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1975 Roadrunner, the last real runners - anymore out there?

i have a P code 76 Cordoba, no cats, dual snorkel air cleaner housing. Has a U on fender tag for US build. Saw the same on a P code 78 Magnum. Dealer Data books show the P code engine available in 49 states, California excepted.
 
Micah Pohlman said:
Leaded gas, really? Was it a Canadian car? I know Canada could get Leaded cars until the early 80's. Oh wait a second, I figured it out. Anything with out cats could still run lead, the cats would plug up with leaded gas. So it makes sense that it said it could use it, not specifically that it was supposed to use it.
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Yes, it was a Canadian car. However as I said, it was the vehicle emissions that were mandated, not the method that reached the target. For example, Ford didn't put cats on all it's 1975 cars, a move that kept prices down but also meant lower gas mileage because of the way the engines had to be tuned. Here's a clip from the New York Times, August 5, 1975 which refers to the upcoming 1976 model year.

DETROIT, Aug. 4 (UPI)—The Ford Motor Company, whose decision a year ago largely to avoid catalytic converters cost it heaviy in the competition over mileage claims, is changing over all its models to catalytic converters for 1976.

The use of the catalytic converter on its smallest cars—the Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat —has already raised fuel economy to 34 miles per gallon in highway driving, compared with 26 M.P.G. at the beginning of the year. The 1976 Pinto has already been rated at 37 M.P.G. in Government tests.

Robert B. Alexander, a Ford vice president in charge of the car engineering group, told a National Transportation Research Board hearing today in Ann Arbor, Mich., “Our No. 1 priority is fuel economy, with simplification of our product line‐up a close and closely related second.” He also said cars would be “down‐sized.”

While the General Motors Corporation, the No. 1 company in the auto industry, was going 100 per cent with the mufflerlike device last fall with a resultant over‐all fuel‐economy improvement, Ford, the No. 2 concern, had catalytic converters on only 65 per cent of its cars. As a result, its over‐all fuel economy dropped on 1975 models, and it has been playing catch‐up all year with several mid ‐ year fuel ‐ economy improvements.

Some competitors say Ford made a mistake in not using the catalytic converter as much as possible on its 1975 models. Its share of domestic new‐car sales dropped from 29.2 per cent in the first half of 1974 to 27.3 per cent in the first six months this year.

The catalytic converter was the industry's response to Federal rules calling for cleaner air. But it also allowed engineers to retune their engines for better fuel economy.
 
69Coronetrt said:
Post the info.
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book 1.JPG
book 2.JPG

But I also just found else-ware in the book a listing of what stripe colors go with what vinyl roof options. KB5 was available 74 and 75 maybe with the change of body on the assembly line some colors didn't spray well on the new contours? Maybe they were thinking of eliminating the color, it did only last two years, either not popular or difficult to spray? Without a time machine it's all kinda guess.
 
barnfind said:
Had a 75 and 74 in this color scheme. The 75 had the trunk decal and cranker sunroof. Would like to find another one day.
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Sunroof option! Dang that's a rare one. Would be great if it was still out there somewhere.
 
Love those 75's. They are heavy but with the orange air cleaner 400, a set of headers, 4.10 gears in that 9 1/4, a set of 28x9 slicks - it'll talk the talk. Spend all summer at the dragstrip
 
A 75 with the orange air cleaner 400 option, headers, 4.10 gears in that 9 1/4. 75's are kinda heavy
 
I've been reading these posts and want to chime in. In 75-76 I was working at a Dodge dealership.Very bleak days for Chrysler and we were told daily that Chrysler was going out of business. That started around 1974.The cars they were shipping were very poorly built and warranty claims were thru the roof. Anyway we were getting in late 75's early 76's 400 lean burn Chargers without cats. I bought a new 1976 Aspen 318 and it had a air pump instead of a cat. If I remember correctly the 225,360,440 cars from 1975 up all had cats. My 360 75 Charger that I bought for my dad had a cat.This excludes Trucks.They were a different story. I bought a new 1978 W 150 with a 400 and no cats.
I've always said when it came to Ma Mopar back then, you never know what ya gonna get.
Just remembering those days and as crappy as they were,I loved working for Chrysler and those cars.
 
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I own a 75 Road Runner, 100% original car. N code 400 4 barrel, Slap Stik, 3.21 Sure rip 9 1/4" diff. Build sheet has "No Catalytic Converter" printed on the bottom. Canadian built car, sold new here in BC Canada. I will defend the 75's too.
1975 was a different market than 1970. Look what all the other manufacturers were building in 1975. This was the era of plush interiors, lazy performance and opera windows. Monte Carlos, Ford Elites and Cordobas were the hot sellers, and 60's muscle cars were back of the lot used cars. I think we should give Chrysler credit for offering a "muscle" type car in 1975, for those buyers that wanted one. Compare the 75 Road Runner to what GM and Ford offered as mid size "performance" cars. The Laguna Chevelle, and the Ford Gran Torino Sport would be the closest comparable models I think. Yeah, I wish they offered a 4 speed too. That alone, would have changed the history of the 75. But just like today, where you cannot buy a manual transmission in a 1/2 ton pickup, they offered what the market and management felt was appropriate. from 1972-1975, things were changing very quickly, and the Government interfered a lot, with emissions and crash standards rapidly changing. Fact is, the 75 Road Runner was a true, RM code Road runner model. It had big block high performance engines available. It was a 1975 version of the muscle car. Rare, because muscle cars were not in demand.

Micah Pohlman said:
The last of the real Roadrunners, let me explain (if you don't understand and/or are upset at that). We've all heard the disrespect given to the 75 'runner, mostly it's just a Fury, it's not a real muscle car etc. Consider the following: It's not just a Fury with a RR package, it specifically is NOT a Fury it has it's own VIN designation, 'M', it is still a big block capable B-body. Unfortunately that cannot be said of the 76 and up. It is a as much of a muscle car as a 74. Other than a 4 speed or a 340 every thing else was still available. (theoretically a 440 was available if you knew the right people). Depending on the source you read the 75 HP400 has the famed Magnum 383 camshaft in it, sounds kinda muscle car to me. It's literally the same platform as the 2nd gen 'Runners, floor pans are the same, firewall is almost the same, etc.

I have that off my chest and you have some ammo to defend them if someone rips on them.

The question on my mind now is how many more are out there? And here's a little more about mine. It has a heart that beats with a 400HP. According to my show room option book the specific blue (KB5) on this car was not available on Fury body (i.e. Roadrunner). But I have come across one other 75 Runner this same color blue, so it must have been added as an option later. Here’s the real rare find clincher; this one is labeled for export! Biggest engine available and labeled for export, that's gotta be close to a 1 of 1?View attachment 900981 View attachment 900983 View attachment 900984 View attachment 900985 View attachment 900986
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hemi62valiant said:
is the crossmember the same for a 318 and a 400?
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Big block and small block use a different K member. 1973-1979 K members are interchangeable between all 73-79 B bodies, and also 79-81 R bodies. 2 door or 4 door, doesn't matter. A 73 Road Runner and a 81 Chrysler 5th Ave have virtually identical "chassis" underneath
 
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