Unless it’s already been worked on, whenever an E-Body shows up for sale, there are almost always several positives and negatives to consider regarding whether or not it’s good project material. These details can vary, depending on the particular skill set of a potential buyer, with initial cost also an important factor to take into consideration. All things considered, the good news seems to far outweigh the bad for this 1974 Plymouth Barracuda here on eBay. That’s not to say this one couldn’t use some work, but $18,000 sounds reasonable for starters, plus the car is still running and driving. This cool Mopar is in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and at this price, I’m speculating that it probably won’t take long for this Barracuda to find a new home.
We don’t get a paper trail of where this Barracuda has lived over the past half-century, but a little sleuthing provides a couple of clues about some possible past locations. Code N95 on the fender tag indicates Emissions Control, so there’s a good chance this one was destined for California when it left the Hamtramck assembly plant. The license plate is from Texas, so it’s obviously been there, with the last sticker being from the year 1992. This also brings up the likelihood that this car may have been mostly off the road for more than 30 years.
One of the typical problems with these cars is corrosion, and fortunately, this one appears to have considerably less than many. The seller mentions rust in the usual spots, which could mean several, but he does specify that the trunk pan appears to have the most. If that’s the case, I’d be delighted to score this one, as it doesn’t seem all that severe. We’ve seen some of these cars with the trunk area so rotted that you can see the ground below! Granted, that metal pan will probably eventually need to be replaced, but the body itself appears pretty solid overall, with the biggest blunder outside being a dent near the rear of the driver’s side quarter panel.
Things inside appear somewhat average for an unrestored Barracuda, with the common cracks in the dash pad and seats in need of fresh upholstery. However, the door panels and console appear to be in very nice shape, and the floors aren’t looking too bad either. The wipers and lights are working, but the gauges aren’t, with the seller believing a faulty fuse block may be to blame here.
Performance-minded buyers may not find the 318 suitable, but the owner includes a video of the engine starting and running, which shows the small block cranking right up and operating smoothly. There’s also been extensive brake work performed recently, so I’m thinking this one doesn’t necessarily need to be a project right away, and could be an as-is driver until you’re ready to take it to a higher level. Another option at some point is to yank the motor and install something more hefty, or clone the car into a ‘Cuda. I’m seeing numerous possibilities here, all good, and am curious to hear what direction you’d go in with this 1974 Plymouth Barracuda?
I’m amazed this one wasn’t sold 5 minutes after it was posted. Running, driving ’70’s era Mopar with minimal rust through?
Repair the body, paint and interior, a modern Hemi and this is a 70K car.
Whats not to like??
Agree….ralley dash and factory AM/FM with limited rust is what I’m seeing….those rubber baby bumper things unbolt…..
Last year and lowest production with just 11,734.
Amazing that the 5mph bumper guards are still intact.
I bought one new in 74 with a 318 and it was peppy, but the rear is light, and you could easily be doing donuts on slick roads.
Drive first, restore later. Kind of like my other motto- “Eat dessert first”. If I choke on the steak I won’t go to my grave thinking- “Damn, that chocolate cake looked amazing!”
Iconic , Ike Onick I get it! Good name. This era of Barracuda past me by in 74 but I like it now. Did this have a vinyl roof before,?
@Fox- Not positive, but in the 1970’s I am pretty sure you could get a vinyl top on just about any car made. My 1969 Z-28 Camaro was white with black stripes and a black vinyl top. I had 1968 and 1972 Dodge Darts with vinyl tops.
Most of them had vinyl, so it’s a very good chance this one did.
Not many of these left. A 360 would be the proper upgrade but a 318 can be made to perform respectably. Nice equipment for a car destined for resto.
Not many of these left. A 360 would be the proper upgrade but a 318 can be made to perform respectably. Nice equipment for a car destined for resto. Someone will find it and fix it.
Seller states that the gauges aren’t working; (possibly) this is because the original cluster has been swapped for the Rallye cluster, as evidenced by the open curve at the bottom, and the curve in the right corner of the A/C control bezel. It’s a plug and play swap, requiring a wire to the coil for the tach. Why am I so sure?, because I did the same thing for my ’74 Challenger making sure to obtain the proper bezels for a factory appearance, and my gauges are working, and have been working for the past 47 years! :-)
Wow! A Mopar with floors and 1/4s! Fix the roof, trunk and slap some paint on this puppy! Later on upgrade the 318 with some heads, cam, intake/carb and exhaust and you would have a very nice driver! Not to mention a drool worthy cars and coffee machine.
As long as there are no holes anywhere on the car, I’d do both, restore while driving.
Agreed with other comments. A mopar with hardly no major rust and running and driving. Just needs a lot of cosmetic work which is ok and better than dealing with rust. I do like the sellers add and all the pictures which is what most people should do to sell an older car!