So now that the FISH is out of the bag... :)

[ViperMan]

First, thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement as I've been shopping for a 'Cuda for, well, years... 

I figured I'd use this post to tell you what I know about the car, what I need to know about the car, and what I'd like to do to the car.

"Rose" - as the previous owner called her - is a 1974 Barracuda with a 318, auto, with the rally package.  It has power steering, manual brakes, AM radio, and does not have air conditioning.

It's basically all original, though when GoodysGotaCuda looked at it, he speculated that the trunk was replaced at some point.  It was given a fresh coat of paint (original color) at some point in its past (not by the previous owner) and had an upgraded camshaft installed, an Edelbrock intake, and a Holley carburetor.  The previous owner did none of this work so unfortunately I have no information on parts.  But nothing really looks to be out of the ordinary, so it shouldn't be hard to straighten her out.

There are some repairs I need to make over the long term:
New headliner (currently sagging with a few small holes)
New dash (has the signature "Cuda crack")
New heater core - previous owner bypassed it when it started to leak

There are also some upgrades/modifications I'd like to make when funding is available:
New wheels and tires.  I like the resto-mod look on these cars, so probably something in the 17" range, five-spoke, but with a modern design.  I'd also like to get smaller diameter rear tires as I've never been fond of the "fat rubber" look.
Modern stereo & speakers
Upgrade to power brakes
Upgrade to rear disc brakes
Upgraded electrical system so that the lights don't dim at idle and brighten under acceleration

There are also a few issues that I need to take care of pretty quickly:
T-shifter is broken and is held on with a zip-tie.  I've already ordered a new one!
The car has idle issues - it stalls frequently, and in general just doesn't like to stay running.  It fires easily but keeping it running is a chore.  I want to check the timing but I also want to figure out if the carb needs adjusting.
It might also need a smaller carb - it has a huge Holly 4-barrel and unless they put a drag-racing cam in there and ported out the heads, I doubt it needs that much air flow.
The steering is very loose - I can turn the wheel quite a bit without changing direction.  I wouldn't feel comfortable driving it much more than 50 mph or so.  Probably needs new tie rod ends and such.

I need to get some official pictures up.  Problem right now is that with my parents visiting, the driveway is kinda packed and I can't even easily get the car out of the garage!    So pics might have to wait until next weekend when its a little easier to move stuff around.  But I'd like to get the fender tag decoded, and there's also a few parts and such on the car that I don't know what they do - like two knobs in the middle of the dash, but those appear to be vent controls.

Lots more to come!

[Chryco Psycho]

More likely the steering box is loose , I would upgrade to a Steer & Gear or Firm Feel stage 3
Unless you are autocrossing the rear disc are more about looks than performance .
Holleys all "look"  the same size , what list # is it , yes it needs adjusting , disconnect the vacuum advance & set the timing around 14-16*
I would look at Hydroboost for the brakes .
Heater core is an easy fix

[RUNCHARGER]

I would adjust steering gear backlash then look at all joints and check the toe in start with. Yes give us the list # off the carb, even if it isn't the perfect carb for the car chances are it can be optimized for the engine setup.
Ha, ha. Tell the parents you have a new car to mess with and it's time for them to hit the road!

[ViperMan]

Ha, ha. Tell the parents you have a new car to mess with and it's time for them to hit the road!

Oh man if it weren't for my dad I wouldn't know what a Cuda is.

I only get to see my parents once a year these days - they can stay as long as they want. My new fish ain't going anywhere.

Here's a picture of the fender tag:

[RUNCHARGER]

Yup: Mine are both gone so you have to cherish any time you get with them.

[nsmall]

Set it up so its safe to drive.  As for the wheel, tire, headliner upgrades, well wait for a time when the mrs. doesnt get all bent out of shape.  I am thankful my wife still supported me despite my "this is it" one liners I gave her for three years in a row.

[Cuda Cody]

Looks like some nice options on the Cuda.  The stuff you list that needs fixing is all pretty easy. 

[ViperMan]

Looks like some nice options on the Cuda.  The stuff you list that needs fixing is all pretty easy. 

If I'm honest, after replacing the entire front half of a car this year, very little sounds "hard" to me these days.    It's just time and money, and of course learning a new car!

The headliner could be a challenge since it'll require removing a good chunk of the interior (especially with these shoulder seat-belts I didn't realize the car had.)  I'm assuming those get removed to do the headliner.

I found a unplugged/unused vacuum port on the carburetor that would without-a-doubt be causing some of my running issues with the engine.  That should be easy to fix as I now believe I know what's supposed to go there!

[ViperMan]

Okay here's a question:

I found that loose vacuum fitting and put the EGR hose on it.  The car now idles so low that it barely runs. But I went to work the throttle from the carb and the moment I touched it, the lockdown linkage just... fell apart!  I can't figure out how it was holding together or how to put it back together.  It looks like they had the bolt on this little bracket just sitting against the end of the kick down linkage and the moment I released the spring pressure by touching the kick down linkage, it just fell apart.
Can anyone tell me if I'm missing parts in here, or is this just the result of a hack job, trying to integrate the new carb into the old engine?

[ViperMan]

Sorry - dunno why those posted upside down...

[Bullitt-]

yep it's mess  should look more like this

https://forum.e-bodies.org/engine-transmission-and-rear-end/4/71-cuda-340-kick-down-linkage/1557/msg22493#msg22493


Here's my '73

[ViperMan]

Well shit - my kickdown rod is completely different than what's in that photo, and all the ones in the other link...  Did they change these in '74, perchance??

[MEK-Dangerous]

Jeff,

  I'm no help as usual here, but let me tell you a story...

I asked Chryco to look at my kick down linkage way back. He said it was from the late 60's. Sure enough, when I replaced the headers, I got a look at the date code of the block, and it was 1969.

So my question is, do you know the year of the engine block, because that might have determined what kick down linkage they used.

[Chryco Psycho]

The 318 never had a 4 bbl , a 360 part might help if you can locate it although it used the TQ carb  or yo will need to fabricate a top link to work with the pivot system you have , at WOT the linkage needs to be as far back as it can go on the trans with adjustment so you can reduce it to 80% back to control shifting

[Brads70]

Maybe use the Lokar set up?