E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

Hi gang.  I am brand new to the Mopar scene but a life long Musclecar fanatic (primarly a Pontiac guy) Last month I purchased this numbers matching 1971 Cuda 383 Automatic VERY heavily optioned (2 fenders tags) with a Shaker hood, Leather Interior and Factory Louvers...just to name a few options.  The car is ALL there, all original with 64k miles on it and a broadcast sheet I found under the rear seat.  I purchased it from the second owner who bought it in 1971 from the original owner when it had 5,000 miles on it.  It's a little rough with some rust around the quarters, trunk floor needs to be replaced and headliner is shot....but the car starts and runs.  Being that I've never owned a Mopar before I'm trying to get a sense of how rare and desirable this car is. Especially because it has the Shaker hood, Leather Interior and rear Louvers.  Any idea how many 71 Cuda 383 Automatic with Shakers were produced?  I plan on restoring the car but would like to know how far I should go with it?  Here are the codes on the fender tags.  If someone could kindly break it down for me it would be much appreciated.  Also, how can I tell if it has the 727 Torqueflight transmission and/or a Dana rear?  Thanks in advance!    1st Tag- J81 L25 L31 L34 M21 CTD G36 J25 J45 J68 J78 A62 B51 C16 C55 C62 G15 V1X U A01 A21 A36 A45 EV2 SRX9 000 401 001220 E65 D32   2nd Tag-N85 N96 R35 26 EN2 M25 M31 M88 N41 N42 .....Oh yeah, the car has the Magnum 500 wheels on it!

That car is well deserving of a full ground up restoration. :alan2cents:

Great car. Likely worth about $35K-$40K as it sits.

Welcome to the best E Body website in the world :grouphug:

Congrats to the buy and  :welcome: to the site from Sweden  :sweden: :unitedstates:

Great project car!  :welcome: to the site from Netherlands!  :twothumbsup:

 :welcome:  that is an awesome project car you have there in one of the best colours! Shaker to boot. Many here will be jealous. Your car came with a 727 transmission but probably not a Dana rear. If the gear set comes out the front of your diff it's an 8 3/4 rear..... they're tough!

Welcome to the site..great car !!! To answer your questions the easy way the tell difference between the 904 and 727 transmission is by the shape of the pan and the Dana will have bolts facing the gas tank, Your 383 Automatic came from the factory with a 8 3/4 rear axle(which looks like the second Pic) and according to the 020 code on your broadcast sheet was a 3.55 sure grip with 10" drum brakes. There are Vin Decoder that you can fill in and it will break down all the fender tag options...

That is an amazing Cuda.   :clapping:  Welcome to the forum @fuscobros (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/fuscobros_9001)   :welcome:

Quote from: anlauto on October 26, 2020, 06:33:02 AM
Interesting that the grill is argent and not orange which it is supposed to be. :thinking:

...and that the shaker is argent and not black like it should be  :huh:

does anybody have pictures of it when it was new ?

I've read there was mid year period where colored grilles were not available due to a wreck during shipping from the grille manufacturer. So argent grilles were used instead.

I thought if you had an argent grille then you got an argent shaker.

Thanks for the welcome!

Thanks SOOOO much!  I noticed the breakdown says front spoilers?  Are those the small "eyebrow" type that mount on each fender?  They are not on the car (one fender was replaced back in the early 80's) perhaps they took the spoilers off.

Yes.  The car was in a minor fender bender back in the early 80s.  New passenger fender was installed and the Orange grill was replaced with the argent one pictured.  I also wondered why the shaker wasn't black...at first I thought maybe it was just faded but now I believe it is actually argent.  I still talk to the previous owner...gonna ask if the shaker was ever replaced or it came that way (which would be kind of odd, but not impossible)...after all the car was built on April fools day!  LOL!

Thanks for the welcome!

That's a fully loaded Cuda ! Congratulations ! Remember to take a ton of pictures before and during disassembly, you'll need them later to get the car assembly correct during resto' !  :yes:

Thanks!  Good tip.  Like the saying goes A picture is worth 1000 words

Thanks!  I'm pretty excited!  Question...I see you sell repro rubber bumpers.  Mine has a chunk taken out of the passenger side corner...anyone do repairs?  I would prefer to keep the original on the car, but if I have to replace it looks like your repro is the way to go.

Thanks for the greeting!

Quote from: fuscobros on October 26, 2020, 08:04:25 AM
Thanks!  I pretty excited!  Question...I see you sell repro rubber bumpers.  Mine has a chunk taken out of the passenger side corner...anyone do repairs?  I would prefer to keep the original on the car, but if I have to replace it looks like your repro is the way to go.

@fuscobros (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/fuscobros_9001) Any good quality restoration shop should be able to save your bumper.
If you're looking for a good shop, I highly recommend Mike Labrecque http://www.labrecqueautocraft.com/  Close to you in Windsor CT  :twothumbsup:

Quote from: fuscobros on October 26, 2020, 07:51:38 AM
Thanks SOOOO much!  I noticed the breakdown says front spoilers?  Are those the small "eyebrow" type that mount on each fender?  They are not on the car (one fender was replaced back in the early 80's) perhaps they took the spoilers off.

The chin spoilers or "eyebrow" spoilers were installed by the dealer after the car arrived at the dealership. I've restored at least two Cudas that were coded for them, but never had them installed. They were left in the trunk.
Check on the original fender to see if there are signs of the holes being filled or also on the lower front valance if you think it might still be the original one. :rubeyes:

Wow!..congratulations...very nice, unmolested and well optioned car.
No disputing those options after seeing the tags and sheet. :wowzers:
Looks to have the black textured rear window trim moldings under the louver.
Also looks like another SRX9 black leather 71 Cuda that did not come with the woodgrain door panel inserts.

Thanks.  Actually the door panels have the thin woodgrain insert...just tough to spot in the pics due to the lighting

 :welcome:   :handshake: If that was a 1970, with that interior code would include an over head console, (C26).

Glad you joined us over here Mark!

Does anyone have the breakdown for how many 71 383 shakers were made?

Quote from: fuscobros on October 26, 2020, 02:38:52 PM
Thanks.  Actually the door panels have the thin woodgrain insert...just tough to spot in the pics due to the lighting

Thanks for the clarification....good to know.
Out of curiosity, when you look under the louver are the window moldings textured black and not chromed like the front ones.

Welcome , great car you found! Enjoy the site lots of good people in here!  :wave:

Moldings on the rear window under the louvers is Chrome just like the rest of the car...no black texture.

Quote from: fuscobros on October 26, 2020, 06:00:50 PM
Moldings on the rear window under the louvers is Chrome just like the rest of the car...no black texture.

He's asking about the trim that goes all the way around the back glass hidden under the louvers....It sure looks black in this picture.

Welcome to the site from Ontario,  :canada: You're already aware of all the envy, so how about the story how you came by it? Anyways, as mentioned many times, great find!  :bigthumb:

Wow you dont see them like this too often.  If you dont mine what's a car like this sell for? Or what was he asking for it if you dont want to reveal sale price

WOW!!    :wowzers:

I thought this pic showed the woodgrain inserts on the door panels, thanks for the confirmation

:twothumbsup:  rarely are there 2 full lines of codes on the 2nd tag of anything real  :twothumbsup:

A very big welcome. Awsome car   Fantastic. Options on this one . This would be a beautiful car fully restored ,congratulations . For your first mopar  you scored a gem cheers  :australia:

:wave:  Welcome to the site from Buffalo, NY.   Great car.  I'm no expert on rare finds but having read posts from our gurus over the years, I don't see them get this excited about a car very often.   Looks like you've found a great one.

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah, I understand you're talking about the moldings around the back glass itself not the chrome along the bottom of the vinyl top.  I lifted up the louvers and double checked.  The molding is chrome not black.  The pics make it hard to see, but they are definitely chrome.

 

Thanks for the clarification...that's odd for sure.. :thinking:

So here's the story...and it's a good one. 
I got divorced in 2009...fast forward to 2014.  I'm sitting around the dinner table with my new girlfriend, her brother and his wife at their house.  Back in the late 60s they emigrated here from Central America.  Somehow we get talking about old cars and how I have a 68 GTO convertible in my garage I bought in 1985 that I want to restore some day.  Well he says, "My wife and I have a Cuda".   I'm thinking there's no way they have a Cuda....  I figured he mis spoke or I misunderstood him because of his accent.
I say, "You mean you HAD a Cuda"....he says "No, we HAVE a Cuda...it's in the garage."
Not knowing if it's restored, in pieces, wrecked, etc., I ask, "do you drive it?"
He says, "No, we haven't driven it in years.  It's old."

Now I'm intrigued...  but again I'm very doubtful so I say..." "Do, you mean a Barracuda"  He says, "No, a 1971 Cuda  C-U-D-A  my wife bought it when we were dating back in 1971 from the original owner when it had 5,000 miles on it"

At this point I'm thinking, how could this unassuming, non gear-head type, upper middle class 60 something couple living in an affluent community have a 1971 Cuda sitting in their garage....my mind starts racing....what if it's a HEMI?  Is it original?  Does it run? ....and of course the biggest question DO THEY WANT TO SELL IT!

At this point we walk out to the garage and there under the 40+ years accumulation of dust, blankets, extra parts, etc sits this numbers matching 383 Tor Red beauty.  THEN I notice the SHAKER!  I'm like WOW!  This is the stuff you dream about.  I immediately ask the important questions..."did you ever do any major work on it..i.e replace the engine, tranny, rear?  Is the SHAKER original? Are the louvers factory or aftermarket?  Does it run?
After a while it became clear the car was virtually untouched except for a replacement fender and front valance.  And a radiator swap out back in the mid 70's.  Also, new shocks from SEARS in 1979.  That's it...original everything else.
I asked if they wanted to sell the car.  He says, "Well it's my wife's  car...it's up to her".
She said "maybe someday...."
So from that point on in 2014 every time I saw them at holidays and family functions, visits etc. I would say, "Hey, how's my car doing?"  We would chuckle a bit, but I made it clear that I wanted to be first in line if they EVER wanted to sell the car. 
May 2020.  I get a text out of the blue from my future brother in law (yes, I proposed to his sister and we got married Aug 2020)  he wants to talk about the car.  We meet up and chat a while.  He tells me they are planning on retiring and moving south and his wife wants to sell the car.  I'm like GREAT!  How much?  Well, over the 6 years since first discussing the car he learned of it's rarity, and potential value (thanks to Graveyard Cars, Mecum, Barrett Jackson, etc.) 
I educate him a bit on the fact that many of the prices he is seeing are for HEMIS, 440 six packs, convertibles and other ultra rare vehicles or the cars are fully restored. He had a few guys look at it already and even had a very respectable cash offer, but wanted to give me the first opportunity to buy it.  He really didn't want to sell the car, but the reality was he did not have the know how or facilities to restore it himself.  Over the years I had also explained to him the cost to pay a shop to do a complete full restoration would most likely exceed the value of the car.  In the end I convinced him to sell it to me for the price the other guy offered, knowing that I could do much of the restoration myself and the bonus was the car would "stay in the family". (I even promised he could take the car for a drive once it's done so he and his wife could relive a little of their youth from back when they were dating)
On August 31st I had it flat bedded to my house.  Without divulging the exact figure I can tell you I paid what the car is worth based on what I've read here and on other sites.  After rebuilding the carb and some marvel mystery oil in the cylinders I fired the car up and it purrs like a kitten!  Moral of the story...you NEVER know where you're gonna find a rare gem.  I would have never guessed this couple owned this car for the last 49 years and it was sitting in that garage dormant for decades.   

Wow: Great story and it seems like a deal that would be fair to both parties. It also sounds like you know how important it will be to preserve every factory installed part you can and that the car needs to be restored properly!

Quote from: cuda hunter on October 26, 2020, 03:22:32 PM
Does anyone have the breakdown for how many 71 383 shakers were made?

:popcorn: :popcorn:

 :drinkingbud:  That is an excellent story!  Sounds like the Cuda is in great hands.  Congratulations.

Welcome to the site from Panama
Cool find !!

Great story, thanks for sharing  :drinkingbud:

Yeah, I'm happy with what I paid...fair deal all the way around.  Yes, in my opinion certain cars should be restored back to original using as many of the factory installed parts as possible.  Reproduction is ok when the original piece is missing or can't be salvaged, but to me if you can use the factory part (even if it's not 100% perfect) I think it makes for a better restoration.  If you're looking for maximum points at a show and want to foot the bill for NOS pieces vs. reproductions that's fine.  I think it all depends what your intentions are.   

Well it will be a great car to restore regardless of what you paid, and if you can do a quality restoration yourself, you're lightyears ahead ! :twothumbsup:

I've restored a lot of nice 71 Cudas in my time, but never starting with one that nice. http://www.alangallantautomotiverestoration.com/PAST-RESTORATIONS.html

 :welcome: from Riverside, California

Congratulations and thanks for sharing

so cool ! still out there ...

@fuscobros (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/fuscobros_9001) funny you should mention but I'm also a Pontiac fanatic (I love my early second gen Formulas!).  And I also own a '71 Cuda 383 auto!

Very cool optioned Cuda by the way.