New Member from Canada

[Deezel]

Hi everyone, thanks for having me.

I live in Alberta, Canada and recently purchased a numbers matching, slap-stick auto, 73 'cuda (BS23H). It's far from perfect but it's a real solid car to start with. From factory it was F1 Mist Green with white stripe and white vinyl top. I don't think it's going to see those colors again anytime soon. Unfortunately, it didn't come with rallye gauges.
It looks good but there's alot of wore out parts in there that need replacing. The most important and first thing is the front end needs a complete rebuild. Still deciding if I want to rebuild it to stock spec or just bite the bullet and go with a TVS from Hotchkis. Either way would be a HUGE improvement because right now it drive's like it's herding a bunch of cats down the highway.

[Brads70]

Welcome from Ontario! Yes I'd go for the Hotchkiss set up. In stock form my Challenger was one of the worst handing/braking cars I've ever driven. Don't be afraid to add much bigger torsion bars, these cars were horribly undersprung from the factory.  Bump steer is horrible also!
If your interested , here is what I ended up with...
https://forum.e-bodies.org/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-and-steering/12/-using-c-body-spindles-on-an-e-body-and-a-body-lcas-and-viper-calipers/58/

[Cudajason]

Welcome again from Ontario!  Cambridge ON to be exact.

Looks like a beauty car. We need more pics.

Brad know what he's talking about!  If you need to rebuild the front end there are lots of options, i would mot go the stock route either. TVS looks like a good one stop package.

Jason

[anlauto]

Well, you've found the best E Body website in the world....welcome from Georgtown ON

Your car looks amazing...

You could also take a giant step to RMS front suspension with coil overs and rack & pinion  I have that in my Cuda and it drives real nice

[jimynick]

Here's yet another welcome to the site from Ontario,  and congrats on your purchase, it looks nice just the way she sits! 

[cldeibner]

Beautiful car!! 

[blown motor]

One more Ontario welcome.
I'm reluctant to agree on going to aftermarket front end. I have a 74 Challenger. It drives and rides great, I've never thought " this really sucks" or
"this thing handles terrible". I think that as long as all your components are in good condition, which yours aren't at the moment, then you're good to go. New ball joints, control arm bushings, steering box rebuild, an alignment, etc, etc. Consider how much your going to drive the car and what type of driving. If you're doing autocross then it's a whole different game. Do a cost/benefit analysis. Good luck.

[JS29]

    

[70rag383]

Welcome from Toronto! Love your Cuda! Re: the front end you will get lots of good advice here. My car has the Control Freak front end. It's basically a copy of the RMS.  Car handles great but it is a stiff ride and a little pricey.  I think the Hotchkiss stuff is nice too and is a compromise between stock and a total k-frame replacement like RMS.  If you want a nice cruiser with a smooth ride stick with a stock front suspension rebuild.

[Dakota]

Welcome from Buffalo NY. 

I'm running a mostly stock front suspension in my 70 Challenger supplemented by all the available chassis stiffening products from US Cartool.  For the "sunny day" daily driving I do with it, it works fine. 

[Blowout]

  nice car there!

[Chryco Psycho]

Welcome to the site , I used to live in AB 

[340challconvert]

  To the site from New Jersey
I went for a stock rebuild with some upgrades; stiffening plates on the lower control arms, fast ratio arms, and one step up on the torsion bars ( 340/383 bars to the 440 bars) Happy with this setup without expensive aftermarket stuff. JMO

[Deezel]

Thanks for all the welcome's everyone!

One more Ontario welcome.
I'm reluctant to agree on going to aftermarket front end. I have a 74 Challenger. It drives and rides great, I've never thought " this really sucks" or
"this thing handles terrible". I think that as long as all your components are in good condition, which yours aren't at the moment, then you're good to go. New ball joints, control arm bushings, steering box rebuild, an alignment, etc, etc. Consider how much your going to drive the car and what type of driving. If you're doing autocross then it's a whole different game. Do a cost/benefit analysis. Good luck.

This is kinda how I'm thinking about it right now. Most of my driving will be putzin, not racing. I'll be driving it as much as I can on good days, be taking it down to local cruise nights and maybe a few show and shines but that's about it. In my case, I think stock would suffice. I was just thinking it might be beneficial to put in a "better" suspension. I do have a fairly healthy budget for this car but I also want to make sure I use it where I'll benefit the most from it.
My other plans are to build the motor up some, feed it with a Sniper EFI (I already have the Sniper), rebuild the tranny, put in a 2200-2600 stall and possibly swap out the 3.23 open to a 3.55 posi. New headers and 2.5" exhaust should make it a whole lot happier too. I want something that is still very streetable but makes you say "Wholly S**t!!" when you punch it. It also needs to be a car that I'm not scared to take on 1,000 mile journeys.
The body needs some work (surface rust on lower rear drivers quarter panel) and it'll get a fresh coat of paint. I do like the Lime but I'm leaning towards Sassy Grass for it's new look. It will also get a go-wing and the wheels will get replaced with 15" Magnum 500's as I'm not a real big fan of the 17" rims that are on it now.

[blown motor]

Glad you're thinking of changing the wheels.
Be careful what products you use if you're changing the suspension. As I said I have a stock Challenger. I also have a 68 B body with Firm Feel steering and suspension. Both cars have Bilstein shocks. The Charger has a very stiff ride and sounds clunky when going over bumps. The Challenger has a much softer and smoother ride. I realize tire size, 15 vs 17, plays into it but the Firm Feel is really firm.