1971 Plymouth Roadrunner

[4x4ford33]

Well guys, my name is Rob and i have been lurking around and reading some information but i figured it is time to introduce myself. I have been admiring this car for literally my whole life and i finally have it in my garage. My dad bought this car in the early 80's and it has been sitting since my older brother was born. The last time it was registered was 1985 and the last time it was started was in the early 90's. I have been waiting for the right time to really start on it and i think that time has come. It is a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner with a 440 and a six pack and the 4 speed. I will post a pic that I have for now, but I'm sure I will take many more as the process moves along, it is a bit overwhelming.

[sdweatherman]

Very cool! Is it a true 6 pack and 4 speed car, or were those items added? Regardless, its cool that you have been able to keep a family car. Do you plan to blow it apart? Or are you just going to get it running for now? I kind of regret blowing my gold Sebring Plus apart right away - kind of wish that I would have just worked on the mechanicals and got it running so that I could enjoy it a bit. Then worked on restoring the body and other things during the off seasons. Good luck with whatever you have planned and keep us updated!
Scott.

[sdweatherman]

Oh and another thing - I hope you plan to keep those wheels on it!

[4x4ford33]

Originally the plan was to blow it apart, but then I thought it would be cool to save that for when my son gets a little older. So I'm just going to get it running and change out all the wear parts and enjoy it for a little while first. Everything about the car is original, i even checked the vin to be sure. I'm not so sure on that bikini top though, i can't find anything on the fender tag indicating that was original.

My dad said that he has the original rims for it, which I have never seen. But I like the ones that are on it, even though they need a serious amount of work.

[sdweatherman]

These cars did have a canopy top option, but it ran a little further back to just above the top back corner of the back window. If the car had a vinyl top, it would be coded as V1_ for a full vinyl top, and V4_ for the canopy top - the blank is for the color of the top - like V1X for black. The canopy top works well for the Road Runners because the strobe stripe if optioned runs just behind the canopy top. If your car did not come with a vinyl top, then you will see the body color code on there twice, just above the engine code on the very left had side of the tag.

I think your plan for the car is spot on. Get the mechanicals going and get the car safe and drive worthy - and enjoy it some before blowing it apart. That is a very long process and its easy to get discouraged. Good luck!

Scott.

[sdweatherman]

Here is a picture of whats left of the canopy top on my project sunroof Satellite. If you look close, you can see the top goes back to the back top corner of the rear window.



Scott.

[4x4ford33]

Thanks for the input, I'll post a picture of the fender tag but if I'm understanding you correctly then the top isn't original, which I'm kind of happy about because i don't really like it.

I haven't had a lot of time to work on it yet but I changed the plugs and coil, and still have the plug wires to do. It turns over but it doesn't seem to have any spark right now.

[Eric]

Welcome to the nest! Cool car...super track pak too. The tag is coded for a painted roof, no vinyl.

[4x4ford33]

That's awesome, thanks for the help guys

[sdweatherman]

Wow, that is a super cool car! V-code, 4-speed, Super Track Pack, Air grabber. Someone ordered that car up with going fast and looking cool in mind. Definitely do your homework and work on putting that one back close to original. Definitely worth the effort! Good luck!
Scott.

[4x4ford33]

Thanks, i have been hearing stories about this car my while life and finally have a opportunity to start working on it.

Now if only I could figure out this spark situation, it will be awesome to hear it run.

[4x4ford33]

Hey guys, so I've been puttering when I can on the car and i still can't seem to get spark. The voltage was low, like 5V, at the coil and i wasn't getting spark so I ordered a new condenser and points, the car has dual points, i changed the condenser but the points that I got from the parts store didn't look the same as the ones in the car so i didn't change them.

I jumped the battery to the coil and still didn't get spark so I figured it was something in the distributor. I spaced the points with no change, so I'm thinking about going to a electric ignition that fits under the cap, Pertronix 1382 was the one I found. Is this a good idea? Do I need 2 of these systems because I have dual points?

I hope this is understandable, and i appreciate any help.

[sdweatherman]

Not an engine/electronics whiz yet - and these cars can be challenging when it comes to the electronics. Your idea of going to electronic ignition is good but make sure you keep the original distributor with the car in case a future owner wants to put it back original. You should only need the one distributor set up - just make sure it is for a 440-6 set up. Chasing down electrical issues is not fun - you have to be methodical and isolate circuits to test if you are getting proper voltages. Try and wire brush/clean all the connectors and pins, and inspect as much of the wiring as possible. There is a ballast resistor on/near the firewall that causes problems sometimes, and there is also a fusible link wire that needs to be in good order. Also check the voltage regulator on the firewall to make sure it is working properly. If you don't get too many responses from this forum - post up your question on the For B Bodies Only forum also. There are many more Mopar savvy members frequenting that site. Good Luck!
Scott.

[4x4ford33]

I appreciate the response, my level of knowledge when it comes to the electrical is seriously lacking so I am learning as I go. I actually do have a replacement for the ballast resistor already, i just haven't had the chance to change it yet.

But my understanding was that if you bridge the coil to the battery then you are circumventing all of the other stuff and it only leaves something in the distributor as the problem area, maybe I misunderstood.

With that Pertronix kit you only replace the points, not the whole distributor, which was my understanding of it.

I highly doubt this car will ever be sold but that is a good point to keep all the stock parts to be able to transition back, just in case.

[71Beeper]

I would be putting a Mopar electronic ignition on it.
The control box can be hidden under the battery tray if desired.
An electronic wiring harness is available for it.
Electronic big block distributors are still plentiful enough, even used ones work just fine.
Just don't buy one that was on a Lean Burn engine as they are different and don't have a vacuum advance unit on it.

Here's a kit on E-Bay right now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Mopar-Big- ... SwIM9bDBl1

Regards,
John