73 Plymonth Roadrunner (RATTLER)

[stichingmike]

As with alot of other's on here, i've been reading threw and amaized at all the biulds and talent on this site. I have this biuld posted on anoughter site. But I like this one more as all the different types of vehicles being biuld. I like the out of the ordanary types of biulds.



I've had this Roadrunner for quite a few years now. As it sits in these pictures, it was biuld a 3 years ago. the 440 in it while running great has a tick in it that I have grown tired of hearing. have gone and changed out crank, went to a purple shaft cam, Edelbrock heads and still couldn't get rid of the ticking noise,,then my boss at the time told me it sounds like piston slap. The motor ran good and gave no problems,,so I just put up with the noise..Few years later have grown very tired of the noise and the fact that at time of getting on it,,that it would stubble from lack of fuel..Decided it was time for a new motor. I still had the original 400 block that came with the runner when I first got it,,so I decided to biuld a stroker out of it. Had the STR-15 cross ram all ready (traded a guy my 383 tunnel ram straight across for it).

So with this new 472 stroker and planed 4 speed for now,,since I have the 4 speed. It was time to tear the car apart and rebiuld,,into more of a pro touring. Wasn't planning on going as far as I have with the car,,BUT,,,I think most everyone on here,,Knows how that goes. The interior has onlt been in the car for two years,,in great shape except for the drivers seat..but am updating it as well. to go along with the new look of the car..the paint job stays for now. I'm an upholster by trade and have my own upholstery shop. so the interior is no big deal. But I also biuld cars/trucks and have been doing it all my life.

[stichingmike]

I'm still trying to figure out how to do post and add the pictures on here. this site does things different from the other site.

[stichingmike]

These are the new tires and wheels I'm going with. 15x10 Hoosier 29x15.5 rear, 29x12.5 fronts. Wanted the tires under the car sooooo,,that is what started the whole extra work into the car. Had to pull the front wheels in about 2 inches per side and about the same for the rear. Now nobody makes after market kits for 73's front ends so I made my own setup.

[stichingmike]

Now it's time to start the tear down. Sorry about the pictures being so big,,don't know yet, how to make them smaller. The first thing that needs to be done to pull the front wheels in,,is to redo the front frame rails. So as you can see I cut out a section of the factory rail and will be replacing with a 2x3 section of rail. I'm going with mustang type upper and lowers with coil overs and rack and pinion.

[stichingmike]

Before cutting out the old frame rails,,i bolted up the factory K member and took tons of mesurements. I used 2x3 rails and sliped the back part down into the factory rail as far as I could get it. The front section I made it so it was a little lower and in a little bit from the factory rail and tied it in the originel front bummer mounting rail.

[stichingmike]

With the new rails welded in,I layed out the new supension out and the table and mocked it up to take measurements. After getting the measurements I needed, I designed cardboard templets to moke up the mounting brackets for the lower control arms. Tack welded a straight edge in the center of the engine compartment to take measurments off of. I measured both from a location on the firewall and a straight edge mounted on the core support to keep the center line of the front supension even.

[j-c-c]

Well you are ambitious,looking good, quite a project.

[stichingmike]

Would have posted some more sooner but had a little trouble with computer, plus I don't spend a whole bunch of time on the computer. Rather be out in the garage working on the projects. I little insight to my road runner, I am quite along ways on it should be starting it up in about a month..but being new to this sight,,I figured I take you all along the biuld from the start. have been working on the rattler for over a year now along with doing some work on the 65 jeep pickup 4 door dually you see in the background in some of the pics. That jeep is going to be something else when done,,but it's not pro touring. it does have a 440 with a supercharger on it. THEN down at my Upholstery shop I am biulding a 1980 pinto wagon that is kinda pro street but if you think about what all I'm doing to it,,it's pro touring too. At the moment I am adapting a mustang II front clip onto the pinto,,as in hood-grill- fenders.

WELL, on to the rattler. I cut down lengths of 2x3 tubes for my lower controls arm mounts. after I had them siturated. I went on to mocking up the upper mounts and the rack and pinion.

[stichingmike]

After getting my upper mounts mocked up and everything set in place. I found the the tie rod arms would hit the lower control arms and not have much of a turning radius, So I had to modify them. After getting all this done, I spent what seemed like for ever checking and rechecking for bum steer. What was throwing me off that I relized after some waisted time,,WAS,,this is a street car NOT a 4x4 I don't have that much wheel travel. Siily me. you'll also notice that I have my motor mounts welded in and this time too. The way the coil over upper mount is in these pics . didn't stay as I found out when I mocked up an inner fender that I wouldn't be able to take the upper a-arm out.