In this article, we look at a recent car restoration project in its entirety. We transformed a 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner, giving its owner an extremely well conditioned American car that can be enjoyed to their heart’s content – read on to find out exactly what we did in this classic car restoration project.
1968 was the year Chrysler Plymouth launched the Roadrunner. It was a time in which Chrysler desperately needed to break into the muscle car market. So, they produced what would become an iconic car and at the time it was lighter, stronger, faster and cheaper than the competition. The base engine was a 383 Magnum with heads, intake, cam and exhaust manifolds from the 440 Super Commando, which made it the fastest 383 ever. Horsepower quoted at the time was 335 bhp @ 5,200 rpm.
We thoroughly enjoyed working on this car and on a American car restoration project that reminded us of just how great a machine this is.
The classic car restoration project entailed the following services and steps:
Classic car restoration was certainly required on this particular Road Runner. Both front & rear foot-wells were rusty & full of holes. The rear trunk floor was practically non-existent & so were the rear chassis rails & leaf spring mounts. The transmission tunnel had been cut into. All the floors were replaced with new panels & the chassis rails were replaced. This is a B Body car so there is no separate chassis, any chassis rails are welded into the shell.
Structural stiffening was welded into the body shell & a roll cage to further stiffen the structure was built into the rear passenger area. Both rear quarter panels were rusted out at the bottom so the lower halves were cut out & new panels welded up to the original tops. This is a safer way of retaining the body shell integrity than replacing the entire quarter panels.
The rest of the body shell was in good condition bar a few small detail repairs carried out in certain places. The body shell was shot blasted back to bare metal before being primed and painted. The colour is matched to the original Plymouth colour taken from the VIN plate.
The original 383 block required two new cylinder sleeves. Everything apart from the block was scrap. New internal parts were sourced including Edelbrock heads and the engine was completely rebuilt with slightly enhanced camshafts to produce more horsepower but maintaining driveability.
A 5 speed Silverspeed Tremec gearbox with hydraulic clutch has been fitted, which makes the car far more responsive and reduces drag through the drive train. A custom Tornado stainless steel exhaust system has been fabricated & fitted to standard exhaust manifolds.
Polyurethane bushes are fitted all round, the car has been lowered approximately 1.5” & stiff front and rear anti-roll bars replace the originals. Disc brakes are fitted all round. Standard black steel wheels with no hubcaps give the car a no nonsense appearance.
The dashboard and steering wheel are completely standard. A modern rev counter, water temperature & oil pressure gauges are fitted under the dash so as not to spoil the original appearance of the interior. The driver & passenger seats are restored Dodge Charger seats and the rear bench seat is original. All the upholstery is black leather, the headliner is black cloth & the carpet is black. The appearance is understated & complements the overall look of the car.
This car restoration was a long process but the result is excellent. The stiffer body shell makes the car far more responsive & the upgraded suspension gives it a firm ride with little roll under reasonable cornering loads. The engine runs very well & the Tremec gearbox is substantially better than a standard Torqueflight auto box. The car is used regularly and when it’s pushed it can really go. To discover more about our services, read our article on the top reasons why you should restore a classic American car.
“This car is a lot of fun to drive, it’s big and it’s heavy – no power steering – but it is well stuck to the road and all the modifications have been worthwhile. The stiffened body shell and suspension gives a more direct and better handling feel than a standard muscle car.
“At 400 bhp it’s impressively fast and drivable. The finishing and the quality of the re-spray is excellent. Overall this is a very well built car and it’s an absolute credit to Mike Sargeant’s skill as an engineer and fabricator. A great classic car restoration team.”
Interested in learning more about our car restoration capabilities? Contact us to discuss our previous work and to talk to us about your car restoration project. Our team will be happy to take a look at your car and advise on work that will ensure it holds the presence it should out there on the roads. Head to the Plymouth Roadrunner gallery to view images of this and our other finished projects.
More on this Plymouth Roadrunner Car Restoration Project:
Car Restoration Stories – Bringing to life a 1968 Roadrunner
Classic Car Restoration Stories – Bringing to Life a 68 RR Continued
