kinda lost , owning a 70 cuda and a 74 barracuda ,, not happy need youre opinion

[valerianmagnum]

hi Guys its been years that i didnt posted here , i was more on forabodiesonly.com since i owned and sold my duster that i had for 8 years , so long storie short , i had a 74 showroom 74 barracuda and now its been stripped down to do a restoration but the car needs a lot of work , would be better off to do a total restoration/tribute car , and the other one is a 70 ev2 cuda parts cars , the body is finished but i have lots off parts and it was a rare optionned car : my dream car since im a kid is a sassy grass fj6 cuda 71 , i bought a 426 hemi crate last winter and wanted to start the 74 to make a tribute but backed off.a year later the passion returned but im confused , i was close to buy a 71 last week but the old was was very arrogant and changed is mind twice , asking 23k for a basket case but was truly a 340 fj6 4 speed car...SO , now i had the idea of turning my 74 to a 71 for once but i feel that its the stupid move to create youre dream car but lying to everyone , my car is nothing more than a bh23 318 barracuda / how can i be proud spending 40-50k and say hey i have my dream right there...but at the end of the road its nothing real , and i will never have the money to buy a 71 cuda  , its damn too expensive and im buying a house this summer etc etc .. need youre advice guys please !! WHAT WOULD YOU DO ! I HAVE A 74 SHELL THAT IS CAPABLE TO BE RESTORED OR EVEN THE 70 THAT MIGHT BE SAVED BUT A HELL OF $$$  BUT I HAVE THE GEN 2 426 HEMI , SO 70 CUDA INTO A 71 HEMICUDA OR A 74 BARRACUDA TO A 71 HEMICUDA OR OTHER IDEAS

[valerianmagnum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNj5BIGFeyE Well done tribute too...

[Cudakiller70]

Get your house and move in first giving  yourself more time to think this through.
I wouldn't make the 74 into a 71. Lying is no good for anyone. How much extra money will it take to convert your 74 into a 71?
Just add that conversion money to what you can sell both cars for to buy a 71.
Do you want a numbers matching car?
If a 71 sassy green cuda/Barracuda is what you really want than sell your current cars and focus on getting it.
My opinion is most people don't know or care if it's numbers matching, ebodies just look cool. I think a non numbers car frees you up to build it with upgrades and engine choices and to paint it your color. It's real, even an original 318 car are getting some decent dollars.
  I think your better of to find your 71 Cuda/Barracuda and put your crate engine in it and build it your way. It's every bit as real just different than a numbers matching car that you can only build a certain way depending on the optioned car you find.
Good luck to ya!

[Beekeeper]

That's a tough one. My dream car is also a 71 Cuda yet I own two 70 Challengers (my number 2 dream car).

71 barracudas are stupid in pricing so you should first wrestle with the idea of what's more important to you. Owning a car thats a copy of your dream car or having a car that other people appreciate as the real deal. I'm getting too old to care about what other people think. In the past week, I have put more miles on my 64 Vette than in all the years I've owned it. The paint is a 20 footer that I did myself in the garage and I was embarrassed to let other car guys see it. After having a blast thrashing that roadster all over the county this last week, I've come to the conclusion that I enjoy driving the car far more than the opinions of strangers.

Here's my half baked opinion: if you really must have a genuine 71, I'd save your money and plunk down 50-60k on a nicely restored car. Yes at that price, it will be a modestly equipped automatic car rather than a four speed shaker car but there are some nice cars in that price range if you're willing to compromise on options. Hard to build nice cars for less and considering you have to pay out 20k plus for a piece of trash to start work on, it's really the economic way to guy. unless you really have the bug to do it all yourself.

Building the 74 into a clone is not a bad way to go but only if you're wanting to keep it the rest of your life and never fret over it being a clone. If you ever want to sell it, half your buying audience will be turned off by the fact that's it's a 74. The other half will consider it but only if it's a deal compared to a genuine 71. Considering how expensive it is to properly build the 74 into your dream car, it just isn't a good financial decision. If it were me, I'd do minimal work to make the 74 into a decent driver and sell it for as much as you can. Let someone else sink money into a full resto. Then take the sales money and stash it for your 71.

The 70 has the ability to be worth a lot. You could turn it into a nice little driver and enjoy it for a while. Someday when your ready to pull the trigger, sell the 70 and pool all the money to get your 71.

The fact that you're fretting over having a 74 cloned into your dream car tells me you will never be happy with the car because it's not truly what you want.

['Cuda Hunter]

I have to ask about the 70.

it is a Bh 70 G code car.  Would it happen to have M46 on the fender tag?


Personally i would say sell the two and get a 71.  Even if it's a bh or bp 71.  Still a 71.  No conversion needed.  Money goes straight to what it is.

I know, you will loose a ton of cash selling the two, but that money you do get back goes directly to that 71. 

I was gonna do a conversion like 15 years ago and was talked out of it.  VERY glad I did back out of the conversion.    Got a fe5 71 instead.  Cheap, landed in my lap.   

[70chall440]

Everyone here has covered pretty much every option; however my personal take on it (for whatever its worth) is that you have 2 cars in hand; trying to sell them off at a decent price is going to take some work as one car is a parts car and the other torn apart. My suggestion is this; build the 74 into a strong example of the breed, perhaps with the Gen II Hemi. Keep it as a 74 but loose the bumperettes and make it look nice, drive nice and stop nice. This will keep you motivated about the hobby and yield a car that is truly worth more than the sum of its parts which then could be sold off or traded for the 71 of your dreams.

I know all about the passion or lack thereof; I have a 73 Cuda (actually a Barracuda) which I have been building for over 10 years; it is moving along but very slowly because I keep turning to other projects. That said, I have almost $50 in this car and yes it is a 73 and will never be worth near that but that isn't the point; I built this car out of passion, when i faded I walked away until it returned. In other words, go down the path that keeps you interested and happy. A good resto mod Cuda regardless of the year is worth decent money not to mention all of the learning along the way. I cay say without hesitation that I would take a resto mod 74 with a gen II hemi in it over a 71 stoker all day (I was never a fan of the 71 unlike many, it always look too busy with the fender gills and the grille). I would perhaps look at selling the 70 to fund the other build as they always command good money but if I am reading your post right it is pretty rough; however that alone doesn't stop many from asking stupid prices for what we used to call "basket cases"; saw one the other day with a price of like $20K for basically a body. I would have suggested making it into a resto mod but it sounds like much more work. Of course you could go that way too, sell the 74, build the 70 and then sell/trade it for a 71.

Turning either car into a 71 is possible obviously and to be honest, they are your cars who cares. But as stated that will have an impact on value and resale if that is a concern. If it isn't, then screw it and go that path since you have both. At the end of the day, they are your cars and while you might look at it as "lying", it don't think it would generally be seen as that by most. Of course most will wonder why you just didn't start with a 71 but it is what it is. Keep in mind that 99% of the people who look at the car will barely know its a Cuda to start with, the 1% who are Mopar enthusiasts will be happy its still on the road; .01% who are the purists will frown about it; so long as their name isn't on the title it doesn't matter.

[challengermaniac]

It is interesting how we accept drivetrain swaps all the time, although not as accepting of model year swaps!

[Beekeeper]

It is interesting how we accept drivetrain swaps all the time, although not as accepting of model year swaps!

Interesting point. 20 years ago, the idea of a clone was repugnant. They just were not not warmly accepted. Today, they are well accepted because prices keep most people from owning the real deal. Now that it's acceptable to clone cars, we call them tributes because that word sounds more appealing. Let's face it, the prices of 71 Cuda are sky high and out of reach for most enthusiasts, even for non performance trashed versions. It really shouldn't surprise the industry that folks considering year swaps like this. I predict years from now, these swaps will be far more acceptable.

[valerianmagnum]

Even me ..personnaly i dont want to make a 71 out of my 70 or 74 , what happened is that i got married last summer , ive put beside my 2 cudas , and bought a 70 340 duster 4 speed fj5 sublime green project , and another 70 parts car for parts , i would love to restore the 340 duster , i have all the matching mechanic , engine trans diff , fendertag etc , but needs a good restoration even if its solid , $$$$ , and just before christmas  ( 10 days ago ) a friend of mine told me that the man who had the dream cuda that i wanted is desperate to sell , ive been there again and he wasnt that desperate , still wants 23k for a basket case , 71 fj6 cuda  340 4 speed , here in canada is extremely hard to find , a 71 + a 340 and high impact color cuda from factory , and to be honest i bought the 70 cuda ev2 hemi orange at a good price to  put everything on my 74 and make it a driver ( clone ) , but even then..the idea of getting a 71 is still there , the flame is still burning : ( was not satisfied to put money on building a 70 and put my dream away for a couple of years again ).

1-can sell my 70 340 duster project
2-can sell my 74 barracuda
3-can sell the other 70 duster parts car
4-can sell the good parts of the 70 cuda , grille , tailight panel , rallye dash etc
5-dont want to sell my crate engine --------->keeping it for the right car

im lucky enough to have these cars to sell , but if i have to sell them it would be at resonnable prices , and maybe after i could find a 71 cuda/barracuda  but im scared to sell everything and loose it all , and not being able to afford a decent 71 cuda ...

(**** DO NOT WANT TO SELL MY HEMICUDA PROJECT FOR $$ , NOT CLONING OR WHATS SO EVER TO SALE , IM IN PURSUIT OF MAKING MY DREAM HAPPEN , IM 32 AND WANT TO REALISE MY DREAM , BESIDE HAVING KIDS AHAAHHA AND BE HEALTY , HAPPILLY MARIED ETC . )

[valerianmagnum]

@CUDAHUNTER : no its a BS23H0 cuda , ev2 hemi orange color , with the 4 speed option and 15 inch rallye wheels , sports mirrors , 340 decal , buldge hood , white interior bucket seat with rimblow steering bla bla bla , got all fender tag and documentation.

[Beekeeper]

@CUDAHUNTER : no its a BS23H0 cuda , ev2 hemi orange color , with the 4 speed option and 15 inch rallye wheels , sports mirrors , 340 decal , buldge hood , white interior bucket seat with rimblow steering bla bla bla , got all fender tag and documentation.

That's the car you should be getting fixed up. If it isn't all smashed up or rusted out, that car is worth something finished even if the original power train is gone. Use the parts from the 74 and sell off the 74 as a rolling shell project car. The 70 is an awesome car. It's a very close second to the 71 dream car.

You're only 32. You're talking to a lot of guys in their 40s, 50s, 60s who are still trying to realize their dream cars. Sounds to me like you need to take a big step back and focus on what you really want and make a realistic plan to get there. My wife is wonderful and tolerates my obsessive car hobby. I have three cars and no complaints from her. I want to stay married so I'm not gonna find out where her breaking point is by collecting more projects. A divorce means zero projects for years.

Don't take this the wrong way but a young man newly married preparing to buy a new house probably doesn't need a mega expensive super duper dream car just yet. Plenty of time to make it happen if you plan it out and make good decisions. Get situated in your new marriage so it lasts. Pick your favorite project (I'd go with the 70 Cuda) and get it on the road, ditch the rest of the projects so you're not distracted. Just seems like you over reaching a bit.

Good deals do come along and the people who are prepared to act immediately usually get them. For that, you need to keep a big stack of cash hidden in an account some place. That "desperate" guy with the trashed car for 23k is trying to get absolute top buck which doesn't sound desperate to me. I'd flash him 15k and tell him to call you when he gets serious. The car might be worth more but the number of people with cash like that are few and far between. If you have that cash now, you could try to get the 71. if you do get it, you should dump all the others.

Good luck with whatever you do.

[70chall440]

That's the car you should be getting fixed up. If it isn't all smashed up or rusted out, that car is worth something finished even if the original power train is gone. Use the parts from the 74 and sell off the 74 as a rolling shell project car. The 70 is an awesome car. It's a very close second to the 71 dream car.

You're only 32. You're talking to a lot of guys in their 40s, 50s, 60s who are still trying to realize their dream cars. Sounds to me like you need to take a big step back and focus on what you really want and make a realistic plan to get there. My wife is wonderful and tolerates my obsessive car hobby. I have three cars and no complaints from her. I want to stay married so I'm not gonna find out where her breaking point is by collecting more projects. A divorce means zero projects for years.

Don't take this the wrong way but a young man newly married preparing to buy a new house probably doesn't need a mega expensive super duper dream car just yet. Plenty of time to make it happen if you plan it out and make good decisions. Get situated in your new marriage so it lasts. Pick your favorite project (I'd go with the 70 Cuda) and get it on the road, ditch the rest of the projects so you're not distracted. Just seems like you over reaching a bit.

Good deals do come along and the people who are prepared to act immediately usually get them. For that, you need to keep a big stack of cash hidden in an account some place. That "desperate" guy with the trashed car for 23k is trying to get absolute top buck which doesn't sound desperate to me. I'd flash him 15k and tell him to call you when he gets serious. The car might be worth more but the number of people with cash like that are few and far between. If you have that cash now, you could try to get the 71. if you do get it, you should dump all the others.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Best response yet!

['Cuda Hunter]

 

[valerianmagnum]

Wow im speechless , its true that i try to rush everything , i can happy while restoring the 70 cuda of course , but i would love to find a 71 one day , maybe i can fix it and sell it too , it has good options and it can be a beautifull car thats for sure. A 70 cuda small block with documentaion ( and no original engine and tranny ) can surely be worth 50-60k if done right ? Everybody are telling me juste put the front clip of a 71 change the tailight panel on the 74 and call it a day...nah i want my 71 *to be a real one ( one day !!) its true that being 32 im still very young , and my wife is being incredible for me : even if she doesnt understand all this weird passion that we have , she is Still there to support me.

[70chall440]

You have some awesome resources for sure, and if you really want a 71 you will get there. I will however share this (yes I am one of those "old" guys knocking on the door of 60, been into Mopars since your 74 Cuda was brand new); any time I "absolutely" had to have something, it usually turned upside down and while I got what I waned it was more times than not with a huge amount of regret. I sold off really good stuff to get something I thought I needed only to end up with something that was not near as nice as what I sold. All that said, its all about the experience of life.

You will get your 71 at some point and I know all about the "hot deal" that is in your face and while it is true they aren't making any new ones, I suspect there will be deals to be had for some time. That said (and has been said a few times); they are your cars to do with whatever you want. Point in case here; not long ago I decided I needed a Hellcat Challenger, I determined that if I sold off my 70 challenger, 2010 Challenger, 70 Roadrunner project, and my 52 Dodge pickup rat rod that I could buy one. I really thought about this, but then my wife told me that the cars I have are what I enjoy and selling all these off for just one was stupid, especially since I already had a 2010 Challenger. None of these are a Hellcat but then again, I don't need a Hellcat; but that's just me.