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Here’s my story. In 1974 I was 17YO and purchased a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner Convertible. My 1959 Ford Fairland 500 given to me by my Grandfather when I turned 16 was T-Boned at an intersection and although the damage was minimal to my car, the Insurance Company totaled it. With the Insurance money and money made from working at a saw mill I purchased the Roadrunner for $800 in July of 1974.The Roadrunner was either T3 or T5, I don’t exactly remember, but I’m thinking it was the darker T5. It didn’t matter as the color wasn’t going to work for me as a 17YO, I wanted more flash, so my Dad and I prepped the car and had it sprayed Y2 at one of those discount type paint shops. It was a stripe delete car, black top, black front bench seat, no other V code body stripes, 383HP obviously and the 727 torque flight automatic 3-speed column shift. Not sure on the rear gearing, but it was the stock banjo I’m guessing 3:23.Long story short, I wrecked the front end driver side of my car and bought a front clip from a totaled GTX that had an Air Grabber Hood. I swapped out both fenders with the GTX as mine were rotting on the tops. I don’t recall what happened with the fender tag, fact is I didn’t even know what it was, or care, back then. Still don’t care if I could find the car as I know what it was which would be good enough for me. The car was as “base model” as a 69 Roadrunner could get.I bought some used aluminum mags for the car and believe had G60's on the rear G70's up front.The rear end of the car was starting to go, it clunked a lot when going into gear. The car was rusty, way beyond my capability to repair it, nor did I have the money. I needed reliable transportation to get to work, so I sold it. This would have been around 1978.Over the years I have tried to find the car, but I didn’t have the VIN, so it was like finding a needle in a stack of needles. I had no idea if it even survived, I still don’t. I purchased another convertible 69 Roadrunner having pretty much given up on the original car. Until now, when my mother sent me the Temporary License plate from that car which has the VIN on it. So, I’ve renewed my search. Checked with Govier, they don't have it in their registry. I'm guessing its in Mopar heaven or stripped for parts and rotting in some junk yard. I'd like to find it, maybe buy it or at a minimum talk to the new owner and give him what I know of the cars early history.
The car was purchased by me in Pittsburgh PA from a private owner. I had a buddy working at a place called Don Allen Chevrolet who let me put it on his used car lot, the dealership is now gone, also in Pittsburgh. I would see the car every now and then for a couple years in the Bloomfield section of town parked on the street, which is near the dealership. Again this would have been in 1978. So someone local bought the car. Based on the condition of the car when I sold it, and it didn't look at all better when I'd see it, I'm guessing its in Mopar heaven or sitting lonely in a junkyard somewhere stripped of its parts. The 383 was running strong, and the 727 was decent. The rear diff was clunky, probably from all the burnouts. It would be interesting to see if the car did not survive if the motor was pulled and now in some other Mopar. I know my current car isn't a matching number engine, but it is a 1969 383HP. But you never know do you. I see stuff today being restored that amazes me can be saved. The downside is with all the registry's these days this car does not show up. So if it does survive, its just sitting somewhere. I have a few "friends" and I'm going to see if they can run a search on the VIN for me and see what turns up. But I'm hoping by also combing all the forum's and Facebook pages it might turn up. This is how the former owner of the Roadrunner I now own found me and the information he had on the car was interesting and cool to know the cars history. The hope is because of the cars relative rarity, only 1,800 some made, somebody saved it.
The downside is with all the registry's these days this car does not show up. So if it does survive, its just sitting somewhere. I have a few "friends" and I'm going to see if they can run a search on the VIN for me and see what turns up.
You bring up a couple of issues:
--I had some issues getting the financing approved for my recent purchase of my '66 Charger, because Mopar VIN's of that era aren't definitive the way contemporary VIN's are. None of the standard vehicle history reporting services could verify a clear title history. I understand the underlying issues: the vehicle ownership history of your long-lost sled, just like mine, likely exists, but it's stored on non-digitized records, likely in the archives of various DMV's around the country.
At one point I did a tech contract for a service that researched real estate title histories, a far better documented property database, and they literally hired people all over the US to track down paper records from various county recording departments and hand-scan them digitally. Basically, most non-Federal, non-criminal government records prior to the mid-80's have never been digitized.
--It is quite possible that if your ride survived up through, say, the 90's, it was sold overseas and thus has disappeared from US title records. I've got a classic Cadillac I used to own that I would like to track down, but I know that there is a non-trivial chance that it was sold overseas. There are collectors overseas who literally have warehouses of classic, post-war American iron. Fat chance getting back one of those cars.
Given the amount of interest in, and business revenue generated by, the classic car restoration biz, you would think someone would have set up a commercial service to do thorough vehicle history searches. I haven't seen one.
Hmmm, interesting points Stuntman. I know in Pennsylvania at least if you write to the DMV and pay a fee, you can find things out. I was interested in a project of determining the number of RM21, RM23, & RM27 cars that are still in existence (all 1969 Roadrunner's) But that would give you only PA, not country wide. So I didn't follow up. They would have sent me all the VIN's, but not ownership information, not that I wanted that. Plus as you point out there are probably many that are not registered. What makes it doubly difficult is Chrysler has no records from that period which is what I understand. Apparently "there was a fire" so you are correct that the data was never digitized. I've written to Chrysler Historical about the build sheet for my current runner, no data available. Although if the car is registered somewhere currently, it would be on the computer now. I have a few "friends" who are looking up the numbers to see if anything turns up. As far as the overseas angle, that is interesting to note. You'd never know if it survived or not, I agree. I'm not certain the car I am looking for would have had been in great demand, even from the most eccentric of collectors, as it was very basic, even for a roadrunner which were known for being basic. T5 brown ( I painted it yellow and it was not a very good paint job), no hood stripe, no V-code body stripe, base hub cap wheels (but I had cheap used slotted aluminum mags) Automatic column shift and a black bench seat.
I think the reason there is no service who does these search's is the general lack of information.
Good stuff man, thanks for the input! Never considered or knew about the overseas thing.
My love of cars came from my Dad, who got it from his Father, my Grandpop. Pop was more fortunate than most and had a job through the depression working for the railroad. In his spare time he would repair friends and neighbors cars, all for free. This is where my Dad learned about cars. It was my Dad who helped my prep my car for paint, and we did a fair amount of work on the engine and Carburetor since the car sat for 2 or 3 years before I bought it. This Christmas while visiting home, my Dad who still loves to tinker (90YO) surprised me with a birdhouse, the roof made from the actual license plate from my Roadrunner. This one will never see any bird poop nor be outside handing on a tree. I thought about putting it on my current car, but it just doesn't seem right. I have a vintage plate on it already I found on eBay. If I never find that car, I got some pieces of it, and the memories.
11-13-2018, 04:21 PM
