New member. New Cuda owner.

[LordyLordy440]

Hi, I'm Mark from California.  I'm new to e-bodies and old cars in general but I've always been obsessed with Cudas, especially the 1970 model.  I never thought that I would have a chance to own one, but I recently scored a '70 from Copart that had sustained some burn damage to the paint. 

Here are the photos from the auction listing:








I did some digging after I received it and discovered the following:
440 super commando
MSD Atomic FI
Tremec TKO 5-speed
Reilly Motorsports front and rear end suspension
Ridetech coil overs
TTI headers and exhaust
8.75-inch Sure Grip rear end
3.55 gears
Wildwood 4 wheel disk brakes
Boss wheels
Vintage air


Here are some photos after I got it and did a rough wash:

















These are some photos I found online from before I owned it and prior to the fire damage:


























I'm looking forward to joining this community and to learning more about my Cuda.

Thanks.

[ec_co]

Welcome!! Looks like you got yourself an already well built car. Hopefully that fire wasn't electrical related.

[7E-Bodies]

Nice! Any pics of the fender tag for us code crackers? Or a build sheet? Another hint is to reply with a vin number if you want the post to be found in an online search, just in case a previous owner would be seeking it out or trying to get history, parts, or documents back with the car.

[LordyLordy440]

Welcome!! Looks like you got yourself an already well built car. Hopefully that fire wasn't electrical related.

Thanks! Fortunately (maybe unfortunately?) the fire wasn't from the car itself.  Could've been a lot worse though and I don't think I would've been able to afford a built cuda if not for the damage. 

[LordyLordy440]

Nice! Any pics of the fender tag for us code crackers? Or a build sheet? Another hint is to reply with a vin number if you want the post to be found in an online search, just in case a previous owner would be seeking it out or trying to get history, parts, or documents back with the car.

Couldn't find a build sheet but I'll snap a pic of the fender tag once I'm back into town on Monday. 

Good call on posting the vin!  It's:

BS23N0E135733

From what I was able to find it was originally a 383 and I was able to find the shop that did that paint, the guy said it was panther pink before but not sure if that was original or not.  Would be great to get some more info from the fender tag or vin.

[ec_co]

The fender tag will really help a lot as far as original configuration and color. You aren't kidding about cost - I'd guess that build was $50-60k+. My bare bones Barracuda restoration will end up being @ $40k and all those aftermarket goodies are not cheap.

[cuda hunter]

Sweet car! I remember seeing this car several times over the years. 

The N in the vin would be a 383 4 barrel motor painted orange. 
The E signifies the Los Angeles plant of which had a "no trash" policy and often times do not have their broadcast sheets or any build sheets.  Every once in a while an E Broadcast sheet will surface.

Can't wait to see the tag.  That will answer some questions about the car.

Hope you got a good price and that would be awesome to find one with damage like that and having all those parts!!  Pretty Cool!

[JH27N0B]

Was that car damaged in the recent LA area fires or something different?
A local friend of mine bought a hemi Challenger clone a few years ago that was totaled after a garage fire.  The car itself didn't burn, but fumes in the garage from the smoke did a lot of damage.  He got it all fixed up including a repaint and the car looks great now!  One thing he told me about that surprised me was concerning the engine.
You could tell which cylinders had valves open during the fire as they were damaged by the chemicals in the smoke that got in the cylinders! He had to do a light rebuild of the engine.
I think he had to replace the glass and a lot of the interior too.  But he got it all done fairly quick, mostly as a winter project.
Good to see these hurt cars get saved! 

[jimynick]

Firstly, welcome to the site from Ontario, Canada. I can't believe they'd total that car for a front end repair/paint. Your bonus for sure. Unless they're stupidly priced and you know they did it originally, I'd see about having the original bodyshop do the repairs and paint work. Congrats on the score! 

[LordyLordy440]

Thanks for the welcome guys!

I'm back into town now and was trying to find the fender tag but couldn't find it anywhere.  I checked all over the driver door as well as the passenger door- is this a red flag and any reason for concern?

I know it was mentioned that due to this being an "E" Los Angeles plant car there might not be any build sheets available but any suggestions on where I can check to make sure?

It very well could've been damaged in the recent LA fires!  I couldn't find any information to confirm this and though it was in Phoenix, AZ at the time of sale from Copart I think its certainly possible. 

Luckily there is absolutely no trace of smoke and the biggest surprise for me is that the front passenger tire wasn't damaged at all.  You would think with the heat being as high as it was to do that damage to the fender would've melted the rubber. 

Regarding the repairs- I was able to find the shop that painted it and plan to ship the fender and bumper over for them to do the repairs 

Overall I'm in love with this car and it still doesn't feel real haha.  Excited to get it back to its former appearance! 

[70_440-6Cuda]

Great car!  Welcome!!  I would suggest heading over to https://www.hamtramck-historical.com/

I bought my car a couple years ago with little history, and by pure luck my broadcast sheet was in the file.  Barry sent it to me after a light verification process and thanks to this site for guiding me in the right direction.

I love telling the story of finding a 50 year old document through the dedication of others to preserve the history - it is remarkable that one piece of paper survived being separated from the car and turned up 50nyears later- fun stuff!

Either way I don't think it will matter much, looks like you have a great car there to enjoy

[ec_co]

It's not uncommon for the fender tag to be missing, people take them off and stash them away or they get stolen. It's not a big deal if it has it or not, it's neat to have on an original car, but one that's been fully built out I think it's more of a personal thing to have one or not and you can always have one made up if you feel the need. It is rare for the LA cars to have a build sheet for sure, but definitely not unheard of. My car was also built in LA and I did find a broadcast sheet, but it was for another Barracuda a few hundred down the line.

[LordyLordy440]

That sounds awesome, I'll give hamtramck-historical a shot!

[LordyLordy440]

Any idea how I can figure out what octane fuel I should be filling up with or what type of engine oil to use?

[cuda hunter]

Your fender tag would be located on the drivers side inner fender in the engine bay. 

Below is an M46 car, that is on my registry list.   You can see the fender tag 2"x3" rectangle and an inspection tag 1"x5" that is screwed down through the fender tag.
Also is the fender tag close up of BH23G0E102911.  An M46 car.

Link below
The M46 List