Rebuilding a "Dream Car" Road Runner! | Roadkill Garage | MotorTrend

David Freiburger scored the car he'd wanted for 20-plus years, a 1971 Plymouth Road Runner. It was a decent car, mostly original with 95,000 miles on it, but a repaint had turned to chalk, and it looked ridiculous with tiny tires. In this episode of Roadkill Garage, we head to the Steve Dulcich Dog Farm to fix all of that and start turning it into a daily driver. #RoadkillGarage #RoadRunner #MotorTrend

[@leskobrandon538]

Leaning forward in the seat during the last run gave you the 10mph difference.. lol

[@ghw7192]

Everyone needs a friend like Steve.

[@kunarmakun793]

muscle cars are the best ... especially the late 60s to early 70s muscle cars ... i really love this, more than modern supercars like lambos and porches and ferrarris ... old school muscle cars all the way.

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

I agree! 😁

[@bilbobaggins4710]

So big and boaty tho..I hate it

[@richardturk7162]

Nothing muscle about this 71 road runner lol

[@bilbobaggins4710]

@@richardturk7162 nope...it's a dog

[@marioeid930]

@@richardturk7162 still a cool car tho😎

[@teresa67factoid95]

Doesn't matter how fast it is. It's gorgeous, my favorite b body mopar.

[@richardcline1337]

I'm just amazed that they actually tried to bring this old classic back to life and not turn it into a pre-scrap piece of junk as they usually do. Sometimes saving an old classic and keeping it close to what it was is far better than loading it up with all the mods and having nothing like the original to show for it.

[@mikepoint4983]

Cool to see someone get so excited , the older cars are so much more rewarding when a goal is met . Great vid . Cheers

[@revmedia8108]

No one: Roadkill Garage: *Roadkill* Garage Much love, your friends at Rev Media!!

[@skiz8848]

what a boomer comment

[@thedude8046]

Awkward

[@revmedia8108]

I know, right? Lol #awkward

[@318SixPack]

I feel so special with these free KZbin MotorTrend episodes.

[@martinryzak8011]

I really like these “old roots” episodes.

[@poppyh0tgirlsvlogtapme40]

3:44 Do you want thick hair? kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmfYYoNvd7SZbLs

[@kevbjork1]

I had an all stock '71 Satellite (exact same car without all the fancy Road Runner badges) w 383 and 3 speed manual. Ran mid to high 14s back when it was only 6 years old. Loved that car.

[@Packer1290]

Love this body style. Neighbor had a 73 Charger that I tried to buy when I was like 17 years old and when I finally asked about it, they had sold it a few weeks before. :(

[@culturedredneckgarage3784]

Doing this right now with the same car. Loved watching this!

[@daveo7481]

Friburger, iv been waiting for this episode for 5 years. Enough said

[@williamstellmon7565]

😆The one tire burn out never gets old.

[@dianahollidayholliday8864]

Hi David Frieburger! It's me Diana (Bedrosian) Holliday from Silverlake Church like 100 years ago. It is so great to see you doing what you love, driving - working on old muscle cars! I have learned a lot just watching. Any way, nice job!

[@CamaroAmx]

It’s my dream car. It’s clean and I’m gonna fix it up and make a reliable daily driver..... Months later: I sold it and am making my rusted out junkyard rescue mustang my nice daily.

[@chrissykirchner8613]

OMG IM STAR STRUCK!!! I just met you at a stop light in Council Bluffs Iowa!!! I wish I would’ve gotten a pic of you with my coyote on the door of my Subaru!!!! So mad at myself right now!!!

[@inmyopinion6836]

Thank you for the first gut laugh in days.

[@nrd515]

I was kind of shocked to see that it had front drum brakes, and even more shocked you didn't upgrade them to disc. The first car I bought myself was a '74 RR, and even with front discs, it wasn't the greatest stopper in the world.

[@lettuce7378]

it doesn't matter too much what brakes you have on if the car weighs 5 tons lol

[@viktorhardindyrvold4234]

Drums work ok dude, not worth changing on a daily driver

[@deopersad2915]

Awesome guy's so cool 👍🏼😎 thanks for saving old muscle car's 😀👍🏼👍🏼

[@josephfleeman]

I love the 71-72 roadrunners

[@moparnut6286]

Love my mopars and this one is beautiful!

[@poppyh0tgirlsvlogtapme40]

4:26 Do you want thick hair? kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmfYYoNvd7SZbLs

[@dalemllns]

We live in a world where people drive 4 bangers that run 13s and have no idea hiw excited we all were when we ran a 14 back in the day. Especially when we took something like this road runner and fixed it up to run its best again. I 💯 know that feeling. Mopar or nocar gentleman.

[@chrisnizer1885]

Love this program, good stuff!👍 👍

[@vincemajestyk9497]

2.76 wow. I kind of always liked 3.23 as a good middle of the road for highway driving and acceleration on a daily driver type car. Funny, the late '70's factory sales info calls the 3.23 a 'performance' axle. I noticed you had the Midas Turbo King mufflers or stock replacements. They used to change those out for free under warranty if they had the diamonds embossed on them. I had a '71 RR that was a plain bench seat 383 column auto in Sassy Grass Green. Factory stock that was THE best running 383 I ever had. Must have been one of 'those' engines that came together right. Think it was an early build Aug '70 or something.

[@stevevice9863]

You gotta put a limited slip diff on that thing. I think a series of Roadkill episodes slowly making this car better and better would be interesting. Do it like a regular guy would do....adding performance bits as he can afford them. This car is worth saving and making it a nice daily driver that has some power when you need it. My list: Upgrade camshaft, port and polish the heads, headers and exhaust, ( shoot for minimum 400 HP), disc brakes, upgrade suspension, (Magnum Force K-member and UCA's, LCA's,Rack & pinion, coilovers), six speed manual trans, recover the seats, carpet, door panels, headliner...that should cover several episodes.

[@gregblack8550]

Exactly my thoughts except a 411 gear with a gear vendors overdrive and aftermarket heads for 450 hp .

[@stuartmugisha1544]

0:53 Love this moment

[@Alal-wi8nv]

B-5 blue was the best color on the 73. 383 with the big rad and some edlebrock stuff for intake would be sweet .... oh them brakes need to be Disk as well ... perfection

[@g1967]

Nice looking ride !

[@truckspank656]

They gave it to us for free, now I pay because it's awesome and I want to thank them for all the free fun they gave me. Thanks Roadkill guys, you rock🤘

[@patofdubois1]

Love this body style

[@rustyshackleford5166]

Are we back to free episodes? No, this is a cut down rerun of a MUCH older show.

[@unclesquirrel6951]

Dude motor trend is literally 6 bucks a month ......

[@rustyshackleford5166]

@@unclesquirrel6951 you must have been living in a cave for a while. MT used to be completely on KZbin with no payment required. They moved to MTOD and then nothing was left on YT aside of stuff they already did. Releasing a cut down episode, and it's also very old, as essentially a long advert feels a bit face-sappy to old fans. Fast forward to "covid" Era and we have a cheaper price per month. OK, fine. But they continue to notify the fan base using the YT channel as a place for adverts disguised as shows. Anyone who already either pays for MTOD or has seen Roadkill Garage, in this case, will be annoyed on several levels. It's the principle of the matter, too. What was once free is no longer free and what is offered for free after that is an advert for what is not free. Imagine having a free trial of Netflix that never runs out and the only videos you can view for free are videos about buying a subscription. That's annoying.

[@unclesquirrel6951]

Rusty Shackleford 6 Dollars a month lol , just go crazy and spend it

[@rustyshackleford5166]

@@unclesquirrel6951 I already pay for MTOD. This stuff would annoy me a lot more if I wasn't paying.

[@unclesquirrel6951]

Rusty Shackleford lol 🙄 yeaaaa ok

[@troydspain1099]

Dreaming about that triple black car from your past!!!

[@poppyh0tgirlsvlogtapme40]

4:01 Do you want thick hair? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXTMf5upZ8aFaNE

[@narcisoespinosa7598]

This is the way its done, classic. Better yet , ( Mr D's), camera expression!!!

[@413x398]

The 600 cfm R-6619 Holley was the first Holley I ever bought. 1974. Also with an Edelbrock twisted Torker intake. $49.95 and $44.95.

[@poppyh0tgirlsvlogtapme40]

4:20 Do you want thick hair? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpLEnXivjauVoaM

[@rekinlas]

Been a while, but when talking about the intake manifold, wouldn't "DP" mean "dual plane" and not "Dodge-Plymouth?" Seems to be one of those when you tilt it toward the camera.

[@johnbehneman1546]

Great video and a great education. Thanks for sharing. I learned so much.

[@adammolnar2169]

have a 1971 plymouth road runner plum crazy purple rebuilding the engine need recommendation on a cam nothing to crazy maybe street and strip. love the show.

[@erictalkington5674]

Nice. Glad to hear you want it as a daily driver. In the next year or two I'm going to but a grabber blue 71 Roadrunner 440 that's in really nice shape. It's not mint or rare, but it looks great. I want it as a daily driver.

[@MJTAUTOMOTIVE]

He sold it a few years ago.

[@bigredc222]

I used to do transmission like he did the rear, my friends called me the human transmission jack.

[@electronbeing5473]

That's pretty badass

[@jasonwheeler8996]

Makes me miss my fathers old 71 383 with the pistol grip 4 speed.

[@Dogboy1960]

Dave. For each of us our past skews our view of what is cool. No-where is that more obvious that here with this car. I like and agree with your views on most all things related to old cars and trucks but WOW do we ever part ways on this car. Those 1970 and back Road Runners are so cool.......this one, eh, not-so-much.

[@mr.fourspeed2007]

Man that paint cleaned up nice.

[@longobardilounge8238]

We have the same dreams!!

[@brucekitchura3680]

Wow guys that back seat is awsome or must ad 50 horse power 🤪🚘

[@michaelgraffis8866]

I can’t believe Dulcich and Freiburger buffed the whole car without rinsing the residual Dulcich farm dirt off before polishing it

[@dalesakawsky7309]

I had to do this on the side of a hwy in the 70's , not every much fun .

[@Timotheousturalyon]

It needs disc brakes and electronic ignition for daily driving. I owned one of these but it was Butterscotch. Took forever to get it stopped.

[@tetra19]

Posi? Come on Freiburger.. you know better than that! Sure-Grip man.

[@rwl8150]

Posi? Yeah go back to building Camaros dude

[@1996slamster]

Haha!! Who cares... Oh right, Chrysler freaks do.

[@deanwilliams9621]

Come on anybody who knows anything about Mopars knows that there was 5 axle choices the first three being 8/34 all sure grips 3:23 3:55 3:91 the second being a Dana with a 3:54 or 4:10.

[@bilbobaggins4710]

Jerry was a race car driver ...drove so GODAMN fast....never did win no checked flag but he never did come in last 🎵🎸

[@jasonrackawack9369]

Watch out for those telephone poles.

[@VG-iq8xq]

Hope Steve's place is ok with the fires. It's crazy

[@davidkelly7154]

these guys are nuts

[@pigknife2194]

Any condition road runner is considered great condition in my eyes

[@gelobledo]

I have a 72. I broke the torque converter and trans bands went out. Been sitting a long time never had the money, time, or place to work on it. Waiting to buy a house then its tear down time. Miss driving it

[@davidking8968]

Lookin good

[@plymouthdie-castreplicas]

The '71 model year Road Runner is the most cool! Beep! Beep!

[@jdrods1519]

Awesome!!! 👍🏻🇺🇸💪🏻

[@jasonrackawack9369]

The wax definitely made it faster. Slipstream and all that. You know we are in an alternate universe when you see Freiburger Fixing up an old car instead of F@#%&*! up an old car.

[@daveo7481]

My dude is about the restomod, this is literally his dream car.

[@IronChief]

Was Freiburger doing the "lean forward to make it go faster " on the test drive after the manifold change?

[@poppyh0tgirlsvlogtapme40]

3:31 Do you want thick hair? kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoicYYuAZ5mZbtE

[@javiervalenzuela7214]

Man Steve D just doesnt get enough credit for his knowledge of cars in general and especially mopars!

[@lovethesmellofracefuelinth7374]

I'm a huge fan of roadkill & Freiburger. They are sponsored by Dodge and like David, l have been a Mopar enthusiast for forever. I love B bodies and the birds are no exception, but prefer the 68 to 70 best. My first car was a 68 Charger, but my 3rd Mopar was a 70 and love the roadrockers 💪🏼😎

[@MJTAUTOMOTIVE]

They haven't been sponsored by Dodge for over 2 years.

[@SolamenteVees]

That’s about how fast my ‘73 Charger 400/727 with 2.94 gears went at Milan in the late 80s.

[@larrydrozd2740]

I have a set of 2:76 (posi) in my 69 Charger. With 295-50-15 rear tires I'm at 84 MPH at 3000 rpm. Not as good as my 80 Corvette but will work on the Texas toll roads no problem. I can cruise at that all day too....

[@thumperpaul]

Love McGuire products! They are all I use on our vehicles and even the travel trailer.

[@kingtut8381]

YOU GUYS ARE A TOTAL BLAST. LAUGH MY BUTT OFF ALL THE TIME. PLUS, YOU GUYS ARE GREAT WRENCHES. MY DRAG RACING BUDDY'S OLD MAN WAS THE ORIGINAL, ''MR. GOODWRENCH,'' FROM THE 1960''S. THEY RAN A SUPER STOCK MALIBU, DIALING 10.00 BUT COULD NOT COMPETE AGAINST THE CAMOAROS DIALING HIGH 9s

[@georgehgordy1690]

The one wheel peel... Lol.. Had a 72 gran torino that did those

[@reznovj209gonzalez7]

Frieburger do you miss the sailor Jerry's car🤣🤣🤣

[@poppyh0tgirlsvlogtapme40]

3:13 Get your hair back! kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6e3nYRmhZJnhMk

[@angelolovato6494]

I absolutely love you guys but I would love to see a car with some interior

[@guyski666]

8:51 - Granny Freiberger ??? " Hold on sonny, I'm gonna giver "

[@jfk64kennedy95]

what I want to know is how many times hot or heavy parts have been dropped on Freiburger's flip flopped feet....

[@That_AMC_Guy]

Did Freiburger wind up selling this car or not? I'd heard he did, then the deal fell through. Saw it on eBay later, but didn't meet reserve or something. Does he still have it?

[@liquid_crab4115]

How does posi track on a Plymouth work?

[@JohnMyers-gt6fh]

It just does

[@skiz8848]

@@JohnMyers-gt6fh thanks todd

[@jasonrackawack9369]

Like a rainbow.

[@timosgarage]

Nice!

[@RaiderX948]

Is this car the '71 you bought on Roadkill or another?

[@Imdeadpool]

I wish he hadn’t sold this car but hopefully he gets another one

[@JoeCnNd]

That cars so big it doesnt feel as fast as a small car going 90

[@dadgarage7966]

That's how I put in the diff in '94 Hilux. The human body has a lot of strength and stability in that orientation. Edit: what became of that project Buick Special station wagon with a lighty modified 455 out of a '72 (?) Electra in Car Craft in the '90s? That thing ran 14 flat in the quarter and you called it slow. Ad some modern R134a A/C, power steering and brakes and that would have been a funky daily wagon for me.

[@TJTruth]

it is defiantly hard to pull out!

[@randelclawson7695]

Does anyone know the accurate count of just how many 'daily drivers' Freiburger has in his motor pool?

[@Lalomalo_solidinca]

Awesome videos But car lifts are not that expensive bros Just saying That car deserves it Love you guys

[@vickypratamaputra4363]

1971 Plymouth Road Runner

[@williamboardman9476]

2:76 posi rear gear ? What's the highest peg leg, for a small (for six cylinder/3 spd 70 Challenger ragtop) Chrysler rear ?

[@TransAmBandit]

Liked your video. I have a question... I own a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner by me in Europe. She has a 318cui. engine, with an automatic Hurst on the floor. No rust, all original car. Ok it is a snail but I want to keep her numbers matching. She is a California car that has never seen the road since 1980 until my garage. My question to you is this. What would you do with this car??? Keep her as is or put a big block engine in her??? I asked this question before and I was advised to keep her as is. Look forward to your reply.

[@bassettraceengines]

Could have used a sundial to time that car it was so slow. Still a good looking car.

[@verbaldavenci1]

Roadrunner was my dad's dream car makes me sad that he'll never get to own another one😢 He gave it up for us kids so we could have money.

[@electronbeing5473]

Maybe you could not be a failure and buy him one

[@livingtrash24]

looks like someone didn't tell David to check the gas cap @5:04 before he tested acceleration

[@tlr-nut7275]

15.95 in the quarter in a big-block muscle car! My grandma in there Hyundia; Hold my beer!

[@Renzsu]

Is that the same car from the episode 3 years ago? Wow, that paint deteriorated bad!

[@davidking3918]

Shouldn't have to powerbrake it mine would smoke them at 25 mile an hr roll.yours has a nice solid body very nice.thanks

[@BShine-ei7hn]

I love that car but thats because I have one!

[@toddreese6454]

Owned 2 of those truly regret selling them

[@01trsmar]

Whats the compression?Did you check it? I had a 383 that ran perfect running on a low cyl 80 others were 120-130..But it was down on power a lot! Yes I drove the car for years and abused it lol.. 2.76 axle ratio..The highest I go is 3.23 and I do a lot of highway driving! Lowest 3.55 with a 3 speed.. Car would be in the upper 5's and high 13's with 3.23's..You really notice a difference from 2.76 to 3.23! I know I put in 3.23's in my Charger when I was in a pinch about 23 years ago as a young,young man..

[@moparmanicgarage]

He already sold this car. This episode is from a few years ago. Wish they could post current stuff for once

[@jasonvogue4487]

Dulcich is cool

[@albertgaspar627]

ooft! that center ham bench press....those who know, felt that "point of no return" moment on the stomach.

[@johnshackelford6965]

Dolsech almost died improving my life

[@chriskingston4270]

if you're leaning forward when you accelerate your car, you feel it's not fast enough.

[@mejawmeyaw]

Road kill is never the same

[@PhillyDee215]

Nice 👌

[@CamaroAmx]

71 roadrunner with a 383 auto. Same car I almost bought in high school for $800, but I had just bought my 73 AMX and had no money. Dave paid and sold this car for far more then that. Amazing to think that the prices have gone up 1000+% in just 20 years.