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1969 Holley Road Runner, Part XPackaging modern suspension, brakes, wheels and tires with the heritage of the Holley Project Road Runner. From the February, 2001 issue of Mopar Muscle By Jerry Pitt Photography by Jerry Pitt
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Were getting close. Very close. The pent-up enthusiasm about the Holley Road Runner has apparently created quite a stir. In fact, folks approach the Holley roadshow trailer at NHRA and Hot Rod Power Tour events asking where the car is. Well, as we prepare to write this article, we are mere days away from delivering the Hemi Orange B-Body to Bowling Green, Kentucky, the home of Holley Performance Products. In fact, well soon be traveling there ourselves to gather the final images that will grace an upcoming issue. For us, however, seeing the suspension, brakes, wheels, and tires on the car proved we were finally getting close. In this segment of our coverage on the Holley Project Road Runner, well document how John Balow and his crew at Muscle Car Restorations have been true to the concept of musclecarfat rubber, big power, and wild hues. At the same time, John has used the best the aftermarket has to offer by upgrading the brake and suspension systems to modern-day performance.  As the Holley Project Road...  As the Holley Project Road Runner nears completion, the installation of the suspension and finally getting the Road Runner down on all fours made a big impact on us. Most of the credit must go to Muscle Car Restorations and the long list of vendors who have helped make this project a success!  Performance Suspension Technology...  Performance Suspension Technology provided us with replacement suspension components for the Road Runner, which were installed at Muscle Car Restorations. PST's Super Kit includes four ball joints, two outer tie-rod ends, rubber bushings, control-arm bumpers, two inner tie-rod ends, two tie-rod adjusting sleeves, the idler arm, and four upper cam and bolt kits. For more on PST's line of Mopar suspension equipment, see the PST Corner Carving Guide, which appeared in the May 2000 issue of Mopar Muscle magazine.  Drive Train Specialists supplied...  Drive Train Specialists supplied us with an ARB Air Locker-equipped Dana 60, which we chronicled in the September 2000 issue of Mopar Muscle. If the Dana 60 was good enough for a Hemi, it surely was right on the mark for the 700 lb/ft 542ci Indy Cylinder Head-built wedge engine.  With Muscle Car Restorations...  With Muscle Car Restorations handling the assembly of the Road Runner, the DTS rear end was shipped to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It easily slid in place suspended by Eaton Detroit Spring-supplied leaf springs.  Freeman Auto in Whitehall,...  Freeman Auto in Whitehall, Montana, supplied the axle anchor plates.  With that in mind, Jay Prosch-Jensen...  With that in mind, Jay Prosch-Jensen recommended the use of an ARB air-operated locking differential. The Australian-built Air Locker allows conversion, with a flip of the dash-mounted switch, from an open rear end to a spool. With the accompanying air compressor, you simply air up when you are finished at the strip and return the rear end to open operation.  With the rear end installed,...  With the rear end installed, it was time to install the Baer Racing four-wheel disc brakes. For the rear, Baer supplied their "Rod and Drag" package. This system incorporates a 11.350-inch diameter x .810-inch thick rotors. A caliper mounting bracket is attached to the axle flange in the rear. Note the bracket appearing from behind the axle flange. This system will accommodate some 15-inch diameter wheels and most 16-inch wheels.  The rotor installs directly...  The rotor installs directly to the axle flange for the Baer Racing Mopar kit. For more information on wheel fitment, visit Baer Racing's website at www.baer.com  Baer Racing is the exclusive...  Baer Racing is the exclusive U.S. performance aftermarket distributor of the PBR single-piston caliper. Designed for rear-wheel use, the caliper incorporates an integral park-brake mechanism and is perfect for the ultimate street performance vehicle.  It's almost embarrassing how...  It's almost embarrassing how easy this installation is. Make sure you use the correct caliper for each side; the feed line runs to the forward side of the axle and the brake bleeder must always face up.  With Stockton Wheel's SWS...  With Stockton Wheel's SWS TQ wheel, there is ample space to clear most large rotors and the compact brake system makes it even easier. If you are converting from drum brakes to discs, you will need the disc-brake spindle. Many sources for salvage yard spindles can be found in Mopar Muscle including Desert Valley Auto Parts, Stephens Performance, and Texas Acres.  The system looks great and...  The system looks great and offers tremendous weight savings. Baer indicates a 28-pound weight savings when the SS system is used in place of the OE disc it replaces. That equates to about a 10-12-pound reduction if the car is converted from the lighter factory drum brakes. At this time the Baer system is only available to fit a factory disc spindle. With a set of modern wheels like the SWS TQs, this is the ultimate in brake and wheel styling.  Magnum Force's tubular upper...  Magnum Force's tubular upper control arms use original-style ball joints and urethane bushings for ease of replacement.  While Holley wanted to maintain...  While Holley wanted to maintain a musclecar look, everyone recognized we also wanted a modern down-in-the-weeds stance. While we could turn the torsion bars all the way down, we would lose suspension adjustability. By comparing Magnum Force's tubular upper control arm to the stock replacement, we see that the ball joint is relocated further outboard, which gains an adjustability range of 3-5 degrees positive caster with maximum camber adjustment.  Because the torsion bar is...  Because the torsion bar is eliminated, a coilover shock system is employed.  Magnum Force supplied the...  Magnum Force supplied the necessary billet hardware and grade 8 fasteners to make the system bulletproof.  Here is the system installed....  Here is the system installed. The proprietary coilover shock is an exact fit for all Mopar applications.  This system is a direct replacement...  This system is a direct replacement for B-, E- and late-model A-Body Mopars. For early A-Body owners, fit the late model A-Body spindle and you're in business.  Aside from the upper coilover...  Aside from the upper coilover mount, all stock pickup points are employed for a direct bolt-on installation.  The ultimate Mopar requires...  The ultimate Mopar requires the ultimate wheel. Stockton Wheel's one-piece aluminum SWS-TQ is available in 15x5.5, 15x7, and 15x10. The TQ was manufactured for vintage car owners who want clearance for larger brake systems. The wheels are only available from Stockton Wheel in either full polish or chrome. We matched their 15x7 wheels at all four corners with BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires. Up front, we're running a 225/70R15, while, in the back, a generous size is found with 275/60R15 For good appearance when you combine different size tires, the tread and sidewall must match. Balow found that the BFGoodrich's were the best for that purpose. Baer Serious Street 12-inch Front Rotor Conversion
Up front, the system Baer provided is a derivative of their Serious Street 12-inch diameter rotor conversion. This version is Baers smallest and the only system compatible with our wheel choice. The system includes a direct-replacement master cylinder with the proper volume for the systems requirements (it can be used manually or as Baer prefers, with booster); a pair of PBR aluminum D.O.T.-legal calipers (NOTE: The larger Sport or Track systems employ a PBR caliper with the Baer logo); a set of billet-aluminum hubs which arrive preassembled with U.S.-made races, bearings, and seals and are even prepacked in Red Line synthetic grease and then capped for shipment; a pair of billet-aluminum intermediate mounting brackets (attach to stock locations on factory disc spindles); a set of Teflon -lined, braided stainless steel hoses and appropriate fittings; a full complement of required hardware, instructions, and even a clear plastic bleeder hose to make that process easier. First, remove the OE brake hardware from the spindle, wipe it clean, then bolt the side-specific intermediate mounting brackets with the hardware provided (NOTE: All critical fasteners are treated with VibraTite coating at Baer prior to shipment) and torque to 100 lb/ft. Next, uncap the billet hub assembly (ours came with optional ARP NHRA legal studs because of our need to use a spacer), slide it onto the spindle and with the new spindle nut and related hardware provided, tension as detailed in the instructions. The rotor fits to the hub, and the caliper slides onto the rotor and is torqued to the intermediate bracket to 85 lb/ft. Under the car, the last operation is to install the braided-steel brake hoses that are complete with adapter fitting that connect them to the stock OE steel hard lines. Back on the topside, we bolt the new master cylinder in place and then complete the install by bleeding the brakes. Pay attention to safety and get assistance if you need it. Test the system in low-speed conditions!
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