PRIDE OF A TEENAGE CAR ENTHUSIAST

In the later decade of 1970s and early 1980s, if you were into "daily-driver" cars that offered performance, there was a special allure about American V8-powered "Muscle Cars." While in high school, this 1970 Plymouth Road Runner was my first car. It was a nice start, too - except like most guys in my San Fernando Valley neighborhood as well as school auto shop class, we always wanted to do MORE.

In this case, I took the stock 383-cubic-inch motor out and went shopping for everything I could afford to give it a boost - and if you're a bit technical and know the vocabulary of the hobby, this will give you an idea of where my "pocket money" went: From the standard cylinder bore I had the block bored an additional .060 and fitted with new TRW forged pistons, had the block align bored and decked, installed a complete Crane valve train (cam, valve springs, aluminum retainers), had the cylinder heads ported and polished, had the crankshaft turned .010/.010 and then re-hardened before fitting Clevite 77 rod and main bearings, had the connecting rods rebuilt (re-machined big ends), and shot peened for surface hardness -- and then de-burred the entire block.

For a more free-flowing exhaust I installed a set of Hedman headers and Chrysler Hemi mufflers, while on the incoming fuel side I used a Holley 780 c.f.m. carburetor with mechanical secondaries. Wanting more standing-start quickness, I replaced the standard 3.23:1 rear axle gears with a set of 4.56:1 gears and modified the rear suspension with a pinion snubber over the center of the differential to force the rear end down on the tires and minimize wheelspin under acceleration.

It all worked as planned, except after spending all of this money on the Plymouth, I remember hardly having enough money to put gas in it. Plus - just after buying this Road Runner I bought a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 -- which was destined for its own share of hop-up tweaks.  At the time, the fact that I was able to own and drive either of these fun Muscle Car-era cars meant times were good.