run for years. The seller states they haven’t tried to coax the V8 to life, and it is unclear whether it turns. Factoring a rebuild into the restoration budget would seem a wise strategy.
This Road Runner is consistent, with its interior begging for as much TLC as its exterior. However, it is complete, making a faithful retrim relatively straightforward. The process will leave no change from $2,000, but there are a couple of factors worth considering. The first is that a competent person can typically complete the work in a home workshop. That means there are no labor costs. It is also worth remembering that if installed correctly and treated appropriately, interior trim can still present exceptionally well for many decades. Therefore, a retrim represents an excellent long-term investment.
The seller listed this 1969 Plymouth Road Runner here on eBay in Lagrangeville, New York. Their price of $22,000 OBO is hardly cheap for a car requiring total restoration, but the viewing history on the listing suggests it has struck a chord with enthusiasts. Only time will tell if that translates into a successful sale. Is this Road Runner a classic you would pursue further, or is its restoration more complex than you would consider tackling?
Here’s a fun one, not so much for what it is, we’ve pretty much covered all the RoadRunner stories, but what’s fun, is this car screams novice gearhead from the 70s, from the rear shackle bars,( worst way to lift a car) to the butchered speaker installations, goofy tach hung willy nilly with a hose clamp, and the steering wheel, all got for nothing, BTW, to the dents and dings and this may have been an automatic someone butchered a floor shift into (clutch pedal looks odd)? Regardless, this was fun at its cheapest, when you look at the numbers sold, and how at the time, not many folks over 40 even looked at it, this car defined OUR generation. I’d even go so far as to say this was a “gateway” car, as most that had one got the taste of speed, and they say drugs are addicting. It should be noted, that 401 Gremlin would eat these for lunch. I know we get all bent out of shape with pricing today, me included, and we (I) have to get a grip, people that have these vehicles, due to hype, want the absolute most they can get. We don’t know what the final sale is. For most, this is crap to them they inherited, have no emotional ties, and that’s the state the hobby, if you can call it that, more like a hobby making money, is what we have today. Years ago, we’d have paid MAYBE a grand tops, did the minor things needed to continue beating the heck out of it, sold it AGAIN for maybe $500, until the cycle was complete. And that’s the way it was,,
Test
I’m back as “Howard A.” because I don’t want to hide behind an alias. This is me. I’d also at this time, see a lot of new members and like to thank them. Non-member folks that visit the site regularly, you know who you are, I urge them to join in. The site is a fun place in a world of uncertainty today, and can be accessed from the kitchen table at any time, as shown by my kooky entries. It should be called “Memory Lane” because the stories some of these cars conjure up are well worth the membership fee. Take this car for example. I can almost bet a good portion of the viewers here have no intention of ever buying stuff like this, for a host of reasons, but the magic is, when seeing actual pictures of these cars, it sparks dusty memories long forgotten, when we had the world by the touchas, and knew everything and life was simple. Amen.
Howard, you are one of the many reasons I joined this site. I’ve always enjoyed your posts.
What Barzini said, Howard. More than a few have joined BF because you, geomechs and the like.
The fact we’re prompted to voice our 2 cents worth because of features written from BF staff is just the frosting on the cake.
Thanks, just a spoke in the wheel here. For once, it’s actually fun to be the “old guy”,,,
Buddy in high school, around 1978, bought this cars twin, with a black vinyl top, for $350. The front fender and rear bumper was damaged but the thing hauled a$$. He finally blew the engine when he missed 2nd gear and it went to the salvage yard to be crushed. So many of these met that fate.
Boy. Howard changes his name and now all of a sudden my “Like” button starts to work!!! I dont spend a lot of money on myself, but Barnfinds is one of the things that I do enjoy tremendously. There are a lot of great people on here, I learn a lot from many of the comments, and ALL of the writers do a great job.
Now…… What was the car we were talking about on here????……..
Oh nevermind………
No work 4 me. I would also like a thumbs down button. This site needs that. There are some posters here who really need to hear that sometimes, or for some, all the time. You know who you are!!!!!
We had a thumbs down for a while, and was voted out. I was the biggest opponent of the feature, why? I’ll tell you why. On a site like this that thrives on interaction, the thumbs down was like, “I don’t care for your comment and that’s the end”. I feel, it’s more fun to list WHY the comment didn’t appeal to you, and we can go from there.
Howard A, you nailed it! the late 70s early 80s, these cars were in side yards, or front lawns, all over. They could be had cheap.We bought em, beat em, and bought another as needed. Your description had me waxing nostalgic, big time. I would take your post a bit further by stating, in large part, those cars still here today are the ones that survived OUR generation from 77-84. I think about that every time I take out my AMX.
I just have one question for the Roadrunner folks out there. Is that chrome strip down the side factory? I don’t remember seeing one before and holy jumpin’ up and down, it is barnyard ugly.
No, not factory.