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Sure, there were plenty of Camaros, GTOs, Firebirds, Mustangs, Chevelles and Buick GSXs to keep just about any kind of performance enthusiast occupied back in the day, but without a bit of Mopar in the mix, the classic muscle car era would have been severely lacking.
Willie has other rides from other manufacturers, but at the KBPI Open Day Track event at High Plains raceway, it was his gorgeous Plymouth that was catching everyone’s eye.
Not surprisingly, even 40 some years later, the big names of the Chrysler Corporation, like Challenger, Charger, Super Bee, and Dart, still have a following of varied generations. Of course around here, we can’t quite get enough Mopar and that’s why it’s such a pleasure to introduce you to this killer Colorado Mopar as our next feature vehicle.
Owned by Steve Meade, who is more widely known as Willie B. from the popular Denver rock radio station KBPI, this 1970 Road Runner is one of the greats from the good old days.
Not surprisingly, Willie B is a die-hard Mopar guy, having had the eye for them from a very young age.
“I’ve been into cars as long as I can remember,” Willie B. told us. “It’s one of those things as a kid I used to watch my dad mess with and couldn’t wait ‘til I was old enough to get my first hot rod! Some serious years as a teenager cutting every yard in my neighborhood and I had a ‘71 Charger to show for it.”
From his first Charger, Willie’s car collection grew over the years to include the 25 to 30 hot rods and muscle cars he owns today. If you’ve ever been in the Denver area and been lucky enough to attend a car show that Willie is at, you’re sure to walk away from any of his rides in awe. This classic Road Runner is no different.
What’s a vintage Road Runner without a few graphics of the iconic cartoon character?
Colorado Salvage
With a keen eye for performance machines, particularly vintage Mopars, Willie B. seems to be able to spot a good deal from a mile away. At least that’s how the Road Runner became his.
“This car was at a point in its life where it had reached retirement, tucked away in a backyard for years just dreaming of days long gone by where other cars, drivers and venues feared its 335hp bone-stock 383 big block,” Willie explained. “Fatigued by a lot of miles, lack of comfort and technology, this beast was backyard bound until [one] fall afternoon [when] I happened to catch glimpse of her.” After that, it was a new set of stars for Willie B. and his car.
Built to Drive
People build cars for all different reasons, but for Willie B., he builds them to drive. Originally equipped with a 335hp 383ci engine, the Road Runner quickly turned a performance corner after Willie B rescued it from someone’s backyard.
The first part of the build entailed pulling out the old engine and assembling the 1970 440ci big block, stroked out to 500ci, to put in its place. This re-worked classic engine features a Hughes Racing custom ground camshaft and rockers, Callies crank, Edelbrock 84cc chamber cylinder heads with lots of port work, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, MSD ignition, Pro-Fuel 950cfm carburetor, and TTI headers.
The engine is tied to a 727 Torqueflite transmission equipped with a shift kit and Gear Vendors overdrive unit. The original column shift is still used to grind through the gears, sending between 450 and 500hp (at over a mile high in elevation) to the rear wheels via an aluminum driveshaft and 8 ¾ rearend with 3.91 gears.
With the Road Runner packing quite a punch, Willie B. began to focus on the underside of the car further into the build, equipping it with a Hotchkis Super TVS suspension system.
Adding to the car’s handling capabilities are sticky 17-inch Toyo T-1 Sport tires in the front, and 18-inch shoes in the rear. Stopping power for the classic Mopar comes compliments of 12-inch Wilwood rotors in the front and 11-inch rotors in the rear, matched with 4-piston calipers and high friction alloy pads on all four corners.
“On August 19th, 2012, that car didn’t have a dog house on it, not single wire in car, and the motor compartment wasn’t matched with the exterior color on car, a must when building Mopars,” Willie told us of the build. “On Aug 23rd 2012, it debuted at a car show and ran the quarter mile. Now that was one of craziest weeks of my life because not only did me and a handful of friends put that car together that week but also a ’67 Barracuda from the ground up as well. Most unbelievable car week of my life!!“
As finished as they ever are, Willie believes the Road Runner will throw down somewhere in the range of 450 to 500 rwhp when he eventually dyno tests it, and that’s not corrected for the crazy Colorado elevation. At the track, the Road Runner has shown it’s more than worthy of awe by throwing down an 11.92-second quarter mile at over a mile above sea level and with nearly 2 tons of weight behind it. When asked what the top speed of the car is, Willie responded with, “[I] don’t know that yet….only had the car for six months and keep going faster!”
Aesthetics For the Street
While Willie B’s Road Runner was built to be driven, it still had to look good doing it. So Willie opted to have the car sprayed in a Sherwin Williams Copper color from the 2007 GM paint catalog, which runs over into the engine bay- a must for Mopars, Willie explained. The Plymouth was then adorned with Road Runner decals running nearly the entire length of the car, as well as black striping down the hood and across the rear of the car.
To give the car a unique touch, Willie also added a specially signed air grabber to the hood and a Plan B Racing logo, Willie B’s personal racing team, to the back window.
People to Thank and Things to Change
While Willie B. played a major part in the Road Runner’s build, it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Two Guys Garage, Toyo Tires, Gear Vendors and Hotchkis Performance, all of which Willie showed his appreciation for.
As far as things he would change if he had to build the Road Runner all over again, the only thing Willie doesn’t like about the car is the tiny scratch on the passenger side created by the lift adjuster arm rubbing the car when he was wiring the Plymouth in his shop. She may be built to drive, but there’s always a place for some perfectionism to come through!
Willie B’s Road Runner is certainly an impressive Mopar. Hopefully we’ll get to see more of his car collection in the future!
Check out the gallery below for more shots of the Road Runner from the KBPI Open Track event.
