@@roger628 Not for a 1 of 117. I am dealing with that now with my 74' Maverick Grabber. 1 of 186 built the same. I sent it to a mechanic to rebuild the motor and he left the body outside for over 2 years in Ohio weather. He kept his SS's and RS's and other personal cars in the storage building. My Rust free AZ car needs major rust repair. I hired an attorney over the matter.
With the 440 louvered hood, it was intimidating, not many wanted to run against it 😐.After I covered the 440 hood decals with two pieces of identical strips of black electric tape, it looked like a 318 car. Then everyone wanted to race, should have seen the look on their face/faces.😳 to say the least. Good memories indeed 😎
"Power bulge" hood FTW!!! My '74 had a bulge too. I really got to love that car... 400HP under the hood. Purple shaft and roller rockers from Koffel's Place... living in the Metro Detroit area was amazing for a young hot rodder... sigh
Comment on Dana's after 1971. They were still available in Track Pack cars in 1972. A 1972 Rallye Charger with 440 and Track Pack came with a HEMI 4spd and Dana 3.54. Have a buddy that stills has his original car from HS. Well documented car.
Early 80's Cuz Roger had a 72 GTX RR, 440 H.P. Pistol Grip 4spd, Dana 60 3.54 Posi Rear, F&R sway bar, PDB. Fast off the line, from a roll, top end racing, superb handling/braking BEAST. ⚡⚡⚡⚡ F A S T
The body shop I worked at in 78' had a powder light blue 440 just like that sitting out back. Mint condition, low mileage but no one wanted it. We all had high compression earlier cars which could beat it. Even though it was slower and rode nicer, it was still poison to try and insure by 78', so it sat there.
Plymouth had a very good print advertising campaign for these Roadrunners. The slogan was "Only the Strong Survive," which mimicked a popular song, but also served notice to other brands that canceled their muscle cars.
My platoon’s assistant drill sergeant at Ft. Dix, Sgt. Lee had one, same body, maybe a 1974 or 75, bright red. Seems like his had a 400. Sgt. Lee was a cool, squared away soldier. For those of us recently relegated to getting everywhere in cattle cars, the backs of 2 1/2 tons, or marching on dusty NJ back roads and trails, that car really had an impact on us. The other drill sergeants didn’t drive anything close to being memorable.
I owned a 72 road runner with the u code and gtx emblem. It was one of 741 built that year and 1 of 1 when decoded with options. Was a good builder, sold it on Craigslist where a guy from Texas came to buy it. One I should have kept!
By '73 standards, that 440 Road Runner would've been a blast to drive compared to most of the cars that were available then, even in low compression form. The only other contenders that I know of were the '73 Buick GS (455) and the 455-powered Trans Am. Even the once-mighty GTO nameplate had been relegated to a Nova clone.
The Trans Am kept the big block alive through the 70s but it was a far cry from this. This was one of the last real 60s style muscle cars with big block power.
@@siegessaule He probably meant the '73 SD-455 T/A's; would heave eaten this Roadrunners lunch, and easily given almost any 426 Hemi equipped car a run for their money too(judging by 0-60 and ¼ mile times reported back in the day. The standard 455 T/A wouldn't put up much of a fight.
... and given that current rates are around 1% it'd take 72 years to double. (but inflation is much more than that so that double would be worth aboot a tenth of what it's worth today... roughly)
I had a 1970 440-6 4-speed roadrunner back in high school 1973 , it-had the dana 60 track pack , sold it for $1500.00 in 1976 when I got married, wife couldn’t drive a manual trans ,
@Mopar Casey was it hard to get that 440 in the Duster. Any modifications or did it bolt right in. My grandpa owned 2 Duster in the early 80’s I think they were both slant six cars. But the kool part was I believe they were both 3 spd on the floor. He used to drop me off at school in the early 80’s in it elementary.👍👍👍good times
Daniel mine was a 318, you can buy mounts and it bolts right in you have to drill a 9/16 hole in the driver side mount on the k member. You can get headers or c body manifolds will work.
awesome Steve. I know where there is a numbers matching 74 U code and I want to buy it. Do you happen to know the production totals for 1974 Road Runner U codes? the one I saw has the Company Car/ Public Relations code in the fender tag
@Chad Wright Yeah it is so obviously under rated. The low compression mid 70s 440s usually dyno around 300 HP give or take a bit. Engine Masters dyno tested one and they got 319 HP and 452 TQ. When you have well over 400 TQ happening at only 2500 RPM and roughly 300 HP at peak the "280 HP" factory rating feels like an outright lie.
@@Impactjunky my brother has a 69 or 70 road runner ...don't remember the year. It's a fkn monster has a 383 stroker . I used to have a 68 dodge truck with a 360. I'm sure it had more than 200. It sucks when they take the power away
@@chadwright7614 Nice! I'm 30 years old and still driving my first car which is a 68 Satellite/Roadrunner clone. When I first got it it had a little 235 HP 273 V8 but after a few years I tossed in a 5.9 Magnum 360 with a Holley 600 and radical cam from Hughes Engines making about 400 HP/450TQ. After years of driving with the little 273 its nice to finally have a little "muscle" in my muscle car LoL
In 1972 the Roadrunner GTX 440 with a manual transmission got a Dana 60 rear axle and the dual point distributor made a return to the 4 barrel, manual trans 440, after going missing in 1970 and 1971. The 1972 did not get the manual transmission dual half leaf offset rear springs and got the same rear springs the automatic 440 got. 1971 seems to be the last year the manual trans 440 got the special rear springs, or the parts books are wrong.
@@timothyrobinson1612 In 1972 electronic ignition was on the 440 automatic transmission. The standard distributor for a 1972 440 with manual transmission was a dual point model. Automatic 440's didn't get dual points. There may have been some cross over as there was a shortage of dual point distributors due to quality control from the contractor.
Hi Steve, Certainly a rare piece in 73, particularly (depending on the build date) given the oil embargo gas pricing. The gas pricing coupled with the insurance surcharges an the lower horsepower all combined to exterminate the muscle car. Actually, although I'd be more interested in the 72 Road Runner beside/behind the featured Road Runner GTX. In fact, the 72 was the first year of that combination (GTX/Road Runner). 1971 was the last year of the GTX as a stand alone Model. Are those cars buyable and if so, whom should I contact to inquire as to availability and price? Thanks in advance - Bob J
What transmission code? I can't make out the pedal width, don't see the dash reverse light for the four-speed, don't see the quadrant indicator on the column.
Only the 72' roadrunner (GTX) had the option of having a 4 speed transmission and the Dana 60 3:54 , the 73' and 74' (GTX) optioned cars were automatic with the sure grip 8 3/4 only
The problem with this car is the massive amounts of rust. Who cares it’s only 1 of 117? It’s all rotted out everywhere. Now if this was in the desert southwest…
Go to Steve's instagram and look at the fact that he tags us in everything. Fat Foot Films is the production house for Steve Magnante's Junkyard Crawl. His youtube channel is where you can find all of his new content, this video is over 5 years old...
By '70 & '71, Camaros and Mustangs were the size of MoPars, but heavier. This is a mid-size. You're talikng compact size pony cars. And '69 on back, the Barracuda pony car was the size of a Mustang and Camaro. So really for only one year, 1970, only the Mustang remained at a smaller size.
@@ScottDLR ^^^^See above response. ^^^^ Plus Road Runners were mid-size. John is taking about compact size Pony cars. By the time this car came out in '71, it was very much the same size as the *comparable* Torino & Chevelle. But actually LIGHTER than both due to it's uni-body construction.
@@johngranato2673 I fully agree with that! And to add to that I'd say Camaros & Mustangs post 1969 & '70 respectively woulda been better if they were the size of '60s ChryCo. Pony cars. :)
@@UberLummox Actually smart ass I run my own classic car focused paint and body business. My current customers car is a 63 Tbird and I'm the first person to start and drive it since the early 90s. I also have several projects of my own, one of which was even chosen by Motor Trend/Car Craft Magazine as one of the top ten budget builds of the 2018 Hot Rod Power Tour. Who's the expert commenter now?
No sir, Fat Foot Films is the production house for Steve Magnante's Junkyard Crawl. His youtube channel is where you can find all of his new content, this video is over 5 years old...
I having a problem with our society,we’re all I hear about is cars, there value, every video is about will it run, or how rare it is , is that what we have become, cars, and money, The well well off , greedy rich people,suckered all of you people right in to their get rich scheme, Made you all forget why we like working on our cars, learning, teaching our children, Not how much money I can sell it for, people are going into other peoples property to steal the cars, All the time and effort that all of you guys that care about your next car to sell, in 10 years there going to tell all of you no more gas cars , know one will pay you a dime , if you can’t drive them. I blame it on all you greedy people loss love of god and country, just your next buck.
Go to Steve's instagram and look at the fact that he tags us in everything. Fat Foot Films is the production house for Steve Magnante's Junkyard Crawl. His youtube channel is where you can find all of his new content, this video is over 5 years old...
The videos on his youtube channel help Steve because this is his main source of income. We worked with Steve before he started his own youtube channel. www.youtube.com/@SteveMagnante Please follow his channel and Steve is a good friend of ours and his condition is better but he has a long way to go. By subscribing to his channel and watching his videos there help him.
Very cool. I have a 73 road Runner GTX I’m restoring. I just love those cars
Excellent review on a rare car, Thanks brother. Get well
It’s a shame that someone let that gorgeous car rotting to the elements! Makes you wanna cry!! It definitely needs to be saved and restored!
Sadly too far gone IMHO.
@@roger628 Not for a 1 of 117. I am dealing with that now with my 74' Maverick Grabber. 1 of 186 built the same. I sent it to a mechanic to rebuild the motor and he left the body outside for over 2 years in Ohio weather. He kept his SS's and RS's and other personal cars in the storage building. My Rust free AZ car needs major rust repair. I hired an attorney over the matter.
With the 440 louvered hood, it was intimidating, not many wanted to run against it 😐.After I covered the 440 hood decals with two pieces of identical strips of black electric tape, it looked like a 318 car. Then everyone wanted to race, should have seen the look on their face/faces.😳 to say the least. Good memories indeed 😎
I had a 1973 with a 400-6 engine 727 transmission and 8 3/4 rear.
"Power bulge" hood FTW!!!
My '74 had a bulge too. I really got to love that car... 400HP under the hood. Purple shaft and roller rockers from Koffel's Place... living in the Metro Detroit area was amazing for a young hot rodder... sigh
Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge! Everytime I watch your videos I learn stuff.
Plate C
Comment on Dana's after 1971. They were still available in Track Pack cars in 1972. A 1972 Rallye Charger with 440 and Track Pack came with a HEMI 4spd and Dana 3.54. Have a buddy that stills has his original car from HS. Well documented car.
That's correct and those got a factory dual point distributor too.
Early 80's Cuz Roger had a 72 GTX RR, 440 H.P. Pistol Grip 4spd, Dana 60 3.54 Posi Rear, F&R sway bar, PDB. Fast off the line, from a roll, top end racing, superb handling/braking BEAST. ⚡⚡⚡⚡
F A S T
That car was boss in its day
The body shop I worked at in 78' had a powder light blue 440 just like that sitting out back. Mint condition, low mileage but no one wanted it. We all had high compression earlier cars which could beat it. Even though it was slower and rode nicer, it was still poison to try and insure by 78', so it sat there.
Yes! Save it!
Plymouth had a very good print advertising campaign for these Roadrunners. The slogan was "Only the Strong Survive," which mimicked a popular song, but also served notice to other brands that canceled their muscle cars.
that WBAB Bumper sticker brings back memories on Long Island- rock station
yep thats a ny car saw the inspection sticker- where were you steve when you looked at this beast?
NY car with a 1988 inspection sticker, been sitting a looong time, rust has gotten the best of this rare gem.
I prefer the WLIR decal
Old NY car... I see the old inspection sticker, and the bumper sticker WBAB was a old NY radio station.
That 440 would be a $1676 option in today's dollars. Air would be a whopping $2629.
Doesn't seem too much for now, like 1700$ to get a car with double the HP? Thing is, everything left is an option on mopars XD
But back then A/C added a significant percentage to the price of the car, probably around 25%.
Steve, you are the man! I enjoy watching all of your videos on all platforms that you are on. Please don’t ever stop. Thank you so much, Jared
I know it's pretty damn rough but it's worth saving and should be
My platoon’s assistant drill sergeant at Ft. Dix, Sgt. Lee had one, same body, maybe a 1974 or 75, bright red. Seems like his had a 400. Sgt. Lee was a cool, squared away soldier. For those of us recently relegated to getting everywhere in cattle cars, the backs of 2 1/2 tons, or marching on dusty NJ back roads and trails, that car really had an impact on us. The other drill sergeants didn’t drive anything close to being memorable.
A stout 440 with 727, lookout!
I owned a 72 road runner with the u code and gtx emblem. It was one of 741 built that year and 1 of 1 when decoded with options. Was a good builder, sold it on Craigslist where a guy from Texas came to buy it. One I should have kept!
had this model mine was baby blue with white stripes
Save it......!
By '73 standards, that 440 Road Runner would've been a blast to drive compared to most of the cars that were available then, even in low compression form. The only other contenders that I know of were the '73 Buick GS (455) and the 455-powered Trans Am. Even the once-mighty GTO nameplate had been relegated to a Nova clone.
The Trans Am kept the big block alive through the 70s but it was a far cry from this. This was one of the last real 60s style muscle cars with big block power.
@@siegessaule He probably meant the '73 SD-455 T/A's; would heave eaten this Roadrunners lunch, and easily given almost any 426 Hemi equipped car a run for their money too(judging by 0-60 and ¼ mile times reported back in the day.
The standard 455 T/A wouldn't put up much of a fight.
@@One--Two exactly
Low option 454 M21 Corvettes would still run low 14s at 100 mph.
had the same type car - baby blue with white stripe
That GTX sad. Mine even has the horn.
The way prices are going up on Road Runner if you have one. It money in the bank
... and given that current rates are around 1% it'd take 72 years to double. (but inflation is much more than that so that double would be worth aboot a tenth of what it's worth today... roughly)
Saw a nice one a few years ago. The owner grafted a 70 Roadrunner air grabber . The body work was very good, but it was odd looking just the same
My dad bought a new 73 roadrunner 340.
Damn and my Dad bought a 73 Satellite 4-door with a 318. 🤣
Is that 72 Rallye Charger up for grabs?
My first car was a 72 Roadrunner with a 440 and air grabber. I traded a Honda CB175 and $100 cash for it in 79.
I had a 1970 440-6 4-speed roadrunner back in high school 1973 , it-had the dana 60 track pack , sold it for $1500.00 in 1976 when I got married, wife couldn’t drive a manual trans ,
Still married? 😀
I think you said the GTX was an option on the Road Runner after 1970, but I'd have to swear it was after 1971.
It was an option from 72'until 74'
The 318 Road Runners did not have the cubic inch call out.
Quick! Someone call Graveyard Carz!
Wow, I had no idea these existed. What a great find. Thanks for showcasing it.
'With the radio on ....."
Hopefully someone saves that car.
My first car was a 73 road runner with a 440, the throttle hung and tore it up…. I still have the engine, is in a 73 duster!
@Mopar Casey was it hard to get that 440 in the Duster. Any modifications or did it bolt right in. My grandpa owned 2 Duster in the early 80’s I think they were both slant six cars. But the kool part was I believe they were both 3 spd on the floor. He used to drop me off at school in the early 80’s in it elementary.👍👍👍good times
Daniel mine was a 318, you can buy mounts and it bolts right in you have to drill a 9/16 hole in the driver side mount on the k member. You can get headers or c body manifolds will work.
The production is NOT 117.... '73 was around 740 , '74 dropped off to half of that
You are correct Edward. The accepted number for cars shipped to US dealerships is 749.
traction bars and they hanging down to low, what where they thinking
awesome Steve. I know where there is a numbers matching 74 U code and I want to buy it. Do you happen to know the production totals for 1974 Road Runner U codes? the one I saw has the Company Car/ Public Relations code in the fender tag
I have a 74 U code GTX, where do you find the real production numbers
They made 386 examples of your GTX in 74’ with the ‘U’ code engine.
Is the #'s matching 440 still with the car?
440 with 200hp ...makes me chuckle
@Chad Wright Yeah it is so obviously under rated. The low compression mid 70s 440s usually dyno around 300 HP give or take a bit. Engine Masters dyno tested one and they got 319 HP and 452 TQ. When you have well over 400 TQ happening at only 2500 RPM and roughly 300 HP at peak the "280 HP" factory rating feels like an outright lie.
@@Impactjunky my brother has a 69 or 70 road runner ...don't remember the year. It's a fkn monster has a 383 stroker . I used to have a 68 dodge truck with a 360. I'm sure it had more than 200. It sucks when they take the power away
@@chadwright7614 Nice! I'm 30 years old and still driving my first car which is a 68 Satellite/Roadrunner clone. When I first got it it had a little 235 HP 273 V8 but after a few years I tossed in a 5.9 Magnum 360 with a Holley 600 and radical cam from Hughes Engines making about 400 HP/450TQ. After years of driving with the little 273 its nice to finally have a little "muscle" in my muscle car LoL
@@Impactjunky that's awesome man congratulations. Currently health makes it so I can't drive . I miss all my hotrods
He said 280….
In 1972 the Roadrunner GTX 440 with a manual transmission got a Dana 60 rear axle and the dual point distributor made a return to the 4 barrel, manual trans 440, after going missing in 1970 and 1971. The 1972 did not get the manual transmission dual half leaf offset rear springs and got the same rear springs the automatic 440 got. 1971 seems to be the last year the manual trans 440 got the special rear springs, or the parts books are wrong.
I've had my 72' roadrunner (GTX) for 28 years and they changed to electronic ignition in 72' on high performance cars
@@timothyrobinson1612 In 1972 electronic ignition was on the 440 automatic transmission. The standard distributor for a 1972 440 with manual transmission was a dual point model. Automatic 440's didn't get dual points. There may have been some cross over as there was a shortage of dual point distributors due to quality control from the contractor.
The bad thing about the vin says it's a 440...cost you more in insurance
Back then yes, today?
Hi Steve, Certainly a rare piece in 73, particularly (depending on the build date) given the oil embargo gas pricing. The gas pricing coupled with the insurance surcharges an the lower horsepower all combined to exterminate the muscle car. Actually, although I'd be more interested in the 72 Road Runner beside/behind the featured Road Runner GTX. In fact, the 72 was the first year of that combination (GTX/Road Runner). 1971 was the last year of the GTX as a stand alone Model. Are those cars buyable and if so, whom should I contact to inquire as to availability and price? Thanks in advance - Bob J
What transmission code? I can't make out the pedal width, don't see the dash reverse light for the four-speed, don't see the quadrant indicator on the column.
Only the 72' roadrunner (GTX) had the option of having a 4 speed transmission and the Dana 60 3:54 , the 73' and 74' (GTX) optioned cars were automatic with the sure grip 8 3/4 only
Here is a more recent video. th-cam.com/video/qWo5Lj83Jtk/w-d-xo.html
Too bad it's not up in the air, at least the rear axle, because then you could check differential wear & know if it was used or not.
The problem with this car is the massive amounts of rust. Who cares it’s only 1 of 117? It’s all rotted out everywhere. Now if this was in the desert southwest…
Since this one is not way out in the woods I’m guessing someone is going to restore it.
Steeling Steve's video ?
Go to Steve's instagram and look at the fact that he tags us in everything. Fat Foot Films is the production house for Steve Magnante's Junkyard Crawl. His youtube channel is where you can find all of his new content, this video is over 5 years old...
If it's so rare, why is it still in the junkyard ?
Call Mark Worman…. except he wouldn’t touch a 1973.
The people that knew back in the day how coveted the Road Runner would become and held on to them are smiling. Never will be a cheap muscle car again
What about a title ?
Working the algorithm Steve 👍
They lost me after 1970. I know I'm in the minority. Just my preference.
IMHO, all these Mopars are great, BUT they would have been better had they been the size of the Mustangs & Camaros of the 1960's. (I fixed it, UL.)
Have to agree. By this time that body was bloated and heavy compared to the competition. Heck, it was even fatter than the previous gen.
By '70 & '71, Camaros and Mustangs were the size of MoPars, but heavier. This is a mid-size. You're talikng compact size pony cars.
And '69 on back, the Barracuda pony car was the size of a Mustang and Camaro.
So really for only one year, 1970, only the Mustang remained at a smaller size.
@@ScottDLR ^^^^See above response. ^^^^
Plus Road Runners were mid-size. John is taking about compact size Pony cars.
By the time this car came out in '71, it was very much the same size as the *comparable* Torino & Chevelle.
But actually LIGHTER than both due to it's uni-body construction.
@@UberLummox I wasn't clear. Let me fix that!
@@johngranato2673 I fully agree with that!
And to add to that I'd say Camaros & Mustangs post 1969 & '70 respectively woulda been better if they were the size of '60s ChryCo. Pony cars. :)
..too bad it's rusted to hell.
You can't save them all.
*You* can't
@@Impactjunky YOU can? Better get started,,,
@@UberLummox Way ahead of you
@@Impactjunky Mm hm. I'm sure. Expert YT commenter. Great work!!!
@@UberLummox Actually smart ass I run my own classic car focused paint and body business. My current customers car is a 63 Tbird and I'm the first person to start and drive it since the early 90s. I also have several projects of my own, one of which was even chosen by Motor Trend/Car Craft Magazine as one of the top ten budget builds of the 2018 Hot Rod Power Tour. Who's the expert commenter now?
Canceled what do you mean canceled
U stealing videos from steve?
No sir, Fat Foot Films is the production house for Steve Magnante's Junkyard Crawl. His youtube channel is where you can find all of his new content, this video is over 5 years old...
too bad its rusted so badly and doesnt have the engine in it
Really, you don't have to explain what a VIN is....
What's with the Trumper tuxedo Steve???
There's always one imbecile in the bunch and you're it. Congratulations!
I having a problem with our society,we’re all I hear about is cars, there value, every video is about will it run, or how rare it is , is that what we have become, cars, and money, The well well off , greedy rich people,suckered all of you people right in to their get rich scheme, Made you all forget why we like working on our cars, learning, teaching our children, Not how much money I can sell it for, people are going into other peoples property to steal the cars, All the time and effort that all of you guys that care about your next car to sell, in 10 years there going to tell all of you no more gas cars , know one will pay you a dime , if you can’t drive them. I blame it on all you greedy people loss love of god and country, just your next buck.
Muscle cars after 1970 kinda sucked, the end was near......
Camaro's, Firebirds, Trans Am's, L82 vettes & more carried the torch
Posting his videos without crediting him? Stealing content.
Go to Steve's instagram and look at the fact that he tags us in everything. Fat Foot Films is the production house for Steve Magnante's Junkyard Crawl. His youtube channel is where you can find all of his new content, this video is over 5 years old...
How does this video benefit Steve Magnante? It Doesn't! You people shoud be ashamed of yourselves. 😡
The videos on his youtube channel help Steve because this is his main source of income. We worked with Steve before he started his own youtube channel. www.youtube.com/@SteveMagnante
Please follow his channel and Steve is a good friend of ours and his condition is better but he has a long way to go. By subscribing to his channel and watching his videos there help him.