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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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