Road Runner Nest

Guys - what colour were the small block motors in the 71's? Like I mentioned in another post, I'm going with a 360 in my 71 Satellite I'm wondering what colour the motor should be?

71 orange
72-up blue

To clarify a little, a hi-po small block motor (340 4bbl) in 71 would have been orange. Any other small block would have been blue.If you're going for the look of originality, a Satellite would have been blue.

Oops. I was thinking Roadrunner-> HiPo. Didn't even register that you were working on a Satellite.

O.K. so my Satellite will be turned into a clonerunner, so you guys are saying that the motor should be orange?

I'm not trying to out of line here, But you are making a fake (clonerunner) look real. Does it really matter at this point?

Technically he is not making a ......fake.......... as all of these cars are really "Satellites"the last time I checked.

Moparite said "I'm not trying to out of line here, But you are making a fake (clonerunner) look real. Does it really matter at this point?"


I think it does matter. That is what a clone is. If he painted the motor blue someone would point that out right away. I have seen clones that look more like a road runner then some runners. And I have seen clones that smell like a clone from a mile away. I have seen real runners and GTX's that are customized, thats not my cup of tea but I like to see someone personalize their car. If it's done right the difference between a clone and the real thing is not much more then a letter and a number on the VIN. Some guys (and girls) can't afford or can't find a real runner. Not to mention there are some really clean satties without drive trains, interiors, ect.

If you clone it, do it right.

After all it's your car enjoy it and drive it with a big smile on your face .

A FAKE is a satty that someone is trying to pass off as the real thing.

In the end, in my opinion it doesn't matter, I think they are about the sweetest looking cars made.

Paint your motor Hemi orange and drive the hell out of your car. Enjoy it. It's your car, do with it what you want. GOOD LUCK!

moparmike wrote:Technically he is not making a ......fake.......... as all of these cars are really "Satellites"the last time I checked.

Good point!

As for the car being a Road Runner or a Satellite. When they're all just really "Satellites?" Humm. If you are of that mind set. Then there never was any Road Runners, or GTXs, from '68 to '74! As they used the Satellite body platform for all those years. But since the serial numbers are different. That tells you if it's a Road Runner, or "just" a Satellite. The guys at cruises and shows that have the least amount of problems are those who live with the fact that there car is a tribute vehicle. In other words. They don't remove their fender tag, and they don't cover up the VIN number on the dash. Which to me is usually an instant red light that it isn't what it appears to be. Nothing wrong with building what you like, or that's all you can afford. As a lot of the clones are often way better looking that the real ones that show up. Keep in mind the reason hardcore Road Runner guys don't accept '76 to '80 Road Runners as being "real Road Runners" is because it was a Volare with a Road Runner trim package. There was no VIN code which showed it was a Road Runner, or "just" a Volare. You have to look on the fender tag for the code to show you it left the factory with the Road Runner package. Yes, the '75 Road Runner had a Road Runner VIN. But when you stop issuing cars that don't have at least a performance style hood. That doesn't cut it for me.

Again the last sentance in your last post I think proves my point. You state Roadrunner "Package" which means they purchased a Satellite and had it equipped with an optional package. In fact one might say that the Roadrunner is a close clone to the Satellite. Need I remind people that some of the Satellite models had a lot more options on them and cost a lot more originally , the Roadrunner package was meant to be a stripped down affordable hot rod.

And as for what you call a Volare roadrunner not being a roadrunner I am sorry but you contradict yourself. You said if it left the factory as a Road Runner then its a Roadrunner so the Year should not matter. . I am not trying to be rude just thought a dicussion on this topic would be interesting to see what people think.
It does not matter to me as I own both a Satellite Sebring Plus and A Satellite `GTX``

Ah, the beauty of life. You notice I said, "Hardcore," RR fans. Myself, I liked the looks of the Volare Road Runners. Especially the '77 special model with the T-tops and fender flares with orange paint. So I don't consider them personally to be just a decor package. I don't call them a "Volare RR." I call them a RR. But there are people out there who look at it the other way. They definitely looked way more sporty than the unfortunate 1975 RR body style. If the RR in '75 had been a hot seller. They could of continued it into 1976 that way. As that body style was used again in 1976. It was Chrysler's way of trying to get rid of the "RM" VIN to squeeze the car by insurance companies. I think it would be sort of trick to own a 1980 model. Last year, with a 6 cylinder engine in it. Just because it's unique being that combo. I don't seem to win the lottery though. Being retired on a fixed income I can't have a warehouse filled with at least one of every year of RR from 1968 to 1980. :^( The reason Chrysler came out with a Satellite Sepring Plus model was to offer a Plymouth buyer a car to compete with the Charger SE. If Dodge had a model. Then it was understood that the other had to have a model too. In the SE you could get up to a 440. As for a car being a Belvedere. Have you ever noticed the emblem on the glovebox of a '67 GTX? It says, "Belvedere GTX."

I am new to the Mopar scene. I am a recently converted Ford guy. This thread reminds me of the same conversations that occur in the Ford circles about Mustang II's from the mid 70's. lol.

Over my 40 or so years owning mopars I had two Sebring pluses both with factory big blocks (400 & 383) and 4 speeds and they performed as well as Runners. Unfortunately the 440's and Hemi's weren't available, that would have been sweet. I'm sure there were guys back then buying a basic satty with a big or 340 and having the dealer install a runner hood and maybe some spoilers in an effort to save some money on insurance.
I'm cloning a runner from a 318 SSP body. Personally I like to build my own car, like I would have if I could have afforded in 71 or 72. I went through the purist stage in the late 80's and did pretty good. Now I want something I can drive the $h!t out of and not worry too much. When I had any of my restored mopars I was always worried about it way too much to enjoy it. I like slamming my foot down and hammering the gears too much to have a car I am going to pussy foot around with.

Not to mention the way the economy is going now, it's not the best time to restoring a car as an investment. Not saying that cloning a runner isn't an investment. It is, just on a smaller scale. Watch out though, there is the possibility you might have to wait a long time to get your money back in this market even with a real runner or X.
Mopars have been a decent investment for awhile now and this isn't the first time that the market stalled.
Sorry I got off subject.
I'll end it with this. Real Road Runners are Real cool but, THEY LOOK JUST LIKE ALL THOSE CLONES . Good Luck!

Guys Guys..........I didn't want to start any arguments here. Yes, I want to clone my Satellite, but I will do it right. ILUV72RRs stated the point about Volare Road Runners as opposed to Road Runners. I had a 76 Volare Road Runner. In 1976 the Road Runner was a package you could get on a Volare. Here's a pic of my Runner at Moparfest.


Also 1976 was the first year for that body style, the 1975 Runner was a one year only body style.

Moparmike had some good comments as well.
I would have loved to buy a real 71 Runner, but my budget could not afford it & the ones I did see for sale were in worse shape than the Satellite I bought. I won't be passing off my car as a real Runner - there are too many Mopar people that know how to read a VIN tag.
I want to make my car look the way a small block 71 Runner is suppost to look like.
In the Feb issue of Mopar Action there's an artical on a beautifull butterscotch 71 small block Runner. I will be using those pics as reference for my build. I just wanted to get others on this board's opinion on engine colour.