1970 Gran Coupe w/Houndstooth Vinyl Top with my 1973 Rallye

[RusTy/SE]

A few weeks ago I stumbled over a few slides showing my buddy Dave S' 70 Gran Coupe w/Houndstooth vinyl top during a visit back to Alabama (best guess late 1970s) while I was still cruising around in my 1973 318 Rallye.

He was still active AF at the time and in between assignments. Dave loved that GC; the mods, the rake, even the shack-a-lackles, haha and had purchased it while stationed at Homestead AFB around 1979 give or take. I first met Dave cruising Atlanta Highway, the local meet up, hang out, and cruising spot here in Montgomery. Dave, and his brother Mike, had come over with their parents from England and eventually met up with another friend Jeff H who owned a 1972 Cutlass Supreme (455 auto). I had my 1973 Rallye and (before the GC) Dave had a 1972 340 Cuda jacked up with headers which for some reason kept eating u-joints     Mike had latched onto a 1970 Z-28 with an 427/M-22 4sp sold by an airman who'd been transferred overseas. He would rarely pop the hood cause it was such a beast back then - and clean as a pin in the engine bay. Every Saturday morning he was at the (Maxwell AFB) Hobby Shop keeping it clean and in tune. Dave and I hit it off right away - both owning e-bodies, and still get together every so often.

One of Dave's longer assignments was up in Minot AFB where weather is not friendly to old cars, so at first he decided to park the GC in a storage unit for several years. Sitting unused - even in the relatively friendly climate of Alabama - was not doing the car any good, so I was asked to oversee needed repairs to make it mobile again along with driving it every so often to keep things in running order. On went 14 inch wheels and tires and for a period of time I was rowing a Pistol Grip N-code 1970 Gran Coupe. Ohyeah, there was much joy.    

Eventually Dave returned - this time from Alaska - and took the Gran Coupe back with him and that was the last time I ever saw the car. I would love to say I have a pic of the Fender Tag or Build Sheet but I did not place proper importance on them at the time. I do know for a fact that we located a copy of the car's Build Sheet behind the plastic back of the driver side bucket seat and it was definitely coded for a V1X black vinyl top. The Houndstooth top had the look and feel of a standard e-body vinyl top and had been in place since at least the late 70s in the Miami - Homestead area, but was not on the car as built. The A21 front bumper code was present as well, along with Houndstooth cloth and vinyl interior, luggage rack, pw, ps, pdb, ac, 4sp, 383-4bbl. I always wondered about, and have no explanation for, the mismatched cloth insert patterns of the front and rear seats

The interior and exterior of Dave's Gran Coupe is the reason I bought my R/T SE in spite of my car's rust and drivetrain issues. I always imagined us cruising somewhere occasionally in a pair of nearly matching examples of 1970 Big Block e-body luxury editions.

So after reproducing the slides into 4x6 photos and scanning them, I have been doing some forum searching for the instances where I've posted pics of Dave's old Gran Coupe - but never all of them and the facts so far as I know them    in one thread. He sold the Gran Coupe long ago and now has a *slightly* customized pickup and a couple of Harleys.


http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=5023.msg39395

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=6995.0

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=52585.msg643623

http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2290660/re-hounds-tooth-vinyl-top.html


Also included are the only two pics I have of Dave's 72 Cuda from when we first met. We - Dave, his brother Mike, a friend of theirs in a warmed over Camaro, and myself - took one epic road trip when Dave still had the 72 Cuda from Montgomery to Niceville, FL and spent the weekend with yet another friend Ron R (68 Mustang fb) and I'll post those as soon as I can nail the date down.

The survivors were still out there surviving and still continue to surface these days, but mostly back then we were just building them to our tastes and mean$, and having fun

[RusTy/SE]

North to Alaska

[RusTy/SE]

From around the time Dave first purchased. Best shot imo...

[RusTy/SE]

72 Cuda

[RusTy/SE]

And the slides. I'm going to posterize these one day

[RUNCHARGER]

Man that's cool.

[Cuda Cody]

Super cool man!  Thanks for sharing.     Love those old photos too.  I'll find one of those old survivors someday.

@cuda hunter  check out those red door inserts with power windows!   

[cuda hunter]

Wow!  I sure like those panels and red stripes!  And the hounds tooth of course.

Is that G.C. fe5 or was it a maroon color?   

I really like the odd hounds tooth top.  Weird as it may be, pretty cool. 

That is one really sweet cuda !

[LinceCuda]

Great story great pics great pair of cars thanks. I drove my 72 Rally Challenger with my girlfriend to graduation in 1978. The Rally was yellow with black top and interior the car is long gone but I still have girl.

[RusTy/SE]

Thanks everyone! @cuda hunter that interior was like new - save for the speakers cut into the front door panels

The color is hard to describe. Dark Fuchsia comes closest.

[cuda hunter]

was it the original color? 

er6   scorch red
dr8  burgandy metallic

Can't say i've seen either of these colors.  Wonder what that GC was....

[RusTy/SE]

was it the original color? 

er6   scorch red
dr8  burgandy metallic

Can't say i've seen either of these colors.  Wonder what that GC was....

The original color was FC7 In Violet. It was painted this custom color before Dave entered the picture.

[cuda hunter]

Figures it wouldn't be the original color since there was already a cool custom top installed.
I couldn't find any other colors on the car from the few pictures. 
Interesting to have that hounds tooth interior and red stripping on a purple car. 

Awesome stories though.  Love seeing all the old pictures for sure!   Wish I had oldies like that to share.   

[Chryco Psycho]

I believe that is a first ,I don't recall ever seeing another houndstooth top
thanks for sharing the pictures Russ
How is car coming along ?
will you be at Carlisle ?

[6bblgt]

the houndstooth top was likely a FoMoCo piece

the front seat inserts have been redone also by the time these pics were taken