Dave,
I went through a bunch of cars as a kid. My first was a 1966 Chevy II SS 327 4 speed that my Dad picked up for me from a buddy's wrecking yard. I stripped it down and started painting everything. The car was more of a practice session than anything else and on Jr. High graduation, Dad presented me with a running, driving 1970 El Camino SS 396. I drove that to school (even though I was unlicensed) for the first year of high school.
One day, my Uncle came to visit us from New Mexico. He was driving a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, silver and black, 383, non A/C with a 4 speed. He took me for a ride and it was no comparison to my 396 Chevrolet. The 383 was a real rattler and from that day on, I had to have a MoPar. My Uncle lived with us for a few months and eventually moved back to New Mexico, leaving the Road Runner with us for a while. Months went by and he finally gave the car to me. Even though it was pretty clapped out, I really loved that car.
The Dodge Charger bug bit me really hard my Sophomore year and I traded the Road Runner for a 1969 Dodge Charger SE in F8 Green, 6-way manual seat and vinyl top delete. I stripped the car down to nothing and completely restored it. Through working everyday after school and Dad's efforts during the daytime, I completed the restoration in just over a year. I turned it into a 'correct' RT/SE, right down to the 6 & 7 leaf rear springs, 780/781 torsion bars and rear fender emblems. I built a nice 440 in our engine shop and completed the conversion in 1982. The original black and yellow California plates read XML 371.
I traded the car for a 1967 Hemi Coronet R/T in 1988 with a bad thrust bearing.
I hunted down my high school MoPar recently. It's not far from here, sitting in a barn in Strathmore, California. It has some major front end damage from an accident and it hasn't been registered since 1992. It was sad to see it in that kind of shape, but although it was a nostalgic experience, I just didn't love the 'B' Bodies enough to buy it and bring it back. The people who own it are waiting for it to become more valuable, in hopes of making a lot of money in the future.
Besides....it is the 1970 Challenger that I have always wanted. I think that every other MoPar I owned was just a subsititute for that one car.
I am pleased that you were reunited with your Cuda. Glad to have you here...Robert
