Re: [FWDLK] Riding the Coupe

[Bill Watson <wwatson5@xxxxxxxxx>]

In 1968 Road Runner came as a coupe or hardtop.  The coupe had a production
run of 15,702 units.  The hardtop was added later in the model year and saw
production of 15,349 units.

For 1969 a convertible was added.  1969 prodcuction figures :
coupe - 33,743
hardtop - 48,549
convertible - 2,128

1970 was the last year for the coupe and convertible, and production
softened a bit :
coupe - 16,716
hardtop - 24,944
convertible - 824
SuperBird hardtop - 1,920

Bill
Vancouver, BC



----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Apfelbeck" <moparmike72@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bill Watson" <wwatson5@xxxxxxxxx>; <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 5:24 PM
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Riding the Coupe


> In the first year of production(1968), the Roadrunner was available only
as
> a coupe, complete with a "B" pillar and swing out rear windows as
befitting
> a car marketed as a no-frills affordable muscle car. The following years,
> Mother Mopar would build it as a hardtop(and I've heard there may have
been
> convertibles too) with as many frills as you wanted. The coupes were
> considered better for drag racing,  the bodies were stiffer, a hardtop B
> body running sub 12 second et's would tend to wrinkle the rear quarter
> panels after a while if you didn't stiffen it up with a full roll cage or
> at least some reinforcement in the rear floor area. The second digit in
the
> vin told the price range, "L" for low price, "M" for medium price, and "P"
> for premium price.
>
>
> Mike
>
> At 11:34 AM 1/24/2005, Bill Watson wrote:
> >Actually, a hardtop had NO "B" pillar.   A 4-door model with a "B" pillar
> >was called a 4-door sedan, while a pillarless model was called a 4-door
> >hardtop.  Check any Chrysler Corporation brochure, parts book or service
> >manual.  Chrysler did call the pillarless 4-door a Special Sedan during
the
> >1950's and early 1960's,
> >
> >Your 1973 Chrysler Newport is a 4-door hardtop, if it has no "B" pillar
> >(VIN - CL43).  If is has a pillar, it is a 4-door sedan (CL41).
> >
> >The 1968-70 B body coupe was a 2-door hardtop with the roll-down rear
> >quarter glass replaced by a flip-out glass.  The B pillar in the coupe
added
> >no strength to the body but was there as a place to attach the flip-out
> >glass.
> >
> >Whether or not a car has a B pillar is no way to determine if the car has
a
> >big block engine or small.  Both the Road Runner and the Super Bee came
as a
> >coupe ("21" - flip-out glass with "B" pillar) and 2-door hardtop ("23" -
> >roll-down glass with no "B" pillar).   The Coronet R/T and Satellite GTX
> >both came with big block engines and both were pillarless hardtops.
> >
> >The only true way to tell a 1968-75 Road Runner from its siblings is the
> >second digit in the VIN.   A Road Runner has "M" for the second digit,
while
> >the base Belvedere/Satellite was "L".   The Satellite/Sebring hardtops
were
> >"H", the Sport Satellite/Sebring Plus was "P" and the GTX "S".
Similarly,
> >the Super Bee was "M".   Only the Road Runner and Super Bee were "M", and
> >"M" was used only for the Road Runner and Super Bee..
> >
> >The 1970 Fury Gran Coupe was based on the Fury II 2-door sedan while the
> >1971 Gran Coupe was based on the Fury III 2-door formal hardtop and the
> >4-door hardtop.  The package included upgraded interior, vinyl roof,
Sport
> >Fury grille, larger base V8 engine and A/C.   They were hardly fleet
models
> >as they retailed for about $2,000 more than the base Fury I.   .
> >
> >The headlamp washer (sales code J24) was available only on the 1971
Plymouth
> >Sport Fury and Imperial LeBaron, the ones with the hide-away headlamps.
It
> >was not available on the 1971 Dodge Monaco as it did not have hide-away
> >headlamps.
> >
> >Bill
> >Vancouver, BC
> >
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: <cpollock@xxxxxxxx>
> >To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 6:49 AM
> >Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Riding the Coupe
> >
> >
> > > Hello All,
> > > Mopar-ese from that era was the sames as most car manufacturers.  A
two or
> >four-door hardtop had a pillar between the doors.  Or on a two-door you
> >would find a pillar between the driver's door glass and the quarter panel
> >window.  On some hardtops (such as the Superbee and Roadrunner) this was
> >used as the hinge point for the window to pivot outward.
> > > A two or four-door coupe did not have the pillar.  My 73 4-dr Newport
did
> >not have a pillar between the windows, and the VIN number coded it as a
> >'coupe'.  Most 4-dr Chryslers, Plymouths and Dodge C-bodies were
pillar-less
> >coupes.  Most Roadrunners and Superbees were Hardtops because of the
extra
> >structural rigidity that the pillar added.  It is actually a fairly good
way
> >(not 100% accurate of course) of telling a real Big Block car from a
dressed
> >up Small Block car.  This would happen when someone took a 68-70
satellite
> >and turned it into a 'RoadRunner' by adding a big block and deleting the
> >comfort options.
> > > The VIN always tells the truth though, unless it was removed (a
federal
> >offense by the way), from the dashpad.
> > >
> > > Anyway,
> > > Just my pennies,
> > > Charles.
>
>

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