Ultimate Road Runner – Neil Anderson’s ’70 B-Body Mopar
Neil Anderson likes all muscle cars, but he has a soft spot for B-body Mopars. So, when he received a tip back in 2003 about a 440 6-pack ’70 Road Runner body, he hooked up his trailer and headed out on an 11-hour road trip to pick it up.
The body turned out to be very solid and actually nicer than Neil expected. Once he started to do some research on the car, the find got even better. Not only did he learn that the car was built on the first day of production for the 1970 model year, but the original fender tag showed “Job 183 Advertising,” which was very peculiar.
With a little more research, he learned that his new project was the 23rd car built in the 1970 model year and is believed to be the first 440 6-Pack Road Runner of the year. Adding one last feather to the Road Runner’s cap is that this is the actual car photographed for use in the Plymouth ad campaign featuring a giant cartoon Road Runner head poking out of the grabber air scoop!
With those details, Neil knew exactly what he had to do: Restore the car to original specs and somehow build a new giant Road Runner head.
It wasn’t until early 2019 that the Plymouth was placed into the experienced restoration hands of his pal Dennis Andersen where the B-body assembly was documented and then dismantled to the bare shell. The entire suspension was assembled to factory specs, including the four corner drum brakes. and the trusty 8¾-inch rearend was fitted with a Sure-Grip and 3.23 gears.
The factory sheet metal of the B-body was massaged, smoothed, and worked by Dennis before being sprayed with the factory Lemon Twist Yellow. Of course, all of the chrome and trim work was addressed, a well, and either restored or replaced with new pieces. Meanwhile, a correct-date-coded 440 and 727 trans were sourced and assembled in a stock rebuild from the oil pump to the trio of Holley 2300 carbs on top.
For the interior, Dennis contacted Year One for a replacement white interior kit, including seat covers for the new styled (in 1970) high back buckets. All of the instrumentation, including the Tic Tock Tach, were recalibrated and restored. The factory automatic console was restored, and the column was crowned with a woodgrain steering wheel.
As for the enormous cartoon hood ornament, Neil worked with a company called WhiteClouds that specializes in 3D artwork. The result is a clever marketing prop from the heyday of automotive advertising to top off a stunning Road Runner restoration.
Photos by John Jackson
