When the Road Runner was brand-spanking new, the motor that everyone wanted came in the guise of the 426 HEMI. The motorsport-derived engine is somewhat temperamental in daily-driving scenarios, which brings us to the next best lump that Plymouth offered in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Of course, I’m referring to the burbly 440 big-block V8.
Essentially a raised-block B series, the RB in six-barrel configuration used to crank out 390 horsepower at 4,700 revolutions per minute and 490 pound-feet (664 Nm) of torque at 3,200 rpm. The 1969 Plymouth Road Runner we’ll cover today features a 440 that was bored to 543 cubic inches (8.9 liters). According to Volo Auto Museum's Jay Grams, it churns out 600-plus HP.
The co-owner of the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois also mentions Indy aluminum heads and a high-rise intake, an MSD ignition system with a Pro-Billet distributor, and a Holley Dominator carburetor. A set of coated headers channels the yucky stuff to the DynoMax exhaust mufflers and chromed tips, and this engine also keeps cool regardless of driving scenario thanks to an aluminum radiator, water pump, and a shrouded clutch fan.
Considered to be the longest-serving automatic transmission in the world, the steering wheel column-mounted TorqueFlite A727 channels the suck-squeeze-bang-blow to a Sure Grip limited-slip differential mounted on an 8 ¾-inch rear axle. 3.91 gears bring the point home, along with 15-inch Cragar S/S wheels that are wrapped in Mickey Thompson street/strip radials.
Refinished in Lemon Twist Yellow over a black interior with all-new headrests, upholstery, and reproduction seatbelts, this muscled-up Road Runner wouldn’t be complete without a Road Runner horn. The finishing touches come in the form of a pillar-mounted AutoMeter Ultra-Lite II tachometer and a fiberglass hood with a functional scoop and two 440 decals.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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