THE “RAGINGBIRD”
Engine: 426 Gen III Supercharged Hemi from Arrington Performance 850+HP
Induction: Holley Multi Port Fuel Injection
Ignition: Holley/Arrington
Custom Factory Serpentine System
Cooling: Custom Carbon Fiber Radiator from Ace Radiator
Fuel: Aeromotive/Ace
Transmission: Silver Sport Transmissions Tremec 6 speed
Differential: Scott’s Driveline-Dana 60 3.55 Gears
Exhaust: Custom Ceramic Exhaust Ken Feber
Front Suspension: Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion
Rear Suspension: Reilly Motorsports Street Lynx 4 Link/Ken Feber
Brakes: 14″ Wilwood 6-Piston/4-Piston Slotted/Hydroboost
Wheels/Tires: Custom Nutec Wheels
20″X 12″ Rears 19″X 8″ Fronts
Mickey Thompson/Michelin Performance Tires
Paint: Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes Custom “Purple Rage”
Body and Paint: Wade Yost Candy Shop Customs
Custom Spoilers/Bumpers/Fabrication: Ken Feber
Mechanical: Mike Kelley
Carbon Fiber: Wayne Garner/Jamie
Emblems/Decals/Signage: Hightech Signs/Maxwell Engineering/Morgan
Interior: Interiors by Thomas/Big Hemi
Gauges/Dash: Instrument Specialties/Big Hemi
A/C-Heater: Vintage Air
Stereo: Kenwood/Kicker
Polishing: Lee Scott
Chrome: Reckon Plating
Extras: Custom Ragingbird Hood-Stinger, LED Taillights, H4 Oracle Hallo Headlights, LED Interior Lighting, Custom Leather Interior, Custom Upholstered Trunk, Painless, Hushmat/Sherwin Williams Lining Undercarriage
There are plenty of legends in the muscle car world, but a few names stand taller than most, with “Roadrunner” being one of the giants. With Warner Brothers Roadrunner name, bird logo, “Beep Beep” horn, and Coke Bottle design the ’69 has a distinctive look that’s still one of the best car’s to ever come out of the Chrysler design studios. Now, that’s not to say that a good thing couldn’t be made better, and this absolutely stunning Roadrunner takes everything that was awesome about the original and turns it up to 11. Meet the Ragingbird! More power, more handling, more brakes, more style, it all comes together in one of the most incredible Pro-Touring Roadrunner’s ever built. This car will simply stop traffic everywhere it goes and flat-out stomp anything on the streets, barring we can get the tires to bite the pavement. It was built by the pros at Bair Customs, and will take the stage at the 2017 Barrett Jackson show in Palm Beach. Perhaps you’re familiar with Bair Customs work, since they’ve appeared in many big magazines, on automotive TV shows, and even as featured cars at SEMA and the Barrett-Jackson auctions.
Of course, it goes without saying that the workmanship is exemplary, and when people see this car, their first comment will probably be, “Wow, that’s some straight bodywork!” Wade at The Candy Shop made sure there was not a ripple or wave anywhere on the car, the gaps are remarkably tight, and the custom Purple Rage paint is miles deep. The paint was custom created by Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes and Bair Customs. With a touch of purple and pearl that explodes in the sunlight! Think of it as Plum Crazy Purple on steroids. This Roadrunner was a super clean California car to start with and all of the body panels are original. This car has passed beyond the realm of pedigrees, so quality is really the only barometer that matters. The shine is deep, rich, and nearly flawless in every way, ready for the show field any time but also happy to prowl the streets. It’s high-visibility and make no mistake; every driver with an ounce of testosterone in him will lock on to this car like a homing beacon. The one-off Hellcat hood treatment, custom front and rear bumper, carbon fiber accents, and custom front and rear spoiler certainly help, and adds to it’s Ragingbird attitude.
The interior received a full custom makeover as well. Most of the surfaces that were originally vinyl are now covered in black leather, all beautifully stitched together with purple thread for a very custom but subtle look. Original pieces like the door panels and dash pad were likewise wrapped and tailored for a custom look and those gorgeous Mopar SRT power/heated bucket seats are all-day comfortable but perfectly happy to hit the track as well. Even the back seat was stitched to match, so it all has a very cohesive look. The original instruments are still in the dash, but now wear carbon fiber faces with silver lettering so it’s familiar yet modern and they’re all wrapped in a brushed aluminum fascia. A custom center console was fabbed up and wrapped in more black leather, and it includes the trick push button starter to ignite the supercharged Hemi. A Kenwood stereo powers a set of amplifiers in the trunk, plus Kicker speakers throughout the interior finish out the entertainment system. The custom billet/carbon fiber shifter manages a Tremec 6 speed manual transmission from Silver Sport Transmissions. The trunk is fully outfitted with custom side panels with access to the amplifiers and a small panel with the battery cut-off switch and access to the electricals inside.
Building a car like this means pushing boundaries, and while you might expect to see a generation II Hemi motor, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Yes, it’s a Hemi, and yes, it’s fuel injected, but this is a stroked 426 cubic inch modern Generation III Supercharged Hemi built by Arrington Performance. Opening the hood will stop traffic at any car show you attend. There are acres of polished aluminum and carbon fiber under the hood, as everything from the block to the accessory drive was smoothed, filed, and buffed to show levels. Up top, there’s a giant polished Whipple supercharger and brand new Holley fuel injection system. All told, it makes somewhere north of 850 horsepower, with 800 lb of torque. There’s also plenty of eye candy to be found, with all the plumbing and electrical wires neatly trimmed and stashed out of sight whenever possible. A giant Ace aluminum/carbon fiber radiator and electric fans keep it cool and the brakes are hydro-boost assisted. And, of course, it goes without saying that the inner fenders and firewall were smoothed and finished to the same standards as the bodywork, giving the engine bay a show-worthy look.
The car was built on a rotisserie, so the underside is as spectacular as the top. Finished with Sherwin Williams liner coat and tinted purple to match the top side color. This coating creates a barrier to help protect, sound deaden, and block heat, not to mention you can still wipe it with a micro fiber cloth. The front suspension is from Reilly Motorsports and uses a tubular K-member and A-arms with a set of adjustable coil-over shocks, sway bar, and power rack and pinion, while out back you’ll find a Reilly/Feber 4-link coil-over system with rear sway bar. There are currently 3.55 gears inside the custom built Dana 60, but with the overdrive and the Hemi’s massive torque, we can’t imagine anyone wanting more than this car delivers. This supercharged Hemi has the most awesome mechanical whining sound this side of the drag strip, making this car sound formidable before you even get on the throttle. When you do, it barks through a beautifully made custom ceramic-coated exhaust system that uses side-exit trumpets, that poke through the rear quarters. There are Wilwood disc brakes the size of a trash can lids at each corner with purple six piston calipers in front and four piston units in back for truly massive stopping power. And speaking of massive, the wheels are forgings from Nutek Wheel made just for this car, measuring 19×8 in front and 20×12 in back and shod in fresh 245/35/19 front and 335/25/20 rear Michelin performance tires and Mickey Thompson drag radials. Even with the trick suspension and massive 20-inch tires, the car rides rather well without crashing and banging over bumps.
The Ragingbird greatly improves every single aspect of the original, but keeps all the critical things that make these cars so special. Respect is what makes this car remarkable, and respect is what it demands, both from the driver and from anyone unfortunate enough to try to give it a run on the street. It’s brutal, but it’s also exquisitely detailed with a no-compromises philosophy that shows in every single aspect of the build.