ShelbyDogg's 72 Cuda

[ShelbyDogg]

Worked on getting my center caps painted with a rough textured paint with copper flakes in it. Had to do something to make these old things stand out. Got them from a junk yard and they were pitted out bad! I sanded them, etch primed, then sprayed on the texture in a can.


See the copper flakes?


My left over 275/60r/15s on 8" wheels. Not used anymore since I put 295/50s on 10" wheels on my 2 Challengers.



The fronts are not installed yet. They are still drying after just being painted. These are 14" fronts. I bought brand new 15x7s but I don't have my new tires yet.


last week I started to put down a layer of truck bed liner. Today, I put in my carpet.


I mounted my dash frame to my wooden stand to start putting a dash together. This is a spare since the original is still in the car.

[usraptr]

Nice progress! 

[Super Blue 72]

Looking real nice, Rob! 

[71340RT]

Glad to see the Cuda is getting done. I can't wait to get a look at it up close cause it looks great in the pictures.

[hemiken]

Nice little detail in those center caps, that was a good idea

[ShelbyDogg]

1970 e-bodies can not be locked before the door is closed. A key must be used. First 2 things I always did when I bought a 70, was change the door latches to a 71-74 style and change those left handed lug nuts!  These actuators will work on a 70 model to lock your doors after the doors are closed! Yay!
My cars all have power locks and power trunk releases. The Cuda trunk release, I'm still working on, but here are the pics of the door conversion to power actuators.


Bought a Viper 2-way alarm system. Use the same one in 2 other cars. The remote can control up to 4 cars, so it is good to have the same type in case I lose one. Has an antenna that I mount high on the windshield to signal the pager from up to 1500 feet away. New Vipers are advertised at 2000 feet. When I'm in a hotel room with the A/C and TV cranked, the pager goes off to wake me. Stick with a good brand and keep you car. Don't cheap out on an alarm system. Directed electronics is a good brand.



Bought some relays from Amazon to work the actuators and circuit that I had in my prior post.


Use this circuit to control the door lock actuators.



Assembled actuator. Clamp on the left attaches to the lock rod to move it in and out.


Will mount in this location INSIDE the door, under the armrest:



After careful measuring, holes are drilled then mounted:



View from the inside:





In action

[ShelbyDogg]

Went to the junk yard yesterday and bought a power seat track out of a conversion van to fit into the Cuda.
These are universal and with a welder will work nicely in the car. All it needs is 12V and a ground. $24.95.

[ShelbyDogg]

Found some LED Tail-stop lights to test on the rear.
I always wanted 4 lights on the back, like my 70 Challenger and on the corvettes I see.
I'll add some smaller reverse lights elsewhere.
Here is how I fitted them. They need a 4" hole to fit leak free.

[ShelbyDogg]

The 1st LED tail light I bought, came from Walmart. This is what started this. I mounted it in the lens, like the look them bought 3 more from Amazon that looked the same. Well, the ones from Amazon had 12 LED inside to my 10 LED Walmart Blazer tail light. So I had to but one more from Amazon.

Here is the car's rear view with all 4 mounted with new gaskets on the inside of the tailpanel. The 2 on the right are not powered on and are just reflecting light.







I get my 4 tailing look!
I will work on reverse LED lights later.

Found a cheap 5.7 Hemi and a Megasquirt engine controller and wiring harness here:
http://www.efisource.com/shop/ms3-gen3-hemi-plug-play-gold-box/



PLUG AND PLAY with harness ends and Self tuning!
A Black Hemi-Cuda with black tinted windows and blacked out everything is planned.

[ShelbyDogg]

Weather got warmer!

Hooked up my LED tailights to the wiring harness:











I found a good 70 Cuda bumper at a swap meet last week for $20.
Painted it and the rear tips BLACK:





Made an electric trunk release to pop my trunk with my remote.
I had an old trunk release from a late model Mopar. I cut off the top and removed the old burned out coil and solenoid then added a power lock actuator to the bottom. I cut open the Cuda trunk release to move the rear facing lever to my assembly. I also modified the actuator to fit on the bottom when welded a little arm for the actuator to pop the release.













Power trunk release in action:



Put in a REAR power antenna like I have on my Challenger.
Found a black mast antenna off of a Saab, in a junk yard.  I don't like using Store "universal power antennas" because they stick up too high! I ground off the little "saab" letters on the rear side of the antenna's fender top.

[ShelbyDogg]

At the Mopar nationals a few years ago, a guy who knows my friend, told him that he "knew for a fact that tilt columns were available in E-bodies, because there is one right there" Pointing to my Pace Car! LOL

Decided to install my tilt column in the Cuda. I installed a tilt in my 70 Challenger R/T and my 71 Challenger vert years ago but didn't take detailed how-to pictures.
You can see some I took when I did the Pace Car in it's restoration thread link next to my sig.

I gave my friend $100 for it, since he runs a Mopar Junk Yard. He wanted to give it to me for free for helping him get his Fuel injection running, but I said NO. I told him that I was happy that he had a Mopar Junk Yard! Same column that Chevys use from 65 to 99 but Chrysler and Dodge used an adapter harness and a Mopar key.

Came out of a 78 Cordoba. Here is the Cuda column next to the Cordoba column.




Have to get the Adapter harness with it to plug into your factory harness.


The firewall base plate is moved from the E-body column to the tilt. The roll pin has to be driven out to remove the center shaft and rag joint.
The rubber gasket is used from the cordoba column along with the old firewall base plate to take up the extra space.
















Had to drill off the old cordoba mount:



Had to cut a section off of the old e-body mount:



Had to cut off some of the wiring protective sleeve:





Fitted the modified mount to mark where to weld two mounting nuts:







Welded on 2 nuts, drilling some holes first so the bolts dont bottom out.

[ShelbyDogg]

Bolts installed. Without these the column will rotate and damage your wires.



Trial fitted the column then pulled it out to paint it.





Put it back in for final installation and tested full up and down motion:





Used a puller to take off the wheel:



After wheel was off, I used a lock plate remover to release the pressure on this plate and remove it's retaining clip. I spray greased the insides and tightened up the turn signal arm and checked the remaining screws.



Got this 3196 grant adapter on ebay for $23, but saw a new one at Oreillys for a dollar more. Wouldn't have to wait 3 days for shipping:





Installed this Wheel that I used to have on the Pace Car. Will probably buy a black leather wrapped one to replace it.



I had to move 2 wires for the key-in buzzer to the main power harness. The ignition lock light and the push to turn key to lock is all still there as on the stock column. Since I have a 4-speed cars, the ignition switch wires are right next to the clutch pedal UP-STOP arm. I tied the wires out of the switch up and over the column with wire ties and moved the pedal stop to the rear about 1/4" so pushing in the clutch does not have the pedal arm hitting the wires.

[ShelbyDogg]

Jegs had a sale on this Grant wheel, Same on that I have on my Pace car.

I bought it for the Cuda.

[ShelbyDogg]

Starting my parts collecting to get a 5.7 hemi running in my Cuda. It is currently a small block, 340, 833-4spd A/C, PS, PB Cuda. Building a HEMI-CUDA
I have 3 spare 440s and it would be so easy to just drop one in there and be done with it, but it won't be a Hemi.


Starting with a 5.7 Truck Hemi that has a car's front Cover on it already. He paid $350 for it. Going to probably trade Mopar stuff for it.
I have to post a pic when I drag it over to my garage. My friend has it and says that he'll never use it, so I'm going to see how cheap I can get it installed and running.

I'm going to get it running on my engine stand first so my Cuda can still run and move around my garage.
I already have an EFI pump mounted on the right rear frame rail, I installed at least 10 years ago for the future EFI conversion.

Purchased so far, in order:

FLYWHEEL from Colorado Speed, Mcleod Flywheel $295.78, Had free shipping.




Complete Car intake: From EBAY $125.00 + $19.28 shipping = $144.28




Motor Mounts: From Mancini, TTI brand, $141.95, + $6.88 shipping = $148.83

[ShelbyDogg]

Finally got my Hemi home and on my engine stand.
I traded a 518 trans for it.
It came with a car front cover, truck intake, injectors, Throttle body and fuel rails.

I have it pictured here with my Ebay car intake and TTI mounts. The seller only charged me $50 because the oil filler cap was broken off. Came with TBI, Rails and injectors. I try to patch the fill hole or get another one.



I cut the retaining ring off of one of the Drive by wire throttle bodies, by slicing across the bottom. This way I can weld a little nut and bolt clamp on it to tighten it back up.



Now that the cover is off, I can drill a hole in the cover, weld a 90 degree shaft to the throttle body shaft, which will allow me to convert it to a cable driven unit. I can then put the cover back on with a grommet to close up the hole and let the shaft stick out. The stock TPS will still be used.