Welcome to Site #2 of my 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Restoration. This site will showcase the reassembly of my car. To see all the work up to this point you'll need to visit Site #1 here: Road Runner #1 and that will get you up to speed on what I've done. There are 27 pages of dry humor and progress so grab a cold one and read away! That site shows the car from when I bought it up to the point you see it in the picture above. I left off with the outer wheelhouse on the driver's side being mounted and the next step is frame rail alignment.

With all four wheels locked and the car level, I used a plumb bob and ran it through the front drain holes on the frame, just forward of the front spring perches. The measurement between the two, center to center, was 36.5". The factory measurement says 37.5" under the drain holes on the torsion bar crossmember. Having this basis of 36.5" I can now move down and hang the plumb bob from the drain holes at the end of the remaining frame. Measuring across, it again shows 36.5". As I used to say in my native New Jersey tongue, "POIFECT!!!!" Now using clamps, I attached the frame rails loosely and the again dropped the plumb through the last hole on the new repro frame rails. Once I measured the correct length again, I measure diagonally from corner to corner. When all corner measurements were the same, I knew I was square. Err, the frame was square....you get the idea.

I'm using Eastwood's panel holding system to hold everything in place. It's a nice tool to have. They are temporary rivits, basically, and they make easier work of anchoring everything temporarily while I align it all. Glad I bought 35 of those little buggers. I'm going to use every one!

With the frames in place, I cut 2x4 pieces to the correct length to keep the frames level. Once that was done I was able to position the rear crossmember and rear spring perches on a dry fit basis. As with all aftermarket junk, (and I use that term loosely!) some cutting and trimming will be necessary. The easiest way for all of this rear stuff to align will be with the trunk floor installed. On the underside of the floor, you can see where the frame rails should be fitting, where the tank brace should go, and once those are lined up everything else sorta falls into place. Before I weld ANYTHING I will have to get the quarter on the driver's side installed.

So a quick recap to someone finding this site for the first time: This project started right after Thanksgiving 2007 and I've done all the work to date myself except the media blasting. Now I'm not a professional restorer, nor do I play one on TV, so most of what you see I'm learning as I go. Enjoy!!

APRIL 2008
Page #1: Frame layout and alignment
Page #2: Frame and trunk floor
Page #3: Tail light panel, decklid,
Page #4: Frame in place, patches welded in, welds smoothed over
Page #5: Frame completed
Page #6: Driver wheelhouse installed, trunk fastened
Page #7: Trunk floor installed, inner wheelhouse patch

MAY 2008
Page #8: The Hemi Page (continuously updated)
Page #9: Trunk drop off, door aligned (driver's side)
Page #10: Driver's side quarter installed.
Page #11: Wheel house gap corrected
Page #12: Driver's side wheelhouse done, quarter seams filled
Page #13: Passenger side inner wheel house
Page #14: Passenger side wheel house done, trunk floor done
Page #15: Passenger side rocker panel prep for replacement

JUNE 2008
Page #16: Rocker cleaned of donor metal
Page #17: Braces installed and rocker extraction
Page #18: Rocker fitment and alignment (quarter/door)
Page #19: Rocker welded, wheel house finished, jamb smoothed

JULY 2008
Page #20: Floors in!!! (one piece front, two pieces- rear)
Page #21: Floors coated and sealed, 4-speed hump installed
Page #22: Passenger outer wheel house, quarter, door jamb, interior panel, fender
Page #23: Tail panel preliminary fitment
Page #24: Tail panel welded, trunk aligned, bumper on
Page #25: Misc. Hemi brackets fabricated, tail panel finished

AUGUST 2008
Page #26: Driver's side trunk gutter

Page #27: Passenger side Trunk Gutter, Driver's quarter seam, front end

Page #28:  Hood mounted 

Page #29:  Welding Done!!!  Before/After

Page #30:  HCMC