Dennis Hupka, a retired police...
Dennis Hupka, a retired police officer, has owned several Road Runners throughout his life and is a die-hard Mopar fanatic.
Dennis Hupka
'69 Plymouth Road Runner
| 60-foot: | 2.608 |
| 330-foot: | 6.856 |
| 660-foot: | 10.323 |
| MPH: | 71.52 |
| 1,000: | 13.280 |
| 1,320: | 15.783 |
| MPH: | 90.06 |
Making his way from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, Dennis Hupka had to strap tire chains on his car to negotiate the snow. He purchased his first Road Runner-a '68 four-speed-in 1968, while he was a young police officer. But time, marriage, and kids forced him to put the whole musclecar thing on the back burner. Eventually, he was able to return to the hobby and has owned three '69 Road Runners, including this one, his latest.
If you ever wanted to know...
If you ever wanted to know what a '69 Road Runner looked like back when it was new, just take a peak at Dennis'.
We were surprised to see Dennis...
We were surprised to see Dennis as the first car in the staging lanes. He said he had nothing for the Hemis, but he still put up a good fight.
The nearly bone-stock 440...
The nearly bone-stock 440 makes this B-body a fun car to take anywhere. It's so comfortable that he even drove it down from Canada through the snow.
He spotted it in 1996 on a trailer in someone's backyard, but the owner wouldn't budge on the sale price. Dennis left his card and heard back about a year later-and bought it on the spot. It was in need of a full restoration, but the body was intact and had only minor rust in the fenderwells. Garry Keay Restorations in Chilliwack took care of the paint and body. The 440 was sent to Fortin's Engine & supply for the buildup. New .030 over pistons, .484-lift cam, and balanced rotating assembly filled the RB block. It also uses a Holley 3310 carburetor and an M1 intake manifold.
Out on the road, the overwhelmingly tame B-Body delivered an extremely comfortable ride. The paint and body were all quality. Its performance on the track could have been a little better, but its comfort and appearance made up for that quite well.
Thierry Hosig's '69 Coronet...
Thierry Hosig's '69 Coronet isn't camera shy, but because of his participation in the car show, we weren't able to snap many photos of his B-5 beauty.
Thierry Hosig
'68 Dodge Coronet R/T
| 60-foot: | 2.294 |
| 330-foot: | 6.250 |
| 660-foot: | 9.444 |
| MPH: | 76.86 |
| 1,000: | 12.241 |
| 1,320: | 14.584 |
| MPH: | 96.44 |
Thierry Hosig's B-5 blue Coronet R/T was blindingly bright. The paint looked as though it was sprayed yesterday, and all the parts were there, too. Fifteen years ago, his friend purchased the car and it sat at his house. When the friend decided to move, Thierry sprang at the opportunity to buy it from him. It was in rough shape, but 41/2 years of restoration work resulted in this rewarding show stopper.
Inside the 440 are Mopar rods, a factory crankshaft, and KB Silvolite hypereutectic pistons. The stock cam was replaced with a Comp Cams Energy 225 flat-tappet with .507/.510-inch lift with a 110 lobe separation and 240/246-degree duration. Comp lifters and springs handle the valve events with the cast-iron Mopar 906 cylinder heads.
TTI exhaust made a strong showing this year; this B-Body benefited from their 3-inch header system and spits it out through Flowmaster Delta-Flow three-chamber mufflers. Its domestic, relaxed road manors scored high with the judges and gave the winner a run for his money.