Even in basic form, the redesigned 1970 Plymouth Barracuda was a fine-looking automobile, and with nearly 5 decades passing since the last one rolled off the assembly line in ’74, many of these cars have now been turned into Cuda clones or resto-mods. But not this one, as the seller says it’s been parked for years, and it’s sort of a mixed bag with a few good points and others not so much. The price of $15k seems reasonable for a complete car, and we’ve seen far worse E-Bodies sell considerably higher, just know up front that this one is going to need a total restoration. If you’re up for the task, this 1970 Plymouth Barracuda is located in Hollister, California, and can be spotted here on Craigslist.
We don’t get very much information regarding the Mopar, and I’m not sure if the photos paint a picture that it’s been sitting on the ground where we see it for years and was just recently put on a trailer, or if it was moved by the trailer from some other location to where it’s resting now. The body does show some scrapes and a few battle scars. plus the passenger side quarter panel had a close encounter with something during the car’s past, but overall the metal really doesn’t look all that bad. Not great, mind you, but I’ve seen much worse E-Bodies turned into excellent-looking rides.
On the other hand, the inside is another story, and I’m not sure how things in there ended up in their current state of disrepair. The interior almost looks like it got baked for decades out in the desert, or somewhere, and I’m speculating that just about every component in there is going to need attention, as I’m seeing little that appears salvageable. This was a bench seat, column shift car, but the seller does mention it has air conditioning. We don’t get any photos from down below, but we can see parts of the front floor from up top, although I’m having a hard time telling if that’s only surface rust or if the integrity has been compromised.
Under the hood is a 383, which is stated as non-running, and from the looks of things in the engine compartment it hasn’t been fired up in a very long time. The automatic transmission is present, but no word on its current condition either, though the seller does offer a ray of hope when he says that with some minor work, the car can be running. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but at minimum, maybe it indicates that the motor still turns freely. With a total restoration in the future for the next owner, I’m curious if this one will be returned to factory specs, transformed into a Cuda clone, or end up as a radical custom. What would you do?
$15k is a little steep IMHO for something that’s needing a redo from top to bottom and front to back unless you’ll be doing a LOT of your own work and are very experienced. Max dollar for this $81k (high value) I think can get there very quickly in labor expense alone when you’re talking $150 @ hr for a reputable builder. Parts cost have gone through the roof (no pun intended) when you’re paying $1000-1500 for just a drivers seat, and $500-1200 for the gauges and dash.
Or you could make another pretend ‘Cuda like everyone else’s if you just have to have something that it really isn’t.
there’s nothing wrong with a clone or tribute and the original color is a pretty color and with a big block, so it could be cool if you build it for yourself but you’ll still have big money into it
Which car are you looking at, Mitch? This one is F4 green with a small block 318.
Ad says 383, smallest big block mopar of that era… I think you confused this with the cornet wagon ad… Mopar or NO CAR!!!
Joe, this is an F4 green 318 car that has been painted yellow and had a 383 transplanted into the engine bay.
Hagerty has this at 35k a cuda at 90k at 15k with cost of labor parts misc you be in it all it may be worth dont care for the bench seat auto on the colum that s gust me if you go stock resto mod drag car you decide
Umm yeah 👍🏼
Remember that $15,000.00 is Commi-fornia price,,any where else it might be $10,000.00
I want the old blue cab over Peterbilt shown in the photo.
look at Mopars all the time. shake my head at what we had as teens. now i’m more interested in the blue COE to the left. might be cheaper to buy?
The little guy has been sold out by all the 60 minute builds on TV and videos. I guess there’s some people that think if I buy it I can say I have one. But one of what? Put it in your front yard and make a planter out of it. Be a great conversation piece.
Take this car and make it completely original, then let the Mopar fans have at it! Maybe you’ll get your investment back.