Project cars come in all shapes and sizes, with some straightforward and others requiring deep commitment. This 1970 Plymouth Barracuda probably falls within the second category because the new owner won’t address its rust issues in a weekend. There will be much cutting and welding, but with the body restored and the desirable mechanical components installed, it should provide a perfect combination of good looks and performance. If a Mopar project is on your radar, the Plymouth is listed here on eBay in Limon, Colorado. The bidding sits at $3,057 but is yet to hit the reserve.
The Barracuda makes a positive first impression, and evidence suggests it rolled off the showroom floor coated in Sunfire Yellow paint. There is little evidence of this externally, but there is a long road ahead before the new owner picks up their spray gun. The buyer faces rust repairs, and they are reasonably substantial. The car requires new front floors, a firewall, and rear quarter panels. An in-person inspection may reveal further problems, but the extent of the issues suggests a nut-and-bolt approach would be best to ensure that the existing rust is eliminated and the buyer reduces the chances of future problems. The seller includes a new taillight panel, rear bumper, and other small parts. However, the restorer will probably be on first-name terms with the supplier once they purchase the parts required to return the Barracuda to a structurally sound state.
This interior shot reveals the extent of the floor and firewall rust, explaining why I recommend entirely dismantling this car to achieve a high-end result. The interior has good and bad points, with the state of the seatcovers a highlight. They need nothing but a deep clean, while the door trims require new armrests. The console looks nice, but the dash and pad require love. The pad looks like the San Andreas Fault and is unquestionably beyond salvation. I think a few dash components might be missing, but locating replacement parts shouldn’t pose a challenge. Overall, the bones are there for a stunning interior, but with a dash pad costing $650 and a carpet set retailing for $260, it could total over $1,500 when we factor in the small components like handles and knobs.
The seller supplies no engine photos but confirms they include a 383ci V8, an A-727 automatic transmission, and a 3.23 Posi rear end. Plymouth offered more powerful options, but with 335hp under the driver’s right foot, this classic could scorch the ¼-mile in 14.6 seconds once returned to active duty. That figure makes it understandable why many considered Mopar products the benchmark of the muscle car era. The condition of the mechanical components is unclear. If they are healthy, they may need nothing but detailing. However, experience leads me to suggest that factoring a rebuild into the restoration budget would be wise. After all, it is better to have the cash and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Although the included mechanical components won’t make this the most potent 1970 Barracuda on the planet, the sub-15-second ¼-mile ET they can produce will satisfy most owners. The foundations are there for a faithful restoration, although if the buyer goes their own way with a high-impact shade like desirable Plum Crazy, that would be understandable. The world will be their oyster, but that makes me wonder what approach you would take. The feedback on this one should be fascinating.
If this goes for less than $5k, you could patch/replace everything that’s rusty, put a good drive train in it and sell it for an insane price.
You know you’re in trouble when you open up the front door and look down and see grass!!!! 🤦 Also firewall needs work. And they say a 383 comes with it. Which one I wonder.. HP or non. I hate to see what the reserve is that. 🙄
Parts car – really!!
This car is a rust bucket there’s a 70 barracuda in az 383 4sd for 20k this will cost more to fix it than it’s worth parts car maybe
I had a 71, it was in all fairness, the worst car I ever owned. A low mileage original car, in green. This thing taught me more about walking, having AAA, learning self repairs and so on. Electrical problems,over heating, even after new radiator, water pump, and anything else coolant related. Three drivers outside door handles that after the third the window stayed down enough to reach in and not have to climb over the console. The trunk pan disappeared in record time. I must have somehow placed the iron eating microbe in it from the titanic. Wipers ate a trench in the windshield. Hard starting, cold forget it, and if it did you risked a cold winter’s walk as it would just shut off.front end was crap at 70,000 miles. It was just one of those cars that was someone’s friend, not mine or even the Mopar heads I knew. I said goodbye, one of the few I have no regrets of selling. I did replace it with a Challenger convertible which had a lot less care, twice the mileage and after a crude engine swap and junkyard build never gave nothing but reliable returns. I did nothing to it, not even and oil change, go figure. I laugh at these rust bucket projects and the prices but they do and did have a cult following and unique styling but that’s it for me. The build quality is subpar compared to Fords and GMs of the time but to each his own.
That’s pretty sad yo, but I had a 70, barracuda with a slant 6, awesome ride good on gas, always ran,had it for 7yrs, never drove it in the winter.
My 1972 340 auto Cuda gave me only one problem in 100K miles. The float in the carburetor sprung a leak…easily repaired.