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It all started back in 1985 when I first fell
in love with the 1970 Plymouth Cuda. After owning
my first 70 Barracuda daily driver I realized
that I wanted the real thing a 70 Cuda. Shortly
thereafter I became a friend with some local
people who were also into collecting Mopar Muscle
Cars. In Late 1988 one of those friends brothers
had purchased a 1970 Plymouth Cuda with the
440+6 option. When they first brought it home
I can remember climbing into the back seat with
a few other friends and heading down to the
local fast food place. Of course the Cuda didn't
have any problem spinning the tires even with
the four of us inside. That was my first real
taste of a Big Block Mopar's awesome power.
I was hooked.
In 1990 I got a call from the owner of the Cuda
stating that his family was going to be selling
it and was I interested. The price was negotiated
and my father and I soon found ourselves loading
the Cuda onto our car trailer. The car had been
sitting for about a year and a half and was
not running as well as I had remembered. The
carburetor gaskets had dried up and it needed
a general tune-up. When we got it home we gave
it a quick wash job, parked it in our workshop
and covered it with a car cover.
Time and other projects came and went and the
Cuda soon found itself at our other storage
facility parked for the better part of 10 years.
While not forgotten completely, Time and Money
were devoted to other things including other
Mopar projects, and along with a busy work schedule
the Cuda was somewhat neglected. After thinking
about it for some time I finally decided it
was time to bring it back out of storage, clean
it up, tune it up and get it running. Surprisingly
the Cuda only needed minor work even after sitting
for so long. The fluids were changed, carburetors
were rebuilt, A few correct replacement parts
purchased from Frank Badalson were installed,
and a lot of cleaning from top to bottom.
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So here it is now, Still wearing 90% of its
original paint, 100% of its original Interior,
and its complete original drivetrain, including
the original aluminum intake manifold. (Yes
this one was one of the few that was built with
a left over 69 1/2 intake manifold). This Cuda,
while not an ordered car, was equipped with
two fender tags and has some very nice options
including the A34 Super Track Pack option, D21
Pistol Grip 4spd Transmission, N96 Shaker Hood,
R22 AM 8 track Radio, The very rare V5X Body
side Molding, A01 Light Package, Dual Chrome
Racing mirrors, Rimblow Steering Wheel, Rallye
Guages, and N97 Noise Reduction Package. Strangely
enough with all those options the Cuda was optioned
with manual Steering and 14" Rallye Wheels.
The best part of bringing this Cuda back to
life after 12 years was the ability to trace
down the original owner from some old DMV registration
slips and the original Dealer Sales Contract.
While I have not yet had the opportunity to
meet the owner face to face, we have corresponded
on the phone and via E-mail. As with any older
Muscle Car there is always questions that need
to be answered because documentation is very
important. The original owner was able to answer
most of my questions as if he owned the car
yesterday.
The Cuda was purchased in late 1970 after the
original owner had spotted it at a dealership
in the adjoining town. A deal was struck, the
Cuda was transferred to the local dealer of
his town, and the paperwork was signed. At 22
years old and fresh out of college the new owner
had one heck of a ride. Fortunately the car
was never abused, and was garaged from day one.
The Cuda was used as a daily driver until the
mid 70's and then became the second car in the
family and spent more time undercover and in
the garage. After seeing limited use for the
better part of 10 years the Cuda was finally
sold in 1987.
Pete
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