This 1970 Plymouth Cuda has an interesting history. It was purchased new in Charleston, Illinois in 1970 and was originally equipped with a 340 cubic inch V8 engine and 4-speed manual transmission. Within the same year, the new owner replaced the 340 cubic inch V8 engine with a 1968 440 cubic inch V8 engine and started drag racing the car. The car was found in storage after the owner’s death and is now being sold by the guy that found the car. The car is now located in South Carolina and is listed here on eBay for sale. While the reserve has not been met, the car is currently bid to $22,600 and has a Buy It Now Price of $30,000. There are 4 days remaining in the auction.
The 1968 440 cubic inch V8 engine is out of the car and there are some pictures of the block stripped down with just the water pump mounted. The eBay ad does not have a lot of information about current condition of the block or engine other than to say that the seller has all the parts to put it back together. It also states that original the 440 cubic inch V8 engine had a rare center squirter 850 cfm 4 barrel carburetor. The original 4 speed transmission appears to have been replaced with a floor shifted automatic transmission. An aftermarket Sun tachometer and shift light are also present on the dash.
Although the mileage is claimed to be only 52,000 miles the interior needs some work. As can be seen above the driver floor pan has a patch riveted in place and their is no carpet. The seller states that the seats need to be recovered but the dash looks pretty good. The car probably had a vinyl top originally and their is rust around the rear window. The seller states that replacement metal has been purchased and goes with the car. The factory wheels are long gone and replaced with larger Centerline wheels. Traction bars can be seen mounted under the rear leaf springs.
The body looks pretty straight and once running, this could be a decent driver or you could take it back to stock. B5 Blue is a great color on Cudas and the body style is timeless. Some of the pictures show a large hood scoop while others show the factory dual snorkel scoops. The restoration of this car does not seem too complicated so I am surprised the seller is letting it go. But things change and it may be time to move to a new owner for other reasons.
Looks to be a decent start as far as e-bodies go. Would definitely want to see in person first. We all know the dangers of the tin worm when you see a vinyl top but if the quarters and rear frame rails are good youre ahead of the e-body game. Id be curious about the trunk floors if the rear window area has rot. There is no mention of the original 340 or 4 speed, do they come with sale or were they lost forever? Definitely redo the front floorpans. Great color combo to have, should look nice when redone.
Looking at the photos in the ad I’d think the pictures with the big hood scoop are older, race ready. Maybe not. Either way it sure looks like a street/strip terror in blue. As they always told me years ago, there’s no replacement for displacement!
Restoring it to original configuration or leaving the Centerlines and big 440 power for future blasts, which way is more interesting?
Those Centerlines look horrible, and I hope there’s a special place in Hell for people that replace 4 speeds with automatics , drag racing or no…
Automatics are quicker. Look it up. If this was a street driven car, then I agree with you.
In the motorcycle world, you only use the clutch to launch and thumb the button on the air shifter to change gears. Wonder if anyone ever tried to adapt the air shifter concept to cars.
Skorzeny, there may be a special place in hell for people hoping some people will be in hell…..think what you’re saying….. duuuh
If buyers had known of the proclivity of cars with vinyl roofs were to rust at the base, no one would have ordered them!
I don’t agree, most ppl bought cars to use, and that’s what they did till most were used up. Ppl like you and I might think differently because we plan on keeping our cars beyond the exploration date. Hell my pop towed a boat in his 69 383 Road Runner……..
But if they knew ahead of time…
Here in the Rust Belt, it wasn’t the roof that rusted, it was the front fenders and rear quarters. It was common for the front fenders to bubble through within a year after the first winter. A local company called Straw Pump did a booming business in fiberglass replacement fenders.
traction bars on a mopar… bit redundant (stock snubber on diff does the work from what i recall
Yeah but it doesn’t look as cool 😎
Maybe I’ve been out of the loop for a bit but I dont see 30K for a car thats about as far from original as this one , different motor, different trans, what else. Yup, the body looks nice and straight and if it proves to be rust free it might be worth it for someone wanting a clean, straight E body with a Raisin Bran hood needing the roof painted. Whats the big deal about a “date coded” ’68 440 selling point for a car that originally had a 340 ? GLWTS. Peace
One thing I’ve learned over the decades of owning various models, is that Mopar would not always limit certain options to a specific trim package. Aside from what looks like a great opportunity with this car, I see some interesting tid-bits, like a Barracuda badge on the dash, while the door panels and taillight panel carry the ‘Cuda emblem. There’s a tachometer in the instrument cluster, but it’s not a tic-tic-tac. Make no mistake,this car was ordered for straight line ass-kicking and I’m sure it did that convincingly in its original form. One other thing to look for on this one. I’ve seen e- bodies with 440 and Hemi transplants which suffered major torque twist damage without having torque boxes and/or frame connectors. Better check the panel gaps on this one. Still, a great car.
I don’t think the tic-toc tach was available in an E-Body. I know my Challenger sure didn’t have one, nor did my buddy’s Cuda. Still a lot of money for a car that looks like it needs a lot of work done to it.
All 70-71 Barracudas and Cudas said Barracuda on dash pad. Don’t recall if that changed for 72-74 models. As for the tic tock tach question. The rallye dash in e bodies had separate pods for the clock and the tach.
If the 340 is long gone, the damage is done, 440 4 speed is the way to go, loose the wheels and automatic, paint, interior and enjoy
To comment on arkie’s post, all barracudas said barracuda on the dash plate, and all cudas said cuda on the door panels and rear tail panel. Tic toc tac was only in b bodies not cudas.
Thanks, Cudabob. Now I know.
I get so tired of looking at JUNK…. Dont you
Well, Mickey….you don’t have to stay around….why not just unsubscribe and then leave……then you’ll not be so tired all the time be so gripey. sheesh
The whole reason why I visit is because I loved walking through junk yards when I was a kid. There was one in the woods behind the house that had cars from the 40s and 50s and I loved playing race car driver.
This listing should read “within the first year, the original owner grenaded the 340 with a ‘money shift’ and replaced it with a bigger motor and an automatic trans.” Fixed it for you. :-)
Would have liked to seen this car before this clown tore it apart!!!!!!! Sitting on the trailer, it looks pretty nice, but I would have liked to see more of the interior. I’m sure it didn’t look like it does now!!! What do you think? Am I wrong?? Cheers!!!!
Well I noticed one thing there are traction bars on this car. If you are a true Mopar affectionato you should know that traction bars do not work on mopars.
whoever buys this car should immediately get rid of the traction bars and get a pinion snubber so the car hooks up properly.
and me personally I would trade the 68 440 to somebody who needs a 68 440 for a 68 mopar for a correct year 340 and four-speed.
I like this car and the first thing would be a fresh black vinyl roof topping off the B5 Blue paint and Mopar wheels.It appears to be a good deal for a desirable car!