1970 road runner |
this page was last updated 06/11/2002
| Fender tag
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Phase 1 Getting the road runner cleaned-up |
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Hello and here we go again with another Mopar project. I can't seem to help myself when it comes to working on these cars. After I finished the 67 Imperial I told myself to take a break for a few months. I did catch me breath but after a few week had past the urge to start on the road runner got to great. It has been a few years since I bought the car and this has given me a chance to gather a few of the parts which were gone. The car was without the original 6 pack engine, four speed and the Dana rear end but the price reflected that. I bought a 440 engine which came from a 1970 Imperial which will fit nicely under the power bulge hood. I have enough parts to build the transmission but the 6 pack system and Dana rear end may have to wait. The interior is mostly intact with the exception of the bucket seats steering wheel and column which were long gone. After a few hours of digging the rubbish from the trunk and interior we were able the see the good or bad news of the trunk and floors. Thanks for the help with the clean-up Trent!! |
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A few interesting things I noticed when considering the purchase of the road runner was the low miles of 61,351 on the clock and the tags which read 1978. Well you really never know what kind of miles are on a car which as been around for this many years but when you consider the last time the car was licensed which was 22 years ago it gets a guy thinking could it really be so? The low miles were the only real good thing going for the car except for the fact that it is a V-code road runner. As you will see form the next few photos the car lead a rough life be for it past parked for it's 22 year long rest. I was not able to talk with the original owner, as the car was headed to the wrecking yard when it was saved. DMV was helpful enough to pull from there computer the previous owners name for me to try and contact, but with no luck. The car had a bank lean against the title, I contacted the bank and they gladly signed it off just to get it off of there books. After a few more months of paper work I was able to get a clean title, now it was truly my car to begin the laborious and costly task of restoring her to her original beauty. |
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As you will see by the next few photos the fender aprons will need to be replaced. It appears the fender well headers were more important than the sheet metal which was cut out. Some of the flange on the shock tower was cut and will be repaired before the new aprons are welded in to place. I parted out a 70 Satellite wagon last spring which made a perfect donor for the sheet metal needed for the repair. |
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The right fender apron received the same treatment as the left side. I hate to admit it but when I was in high school and cursing a '56 Chevy 2 door post car I ran a set of fender well headers. The cutting wasn't as bad as you see here but it was still necessary to get the headers installed. After I ran the headers for a few months I decided they weren't the hot set-up. When you drove though a mud puddle a cloud of steam bellowed from the front fenders and the heat and noise was to much. Them were the good old days for sure!! |
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The fire wall is in real nice shape, just a few holes need to be welded up. We will first do some more cleaning and prep work before we start in on the engine compartment. |
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This is a real nice shot of what was done to the floor. If you use your imagination you can see that the piece of tin covering what was once a 4- speed shifter opening is a piece if galvanized stove pipe to cover a gapping hole cut in the floor. The only explanation I can come up with for this handy work is that an E-body shifter was installed once upon a time. |
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Well I have shown the real ugly side of the road runner project. This should be the best place to start after the car gets back from the sand and soda blaster. I am looking forward to having the floor pans, trunk, fire wall and what ever else I can afford to spend done. This Plymouth deserves all the de-rusting we can do to preserve her. |
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The trunk floor is in remarkably good shape but we will have to see what it looks like after the rust has been peeled away. The fuel tank was not to rusty on the top side and the under side of the trunk still had primer on the panel. After removing a few more pieces from the car it was time to get ready to haul her to the sand blaster. |
Phase 2
Soda blasting |
