1968 Plymouth Road Runner

[bill dedman]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lee

Bill,
The same guy that had the '70 RR above also had a '64 Signet. It was a well known early '70's street racer in the Phoenix area. It was built by a guy that cut weight out of everything. A100 seats, home made aluminum single resivoir master cylinder, aluminum nuts and bolts and acid dipped body parts. It was plain silver. When my friend owned it, he had a bone stock '70 340 with cast exhaust manifolds in it with an A833 & 4.56's. It ran high 11's. He added a cam, fenderwell headers, a hi-rise and Holley and it was a 10 second car. This was around 1980 and a 10 second 340 was pretty darn
fast. Neil Smedly owned the car for awhile and he sold it to somebody. The car has completely dropped off the radar. I'm sure it's a roach by now but I sure would love to own that car.

My car was a fat pig, for what it was. I weighed it THREE different places because I could NOT believe how heavy it was! It was a V-100, el-cheapo, 2-door post car with a radio and a heater, PERIOD. All three places said it weighed over 3,100 pounds WITHOUT me in it; the lightest being 3,105, with half a tank of gas. It did have a cast iron 4-speed and an 8.75" rerar, but geeze; the shipping weight was only about 2,700 pounds...

I was bitterly disappointed...

[Steve Stasko]

Originally Posted by 4406mopar

The 8 3/4 hiway gears of that time were 2.76 2.94 3.23. There were some other oddball ratios from 58-62 like 3.36 and 3.73. All the Road runner horns that came on the cars were the light purple color, the black one pictured above is a current replacement.

'68 Horns were painted black. Purple started in '69.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Road Runner Facts:

The 1968 'Beep Beep' Horn was painted black, with the decal.

The 1969 'Beep Beep' Horn was painted 'Cool Gloss Purple', with the decal.

The early first production 1968 Road Runners were pillared post cars with the push-out quarter-glass.

The hardtop 1968 Road Runners came out in mid-year (after January 30,1968) production.

The early first production 1968 Road Runner 4-speeds were equipped
with the 'Inland Floor Shifters'.

In 1968 mid-year production (after January 30, 1968) the shifters were changed over to
'Hurst' standard linkage units.

Car Price;
Pillared coupe; $2896
Hardtop;,,,,,,,,,, $3034

The 4-speed manual transmission, was standard with the car.

[Curt Rees]

I had posted before about the '69 340 'Cuda fastback that I also bought new. I went into the service in the winter of '68 and sold my Road Runner because I thought I was going to be gone for 3 years.

Due to medical issues, I was discharged in March of '69. I ordered a Yellow '69 340 'Cuda 4 speed with 3:91 gears. I won several trophies with the car at Marion, SD and Sioux City, IA.

In checking the Mopar production figures, I think there were only 93 fastback 'Cudas sold in 1969. I think about that car yet.

So, I consider myself very fortunate, that I was able to own two Road Runners and a 340 equipped 'Cuda! The 4 speed 'Cuda was much more fun to drive. On a good hot South Dakota summer time day, you could see the tire mark shift points on the hot asphalt with that car.

#5457

Curt Rees

[Jim Cimarolli]

I worked at a Chrysler dealership back in '71 up until '79. We worked on a lot of those cars under warranty. But I do distinctly remember one car that the owner took pretty good care of and drove it daily. It was a '70 sedan, plain jane bottom end car, 383, with a factory 3 speed in the floor. The shifter had a plastic knob that was a fake woodgrain pattern. Reason I remember so well that it was a 3 speed manual transmission is that we had a very difficult time getting parts for that tranny. I didn't know the 3 speed was even available, but sources tell me that in 1970 it was standard equipment. Anybody else ever seen one?

[Paul Ceasrine]

1968 Plymouth Road Runner

Standard Equipment:
383 / 335 Horsepower 4-Barrel engine (Engine Code H)
4-speed Manual transmission (A-833) with Inland 4-speed shifter
8 3/4" rear-end
3.23 gears (Open-rear)

Required Options:
Sure-Grip Posi ($45)

The salesman was supposed to order this as a 'standard required option'.

Other Options;
727 Automatic Torque-Flite transmission ($39)
Performance Axle Option, 3.55 gears w/Sure-Grip Posi ($88)
Special Order Axle Option, 3.91 gears w/Sure-Grip Posi ($144)

[Paul Ceasrine]

Plymouth introduces the Road Runner.

[6t5frlane]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Plymouth introduces the Road Runner.

There was a 65 GTO on the west coast in 65 that had Road Runner on the doors....

[Paul Ceasrine]

Dave,

Some of the specifications you asked for.

Car Weights:
Coupe: #3424 lbs. (10.22 wt/hp)
Hardtop: #3450 lbs. (10.30 wt/hp)

Both cars were classed in E/S or E/SA in 1968.
In Super Stock, SS/F or SS/FA.

383 Engine (Code H)
10.0 - 1 Compression ratio (Flat-Top Pistons)
.450 / .465 lift Hydraulic camshaft (276*/292* duration) (54* overlap)
#2843906 Cylinder heads (2.08 Intake / 1.74 exhaust) (85cc Open Chamber)
#2806301 Cast Iron Intake Manifold (Dual-Plane)
Carter 625 CFM AVS Carburetor (1 7/16" x 1 11/16")

The 383 Road Runner and Super Bee utilized the oil-pan windage tray, camshaft, cylinder heads, valve springs and exhaust manifolds from the 440 engine.

In 1968, that 383 was rated at 335 Horsepower,,,,,,now considered a 'stretch'.
Today, NHRA rates that engine at 300 HP.

[Chris DeGidio]

Originally Posted by Jim Cimarolli

I worked at a Chrysler dealership back in '71 up until '79. We worked on a lot of those cars under warranty. But I do distinctly remember one car that the owner took pretty good care of and drove it daily. It was a '70 sedan, plain jane bottom end car, 383, with a factory 3 speed in the floor. The shifter had a plastic knob that was a fake woodgrain pattern. Reason I remember so well that it was a 3 speed manual transmission is that we had a very difficult time getting parts for that tranny. I didn't know the 3 speed was even available, but sources tell me that in 1970 it was standard equipment. Anybody else ever seen one?

You are correct Jim...the 3 speed was standard in 1970,and the 4-speed was a option along wth the 727 TorqueFlite.I have not seen a Road Runner with a 3 speed,but have seen one Dodge Super Bee with 383 and 3-speed on the floor.