1968 Plymouth Road Runner

Paul Ceasrine · 09-30-2011, 11:19 AM

Cheech,

Popular Mechanics was more concerned with the owners response, as
opposed to their own view of the car.

They did perform a Top Speed test with the 68' 383 4-speed car with 3.23 gears, and got a
result of 122 MPH.

With a general overview, that the car had good performance and handled well at top speeds, and it was mechanically well built.

Criticism, was with the poor workmanship of the interior, such as loose screws, missing fasteners, misaligned moldings, air noise through the window seals.
They labeled the interior as 'flat-out cheap'.

Major Dislikes:
* Interior workmanship (Loosely fastened components)
* Wind noise (Through the quarter-glass hinged window)
* Squeaks and rattles (Poorly fitted moldings)
* Water leaks (Through the window seals)
* Glove compartment (Hinged glove box clumsily designed)
* Dashboard (Set too high)
* Rear View Mirror (Set too low)
* Inadequate seat padding
* Lack of headroom
* Rear seat (Uncomfortable)
* Hinged Quarter-glass (Mixed reaction)
* Ashtray (Location)

Note: Not to be believed, but the #1 complaint was the Ashtray location. Positioned
dead-center and at the underside of the dash, and recessed. The owners complained that
it was hard to drive, and flick the ashes into the ashtray at the same time.
How times have changed,,,,,,,,

Paul Ceasrine · 10-01-2011, 12:43 PM

Dave,

This information came from 'Everything Road Runner'

In 1968, there were approximately 1900 Chrysler-Plymouth Dealerships
thoughout the United States.
1000 were labeled as Large to Mid-Level Sales
450 were labeled as Intermediate Sales
450 were listed as Small Division

Not sure on the distribution of the 68' Road Runner.
Sales numbers were 46,054.

I would think, that the 1000 or so Large to Mid-Level Sales dealerships
sold 80% of the cars, (approximately 35,000).

The other 900 dealerships, probably sold 10,000 or so.

Going by those numbers, even the smallest of the Plymouth Dealerships
had to sell at least 5 Road Runners in the 1968 sales year.

One of the 1019 Hemi Road Runners built for 1968.

pc

Mike Brogniez · 10-01-2011, 03:32 PM

Wonder how many ended up/sold in Canada?
I liked those Keystones..........
MB

Frank Castros · 10-01-2011, 05:11 PM

Too bad the vintage Keystone Klassics are no longer produced. The Cragar version isn't the same.

Charlie A · 10-02-2011, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Castros

Too bad the vintage Keystone Klassics are no longer produced. The Cragar version isn't the same.

Memory check: I believe "back in the day" NHRA banned the Keystone Classic after there were some rim seperation issues.

I had a set on a 69 red/black top 383 Charger SE.
Liked 'em better than any street wheel before or since.

10-01-2011, 12:43 PM	#2
Paul Ceasrine VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,546 Likes: 0 Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Dave, This information came from 'Everything Road Runner' In 1968, there were approximately 1900 Chrysler-Plymouth Dealerships thoughout the United States. 1000 were labeled as Large to Mid-Level Sales 450 were labeled as Intermediate Sales 450 were listed as Small Division Not sure on the distribution of the 68' Road Runner. Sales numbers were 46,054. I would think, that the 1000 or so Large to Mid-Level Sales dealerships sold 80% of the cars, (approximately 35,000). The other 900 dealerships, probably sold 10,000 or so. Going by those numbers, even the smallest of the Plymouth Dealerships had to sell at least 5 Road Runners in the 1968 sales year. One of the 1019 Hemi Road Runners built for 1968. pc Last edited by Paul Ceasrine; 10-01-2011 at 12:59 PM.

10-01-2011, 03:32 PM	#3
Mike Brogniez Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Montreal Posts: 476 Likes: 7 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Wonder how many ended up/sold in Canada? I liked those Keystones.......... MB Last edited by Mike Brogniez; 10-01-2011 at 03:34 PM.

10-01-2011, 05:11 PM	#4
Frank Castros VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Lowcountry. Posts: 2,983 Likes: 2,605 Liked 2,737 Times in 965 Posts	Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Too bad the vintage Keystone Klassics are no longer produced. The Cragar version isn't the same.

09-30-2011, 11:19 AM	#1
Paul Ceasrine VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,546 Likes: 0 Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Cheech, Popular Mechanics was more concerned with the owners response, as opposed to their own view of the car. They did perform a Top Speed test with the 68' 383 4-speed car with 3.23 gears, and got a result of 122 MPH. With a general overview, that the car had good performance and handled well at top speeds, and it was mechanically well built. Criticism, was with the poor workmanship of the interior, such as loose screws, missing fasteners, misaligned moldings, air noise through the window seals. They labeled the interior as 'flat-out cheap'. Major Dislikes: * Interior workmanship (Loosely fastened components) * Wind noise (Through the quarter-glass hinged window) * Squeaks and rattles (Poorly fitted moldings) * Water leaks (Through the window seals) * Glove compartment (Hinged glove box clumsily designed) * Dashboard (Set too high) * Rear View Mirror (Set too low) * Inadequate seat padding * Lack of headroom * Rear seat (Uncomfortable) * Hinged Quarter-glass (Mixed reaction) * Ashtray (Location) Note: Not to be believed, but the #1 complaint was the Ashtray location. Positioned dead-center and at the underside of the dash, and recessed. The owners complained that it was hard to drive, and flick the ashes into the ashtray at the same time. How times have changed,,,,,,,, Last edited by Paul Ceasrine; 09-30-2011 at 03:37 PM.