Re-Body a 1973 Road Runner

[Shorty Thompson]

This may not be titled in a way that everyone's gonna understand so for those who do and may know someone that has done this! Please ask them to stop in and lend to this discussion.

Here Goes: 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner pictures included

Late last year I bought a 1973 Plymouth Road Runner " G " code car. Now as sketchy as the condition of the car is in, and it's rough. I still can't come to terms of cutting it up and ending it. Thus the revelation. I really do not to go Pro-Touring. However I have been thinking about using the rear end set up out of 1 of the late model chargers/SRT's . But then! Then I got the idea why not take the body off a late model car and put the body of the '73 on it? Has anyone done this? Is too much for the purists? Chime in and leave your thoughts. Be kind though. Nothings happened yet.

 

[eldubb440]

if money and/or time are a consideration, you are already deeply under water........

 

[moparsaver]

This type of thinking with this project will leave you broke and/or divorced.

I‘m thirsty… Bartender, I’ll have what he’s having please.

 

[RemCharger]

I can only assume your proffession is major metal replacement/ surgery?
If so, then search out what others have done, there are some good long ( years long) writeups out there.

 

[Richard Cranium]

A '73 Road Runner is as desirable as a '73 Thunderbird. Strip and sell what you can and junk the rest. Cut your losses and move on to something better.

 

[RemCharger]

Not exactly the same, but a glimpse of the work ahead Not a typical 68 Charger

 

[DodgeBall]

People are putting 69 Charger bodies on Ford Crown Victorias. The track of the Crown Vic is a bit wide though so they look a bit off unless you narrow the rear end and put shorter front control arms on it. If one has been sitting in a field and the bottom is rotted away, then I get it...install new quarters, fenders and doors and drop in on a new chassis. Running Chargers are so expensive and sought after that you may actually get your money back when you sell it to someone who's desperate for a cheap General Lee. A '73 Roadrunner is a nice car, but is it worth the time and effort?...only you can decide that. Btw when I say "drop" it on a new chassis, I mean meticulously cut away both cars until it looks like you can put the pieces together...unibody body swaps are more difficult than dropping a body on a full frame chassis.

 

[Richard Cranium]

People are putting 69 Charger bodies on Ford Crown Victorias.

... And they look like a Crown Victoria with Charger body panels.

 

[Photon440]

Here's a step by step process that involved putting a late model Charger chassis under a 1970 road runner.
SRT8 Roadrunner conversion, NOT a body over!!

 

[Detective D]

You can do anything, really, if you either have the skills or the money. I saw a couple years ago somone put the drivetrain from an SRT8 into a 1981 Mirada. Not as easy as it sounds, he had to custom fab everything for the drivetrain to go in, mounts, body, transmission tunnel and floor pans, modify width for the suspension stuff, no engine mounts exist for it etc.

Modern vehicles are not built like even stuff from the 90's. Look underneath one, the "crinkle" tech for crashes now everything is like framed in sections so to speak and braced every which way and nothing lines up like you would think. They did this to control the way the car squishes up. The roof and floor are part of the body structure more than they used to be. People used to say the body on frame cars were heavier, but modern cars weigh over 4000 lbs now so that isn't the case anymore.
You would be better off finding something of similar vintage that nobody cares enough about and modding that, you would have less work to do. I know people like the idea of hellcat engines in stuff, but honestly, "expensive" does not begin to cover that.
And I say this from being very close to the situation, my Father in law has a 78 Magnum he tucked away in 1980. He bought a blueprinted 360 at auction, a dana 60 modded to fit the Cordoba/Magnum chassis, and already swapped a 727 in before he put it away. Then he had kids, and spent the next decades buying other stuff and ignoring his car. he dreams about getting it out all the time, but he wants it to be what he envisions, and the money is never there, so instead of driving it he lets it sit. Last year he dreamed up he should put a hellcat drivetrain in it because he saw a video of a 68 Charger done that way. I imagine this car will be inherited, as it sits, by my oldest brother in law, who will likely sell it after getting it cleaned up. 40 years+ of dreaming and it hasn't done a single burnout in all that time, with a 350-400HP engine sitting on a pallet next to it.

If you have the skills and the time to do it, more power to you I am sure it can be done. But take it from a poor nobody on these boards, evaluate your financial position and look at the scope of the dream and decide if you can realize it or if years will go by and you will have nice yard art and dreams, but no car. If you have money to burn you can do anything. Only you know where you stand on that.

 

[Shorty Thompson]

People are putting 69 Charger bodies on Ford Crown Victorias. The track of the Crown Vic is a bit wide though so they look a bit off unless you narrow the rear end and put shorter front control arms on it. If one has been sitting in a field and the bottom is rotted away, then I get it...install new quarters, fenders and doors and drop in on a new chassis. Running Chargers are so expensive and sought after that you may actually get your money back when you sell it to someone who's desperate for a cheap General Lee. A '73 Roadrunner is a nice car, but is it worth the time and effort?...only you can decide that. Btw when I say "drop" it on a new chassis, I mean meticulously cut away both cars until it looks like you can put the pieces together...unibody body swaps are more difficult than dropping a body on a full frame chassis.

You'll be the first I reply to as in Thank you for your time. Not meaning that in a rude manner either.

 

[Shorty Thompson]

Here's a step by step process that involved putting a late model Charger chassis under a 1970 road runner.
SRT8 Roadrunner conversion, NOT a body over!!

That '68 Charger is 5" narrower than my '73 Roadrunner though. I've followed SRT8"s process. A friend of his directed me to him.

 

[Shorty Thompson]

You can do anything, really, if you either have the skills or the money. I saw a couple years ago somone put the drivetrain from an SRT8 into a 1981 Mirada. Not as easy as it sounds, he had to custom fab everything for the drivetrain to go in, mounts, body, transmission tunnel and floor pans, modify width for the suspension stuff, no engine mounts exist for it etc.

Modern vehicles are not built like even stuff from the 90's. Look underneath one, the "crinkle" tech for crashes now everything is like framed in sections so to speak and braced every which way and nothing lines up like you would think. They did this to control the way the car squishes up. The roof and floor are part of the body structure more than they used to be. People used to say the body on frame cars were heavier, but modern cars weigh over 4000 lbs now so that isn't the case anymore.
You would be better off finding something of similar vintage that nobody cares enough about and modding that, you would have less work to do. I know people like the idea of hellcat engines in stuff, but honestly, "expensive" does not begin to cover that.
And I say this from being very close to the situation, my Father in law has a 78 Magnum he tucked away in 1980. He bought a blueprinted 360 at auction, a dana 60 modded to fit the Cordoba/Magnum chassis, and already swapped a 727 in before he put it away. Then he had kids, and spent the next decades buying other stuff and ignoring his car. he dreams about getting it out all the time, but he wants it to be what he envisions, and the money is never there, so instead of driving it he lets it sit. Last year he dreamed up he should put a hellcat drivetrain in it because he saw a video of a 68 Charger done that way. I imagine this car will be inherited, as it sits, by my oldest brother in law, who will likely sell it after getting it cleaned up. 40 years+ of dreaming and it hasn't done a single burnout in all that time, with a 350-400HP engine sitting on a pallet next to it.

If you have the skills and the time to do it, more power to you I am sure it can be done. But take it from a poor nobody on these boards, evaluate your financial position and look at the scope of the dream and decide if you can realize it or if years will go by and you will have nice yard art and dreams, but no car. If you have money to burn you can do anything. Only you know where you stand on that.

Another very well put reply. First time ever mentioning my skillset , but I have been in fabrication for over 33 years. However I totally agree with you. I've done cost studied versus profit and a lot of the time cost wasn't warranting any manufacturing. Essentially the cost was way over board. I seen SRT8's build on a '69 Roadrunner. Extensive to say the least. At the very least measurements will be the absolute deciding factor here as I just hate giving in that easily. I have to have communication from those that are realistic in their thinking.

 

[Photon440]

That '68 Charger is 5" narrower than my '73 Roadrunner though. I've followed SRT8"s process. A friend of his directed me to him.

Which '68 Charger would you be referring to? I know the modern Chargers are narrower than older b-bodies, that link I showed had over 350 posts, the narrow factor was addressed in post #1.

 

[Detective D]

Another very well put reply. First time ever mentioning my skillset , but I have been in fabrication for over 33 years. However I totally agree with you. I've done cost studied versus profit and a lot of the time cost wasn't warranting any manufacturing. Essentially the cost was way over board. I seen SRT8's build on a '69 Roadrunner. Extensive to say the least. At the very least measurements will be the absolute deciding factor here as I just hate giving in that easily. I have to have communication from those that are realistic in their thinking.

If you want to keep costs down and work reasonable, why not find a Cordoba or a two door Monaco someone wants to part with and swap it onto that? I bet dimensions are closer than modern cars Plus the underside will look like a Mopar yet, you know it can handle small or big block, rear axle can be a 9.25 which is findable, although not as easy as it sounds.....

 

[WileERobby]

I'm sorta confused. You're gonna take THAT body and put it on a late model unibody/chassis ? THAT body ?

 

[Shorty Thompson]

Which '68 Charger would you be referring to? I know the modern Chargers are narrower than older b-bodies, that link I showed had over 350 posts, the narrow factor was addressed in post #1.

No sir. I beg to differ. In SRT Kelsey's car build in his documentation he pictured/photographed that his builder had to cut down the rear suspension's main brace 2" and shorten both axles to get it to fit under the new car he's building now. Now if your referring to his charger that he had . That was totalled out after all the work he done to that. That too is documented/photographed

 

[Shorty Thompson]

If you want to keep costs down and work reasonable, why not find a Cordoba or a two door Monaco someone wants to part with and swap it onto that? I bet dimensions are closer than modern cars Plus the underside will look like a Mopar yet, you know it can handle small or big block, rear axle can be a 9.25 which is findable, although not as easy as it sounds.....

I wouldn't be getting the IRS. I figured since I was after that in the beginning that I'd just use the entire drivetrain/chassis

 

[Shorty Thompson]

I'm sorta confused. You're gonna take THAT body and put it on a late model unibody/chassis ? THAT body ?

Well said! Well put! Answer your question . Yes! That 1973 isn't a framed car as you know. And I have not inspected the newer charger, but I'm betting it's not a framed car either. Framed car comparing to a Crown Vic or a Caprice as such.

 

[WileERobby]

Well said! Well put! Answer your question . Yes! That 1973 isn't a framed car as you know. And I have not inspected the newer charger, but I'm betting it's not a framed car either. Framed car comparing to a Crown Vic or a Caprice as such.

I was just curious if you were using that specific car. There's been instances where a classic body has been "put over" a modern body structure ( Charger, for example ) for sure. Looks like a lot of work needed on that body you got. To each, his own, I guess. Best of luck to you