Road Runner V-8 Trivia Question of the Week: 1. What was the full name of the Road Runner’s antagonist in the cartoon series? 2. On January 3, 1970, Davy Jones announced that he was leaving the Monkees. Can you name the other three members that made up this pop quartet? 3. American Motors introduced a popular sub-compact car on April 1, 1970. What was the name of this sporty little car? 4. On December 23, 1970 construction was topped out on a building which, at 1,368 feet, was the tallest building in the world to that date. What building was it? 5. On July 31, 1970, this famous television anchorman broadcast his final newscast with his co-host after a 14 year career at NBC News. What was the name of the news program, what were the first and last names of the two-person team, and which of them retired on July 31, 1970? 6. While we’re on the subject of TV, what was the name of the police drama starring Dennis Weaver that debuted with a pilot show on February 17, 1970? 7. Written by J.J. Cale, this song was a big hit for one of the Fin Man’s favorite musicians. What was the title of the song which contained the words "we’re gonna cause talk and suspicion," and who was the artist that brought fame to this J.J. Cale song? 8. The Guess Who did a song about a lady. What was the name of this big 1970 hit? Fin Man Trivia Tibdit: President Nixon signed the law banning cigarette advertising on television on April 1, 1970.
You can find the answers to this week’s Four-Barrel Trivia Question of the Week by visiting the FIN MAN’s web site at > http://www.thefinman.com.

The 1970 Plymouth Road Runner (the final year of the first generation Road Runner [1968-1970]) was one of those cars which made it possible to ‘have your cake and eat it too." That familiar saying couldn’t be applied to many cars past and present. Manufacturers marketing teams often make decisions for you behind the scenes... assuming, for instance, that if you’re interested in extreme high performance, you won’t be interested in surrounding yourself in creature comforts. Logic then dictates that, on the other hand, if you enjoy the creature comforts that come with luxury automobiles, performance is of little concern. The result was often an order sheet with many asterisks and superscript notations which directed that, ‘if you want this, you can’t have that.’ (Sidebar: I once owned a 1970 Ford Torino GT convertible with a 427 Super Cobra Jet engine... power everything and NO air conditioning! Of course there was a reason behind that. Ford’s somewhat old school a/c compressors couldn’t handle the high rpm that the solid lifter Cobra Jet engine produced.) But, just who do the marketing folks think they are to make these important decisions for you? That’s what I want to know, and that’s what the execs at Plymouth asked their marketing team when seated around the conference table back in the late sixties when the ‘70 Road Runner was just a twinkle in the chairman’s eye. And so it was determined that the ultimate decision of just what options, performance and creature comforts, would be fitted to any given 1970 Road Runner would be left up to the consumer.
The smartly dressed Road Runner shown above is a case in point. The owners, avid Fin Man readers Doug and Sharon Williams of Byrnes Mill, Missouri, speculate that this particular example may, at one time, have graced a Plymouth dealer’s showroom floor in order that walk in customers could see a fully equipped muscle car and check out each and every convenience and appearance option that was available.
Speculation aside, I wouldn’t mind having this classy chassis on the floor of my garage– how ‘bout you? (I know Doug is an ‘avid’ reader because he told me, in an e-mail, that he reads my column ‘every day’ ...and, since it’s a weekly column, that means he must be reading each one seven times a week! Now that’s a loyal reader– thanks Doug!!!)
Plymouth was fat with models for 1970. I’m going to take a deep breath and list them for you. Here goes: 1. Valiant; 2. Valiant Duster; 3. Duster "340"; 4. Barracuda; 5. Gran Coupe; 6. ‘Cuda; 7. ‘Cuda AAR; 8. Belvedere; 9. Road Runner; 10. Satellite; 11. Sport Satellite; 12. GTX; 13. Fury I; 14. Fury II; 15. Fury Gran Coupe; 16. Fury III; 17. Sport Fury; 18. Fury S-23 and (finally!) 19. Fury GT. Whew! (Looks like the FIN MAN has a lot of topics for future stories!) Road Runner was part of the Belvedere and Satellite ‘intermediate’ models, sized between the Valiant/Duster/Barracuda models and the Furys. It rode on a 116" wheelbase compared to 108 and 120 for the aforementioned sibblings. Gravitationally it tipped the Toledo nearly dead center in the mid threes compared to roughly 2,800 pounds for a Valiant; 3,000 plus a tad for Dusters and Barracudas and mid threes to just over 4,000 for Furys, depending on body style. Road Runner’s trim weight, plus monstrous engine options resulted in a car that was not for the faint of heart. Aunt Dorothy would have frowned at the thought that uncle Gene was planning to buy a Road Runner... but may have given in when he said, "but honey... it’s really a luxury car what with the power windows, air, power steering, brakes and all." But lurking beneath that ‘performance hood’ with it’s suspicious looking air intakes, was an engine that was ready to take on any Coyote in the hood. And, had he actually convinced aunt Dorothy that they just HAD to buy the Road Runner... her suspicions would have been quickly confirmed the first time she slipped behind the wheel and discovered that the speedometer topped out at 150 MPH!
Plymouth had nine engines in their full lineup for the 1970 model year. The base Road Runner engine was a 383 cubic inch (that’s about 6.3 liters rounded out for all you generation Xers in the audience) V-8 rated at 335 horsepower at 5,200 RPM and pumping up a 9.5:1 compression ratio. In the mid size Road Runner, this was more than adequate for the average driver. But then who wants to settle for ‘adequate’? Two enticing high-performance V-8s were available for Road Runner buyers in 1970. Lowest in price, largest in displacement and mid positioned as far as horsepower, was the ‘Six Pack’ V-8... named such because of the three 2-barrel carburetors lined up atop the intake manifold. This monster mill (can you hear that giant ‘sucking sound’??) produced 390 ponies and was available for a cool $250.00 which equals about $1,500.00 in ‘08 dollars. The ultimate mill for your new Road Runner was the 426 cubic inch (6.98 liters) ‘Street Hemi’ which managed to get nearly one horsepower per cubic inch at 425... but who’s gonna quibble about one little horse when your talking a total of 425?!? Not only was this mill not for the faint of heart, but also not for the penny pincher either as it carried a premium of eight hundred forty-one buckaroos! That would be like spending a whopping four thousand, nine hundred, sixty-two dollars and eighty-nine cents for a power upgrade in a 2008 model! You had to want it really bad and only 152 Road Runner buyers were willing to ante up the astronomical premium. Seventy-five were dropped into Road Runner coupes, seventy-four into ‘hardtops’ (pillarless coupes) and just THREE in Road Runner convertibles! (Wouldn’t you give just about anything to get your hands on one of those three convertibles?!?!)
This might be a good time to start planning for summer, 2009 cruising. There were so many great cruises last summer at Chuck-A-Burger; Dairy Queens; Sonics and Culver’s drive inns just to name a few. If my story about the Road Runner has sparked interest in you mind and you are thinking about searching out a Road Runner coupe that needs nothing and is ready to show, you can expect to spend about thirty to thirty-five thou for the privilege. If your taste turns to rag tops, add another ten or fifteen... and those figures are for a car with the standard 383 engine. If you thought the tab was a bit much for the high performance engines back in ‘the day’ think again. A Road Runner with a 440, Six Pack engine will up those coupe prices to around sixty thousand PLUS... a 75% premium– that’s according to the Old Cars Price Guide. That would push a drop top Road Runner to around the ninety thousand dollar level... IF you can find one! But what about the ‘Hemi’ you ask? Don’t. The Old Cars Price Guide lists a Hemi equipped Road Runner as ‘inestimable’. Need I define the term for you? Webster’s definition is as follows: "that cannot be estimated or measured; esp., too great or valuable to be properly measured or appreciated; invaluable." In other words, its whatever the seller thinks its worth and I guarantee you there’s not a seller in the market that doesn’t know what he’s got if it’s a hemi-equipped Mopar product! (Unless maybe its aunt Dorothy! Hm-m-m.)
Getting all this power to the rear axle was transmitted by one of three gearboxes... a three speed manual with floor-mounted shifter was standard with the base, 383 cube engine, but buyers could opt for ‘four-on-the-floor’ or the venerable Mopar TorqueFlite automatic. Those opting for one of the two ‘high performance’ V-8s were limited to the latter two choices. (I mean come on... if you’re dumping half your life savings into a 440 6-pack, or your entire life savings into a Hemi, would you really want to settle for only three forward speeds???? I didn’t think so.
Okay... back to reality. The list of those convenience and appearance options I mentioned earlier verges on overwhelming and included such amenities as power brakes ($43.00); power steering ($105.00); air conditioning ($357.00) TIME OUT for another Fin Man TRIVIA TIDBIT^(TM): By 1969, 54 percent of all new American production line cars were equipped with air conditioning. In addition to offering A/C as a factory option, most dealerships were installing aftermarket air conditioning at their own facilities using the A-6 compressor as the major component. By 1997, 96 percent of all new cars were factory-equipped with A/C. (Source: Hemmings Motor News); ‘Air Grabber’ hood scoup ($66.00 with 383 and 440 engines, standard on Hemis); Automatic Speed Control (cruise control) ($56.00); front disc brakes ($28.00); rear window defogger ($27.00); bright metal exhaust trumpets ($21.00- standard with Hemi); headlight time delay/warning signal ($18.00); hood hold down pins ($15.00); left side, outside rear view mirror control (mechanical), ($10.00); ‘Dust Trail’ side tape stripes ($16.00); power windows ($105.00); (NOTE: a power seat option became available for 1971 but was not available on the ‘70 models.); bucket seats with vinyl trim ($100.00): center cushion with folding armrest ($54.00); tachometer, including clock ($88.00); vinyl roof ($96.00); Super Track Pak racing equipment package ($236.00); TorqueFlite automatic ($191.00-297.00 depending on other equipment and engine); four-speed manual ($188.00-197.00, again depending on variables) and ‘Sure-Grip’ posi-traction rear diff ($42.00).
For your listening pleasure (if you want to call it that) a AM radio was offered for $62.00. A solid state AM/FM model (mono) would set you back $135.00. (Note to gen Xers: no, ‘mono’ was not a socially transmitted disease. Mono meant NOT stereo. That’s right... only ONE channel... no left and right.) Buyers wanting to play their very own selection of music could opt for a AM-FM (mono again) radio with stereo tape player (I’m guessing it was 8-track but not sure) for 196.00 and a ‘Multiplex’ (that’s stereo FM) system without tape player was also offered for $214.00. That’s $1,262.85 in ‘08 dollars! You could have a pretty decent system installed at Reliable Stereo for that kind of money today.
Plymouth offered a generous palette of twenty-eight hues for 1970 including Silver Poly; Ice Blue Poly; Blue Fire Poly; Jamaica Blue Poly; ‘In Violet’*; Rallye Red; Lime Green Poly; Ivy Green Poly; Limelight Poly; Black Velvet; ‘Sassy Grass’ Green*; Vitamin ‘C’*; Burnt Orange Poly; Deep Burnt Orange Poly; Sandpebble Beige; Moulin Rouge; Frosted Teal Poly; Scorch Red; Sahara Tan Poly; Burnt Tan Poly; Walnut Poly; Alpine White; Lemon Twist; Sunfire Yellow; Yellow Gold; Citron Mist Poly; Citron Gold Poly and Tor-Red, the color applied to Doug and Sharon’s car. Try finding a brand with a choice like that for a 2008 model! (A FIN MAN, ‘It Only Makes Sense; Predicition: I predict that, at some point down the road, probably after I have riden into the sunset for the very last time (hopefully in a really cool car), manufacturers will be able to offer an infinite color spectrum for your special ordered car. It seems likely that future technology will allow an unlimited color choice with literally millions of colors available. Ink jet printers are able to print millions of colors with just three ink colors, magenta, cyan and yellow. Why couldn’t paint systems do the same thing? Makes sense, right? You could take a color swatch from Home Depot or a sample of fabric from your favorite recliner to the dealer and tell them you want your new Chrysler 300 to match the sample. That would be a rather exciting breakthrough. I’d like to see that happen before that last cruise. Can we get to work on that boys?)
According to Doug, "Sharon’s car" (as we’ll call it to keep things happy in the Williams home) has nearly every option that was available including a/c, a vinyl top, power steering, windows and brakes, a TorqueFlite automatic, interior light package and bucket seats with a six-way, manually adjusted driver’s seat. (Remember, the power seat option didn’t come along until 1971.) They also have the ‘build sheet’ a sheet of paper with all of the options listed which is usually left under the back seat during the manufacturing process. This bit of ‘provenance,’ considered the holy grail to car collectors and restorers, is exceptionally nice to have along with your collectible automobile. It is often the only surviving piece of paperwork which shows exactly what options were originally installed on your automobile. It is usually left under the rear seat cushion during the assembly process and can be an invaluable asset when and if you ever decide to sell your collectible automobile. Build sheets may contain information such as dealership delivered to, options, colors, date car went down the line, complete option information, shipping weight and more. You can use this information to cross reference your body tag, vin and major drivetrain components.
The following minutia comes your way courtesy of Wikipedia which, if you’re not familiar with it, you should be... what can I say. (And, I strongly urge you to contribute at the home page): The Plymouth Road Runner was the no-frills muscle car version of intermediate Belvedere and Satellite built by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States between 1968 and 1980. In 1968, the first muscle cars were, in the opinion of many, moving away from their roots as relatively cheap, fast cars as they gained options. Although Plymouth already had a performance car in the GTX, designers decided to go back to the drawing board and reincarnate the original muscle car concept. Plymouth wanted a car able to run 14-second times in the quarter mile (402 m) and sell for less than US$3000. Both goals were met, and the low-cost muscle car hit the street. The success of the Road Runner would far outpace the upscale and lower volume GTX, with which it was often confused.
Paying $50,000 to Warner Brothers to use the name and likeness of their Road Runner cartoon character (as well as a "beep, beep" horn, which Plymouth paid $10,000 to develop), and using the Chrysler B platform as a base (the same as the Belvedere, Satellite, and GTX), Plymouth set out to build a back-to-basics muscle car. Everything essential to performance and handling was beefed-up and improved; everything nonessential was left out. The interior was spartan, lacking even carpets in early models, and few options were available. A floor-mounted shifter featured only a rubber boot and no console so that a bench seat could be used. The earliest of the 1968 models were available only as 2-door coupes (with a centerpost between the front and rear windows), but later in the model year a 2-door "hardtop" model (sans centerpost) was offered. The Road Runner of 1968-1970 was based on the Belvedere, while the GTX was based on the Satellite, a car with higher level trim and slight differences in the grilles and taillights.
Plymouth dealers gave away this promotional windbreaker in 1970. The "heart with an arrowhead at bottom" design was part of Plymouth’s ad campaign that year. The Road Runner is holding a helmet with the same symbol on it. The standard engine was a 383 CID (6.3 L) Roadrunner V8 rated at 335 bhp (250 kW) and 425 lb·ft (576 N·m) of torque. For an extra $714, Plymouth would install a 426 CID Hemi rated at 425 bhp (317 kW) and 490 lb·ft (664 N·m) of torque. Combined with low weight, the 6-passenger Road Runner could run the 1/4 mile in 13.4 seconds at 105 mph (169 km/h). It would prove to be one of the best engines of the muscle car era, and the Road Runner one of the best platforms to utilize it. Plymouth expected to sell about 2,000 units in 1968; actual sales numbered around 45,000. (It should also be noted Dodge debuted the Road Runner’s cousin, the Super Bee, that same year.)
The 1969 model kept the same basic look and was slightly changed cosmetically (i.e. rear tail lights, optional bucket seats, new Road Runner decals). The Road Runner added a convertible option for 1969, although fewer than 2000 drop top models were produced for the year, and only nine with the Hemi.
An "Air Grabber" option was introduced this year; it consisted of an air duct assembly bolted under the hood, that connected to twin rectangular scoops in the hood. When the hood was closed, this assembly fitted over a special air cleaner assembly to force air directly into the engine. The scoops in the hood could be opened and closed via a lever under the dashboard. The design and functionality of the "Air Grabber" option was changed after 1969.
While the 383 engine remained the standard power plant, a 440 CID engine with three two-barrel carburetors, known as the "440 Six Pack" (6-BBL), was added to the lineup at mid-year to qualify the engine for the "Super Stock" drag racing class. The Six Pack Road Runners had no wheel covers or hubcaps and a flat black lift-off fiberglass hood with functional hood scoop. Its 440 engine produced 390 hp (291 kW) and 490 lb·ft (664 N·m) of torque at 3200 rpm, very similar numbers to the Hemi and at a lower engine speed. This meant the cheaper 440 6-BBL was nearly as fast as the 426 Hemi, at least up to highway speeds. This option, along with the economical yet fast 383 and the outrageously fast Hemi helped propel Plymouth, and corporate sibling Dodge, to the top of the drag strip echelon.
The Road Runner was named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1969. Sales almost doubled to 82,109.
Nineteen-seventy brought new front and rear end looks to the basic 1968 body, and it would prove to be another success. An updated version of the "Air Grabber" hood was introduced this year. A switch below the dash would open the hood and sharklike teeth "Air Grabber" graphics would be exposed. "High Impact" colors, like In-Violet, Moulin Rouge, Vitamin C, were options available for that year. The 1970 Road Runner and GTX continued to be attractive and popular cars. The engine lineup was left unchanged.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thanks for reading the Old Car Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch!!!
For the answers to this week’s trivia questions and other images of the 1970 Road Runner... visit the FIN MAN’s web site at http://thefinman.com. To e-mail him, click on this link: mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.
The FIN MAN is available for your group’s special occasion and is currently booking dates for December, 2008 and all of 2009. During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties. His program includes a fascinating Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana. Guests also have the opportunity to play "FINS for FUN," the video game he produced in 1987 which inspired his nickname, in which players compete to identify the year, make and model of cars from tightly cropped photos of fins and taillights. Those who score the highest win auto-related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors. For more information, click on this link: http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw.

Bruce Kunz is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

Bruce Kunz- a.k.a. "The FIN MAN"