I wanted to start a thread as I begin my first Mopar Project. Its early stages, but in reading the wealth of information that can be shared on these boards, I thought is it would be both helpful and encouraging.
Starter Car:
1971 FE5 Red Cuda Fully Restored (over -restored in areas, not OE)
Show Quality Engine Bay and Undercarriage
340 Engine (Govier says its "incorrect font" , so not a true numbers matching car)
Automatic
Shaker Equipment Not Original
Original Interior Black
Price Paid $59,900 (I'm not shy, I will discuss invested costs of each product and installation as I go)
Goal Completed Project
Exterior : Add Gull Wing, Chin Spoilers, Black Vinyl Top, and Rear Window Louver
Interior: Change Back to Original Black
Engine: Fuel Injected 578 Hemi
Trans: Tremec or Passon 5 Speed
Suspension: RMS AlterKtion front and Street Lynx Rear , Guess I also need to upgrade the Rear and Axles?
I am still learning, so some of these items may change, and I'm open to input (except on the exterior and interior items, those are my picks)
And I am sure there are many smaller items I havnt even thought of yet, that will be needed to make the powertrain combination work.
BIO:
Back in high school (1998) i went to my first chryslers at carlisle and mopars were infused into my blood stream. Although my friend had 70 cuda 440 6pck i fell in love with 71 and its grill, fender gills, and its over the top billboards. Shortly thereafter I read the "reynolds wrap" hemi cuda article with the survivor rallye red hemicuda originally purchased by the hier to the reynolds tobacco co. That became my favorite looking car in the history of the world. Its still for sale on ebay for 1.5 mil. That car is the basis for my resto.
But i want one i can drive and show, hopefully for somewhere around $100,000 , but will be mechanically better than the original, but maintain the stock look exterior and interior.
Took me 15 years of saving but i finally found a meticulously restored FE5 RED cuda with many of the options i want. Undercarraige is immaculate. Engine bay too. I purchased it from champion Motorsports in chicago area for 59,900 and had it shipped to me near scranton pa. I realize some would be disappointed with me starting with a restored CUDA to start with, being there are not many left out there of the roughly 5000 built, but its not a true numbers matching car, and not an original shaker car. And its VERY hard to find and already restored 318 Barricuda, as not many restorers want to invest the time and money into bringing them back to life. And I don't have the time and resources to do my own NUT and BOLT, so this really was my only viable option, and it STILL took forever to find one.
It will be a cuda built my way. As if i ordered it myself in 1971. But with modern suspension and a 572 Fuel Injected Hemi. Make sense? My Goal still leaves me with $40,000 left. We will see if I can finish it near budget, but I don't want to cut corners. This car wont be sold, I'm 35 years old and plan to enjoy it as my dream car for a long time.
Here are some pictures, first of my car, then of the PLATFORM car I am using as my visual inspiration, the RENOLDS WRAP HEMI SURVIVOR!
-Bob Bejeski, Scranton PA
