Buyer advice

[Ingemar Viklund]

So i'm looking at replacing my reliable 69Sport satellite 3182bbl car for a gas sucking 69roadrunner clone with a built 446, edelbrock heads, 509 cam etc/ 833 manuell/ rearend with 3:23 gears. I have hade a few mopars but not anything this "extreme". I know gasmileage Will suck and this ain't something you drive to church with.. I've always wanted a "real" musclecar and it seems like the wrong path to clone my Satellite. What i'm worried about is driveabilty and realability. Will this be something that breaks down now and then. Do I have to replace valvecomponets and clutches all the time and tinker with it after every ride? My plan is not to streetrace the sucker or do burnouts every weekend. Just like a manual convertible and listen to the power thats there, maybe go through the gears now and then.

 

[Kern Dog]

My car is not radical but it is built a bit different than stock.
I'm at 9.8 to 1 in a 440 based 495. I have Edelbrock heads and intake, 2" headers, an 850 vacuum secondary carburetor and a cam that is too big.
I take the car on road trips that will often run 900-1000 miles within a few days. It starts and runs great. The only hiccup that I have had is ignition related and ironically, it is the only part of the car that is close to stock. I've gone through ballast resistors and ECMs but rarely have I puked a coil.

 

[icetech]

So i'm looking at replacing my reliable 69Sport satellite 3182bbl car for a gas sucking 69roadrunner clone with a built 446, edelbrock heads, 509 cam etc/ 833 manuell/ rearend with 3:23 gears. I have hade a few mopars but not anything this "extreme". I know gasmileage Will suck and this ain't something you drive to church with.. I've always wanted a "real" musclecar and it seems like the wrong path to clone my Satellite. What i'm worried about is driveabilty and realability. Will this be something that breaks down now and then. Do I have to replace valvecomponets and clutches all the time and tinker with it after every ride? My plan is not to streetrace the sucker or do burnouts every weekend. Just like a manual convertible and listen to the power thats there, maybe go through the gears now and then.

446 with a .509 if it's built properly shouldn't need any special maint at all.. that's a very mild combo. I had a 400 with a .509 and beat the piss out of it for 8 years then sold it without ever having an issue. If the clutch is a quality item and you don't do something to trash it, it should last many years also even beating on it.

That being said... if you are giving up a creampuff for a "Muscle car" make sure it's what you want.. all the noise and stuff that comes with a built car gets old after awhile and you might miss quietly enjoying putting miles on that old 318

 

[mr. b]

i had a 68 road runner with a 509 cam with a 4 speed and 391 gears raced it and drove it every where never had a problem also it was a 446

 

[multimopes]

Don't replace it; buy the other and keep the mild mannered "Clark Kent" car as a back up. You can never have too many Mopars!

 

[Curiousyellow71]

About 30 years ago a group of us drove our cars 170 miles to the track and raced... then drove home. We all checked our fuel mileage and ran 1/4 mile passes. On the trip the fastest car with the biggest engine got the best gas mileage. Just sayin...you never know. You might be surprised.

 

[6PKRTSE]

About 30 years ago a group of us drove our cars 170 miles to the track and raced... then drove home. We all checked our fuel mileage and ran 1/4 mile passes. On the trip the fastest car with the biggest engine got the best gas mileage. Just sayin...you never know. You might be surprised.

Agreed, in the 90's into the 2000's there were dozens of 2nd Gen Ram owners at work. They all had 318 and 360 trucks. Most were 3/4 tons, some were 1/2 tons. They all bitched about mileage all the time. My 96' V10 (488 cu in) 4x4 1 ton got better mileage then them. I still have it today.