Close your eyes for a moment – it’s the blue of the evening sky reflecting on a clear pond at twilight. Crome from the bumper, grill, side vents and surrounding windows gleam brightly. Its haunches sit on raised letter Goodrich’s and from the mid-door back massive flat black decals lead all the way to its large, muscular back end. When complete, the 1971 Plymouth Barracuda found here on eBay, could be that dream. But is a long (long) way from that right now.
Currently with bidding at a bit over $12k, the seller and photos’ give a clear picture of how much love, attention, and money will go into getting this Cuda back on the road. It’s “…mostly complete…” according to the seller, and has replacement doors – since those are probably not salvageable. While we’re getting into what needs replacing, we might as well assume it will require a new passenger side rail, rear frame rails, hood, quarters, doors, floor pans, truck pan and a firewall. And, something else is missing….hmm, what is it?
Oh Yeah, it needs an engine. It’s an “N” code for ’71 – which means came off the showroom floor with the 383ci with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust. The car does come with the 4-speed and bell housing, but original coded engines to give this Plymouth back its get up and go will not be cheap.
Don’t’ get me wrong – I am a fan and am truly happy and thrilled when these icons of American Muscle get back where they below – on the road, or at the show where all of us can shower them with the adoration they deserve. But its hard not to cringe at the sheer overwhelming number of hours will go into getting this Cuda seaworthy. I commend those who have the skill to take it on, and hope it returns to its original glory soon!
FeO2 is a common paint code for this era Mopars.
Had something to do with poor quality paint made by prison workers in the south, if I’m not mistaken. Let’s just say they “put a little bit of themselves” into each can they produced…
Ha Nice!
Why prison workers would be making commercial paint for a Chrysler Motors-approved supplier, and have the opportunity to pee in it, admittedly escapes my realm of logical comprehension. But I really hope that story is true because it’s cool. I gave you a thumbs up!
Superdessucke (sp?)—it had something to do with “providing job skills for convicts” and potentially saving Chrysler money…which I’m sure was more than obliterated by warranty repairs on cars less than six months or a year old.
That ones going to take some time and money to get it back into shape. More than most would want to put into it IMO.
“Crome”? Really Garr?
Makes me sick I parted out a 1971 Cuda in about 1986. Rubber bumper car with a perfect grill.
Yup, I parted out 69 @ 73 Road Runner’s, makes me sick to think what they’re worth now. The 69 needed a trunk and engine work, and the 73 needed a quarter and a tranny.
Still have the 383 in my garage.
Gee, for a minute there in that first paragraph, I thought he was talking about a girl I knew in high school that was after me. I was ready to make a run for it.
Couldn’t figure out Dirk’s comment at first, then went back and read, “large, muscular back end…”
Nice features POS
So 20k and another 20 to restore and then find a engine 🤠
There’s not even enough parts there to make it a good parts car. Tow it to the junkyard and get what you can for it! The cost to restore it is way too high for what it is for the condition it is in.
However, people on eBay go crazy sometimes and spend way more than things are worth!
Gee I think I can hear the rust flakes falling off this car all the way up here in Canada. Can you say dyncorn. There is really nothing left to weld to here it would be easier to to by a truck load of repop pieces and make a new car, probably Cheeper too. JMO.
Dyncorn? Cheeper? To to by?
12K and 33 bids, I want a 70 Cuda so bad but because of crazy people I will never see that dream.
Very rough but in many peoples opinion as my own it is the sexiest muscle car ever made, the side gills and egg rate grill mopar nailed it in 71
Personally I’d bite the bullet and spend big bucks on one that’s done cuz this one will send you to the poor house.
I just really don’t get it..why do people leave these amazing cars sitting for years until they rust and rot into a pile of crap and then sell them…it’s nearly disgusting. BUT someone will buy these heaps
Correction—TRY to sell them…
It’s bad, REALLY bad. This is a car I would love to own, and i weld, and fabricate. Im not sure Id take this on if it were given to me for free. It can be restored, but if I were going to put that much metal work into project, it would not be this.
How did it get so rusty? Were they really built that bad … I have seen better Alfas.
WW2 vehicles have been pulled out of rivers 70 years later in better shape.
Wonderful car restored though.
Mopars of this era rusted quickly in states which use salt on the roads in winter, which is most of the continental Midwest. My grandparents lived in Chicago and bought a new 1969 Coronet 500. By 1975, the trunk (boot) and rear wheel wells had several holes in them, to the point where grandma was always b——- about not being able to put groceries in the trunk! I suspect it was the same situation for cars near the ocean.
This brings up a good point. If I was going to spring the big money necessary to buy one of these things I would want an original survivor. The problem is they got so valuable starting in the 1980s that many have been completely restored and are effectively “catalog cars” that really don’t have any originality left.
I think that was especially true in the 1980s and 1990s when people didn’t yet appreciate the concept of a survivor car. So many folks replaced original parts that really didn’t need to be replaced with readily available shiny new reproduction parts from Year One or whatever, painted over original paint, and so on. I consider overrestored cars to be no better than clones.
It is such a shame…
Nice write up, especially with the finished one a couple of photos down. 71s were as good as they got.
Wow…around 1977 I had the chance to by a Yellow,440/6 pack car with a pistol grip four speed, for around $1500. It was showing some signs of abuse, but complete. I thought that seemed high at the time, but this one seems astronomical for what it is.
The car wasn’t by chance in Diamond Springs , California? I tried to buy one just as you described, just couldn’t get enough money together!
If we just had the money and space to properly store these cars.
I have owned several that would bring a good price now, but as they say, hind-sight is 20/20.
My ’72 Cuda 340ci “Slap- Stick” went for $1000 in 1978 with 105,000 miles and no dents or scratches.
Sometimes you have to go for a larger car or a smaller family.
seems like a lot of dough and when u get done you wont have matching numbers. somebody wants to spend 13k on it. Hope they know what they are getting into!!
Good luck to the new owner!
That car is on the Youngstown Craigslist with a 15,500 asking price.
Now we know where JoeMannix’s old Cudas went to die.
Lol. Yes I got a 74 Cuda in my shop. Looks about the same but I gave less than a grand for mine.
Hit it with a power washer and watch it disappear.
Hook that thing up to a tow truck and watch it fold in half.
Heck I drive mine and do holeshots.
Quick! Somebody call graveyard cars!
I never regretted selling any of my cars because I was always moving onto something that I wanted even more.
But at the prices they are getting for these, I now regret selling my Barracuda, 37 years later.