CarTech® CT581 - 1970 Plymouth Road Runner: Muscle Cars In Detail No. 10

Bring the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner and its defining characteristics into focus, including the 440 Six Pack and 426 Hemi powerplants, cartoon graphics, beep-beep horn, and more.

The stripped-down Road Runner exemplified the essence of a purpose-built muscle car: brute power and stunning acceleration. A new aggressive grille and Air Grabber hood provided an audacious yet tasteful performance statement. By 1969, the muscle car war among Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler had reached a fevered pitch. Plymouth's Road Runner, Mopar's intermediate entry, led the charge. For 1970, the Road Runner had its strongest year yet as it housed the best street V-8s Chrysler had to offer.

Underneath the skin, the Road Runner lived up to its persona. The 335-hp 383 was one of the fastest 383s Chrysler built because it was fitted with the 440 camshaft, heads, and manifolds for even more performance. The 440 Six Pack car generated 390 hp and gained a reputation as a stout street performer. And at the top, the conservatively rated 425-hp 426 Hemi set the standard for performance.

The Road Runner was lighter than the Cuda and somewhat overbuilt as it was one of the toughest muscle cars. To transfer all this power to the ground, the Road Runner was equipped with the A-833 4-speed or TorqueFlite 727 automatic. With a torsion-bar suspension and heavy-duty rear end, the Road Runner handled well. However, these are just a few of the highlights of the complete story from author Scott Ross.

Table of contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1:

• New Styling, New Colors, New "System"

Chapter 2:

• Engine, Transmission and Drivetrain
• 383 Magnum
• 440 Six Barrel
• 426 Hemi
• Transmissions
• Rear-Axle Assemblies and Differentials

Chapter 3:

• Body, Chassis and Suspension
• Unibody: Surrounding You with Strength
• Suspension: "Torsion-Aire" for the Bird
• Steering
• Brakes
• Wheels

Chapter 4:

• Interior, Exterior and Packages
• Interior Options
• Other Options
• Dressing the Bird
• Packages

Chapter 5:

• Road Tests and Reviews

Chapter 6:

• Promotion, Marketing and Sales
• In Scale: Road Runners for the Young
• Road Runner RTS Caravan
• Sales Drop: Don't Blame Wile E. Coyote

Epilogue

• Inspecting a Road Runner

Appendix A:

• Specifications

Appendix B:

• Exterior Colors

Appendix C:

• Interior Colors

Appendix D:

• Prices

Appendix E:

• Fender Tag Decoding

Appendix F:

• Chrysler Passenger Car VIN Codes

Appendix G:

• Production Data

Scott Ross
The late Scott Ross was an experienced magazine writer, having contributed to Mopar Muscle, Corvette Fever, VETTE and Super Chevy. He also served as editor-in-chief of Drive magazine. He was an avid Mopar fan and had a close family connection to Mopar. His dad worked at the Chrylser Materials Lab in Highland Park during the 1950s. Ross had an undergraduate degree from Purdue University in communications and a masters degree in communications from the University of Illinois.