Hi fellow muscleheads;
Just picked up a '70 Cuda earlier this week that I'm starting a total restoration on. Originally found it on eBay, but since it was close enough, I was able to drive over and look at it. The owner had a friend list it, since he didn't have a computer or Internet. I helped him along, and when the bidding went higher than what I could afford, I passed on bidding myself. I was on the phone with him when the bidding ended, so he could see how it ended.
It was scheduled to be picked up a couple weeks ago, and I thought that would be the last I'd ever see of it, since the high bidder was many states away. The next Monday, the owner calls me, saying the deal fell through, and did I want the car. I offered a couple thousand less, and it was mine. Sooner or later, when you sow enough kindness, it pays you back.
It's a real BS23H 340 'Cuda, with all original drivetrain. I bought it from the original owner who ordered it new with cash when he got out of 'Nam in late '69. He ordered it in Ivy Green Metallic, since he was a Marine. Not a lot of options, which made for a good sleeper. In '76 or '77 he parked it when he got a new car, never intending to let it sit. It'd been sitting in a shed for the last 30 years. The rear end was sticking out and the trunk is rusty, but the floor pans still have the paint on them, with only 2 little holes under the parking brake.
He also wrote me a 3-page letter telling all about the history of the car, including 36 cent gas and the # of women he and his cousins scored with in it (71!). Invaluable. I'll be keeping him informed about the progress, and you can bet I'll let him drive it again when it's all done.
I'm documenting the whole thing on my website
http://jstewart.inebraska.com/cuda.htm so others can watch, too. It's going to take a couple years, but my better half works at a body shop (office), and I used to own a chain of tune-up shops in a former life.
This is my 2nd Mopar muscle car. I sold a '72 Challenger with a transplanted 440 in it a couple months ago in search of a better platform to restore. It was also an eBay car, but this one I never saw before it arrived at my doorstep (yeah, yeah, I know. Shiny eBay orange paint job sells a lot of cars). It was a mess. I got it up to driver status and sold it, fortunately coming out ahead (if you don't count labor).
I've been mostly a Chevy guy growing up, but always loved the looks of Cudas and Challengers. The goal is to have one of each of the Big 3 (Chevelle, Mustang and Cuda). I already have the Chevelle (Its history is almost as good as this one). I've had a lot of Mustangs, but stupidly sold all of them along with the rest of the cars that would have made me rich had I kept them. A year ago I figured I better start making a list before I forgot about more than I remembered. They're also on my personal website at
http://jstewart.inebraska.com/vehicles.htmLooking forward to getting to know the family here.
J.D. Stewart
