Hey all, I am purchasing a 1970 Cuda that is in the process of being restored. Currently, it is a shell, all the rust has been removed and all holes have been patched. Some sections need to be welded back together, sanded and primered. The previous owner has given up on it (he has a 68 Camaro RS) and is selling the Cuda as is with all the parts he has saved up for it.

My question is, should I make it stock or rebuild it to my liking? The codes on both fender tags are below. The owner has not found the broadcast sheets yet, and I think they will not be found. I only ask because I would not want to hack up a rare car! If it was a slant 6, I would not have to ask.

Thanks!!!
James

Tag 1
Line 1
M88 - Quarter Panel Tape Treatment
N41 - Dual Exhaust
N42 - Chrome Exhaust Tips
N85 - Tachometer
R22 - AM Radio with 8 Track(10 Watts)
CTD - Codes Continued on 2nd Fender Tag
Line 2
J81 - Rear Spoiler - Wing Type
L31 - Hood/Fender Mounted Turn Signals
M21 - Roof drip rail moldings
M25 - Wide sill moldings
M31 - Belt Moldings
Line 3
C16 - Console w/Woodgrain Panel
C55 - Bucket Seats
G36 - OS Dual Racing Mirrors
J45 - Hood Tie Down Pins
J54 - Sport Hood
J68 - Backlight Louvers
Line 4
V1X - Full Vinyl Top - Black
A01 - Light Package
A31 - High Performance Axle Package w/3.91 Ratio
A62 - Rallye Instrument Cluster Package
A67 - Backlight Louver Package
B51 - Power Brakes
Line 5
FY1 - Lemon Twist Yellow
H6X9 - High, Vinyl Bucket Seats, Black
000 - Upper Door Frame, Full Door Panel
305 - March 5th, 1970
038195 - Order Number
Line 6
E55 - 340 cid 4 barrel V8 275hp
D32 - H-D A-727 TorqueFlite Trans
BS23 - Barracuda, Special, 2 door hardtop
HOB - 340 275HP 1-4BBL 8 CYL, 1970, Dodge Main – Hamtramck, MI, USA
269278 - Sequence Number
Tag 2
Line 1
V6X - Longitudinal Stripes - Black
Y05 - Build to USA Specs
26 - 26 in Radiator
EN1 - End of Sales Codes
Line 2
BS23 - Barracuda, Special, 2 door hardtop
HOB - 340 275HP 1-4BBL 8 CYL, 1970, Dodge Main – Hamtramck, MI, USA
269278 - Sequence Number

 

Personally, I'd say with two fender codes and being a 340 car, it may be best to build it up like stock. The 340 will still give you plenty of performance, so you shouldn't be slacking any in that area. As for suspension, it may be a good idea to box the LCA (lower control arms) to help strengthen them and improve rigidity over the factory LCA's. You could always go with an Alter-K-tion or similar K-frame setup with coil-overs, but just keep the original suspension if you ever decide to go back to factory specs.

 

That's a very high optioned car, and being an original 340 car, would be worth a pretty amount done in stock configuration. You neglected to say how many of the parts are there; if the original drivetrain and the option hardware is still with the car, it's really a no-brainer- redo it to the fender tags. If a lot of the options or the numbers drivetrain are gone, it would be a major investment to find the parts necessary to put it back stock.... only you can decide where that cost trade off is, and what kind of investment you want to make.

 

TeeW,

I know that it has most of the parts, but I haven't figured out if they are date coded yet. It has a 340 and the727. The guy has given me copies of the reciepts for thefoam and legendary interior, louvers,AM 8track, vinyl top,exhaust, plus the smaller bolts. From firstglance,it looks like I will needthe entire braking system and a lot of the suspension. It will be a projectand I will probably keep much of itstock. Maybe one day I will replace the auto with a 4 speed.

 

Check the numbers out on the engine and tranny... it sounds like they could be correct to the car; if that was the case, I'd do it stock. Most of the stuff your lacking... brake hardware and suspension components are not hard to come by. It's your car to do as you please obviously, but if you've checked out the values of original Cudas, if the numbers match, that's potentially a $50K or more car when done.

 

Don't mess with it. An original 340, particularly if the #'s match is a beautiful thing, worth a nice chunk of change too. the options you have there are nice bonuses. Sweet find.

 

Depends on how extreme you plan on going with the mods? I have a '70 'Cuda 340 with the slapstick auto. Body is stock, wheels and tires stock (radial t/a in stock size), interior mostly stock (aftermarket stereo). But, the engine is bumped up to about 425ish HP with aluminum heads, cam, headers, exhaust, double-pumper, etc. Suspension is mildly modded with Koni shocks, aftermarket sway bars, and poly bushings. The key point is that I have saved all of the original parts. But I also have a car that is more fun to drive, and keeps up with all the modern day musclecars and exotics. I would stay away from anything that involves messing with the body, and I'm also a little afraid to do anything that requires "cutting" out the suspension. But that's just me, which goes to show it is just a matter of personal preference.

 

Update: The 340 is not original and my guess is the 727 is not original either. The previous owner purchase the 340 from pep boys some 8-10 years ago after he blew up the 318 which was in it when he bought it. I think it is a 73 block, but not 100% sure. The good thing is the 340 has less than 1000 miles on it since the owner wanted to do a hemi swap and took it to a shop soon after he got the 340 in it.

Also, I went to his storage shed today and took a few pictures of what he has. Louvers, legendaryinterior (seat covers and foam), new headliner and vinyl top, some old j heads, original sport hood with new hood pins, ralley gauges, new dash pad and some other little things (gaskets, interior nuts and bolts).One cool thing Isawwas an brand new, in boxEdelbrockVictor 340 4 barrel intake mainifold. He also had some aftermarket rims that will only be used when its a rolling body.

Anyway, since I now know its not number matching and I will have a few power adders to start with, I think I will keep the body stock and just have a few tweaks to the engine. Time to see what I can do to the 340.

 

Pretty much any car with the second VIN digit being S or X should be fully restored so long as the numbers matching engine and tranny are with it or attainable. Since the one your looking at doesn't have the numbers matching stuff you might as well just build it for yourself to your liking, build it the way you want it.

 

Well, I finally verified that the 340 is from May 73. Any hints at unleashing the true potential of it? Right now I am looking at a .030 overbore, 10-1 pistons andcam. Butthe RPM 416 stroker kit is another option I have thought of.The Cuda came withanaftermarket TCI 727,so it should be able to handleany amount of power I throw at it. Any thoughts?