New Member from Seattle, WA

[DeathProofCuda]

Hello all, new member here from Seattle, WA.  I have been lurking around the site for a while now and have recently found myself spending quite a bit of time here, so finally decided to jump aboard.  I have been an E-Body owner for about 33 years now (before I could legally drive).

Orange car pictured below is my first car, a 71 Barracuda.  It was a 318 two barrel car with an automatic transmission.  Car was originally brown, but had been painted "arrest-me" orange right before I bought it.  This car carried me through my senior year of high school and first year of college.  I sold it in '89 or '90 to a kid from Massachusetts at the Mopars at Englishtown show.  Any of you northeast guys recognize it?  It was a nice solid driver, but I wanted a real 'Cuda and a factory four speed car.

While still in high school I found my current roach.  It is a 70 383 4 speed car that was purchased in northern New Jersey for $950.  It was generally complete and hadn't been extensively hot-rodded, which was a rare find in 1988, but it was in pretty tired condition.  The car was originally FY1 (Lemon Twist) with a black vinyl top, but someone had decided to respray it light green.  Even the green paint was badly faded by the time I got the car and it was flaking off due to poor prep.  It had (has) typical e-body rust (trunk pan, hole in driver's floor, quarters, under the vinyl top).  But none of that mattered, because it had three pedals and a pistol grip shifter from the factory!!! 

Although I didn't know it when I handed over the $950, it has the original numbers matching engine and trans and I have the fender tag and broadcast sheet.  It also has the performance axle and max cooling packages, so has a 3.91 sure-grip and a 956 (hemi) radiator.  No AC, no power steering, and power disc brakes up front.

Despite owning my Cuda for over 30 years now, its appearance has not improved significantly since I first brought it home.  I had some of the rust repair work done on it back in the late 80s, but the repop sheet metal from that time was pretty poor, so much of that will likely be redone one of these days.  During college, a family move resulted in the car being stored in a barn from about 90 or 91 to 2008.  During that time, it served as comfy home for the local mice.  In 2008 I got it back together and running well enough to get it on transporters trailer for shipment to Seattle.  Since then I've been SLOWLY working to freshen it up mechanically so that I can actually drive the thing.  It now rocks an alligator-skin black primer finish and mostly ratty interior, but the engine has been completely rebuilt, most of the mechanical stuff has been freshened up, and it is a dependable, but rough looking, driver.

My future plans for the car are to continue to improve it with short-term projects that won't keep it off the road for more than a weekend or two in the summer or more than a few months in the winter.  I've owned this car far too long when it wasn't drivable, so I don't have much interest in tearing it apart again for a multi-year nut and bolt restoration.  I also have some concerns that if I tore the thing down to a shell there's a good likelihood that it would be get sold in a bunch of boxes.  Besides, I've got a thing for ratty looking cars and they seem to be in-vogue these days.  Next steps will be to finish recovering the bucket seats and I'm practicing welding in prep for some future rust repair work. 

As I have told my seven year old son, the best thing about the Cuda is that we have a LONG list of cool projects that we can work on together.  
Working on the Cuda is also frequently a bonding experience with my 83 year old father.  He was a rep for Chrysler-Plymouth in the late 60s/early 70s and was one of those unfortunate guys that got "stuck" driving a 440 Superbird  as his company car when Plymouth couldn't unload those crazy looking things.

Regarding my username, a few years ago I took my Cuda to a local show. I was driving the car with just the driver's seat installed because I had been doing some work on the passenger seat.  A guy at the show commented that with the black primer finish and with only one seat in the car that it reminded him of the Nova that Kurt Russell drove in the movie Death Proof.  Hence, the DeathProofCuda.

Looking forward to being part of the forum!  -Russ

[7E-Bodies]

Welcome aboard from Peoria IL! Currently replacing a trunk pan as well.

[Jay Bee]

   Welcome to the forum Russ. That's a very cool back story. According to the on line US Inflation Calculator that $950.00 you spent in 1988 would have cost you $2,096.54 today - yeah you made a great investment. And your dad getting "stuck", that was pretty cool too.

[73_Cuda_4_Me]

A big warm  from sunny West Michigan,. Russ!

[xx88man]

Hey Russ....    to the forum again from just north of the border

[dodgemania]

  to the site 

[JS29]

  From central New York! My 1970 383 Gran Coupe came from the Spokane area. 

[RUNCHARGER]

Welcome from Chilliwack B.C. neat car.

[cuda hunter]

Welcome!

Your poor dad.   

I'm curious to see the fender tag readouts.  Sounds like an interesting car someone put together on an order form. 

[Cuda Cody]

Welcome to the forum @DeathProofCuda     Great story and cool car.  I grew up in Seattle so maybe we have crossed paths at some point.   

[Cudagirl3406]

Hi Russ!

from New Jersey and a very cool story!!!   

Actually, I know your brother from work and I met your Dad a while back; they came by my house to see my AAR. 

Joy

[Chryco Psycho]

Welcome to the site Russ
Cool project !

[jimynick]

Welcome to the site from Ontario,  and congrats on both scoring the car originally AND in your driving it! 

[nsmall]

I loved reading your story.  You sound like a smart man who has a sound plan.  "restore" it yet not to the point of losing interest or getting out of control.  Way to hang on.

[Spikedog08]

Welcome to the site!  Glad you signed up!