'73 Cuda Project

[34_40]

Great project. Father and Son deal also... way cool!
No matter what you choose for cam specs, make sure it'sa roller! Flat tappets and today's oil selections make it very difficult to keep the cam alive. There's a reason the OEM's went to roller cams... OIL! For a rear gear, on the street 3.25 to 3.50 are my faves, dependent on tire OD. I've got 3.90 in the coupe and it's alright... until you hit a highway. It gets old listening to high rpm's hour after hour, but for staying local... it's a blast!

 

[alloy]

I'll definitely be following your progress on this.

 

[GoceKU]

Long time ago when i was a kid, i watched the series Nash Bridges, Don johnson drove a 71 Cuda convertible in it. The beautiful lines on that car left an impression on me. I've never seen one in real live. I'll definitely be following this build.

 

[Gaffer]

Long time ago when i was a kid, i watched the series Nash Bridges, Don johnson drove a 71 Cuda convertible in it. The beautiful lines on that car left an impression on me. I've never seen one in real live. I'll definitely be following this build.

I remember the show. The car made it worth watching though I only saw a few episodes. I also have a 70 convertible Barracuda I bought in '89. The bodywork was a little rough, but I knew it when I bought it. I drove it from N. Cal to S. Cal. without issue, and for a few more years. It was originally a 318 console car I believe. The seller had put in a 440, manual trans with pistol grip shifter, rally hood, and Cuda badges. I figured I'd continue the cloning process. It too has sat all these years, but I accumulated the parts over the years to make it a 440 6-Pack Shaker with factory rear spoiler. The engine is a '70 HP, and all I need now are the carbs. It has a lot of rust hidden under the paint, along with pounds of body filler. That build will have to wait until I retire - hopefully in the next 6-7 years.

 

[7milesup]

My next older brother (Jerry) had a '69 Road Runner in Plumb Crazy. This was back in '73 or so. He had a 383 Magnum it. It was a fun car and even more fun for me to ride around with my brother. I would have been about 8 years old (he was 8 years older than me). He loved Mopar products and continued on into high performance motor sports, powered by Hemis. We grew up on a farm, and tractor pulling seemed to be a good choice for him. Him and my other older brother joined forces and started to build pulling tractors, just for fun. That was in 1976.
Here is a magazine cover of him. 540 cubic inch.
He passed away 4 years ago from brain cancer. He was 58.
Following along on your resto Gaffer.

 

[Aukai]

That's an awesome cover shot, so sad he passed away

 

[Gaffer]

My next older brother (Jerry) had a '69 Road Runner in Plumb Crazy. This was back in '73 or so. He had a 383 Magnum it. It was a fun car and even more fun for me to ride around with my brother. I would have been about 8 years old (he was 8 years older than me). He loved Mopar products and continued on into high performance motor sports, powered by Hemis. We grew up on a farm, and tractor pulling seemed to be a good choice for him. Him and my other older brother joined forces and started to build pulling tractors, just for fun. That was in 1976.
Here is a magazine cover of him. 540 cubic inch.
He passed away 4 years ago from brain cancer. He was 58.
Following along on your resto Gaffer.

I’m sorry for your loss. What great memories you have! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[bill70j]

Very nice, Gaffer!! And hats off to you for keeping the car for 30+ years. You are sitting on a nice, valuable E-body.

Have you de-coded the fender tag, or have the build sheet? I would be quite interested in its factory build/options.

Good luck on a great father son project. We look forward to following your progress.

 

[Gaffer]

Very nice, Gaffer!! And hats off to you for keeping the car for 30+ years. You are sitting on a nice, valuable E-body.

Have you de-coded the fender tag, or have the build sheet? I would be quite interested in its factory build/options.

Good luck on a great father son project. We look forward to following your progress.

Unfortunately, neither car came with fender tags, or any documentation other than the VIN's. I haven't tried to research them, but I will. I didn't know anything about MOPAR's when I bought them. The man who painted my '78 Z-28 in 1985, had been restoring Mopars most of his life, and he turned me onto both of these cars. He is still local, and in the business, and I'm glad I have him to lean on for these builds. And the Z-28, I still have it, and it was stored with the other two. I know it isn't a classic, but I have a love affair with it. If all goes well in life and these builds, it will get an LS conversion and will be my daily driver after I retire.

 

[Gaffer]

Three large boxes showed up today from Summit Racing. It's the QA1 Level 3 Handling kit with front, double adjustable shocks. It's just like this kit minus the rear shocks. Rear suspension will come later. The plan is to remove the old, test fit this kit, remove it and then prep and paint the engine compartment.