Angles and surroundings are both vital elements to make your car look like a desirable project in the photos, and the seller of this 1973 Barracuda did manage to capture one decent shot of his Plymouth sitting in a garage. Unfortunately, things seem to go downhill from there, with the other pictures showing a car in dire need of love, with the owner fully aware of the situation and clearly stating that this one needs pretty much everything. The positive news is it’s priced accordingly. so if you’re a do-it-yourself kind of guy and in the market for an E-Body to restore, this one’s not going to kill your finances on the front end. What happens to your wallet after that will depend on your skill level.
This Mopar will still roll and steer, but a number of years have probably passed since it did so under its own power, as the engine and transmission are both long gone, along with the driveshaft. Big block availability here was a thing of the past by the time the ‘73 model rolled around, and since this one will never be a numbers-matching example again, it’s fair game for the future owner to build this one back however he wants. If you happen to have a spare 440 and TorqueFlite occupying space in your garage, maybe this bay would eventually make a good home for them, after a whole lot of other areas needing attention have been addressed.
No details are given about how this Plymouth ended up in the state of disarray as we’re seeing, and with all the rust we can view, there’s likely more elsewhere. However, the roof seems reasonably solid overall, and it’s probably a good thing that the vinyl was removed. This one does appear to be mostly complete on the outside, but it’ll take some evaluation to see which panels will end up being salvageable here. Don’t forget to plan on spending some time (and funds) on platform work as part of your restoration, as the frame rails and floor are also stated as in need of replacing.
This one’s got the basic dash with a column shifter, but it does have buckets, although all of the seats and most of the interior are going to require about as much refurbishing as everything outside. If you’re feeling optimistic about bringing this 1973 Plymouth Barracuda back to life, it can be found here on Craigslist in Pine Bush, New York, with the seller hoping for $4,800. Is this an E-Body that’s worth all the time, effort, and additional cash it will take to save?
The header still looks good. After that the rust takes over. I like the two spoke wheel but the Tuff wheel was cooler. Auto on column will be an issue for some.
Tuff wheel was not an option in ’73 for Barracuda.
I drove one of these from NY to Arizona in 1973. Worst new car I ever owned.
Bill: what was bad about it?
Mike, you mention that this one has bucket seats.
All Barracudas had that type of seat.
They are not bolstered at all, and I fell out of mine going around a sharp corner. Lucky I didn’t wreck.
73 and 74 have different seats from the 70-72 models, and do have slight bolsters.
I had a ’73.
Not much bolster, the car was 7 years old, so maybe the foam was bad.
Another good reason to wear at least a lap belt – driving a nova with taxi-like bench seat is even worse wearing no seatbelt during a flash maneuver. lol
Having owned a ;73 Barracuda as my first car, it always makes me sad to see one on this condition
I’ve seen worse come back. Fair deal here.