Greetings from Texas

[anlauto]

Nice, what's the details on the Cuda ?

[RacerX]

Nice, what's the details on the Cuda ?

340 auto, Rally red, billboard

Pretty much your standard 71 'cuda 340

I am told that the column shift auto is somewhat rare for cudas as people tended to
opt for the console on those.   Not sure if there is anything to it but I have not seen
many without the console.    Standard Barracuda yes, 'cuda, not so much.   

I would prefer that it had the console though...

As for condition, the floor and trunk floor have holes but definitely not the worst I
have seen.   Some of them could be Fred Flintstone cars!    Quarters have bondo
in the bottoms and the trunk extensions have really bad amateur repairs from
before I got it.    Inner fender rotted out at the battery as usual, and the hood
hinge areas rusty as usual.   Fenders SEEM OK but won't know for sure until we
get them off the car.   Frame rails are nice.    Grille is mostly OK, crack on one end
that looks easily repairable.   Lower valance insert may need to be replaced.  One
end is broken and someone tried to epoxy it.   Looks pretty gnarly.   

Overall not nearly as bad as some projects I've seen people tackle.   We were a
bit worried that sitting for 27 years had really added a lot of deterioration and
while it definitely did not help it any comparing the 1992 photos to now it really
isn't that much worse.

[Fastmark]

Howdy, from Abilene, Racerx San Antonio is not a bad climate for cars. My kids just moved there so I make a few trips a year. I'm lucky in Abilene to have a big warehouse to store my 70 Cudas out of the weather.
Mark

[Mark_B]

Nice cars!  Welcome from the UK.

[RT999]

  from central Oregon 

[rtgreen]

welcome from Sioux Falls SD

[dodj]

Welcome from Ontario Canada!

[Spikedog08]

Welcome from Michigan!  Glad you signed up!   

[jimynick]

Howdy Tex and here's yet another welcome to the site from Ontario,  As mentioned, those are some nice cars you've got and the "garage" is something else! Garage envy creeps in! 

[RacerX]

Howdy, from Abilene, Racerx San Antonio is not a bad climate for cars. My kids just moved there so I make a few trips a year. I'm lucky in Abilene to have a big warehouse to store my 70 Cudas out of the weather.
Mark

Hi Mark!

Yes it is a much better climate here for our old cars.    Unfortunately, all three of these spent their "formative" years up
in the northeast, enduring the usual winters of snow and salt.   

It always amazed me how few of these cars would be seen in good original condition even back in the 80s.   Was the
construction really that poor or did people just not take care of them?   Or maybe a little of both...?

[js27]

Welcome and you have some Awesome cars..
JS27

[RusTy/SE]

Welcome RacerX !

[Fastmark]

Howdy, from Abilene, Racerx San Antonio is not a bad climate for cars. My kids just moved there so I make a few trips a year. I'm lucky in Abilene to have a big warehouse to store my 70 Cudas out of the weather.
Mark

Hi Mark!

Yes it is a much better climate here for our old cars.    Unfortunately, all three of these spent their "formative" years up
in the northeast, enduring the usual winters of snow and salt.   

It always amazed me how few of these cars would be seen in good original condition even back in the 80s.   Was the
construction really that poor or did people just not take care of them?   Or maybe a little of both...?

People bought these cars to drive. They had too. Not many people had the funds to park one car for a special occasion car only and drive another car in bad weather. I was fortunate to be able to do that down here, though. I always had an old pickup to work in. Two years after I bought my first Cuda, I bought a new car to drive every day. All the rest were just cars I bought to collect and store because they were cheap and I had places to keep them. On the second point, no, they were not built with rust protection in mind. Who would have thought we would still be maintaining these cars 50 years later.

[RacerX]

Howdy, from Abilene, Racerx San Antonio is not a bad climate for cars. My kids just moved there so I make a few trips a year. I'm lucky in Abilene to have a big warehouse to store my 70 Cudas out of the weather.
Mark

Hi Mark!

Yes it is a much better climate here for our old cars.    Unfortunately, all three of these spent their "formative" years up
in the northeast, enduring the usual winters of snow and salt.   

It always amazed me how few of these cars would be seen in good original condition even back in the 80s.   Was the
construction really that poor or did people just not take care of them?   Or maybe a little of both...?

People bought these cars to drive. They had too. Not many people had the funds to park one car for a special occasion car only and drive another car in bad weather. I was fortunate to be able to do that down here, though. I always had an old pickup to work in. Two years after I bought my first Cuda, I bought a new car to drive every day. All the rest were just cars I bought to collect and store because they were cheap and I had places to keep them. On the second point, no, they were not built with rust protection in mind. Who would have thought we would still be maintaining these cars 50 years later.

Yes I agree on the rust protection...   modern cars seem much better in this respect.

Although the factory DID do a half-hearted go at rust protection on these cars, it was
probably more for marketing purposes than actual longevity.     I have seen low mileage
vehicles back in the 80s (i.e., cars ~10 years old) that looked like they got stuck in the
sand at the beach in 1971 and sat in the salt surf for 10 years until someone pulled them
out but it was only from normal driving.

My 70 Challenger was a daily driver for 5-6 years in the 90s and it held up well.  I put a
fair amount of effort into maintaining it so it would stay nice though.   

[RacerX]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!   

If anyone is in the San Antonio area or passing through and wants to stop by
for a beer and talk about cars or even put a car on the lift and do some actual
work just let me know!