This 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda is a rare beast, but one that needs total restoration. It has rust in places like the roof and floors, but the build sheet (or what’s left of it) would tell you this is a genuine AAR ‘Cuda with the 340 Six Pack paired to an automatic transmission. Featuring a console with bucket seats and a sharp combination of B5 Blue with a black vinyl top and interior, this had to look just bad-ass when new. Unfortunately, that vinyl top has caused some significant rust issues in the present day, and this ‘Cuda will need a top-to-bottom restoration – including sourcing a replacement engine and transmission. Still, that hasn’t stopped bidders from pushing the listing to over $10,000 here on eBay, with the reserve still unmet.
I sometimes think about my project cars and how a few of them were bought with fairly sizable rust issues. It’s intimidating, both for the cost to repair and the challenge of finding good body men that will still work on rust. But I draw inspiration from the muscle car crowd, as I see bidders not even think twice about throwing heaps of cash at a car as rotten as this one. I get the limited production and desirability factor, but you’re already five figures deep in this thing without doing any work. That’s a significant cost of entry for a project car. And while the ‘Cuda may not yet be past the point of saving, it’s obvious every panel will need work and a full repaint is in order. The seller notes the frame rails are solid but that the “…roof and pans need replacing.” The roof!
The interior looks slightly better than I expected, with door panels, console, and a dashboard that you can likely reuse. The carpets and seats have been removed but the buckets are shown in another photo, and actually look like they could be easily restored. While this is purely a guess, the ‘Cuda’s location in Virginia suggests the climate was never so harsh as to roast the interior, but the closer you get to Maryland, the more likely it becomes the ‘Cuda was exposed to road salt. Of course, a fair amount of the rust issues could likely be attributed to the vinyl top and the water those things tend to trap. The seller notes that the build sheet is no longer readable but that both fender tags are perfect. The seller also retains the title for the ‘Cuda, and he notes the 8.75″ is still in place with 355 gears.
Ouch – thank you, vinyl roof. Few dealer add-ons have caused more strife and unnecessary damage than a silly vinyl roof skin. The damage is clear in this case, with holes marking the entire perimeter of the rear glass. I can’t quite tell what the damage is like in the C-pillar, but it looks somewhat compromised from here. I’m not sure if the seller is exaggerating that the entire roof needs to be torn off and re-done, or if it can be repaired in sections, but bodywork will be a significant aspect of the forthcoming restoration. If bidding is any indication, no Mopar enthusiasts are seeing anything too overwhelming here to repair, at least not when compared to the potential value of a genuine AAR ‘Cuda. Would you take this restoration on at the current bid price?
Holey Kow.
That’s NOT a AAR CUDA!!!!! Are you kidding????
Rough not much left. Let someone else take the hit smart seller.
There’s always the engine from the other day….
Or, wait, Holey Fish!
I dont think I’ve sen any car with a vinyl roof rust out so badly as the E body Barracudas and Challengers
I dont think I’ve seen any car with a vinyl roof rust out so badly as the E body Barracudas and Challengers – and I’m a Mopar guy !
60’s Lincoln Continentals. They’re just as bad, or worse
You can say that again!
Well at least it still has the original rear end.
Nothing matches a Good Rear end🤣
It’s a total rust bucket list, who posted saying it needs restored? SCRAP IT
Maybe Capt. Nemo would be interested.
Better call Dynacorn!
Good luck with that, Dynacorn only offers a Challenger body.
Steve R
Its good to have the tags off to allow picking up all wanted from the car with an envelope .
No engine means even it was a Hemi versus the six pack who cares as the engine is gone baby gone.
I suggest the future owner drinks a six pack daily to keep the beer goggle vision active.
Its a rusted POS with glass and door panels .
Hey did you see that blonde 👱♀️ inside the window… oh wait drink a few more drinks and she possibly shows back up again…
Many of you guys still fail to realize the rarity/desirability/value of certain cars. If it’s real, it will always command a price and be restored regardless of how far gone it is. Aar cudas, hemi cudas, ls6 chevelles, boss 429’s, 67 corvettes 427/425. It’s just how it is.
True yes, but you’ll be putting 200K into this heap to net 100K, if selling it is the intention. That’s the ceiling (+/- 10K) for a pristine AAR. And I love me some ‘Cuda. If you just want to own an AAR then maybe the money doesn’t matter, if you have it.
I have an AAR in similar condition. I am in my early 20’s and just purchased this car with the entirety of my bank account. If I do the restoration with a few of my friends/local mopar experts I can keep restoration costs to around 50-60,000 and a timeline of a couple years. Personally I could never afford to buy a completely restored AAR but since I intend to do most of the dirty work and reassembly myself (leave paint and body to the experts) I am able to get into a high end mopar at a very young age and for relatively cheap. It’s not about the resale value or about being upside down in a car. To some people, it’s the chance to get into a high end car for cheap and for them to be able to make it their own.
Amazing that these will cost one at least 60k of their own cold non-0% APR financing cash, and that’s absolutely no issue for some. Good times we live in! Personally, being the cheap and comparatively poor person that I am, I’m going to buy a new Charger Scat Pack with 485 horses and put the $15-20k I’ll save over a vintage one into a mutual fund.
Can’t help it. I also love me some ‘Cuda but I’m a practical Consumer Reports kind of guy. But good luck with the project!
Breaking news!! This just in!! Paying someone to restore a car for you and doing none of the work yourself is not profitable.
Good lawdy miss Clawdy. Rot from top to bottom. Like one guy said send the data plate and title and scrap the rest. I do believe this has been to the briny deep. 10 large already>> SMFH. If the top is this bad how can the underbelly be any better?? Good luck . Sure its restorable. $$ fixes all!
Cheers
GPC
I have an originsl B5 blue non vinyl top AAR and a friend of mine just bought a mostly original B5 blue AAR with black vinyl top unrestored in excellent condition for $50K. I’ve personally gone over the car.He will spend 5K more to bring it all the way back to original and have a $70K car. No way you can get there for the same money on this one.
10k for the opportunity to sweep pieces onto your trailer after it crumbles trying to move it.
Dumb da dumb dumb dumb… Dumb!!!
Graveyard cars. 250k and it wil be better than factory
If somebody actually restores this thing it just shows you that the Mopar enthusiasts are truly the most fanatical among us.
More
Old
Parts
And
Rust
Mostly Old Parts And Rust
Why do people post so much about Junk ?
Currently, the seller has $10,100 reasons with 5 days 6 hours to go.
Steve R
Yeah likely his own bidding.
When you’re done replacing all the missing and rusted and dented and broken parts , you will actually have replaced every part on this wreck- is it still a restored ‘Cuda at that point or a clone ? . Too bad, it was a really nice looking car when new
sigh… the six pack engine is where the magic was….without one it is just another Cuda (which is OK too I guess).
Man, I love AAR Cudas, they are my favorite muscle/pony car of all time. I would love to see every one of them restored and on the road. This one just makes me sad, almost wish I hadn’t seen it.
Do yourself a favor go to your Dodge dealer and buy a Hellcat or Hellcat red eye. …enjoy it….old guys who remember these cars like me are not your restoration sales audience. …we got old by being wise…this car is too far gone…buy something you can enjoy now