1973/74 Roadrunners..tell me about them....

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I also walk right by them at car shows.

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That's funny, cause the boxy, taxicab '68 thru '70s give me the glazed-eye yawns... never could see the attraction other than a big engine in a flat-faced brick. I walk right by those, especially those with grandpa dog dishes. To each his own, I guess.

I prefer the grille and taillights of the '73-'74s over the '71 and '72s, obviously... I do wish they didn't have the mushy bushings throughout the chassis though...

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But when you put the car on a rake, where it should be, they are right where they need to be.

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He's got a point there. I never noticed the wheel wells. The main differences to me are the nose and tail lights (That is if you stripped the car to bare metal).

I fell in love with 71' because of Richard petty's nascar days and it was the first year of the "fuselage" rather than the box cars like my dads 67' Dart GTS. Knowing there was no way I was going to get my hands on a superbird, I decided on the next best thing IMO.

73-74 I don't like the bushings between the frame as mentioned. Makes swapping parts between b bodies a pain in the [Edited by Moparts - Family Friendly Site - Keep it clean].

I had a feeling there was going to be a war over this post lol

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You know my car looks better on a rake..

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Yes it does

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Any info on the available engines in '74 with a 3 speed trans? I think it was a small block car originally but owner is not sure if it was a 318 or 360...

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IMO That was the reason I went with 71' roadrunner cause it was the last year before emissions...

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I did. Emission and safety standards began to take hold in 72'. Hence the 400 "smog" big block. Even my 71' has some vapor lines from the gas tank, some kind of canister below the battery tray, and noise reduction package indicating pre emissions before they were mandated by the federal government. This is on my car because it was built to california standards and sold in california.

That's why most enthusiasts of ford, mopar, and chevy recognize 71' as the end of the muscle car era.

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I'm kinda partial to the '73/4 also, but I wouldn't hesitate to jump on a '71/2 for the right price locally.

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That is a good lookin ride, with the perfect rake, IMO. Ive got 2 73 RRs, making one car out of 2. Waiting on my body man to get started on the body work. I think you just settled my color combo for me!!!! A buddy has a 73 that he has had for 20 years or so. It is black with white stripes, it does look pimp with draglites on it. But, I cant afford to get the body straight enough for black. Red, now that may work. Any idea what the exact paint color is?

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Show my wife a 71-2-3-4 and she would say they are the same car but show her a 68-9 or 70 and then one of the above and she would argue that they are are even different brands but what does she know. I personally love the body lines of the 71 and up with my fav being a 73-4 with a bulge hood it has its own aggressive stance, but then again I may be biased as I used to own one.

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I use to have a second gen road runner, I don't even remember what year it was [73 I think] I realy don't know the difference by looking at them.. I also had a 70 road runner and I can tell a 70 comeing from a mile away, comeing or going. Just my

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73-74 I don't like the bushings between the frame as mentioned. Makes swapping parts between b bodies a pain in the [Edited by Moparts - Family Friendly Site - Keep it clean].

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That's why most enthusiasts of ford, mopar, and chevy recognize 71' as the end of the muscle car era.

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Daytonaturbo. I love the stance of your car, what suspension set up/wheels,tyres are you running ?
cheers Doug

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Thanks Doug. I'm running re-arched stock rear leafs and 275/60/15 tires, planning to go wider in the rear but same diameter.



Really there are only two things that bother me about the 73-74's. One being nobody even repros rear 1/4 patch panels for them. The other being 71-72 fenders aren't a bolt-on. If the older nose would bolt on and if the body line wouldn't have changed for 73, I honestly would seriously consider swapping to the 71-72 nose. Not because I dislike the 73-74 nose, more because after daily driving the car for 7 years spring-fall I'm getting a bit bored with the way it looks. Got a RR hood going on this summer and maybe a color change just to freshen things up.

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cause ALL successful car designs had matching front and rear openings..

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If you'll notice, the '57's wheel opening edges are the same size, thickness, and have a similar "flow", even though they are not exactly the same front to rear.

Looking at the '73-4's again, it's not so much the shape of the openings (which look mostly symmetrical, save for the height difference) but rather the area around the openings in the quarter panels and fenders- smooth on the fenders, and with a flattened, radiused area on the rear quarter panels. Is it nit-picking? Maybe, maybe not, but it's there, and that may be the reason '74-'74s are even less popular than F-bodies.

Like I said, I still like them, but I'm not sure I will ever love them.

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what ever happend to the guy with a compleat rear clip and the amd guys did they take him up on the offer or trading the clip for challenger sheetmetal? jim??????

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You know my car looks better on a rake..

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Sorry, not a fan of a raked stance. I love the 200-S wheels, though. See, I said something nice.

In all seriousness, I've always loved your car. It's one of the few '73-'74s I've kept pics of, and how many baby blue Mopars do you see? Not many, or I should say, not enough.

This is probably my second favorite '73-4, and I forget whose car this is, but I wish I had a better/larger pic of it :




A few other Moparts member's rides:



I love this color combo, too:




I love FM3, but even I have my limits :




I does have a nice rake, though.

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Looking at the '73-4's again, it's not so much the shape of the openings (which look mostly symmetrical, save for the height difference) but rather the area around the openings in the quarter panels and fenders- smooth on the fenders, and with a flattened, radiused area on the rear quarter panels.

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I actually like that about the rear quarters... I like how the body line flows from the front fenders down into the rear quarters... but I'm not here trying to sell '73-/74s to anyone.

The only thing I don't like is the lack of parts...

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Von, i wondered if Bean still owned that car. Does it get driven?

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Heck no!! AFAIK, the car hasnt been fired since '93 or '94. I dont think he even fired it when he moved it to his house in Glenpool. Ive tried to get him interested in it again, but no luck so far. I know his oil pan is smashed up from hitting something and he is worried about that. Also, I guess he had a small fire of some sort due to an improperly installed electronic ignition harness. Last time I talked with him I offered to come down and help him get the ignition thing figured out. I guess he got that fixed, but I still dont think he fired it. Another thing is Im feel that he was/is disappointed in how it ran........13.40s..... I had a nice converter for sale a year or so ago and you know his car needs a converter BAD. I tried to get him to buy it, but it didnt happen. His combo just needs tweaking, IMO. Gear, 'Vert, heads need checked and a real valve job (Id bet my nuts his heads are totally jacked up, judging by who did the work on them) cam needs to be in really early, etc. He was talking about pulling it out and going through the whole motor again. You know it should go mid 12's at the worst. Most of his troubles can be attributed to his helper, if you get my drift....our old buddy.