This 1971 Plymouth Road Runner proves that some pretty exciting classic cars are still hidden in barns begging to be found and returned to our roads. It appears that this beast remains largely untouched since the seller dragged it out of hiding. He hasn’t coaxed it back to life, but it sounds like it might not take a lot of work to breathe new life into its original V8. If you feel up for that challenge, you will find the Road Runner located in Manahawkin, New Jersey, and listed for sale here on eBay. There has been some strong interest on this Plymouth, with bidding pushing the price to $19,188. While that figure remains below the reserve, the owner also offers a BIN option of $27,500.
The Road Runner wears its original and desirable shade of Tor Red, and the overall first impression is pretty positive. It holds a respectable shine, and although there are a few flaws and marks, it would serve perfectly if the buyer wants to retain the car as an original survivor. The panels are straight, with no glaring dings or dents. The owner notes a small area of Bondo in the passenger side rear quarter panel, but he can find no evidence of it in any other spots. Rust is always an issue worth considering in these cases, but there are plenty of positive vibes in this case. There may be some areas of surface corrosion that the buyer will choose to address, but there is no penetrating rust. The panels look clean, while the floors and frame are structurally sound. The glass looks good, the trim shows no evidence of problems, and the original Rallye wheels are in excellent condition for their age. Overall, it appears that the buyer will be able to hit the road immediately without the need to tackle any panel or paint problems.
We’ve now reached the part of this story where we need to discuss a “good news/bad news” scenario. However, the bad news doesn’t necessarily need to be a disaster. This Road Runner features its numbers-matching 383ci V8 capable of churning out 300hp. The original owner also chose to equip the car with a four-speed manual transmission, and this combination would have launched the Road Runner through the ¼ mile in 15.6 seconds. It appears that a previous owner has added aftermarket headers and valve covers, but it isn’t clear whether there have been any other changes to this V8. It wasn’t running when the owner purchased it, and despite his best efforts, that 383 refuses to play ball. He has replaced the fuel tank and sender unit, screwed in a new set of plugs, added new points and dropped in a fresh battery. After a couple of weeks of tinkering, the motor remains stubbornly silent. It seems that the owner has thrown his hands in the air in disgust, and will leave it to the buyer to trace the problem. The motor turns cleanly, but there’s no spark. He says that it acts like there is a kill switch somewhere, but he hasn’t located it. If all else fails, the buyer might want to check the ignition switch. Something in the back of my mind tells me that some Chrysler switches contained an inbuilt ballast resistor. If these burned out, there was no spark to the motor. I’m not 100% sure about that, so I’m hoping that one of our knowledgeable Barn Finders can shed some light on that as a possibility.
The Plymouth’s interior sends us mixed messages because while it is serviceable, the buyer will need to spend some money if they desire perfection. The carpet looks dirty and slightly faded, and if it doesn’t respond positively to a deep clean, a new set will come in under $200. From there, prices begin to spiral upward. The rear seat has a split that I believe is beyond repair, and a replacement will lighten the buyer’s wallet by $350. The big-ticket item is the dash pad. That has gone well beyond the point of no return, and with a replacement costing around $660, it is far from cheap. The remaining trim looks to be in good condition, with no significant problems or issues. The Rally gauge set looks crisp and clean, with the original owner ticking the box next to the factory tach. The only other item that will require attention is the radio. The car featured an AM unit when it rolled off the line, but there’s now a hole where it used to be. The buyer will need to decide what they will use to fill that hole.
The 1971 model year was one of transition for the Plymouth Road Runner. The car’s styling was dramatically different from its predecessors, and buyers started to see the first signs of the impact that tightening emission regulations would have on power and performance. Some enthusiasts view the 1971 model as the last “true” Road Runner muscle car, and this sentiment is borne out when comparing values between a 383-equipped ’71 model versus a 400-equipped ’72. The earlier car will generally command around a 20% premium over its younger brother. With those thoughts in mind and spotless examples capable of topping $50,000 in today’s market, I think that the BIN price on this Road Runner looks pretty competitive. There’s still some time left on this listing, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone hit the button well before the auction is due to end. Would you be tempted?
So MUCH orange! (IMO) Needs a stripe kit to provide more visual appeal. This car shows evidence of a partial repaint, and bondo on the lower right quarter panel. Looks like it could be a good project for someone. GLWTA!! :-)
Nice car, and I looove Mopar, but 27 Large seems like an awful lot of coin for SEP (Someone Else’s Project), and one that doesn’t run to boot.
If the engine isn’t turning over at all when turning the key, it’s not the ballast resistor. The starter gets full amps for starting, so it bypasses the ballast resistor while cranking. My understanding is that if the starter cranks and starts the engine, and it immediately dies when you let go of the key in the ignition, then that would be the ballast resistor. (To the best of my knowledge)
These cars are great, but a little too much for me. If it were Running well? I’d offer 25k
I owned a 1977 Plymouth Fury. The ballast resistor was the reason when it wouldn’t start. I kept a few spares in the glove box.
Funny thing you mention Ballast Resistors, I had a 76 W200 that had a funny thing about ballast resistors. About every 6+ months if I ran it 5-10 minutes and parked, I’d come out and it would crank but refused to start. It was bought new and I had it towed in the first time, they diagnosed it as the ballast resistor and replaced it. I got the old one and could not find anything wrong with it and threw it in the glove box along with the wrench. Happened again and after checking everything on a lark I swapped out the ballast resistor with the original and it started. For years, every 6-12 months it happened, I’d swap them back and forth and it would immediately start. Never found anything wrong with either of them nor anything else as to why it happened, yet swapping them caused the truck to start.
Now on the Road Runner. Money seems high to me for a non-runner. Second question is the bumpers, were they painted to match the car or was that something the prior owner did? I thought they were chromed and had striping over the back of the roof onto the rear quarters.
The painted bumpers was a factory option. It kinda looks like something out of the 1990’s “monochrome” era, but it is right for 1971. The stripes, or something different would sure help break up all of that orange. I like this body style, it is a favorite for me, but with all of that orange & nothing to break it up, along with all of the rounded body lines, it makes me think of a pumpkin. Halloween is over!
I had a 1974 Plymouth that died when I revved it on a hot summer day. It would turnover but wouldn’t start. Ended up having it towed to a shop where the mechanic changed the ballast resistor and it ran fine. It will turn over but won’t start without that ballast resistor.
My brother’s Road Runner would not start on occasion. His problem turned out to be the alternator guage had a intermittent open. He bypassed it with an aftermarket unit and the problem was solved.
Bench seat 4 speed. SWEET!
If you had a 1970’s Mopar, you learned to keep one or two ballast resistors in the glove box, lol.
Ditto for the full size 1980 LeBaron. Of course, it had a very ’70’s slant six. Kept spare ballast resistors in glove box. After a while I did not even screw them in. The wire for the plugs was heavy enough to keep it in place against the firewall and out of trouble. The Mrs. and I were driving home from Toronto on the 401 to Toledo and it failed. Walked to a barn filled with friendly Canadian snowmobile /car mechanics. They towed us, fed us beers, told us about the part, sold us one, sent us on our way (two days after Xmas, a Sunday night). Changed my own after that!
Exactly, Mopar ppl know to check the ballast resistor anytime the car, or truck won’t start. I haven’t owned a Mopar since the late 80’s, but I still have one out in my garage…….
There’s no ballast resistor in the ignition switch. It’s sitting right there on the firewall at center behind the air cleaner in the pic.
I own a 77 Dodge Aspen wagon with 2 Ballast resistor one is on ignition which is a single ballast So there are 2 in my ride .One (which is on the firewall) & a double ballast on the firewall also . Should always have a spare in the glove box ,when in doubt have two
Maybe it’s because I getting older, but whenever I see a “shiny new paint” on an older car with everything else being decent, I think of the term “resale red”. That always give me pause to wonder if it’s really a good deal.
Nice car for sure, but if the BIN is 27500.00, why not spend some coin by having it looked at by professional? We have all had electrical gremlins in at least one car in our lifetime, and instead of pulling your hair out, and swearing like a sailor, and throwing tools at anything, take it to someone who knows what they are doing. I learned a long time ago to leave it to somebody that can diagnose the issue. You will end up a lot saving money and not buying parts you can’t return, and spending good money after bad. This guy isn’t stupid, be very wary of this car.
As soon as I see painted bumpers on a car that is supposed to have chrome bumpers, it becomes a “no” for me. And for a car that doesn’t even run? C’mon.
With reference to stated 1/4 mile times, I had same year Charger with the 383 and 4 speed, 391 axle ratio, ran 14.20’s all day in pure stock form.
As would this car, those numbers are incorrect.
I had a ‘69 and had that problem.
The painted bumpers look like crap.
Well, they add to the value, substantially. I, personally, think they look great either way.
Way to much for the car. $15k is in the ballpark. Will need a repaint and bodywork, interior kit, stripes, engine call outs, engine repair possibly, etc. Another $15-20 k or more. If you do some of the work, and being in Jersey you know there will be rust some where on it. I have a box of ballasts, never leave home without a couple of extras.
Seller also has a 69 Mustang with a 428.
I can smell that box of mothballs on the front seat from here…
Excellent car at a very fair price.
Timing chain
SOLD for 25K.
Nice car. Probably worth what it went for. A numbers machine Mopar in relatively decent restorable shape is worth some money.
The words “New” and “Jersey” when placed one behind the other scare me — Having lived there for several years I am all too aware of what salt can do to cars. This one doesn’t seem to have faired too badly as a result, at least from the pictures.
Could be so many things causing loss of spark, ballast resistor would have spark when cranked but lose it when key is released, need to make sure there is fire to the coil when switched on and if so take dist. cap off , hold coil wire (distributer end) 1/4 inch from a grounded surface then open & close points with a screwdriver, should have spark, not sure what the point gap was set at, no mention of replacing the condenser with the points, if not it could be that, also have come across them with a GM coil on them which will not work, also the engine may not be grounded, there should be a ground strap somewhere from the engine to the body. Would love to know what the problem turned out to be.