1971 Road Runner Help & Questions

jessipup said:

where in texas, if its any where near Ft worth I can look at it.
And I'm pretty sure there are members here from Houston, San Antonio and Longview. Make dam certin to stay away from Texas toybox.
I cruise Cl every day and do not recall those cars

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No this guy isnt texas toyboy and he even said stay away from them as he has delt with them or I should say tried to in the past. He used to do this as a hobby fixing them up and modding them and now is looking to do it full time. The guy doesnt do it halfway he is very good at what he does.

I'm getting ready to post pics of the car man it needs a lot of work like the roof area and floor pans inside the car. I'm waiting to see what kind of deal we can work out on it and the work.

If I get the body in good shape I'm not worried about the motor I will take it and the trans out and then have that done at a later date. I will restore the car inside and do it right with the motor being the last thing on the list.

I want to say he is located in Dallas area and works in Houston area on oil rigs. I need to get some pics of his 66 Charger up for you guys to see what kind of work he does. That car will be going to pain soon and then on to Mecum auction.

































That should be all the pics I have right now......So let the fun begin and tell me what you guys think. I will know more about what work the owner will do and how much it will cost me in doing it.

Man that car is in real nice shape and looks mostly complete/original too. If you can agree on a price then get it. That rust is no problem to fix. Also if you want the motor and trans rebuilt right but not pay through the nose then there is a guy here that I know that can do it. He has been doing chrysler engines for over 40 years and his specialty is the HEMI.

i don't get warm and fuzzy looking at those pics
they only leave me with alot of questions

with holes like that in the roof,
i wouldn't buy it unless he had good clear pics of the floors
with the interior out.
i bet the water has been sitting inside it for years...
that dash looks like it has been wet
look at the rust on the bottom of the frame
the cowl also looks crusty where the water
drains out
how bad it the firewall under it?
you wouldn't know how bad untill you dig..
i would want answers so you know
exactly what you are in for..
trunk floor looks ugly with holes..
also
with that car, the front frame rail behind the steering box is another place
i would investigate,they love to rot out hidden behind the box...

here was a vinyl top car that had holes in the roof
main floor,torsion x member and front frame rail were shot..

71ChallengerSE said:

Man that car is in real nice shape and looks mostly complete/original too. If you can agree on a price then get it. That rust is no problem to fix. Also if you want the motor and trans rebuilt right but not pay through the nose then there is a guy here that I know that can do it. He has been doing chrysler engines for over 40 years and his specialty is the HEMI.

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The only rust on the car that is rot is the roof area that is shown and the floor pan inside.

The owner just told me he would (if it was him doing the work on his own car) replace the full floor pan and then cut the roof away were it needs and re-work that after he braces the car up.

The car is all original and his dad and him saved the car and kept it orignal due to it being numbers matching.

The guy never takes a numbers matching car and cuts it up to do what he wants to it. His 70 Road Runner I think the whole back half of the car, frame, floor pan and maybe roof has been replaced. I think it was missing just about everything.

Thanks on the info of engine building I will keep that in mind. I'm still bouncing this around in my head and see what he will charge to do the roof and floor pans.

This may be a deal that takes a year to get done and I'm ok with that. I think I'm going back to school (medical coding program) to be able to get back to work.

I tell you since having a stroke and being off work a few years and other health problems no one wants to hire me for anything right now. The jobs in medical coding I'm guranted to be placed. I go to vocation rehab this week so I will see what they say about giving me some help to take these classes and back to work.

Stay tunned will up date.

Thats a cool car but it needs so much work and there's so much you can't see in the pictures. It also looks like it needs a bunch of replacement parts. Plus, you have to have it shipped here. It would cost a fortune to restore and i don't think you could get your money back if you had too. Thats my two cents, for what its worth. Does the cinder block come with it?:grin:

flypaper said:

i don't get warm and fuzzy looking at those pics
they only leave me with alot of questions

with holes like that in the roof,
i wouldn't buy it unless he had good clear pics of the floors
with the interior out.
i bet the water has been sitting inside it for years...
that dash looks like it has been wet
look at the rust on the bottom of the frame
the cowl also looks crusty where the water
drains out
how bad it the firewall under it?
you wouldn't know how bad untill you dig..
i would want answers so you know
exactly what you are in for..
trunk floor looks ugly with holes..
also
with that car, the front frame rail behind the steering box is another place
i would investigate,they love to rot out hidden behind the box...

here was a vinyl top car that had holes in the roof
main floor,torsion x member and front frame rail were shot..

Click to expand...

I wouldn't get warm and fuzzy feelings either if the car looked like the one in your pics, but it doesnt. I bought a 71 Demon that had the windshield busted in and the side glass. It sat outside like that for 30 years uncovered with the carpet etc. It was full of broken glass trash leaves etc. Once I cleaned it out it had the cleanest floorpan I have ever seen not even a pinhole. They all rust a little differently.

That being said they will rust in strange places and not in others so you just have to look for the hidden stuff. There is always rot you just have to pay accordingly. It is all fixable.

you must like to gamble..lol

the car has holes in the roof
water comes in and sits inside somewhere
i would want too see the full extent of the damage...
behind that dash could be rotted out.
i find it odd that there are no pics of that
or the floor...

when a car sits for years
rodents make homes inside them..
they make nests inside frame rails and other places
the acid in thier droppings around the nest will rot holes
from the inside out.
one car i saw 8 nests inside of it...


a car like that needs every square inch gone over
or you might just have a nice suprise pop up a year or more later after you painted it.

flypaper said:

you must like to gamble..lol

the car has holes in the roof
water comes in and sits inside somewhere
i would want too see the full extent of the damage...
behind that dash could be rotted out.
i find it odd that there are no pics of that
or the floor...

when a car sits for years
rodents make homes inside them..
they make nests inside frame rails and other places
the acid in thier droppings around the nest will rot holes
from the inside out.
one car i saw 8 nests inside of it...


a car like that needs every square inch gone over
or you might just have a nice suprise pop up a year or more later after you painted it.

Click to expand...

Its worth the gamble when its cheap enough LOL.
What I like about this RR is that it looks like its still wearing is original paint, I have owned both repaint and original paint cars and the original paint ones are the best. You know exactly what your getting into but without seeing it in person you never know what your getting into. I would have the guy send hundreds of high quality pics before I bought it sight unseen. Its not out yet and if you budget accordingly you can get your money back out if you had to.

Im still looking at this car and I just sent an email off to see what it will cost for work and replace the parts that need to be replaced. I have also asked for detailed pics.

I know I can maybe get a guy or two from the site here to check the car out but I do trust him as he has been straight up with me on everything we have delt in so I'm not worried about that.

I will see what happens as I know he is busy in starting up his shop and opening up to do work for the public and I have a couple things holding me back right now as well. The biggest one is going back to take a class to be able to get back into the work force.

I will take a minute and put a note here "Everyone please take care of your health and watch what you are eating and doing in life. Take it from me who had a stroke at age 29 and a lot of health problems yet to be determend. I have been given things that say I wont live past 50 years of age if I have it and so far each day that goes by the chance of me having it goes down. So please take it from me enjoy life and all that it has to give you" sorry for my preaching there.

Stay tunned price and more details on the Road Runner to follow. Ten years ago this car would be in the garage already and me tearing into it with my dad.

Side note the guy is offering services for dipping parts to restore them it is something he does himself and has been doing it.

This is his site and its a work in progress so give him some time on it and you will see the work he does. He has mad skills on doing metal work and fabing things. I really can't wait to see the 66 Charger done and going across the auction block.

http://www.musclecarcreations.net/

This is the guys project page. If you scroll to the bottom you will see a slide show of the 66 Charger with some details on it. The rear and front bummper look like they are welded to the body, they are not they are still can be removed.

http://www.musclecarcreations.net/Projects.html

Okay so I got word in what my total investment will be on as follows

The car is $1700 and then to fix the floor pan with a full floor pan, fix the roof with a new (donor roof) and fix the fender that is on it and if there is any rust in the fire wall and wiper area I'm looking at a total cost of $4,619.00.

That is the price of fixing the roof, floor pan, drivers side fender and if there is any rust in the cowel area. The hood is extra for a perfect hood and I also have the choice of replacing the drivers side fender.

I asked what and how bad the original hood is and he is going to check it out again and tell me when he gets back home. I can't tell from the pictures what if anything is wrong with the hood.

So that gives me something more to think about and to figure out. I really don't think that is to bad to do all that work for a numbers matching car. I know I still have the motor, trans, interior and paint to do to the car.

I think when all said and done I could be looking at $20 to $25 thousand to return it back to stock form and have a restored car. That would be with me getting the car ready for paint and doing the interior work, wiring and small detail work.

So tell me what you think.

If this Road Runner is in your budget to get it started with major body work by all means get it. But here is something to think about, do you want it because it's a Mopar and you don't have one or is it I have got to have that car and I love it. Believe it or not that will be the difference if it gets finished or go to project hell (never completed). It looks like a great starting point to me and almost in the shape of my 74 Charger.

The difference in my Charger is I got it free,and I really wanted it because I love it. It will give me the base to build my car the way I want it. I wanted it because this is one I can drive everyday when finished because it's not a R/T or SuperBee.
Here is a link to my project and you will see what I have and I haven't started to do a lot yet.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?t=36663

The 71 has gotta be one of the all time coolest Mopars. If it can be saved, I would surely do it.

You may want to check the dallas Cl 67-74 there is some stuff there. Me not being a body man and seeing over 4k in the deal before really getting started that would be a bit rich for my blood. And please don't be in a hurry. Buyers lust can cost you thousands

old tired rebel said:

If this Road Runner is in your budget to get it started with major body work by all means get it. But here is something to think about, do you want it because it's a Mopar and you don't have one or is it I have got to have that car and I love it. Believe it or not that will be the difference if it gets finished or go to project hell (never completed). It looks like a great starting point to me and almost in the shape of my 74 Charger.

The difference in my Charger is I got it free,and I really wanted it because I love it. It will give me the base to build my car the way I want it. I wanted it because this is one I can drive everyday when finished because it's not a R/T or SuperBee.
Here is a link to my project and you will see what I have and I haven't started to do a lot yet.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?t=36663

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Yeah this is one that I want and one I have wanted for years. I like the 68, 70 and 71-74 Road Runners. I have always wanted a 71 Road Runner or GTX but could never find one in my budget and when I did they were worse then this one with me and my dad having to do the work to get it into the shape I will recieve it in.

This color combo is what is drawing me in and that its a numbers matching car with everything on it being original to it.

I'm not looking at it as I dont have a MOPAR and I want one bad because I have owned a lot of cars and most being MOPAR. I sold my last one due to health problems and not being able to finish the body work. The body work I couldn't do was welding. I had close to 4K in that car just in parts and no major work done to it as of the time I sold it.

This Road Runner will have the major body work done to it with only me having to prep it for paint. That is something my dad and I can handle. My dad is a retired body man who is legally blind but still knows his way around a car and getting it done. The welding was one problem that he couldnt see good enough to do and at the time of me selling the car he was willing to give it a try and I said no its not worth us trying and so much more work yet to be done on it. I sold it with keeping in mind that I would buy something else later on that either was done or had the major work done to it. This is where the Road Runner comes in with the major work being done to it.

I'm not at a point to where I'm in panic running looking for anything and everything. I want something that I will love when done and in 71 my choice would be a Plymouth over the Charger just by a hair but if a 71 Charger came to me needing what the Road Runner will when (if) I get it then yeah I would buy it.

RustyRatRod said:

The 71 has gotta be one of the all time coolest Mopars. If it can be saved, I would surely do it.

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I agree I love the 71 Road Runner and GTX and the 72s and I also have a thing for the 73 and 74s. I keep looking at a 73 in my area that if I were to get it I would mod it and make it something different, look stock but no way near stock.

jessipup said:

You may want to check the dallas Cl 67-74 there is some stuff there. Me not being a body man and seeing over 4k in the deal before really getting started that would be a bit rich for my blood. And please don't be in a hurry. Buyers lust can cost you thousands

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See that is were maybe my past experince working with my dad and him being a body man we differ. I see this car as being a good deal with the metal work being done.

The part of sanding a car down and smoothing it out to prep for paint is not that bad of a deal. The paint work can be high but if you were to sand it down to bare metal and have someone come along and put primer on it and then you go back and work it over seeing your high and low spots and then have that same person shoot the paint it wouldnt be to bad as far as cost goes.

If you were to go buy a running car like this Road Runner (with who knows what hidden problems) it wojuld be 13-18 thousand. it would not be a show car it would not be 100% and it wouldnt be a numbers matching car.

I have seen guys take fiber glas and mud the car in and fill it till it is smooth and you can not tell it until it starts to bubble and then you just paid who knows what for a car that is going to need body work done.

If I do buy this car and a big if right now. It would be because I love the car, I've wanted a Road Runner or GTX of this year and it will be one that I will finish off in the next few years over time and enjoy the heck out of and drive it.

I was a guy who had a rare car 1 of 1 and I would have been scared to drive it after it would have been done. I wont be that way again I want to enjoy it.

Oh just got a text trunk pan NO RUST, Frame rails NO RUST so I have a few other questions I'm waiting on and then I will see how and what I do.

CoronetRTguy said:

Yeah this is one that I want and one I have wanted for years. I like the 68, 70 and 71-74 Road Runners. I have always wanted a 71 Road Runner or GTX but could never find one in my budget and when I did they were worse then this one with me and my dad having to do the work to get it into the shape I will recieve it in.

This color combo is what is drawing me in and that its a numbers matching car with everything on it being original to it.

I'm not looking at it as I dont have a MOPAR and I want one bad because I have owned a lot of cars and most being MOPAR. I sold my last one due to health problems and not being able to finish the body work. The body work I couldn't do was welding. I had close to 4K in that car just in parts and no major work done to it as of the time I sold it.

This Road Runner will have the major body work done to it with only me having to prep it for paint. That is something my dad and I can handle. My dad is a retired body man who is legally blind but still knows his way around a car and getting it done. The welding was one problem that he couldnt see good enough to do and at the time of me selling the car he was willing to give it a try and I said no its not worth us trying and so much more work yet to be done on it. I sold it with keeping in mind that I would buy something else later on that either was done or had the major work done to it. This is where the Road Runner comes in with the major work being done to it.

I'm not at a point to where I'm in panic running looking for anything and everything. I want something that I will love when done and in 71 my choice would be a Plymouth over the Charger just by a hair but if a 71 Charger came to me needing what the Road Runner will when (if) I get it then yeah I would buy it.




I agree I love the 71 Road Runner and GTX and the 72s and I also have a thing for the 73 and 74s. I keep looking at a 73 in my area that if I were to get it I would mod it and make it something different, look stock but no way near stock.



See that is were maybe my past experince working with my dad and him being a body man we differ. I see this car as being a good deal with the metal work being done.

The part of sanding a car down and smoothing it out to prep for paint is not that bad of a deal. The paint work can be high but if you were to sand it down to bare metal and have someone come along and put primer on it and then you go back and work it over seeing your high and low spots and then have that same person shoot the paint it wouldnt be to bad as far as cost goes.

If you were to go buy a running car like this Road Runner (with who knows what hidden problems) it wojuld be 13-18 thousand. it would not be a show car it would not be 100% and it wouldnt be a numbers matching car.

I have seen guys take fiber glas and mud the car in and fill it till it is smooth and you can not tell it until it starts to bubble and then you just paid who knows what for a car that is going to need body work done.

If I do buy this car and a big if right now. It would be because I love the car, I've wanted a Road Runner or GTX of this year and it will be one that I will finish off in the next few years over time and enjoy the heck out of and drive it.

I was a guy who had a rare car 1 of 1 and I would have been scared to drive it after it would have been done. I wont be that way again I want to enjoy it.

Oh just got a text trunk pan NO RUST, Frame rails NO RUST so I have a few other questions I'm waiting on and then I will see how and what I do.

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Then get it and have the prices for the body work and all other information on paper work so you have a back up. Sounds like you really like this Road Runner,like I like my Charger so go for it. When it comes to doing the body work for yourself have a work party with members supply food,drink and such and make a day of it.

That car is trashed from top to bottom and front to back, it will definitely take more than 25k to restore it, not to mention years of chasing parts and running around, it may sound fun but it gets old quick because you just keep throwing money at something you can't drive. It is a buyers market right now and there are plenty of nice finished cars to be had for what you will have in this poor runner.

$4K for the car and to have all the metal fixed? THAT IS A STEAL. Road Runners in that condition go for $7-$10K with all that rust (which isnt much at all).

efriedrich said:

That car is trashed from top to bottom and front to back, it will definitely take more than 25k to restore it, not to mention years of chasing parts and running around, it may sound fun but it gets old quick because you just keep throwing money at something thing you can't drive. It is a buyers market right know and there are plenty of nice finished cars to be had for what you will have in this poor runner.

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That car is not trashed as you say. Sure its not a cream puff and in need of a total restoration. It will definitely take more than $10K to restore but it will only cost $25K if you want to put $25K into it.