71 custom AAR-style Cuda --- minor update 4/5/11

[willhaven]

all you ever see on a 71 is a shaker... nothing wrong with that, but the aar hood looks way cool 
great car 

There's a road racing 71 'Cuda with an AAR hood that I drew inspiration from. But even that car didn't have headlights, chrome and had a big chin spoiler. So I didn't see it all together the way I wanted it until I saw it in person this past weekend.

The guy who does all the photoshopping around here has drawn some similar cars before. Seeing his drawings helped me know I made the right choice. Seeing it in person blew me away.

The new shop also added a nice touch. I forgot to take a nice picture, but they made a custom little black mesh cover for the AAR scoop. usually they're sorta rough fiberglass, but they made a clean little piece. It looks nice and subtle.

There was also some tweaking involved to get a pin-less AAR hood going.

[willhaven]

Amazing CAR! Well worth the wait. Thanks for sharing.
 

Thanks, and you're welcome! It's so nice to have something worth sharing. I'm used to just drooling over what everyone else has.

I've been seriously wanting a muscle car since mid/late 2005. I questioned my sanity for not buying a complete car for years as this went on. Now that it's almost done, I think I did the right thing.

[dutch]

ah.....yes offcourse.......   I knew there was something missing... that sure gives it a nice clean touch 

[brads70]

Any more updates yet?

[Beck]

awesome.

you just can't beat the look of a 71 grill with AAR hood...

stunning car!

more pics please, and larger!

[drewcrane]

awesome.

you just can't beat the look of a 71 grill with AAR hood...

stunning car!

more pics please, and larger!

  Pretty much the look

[brads70]

   X3!

[willhaven]

Well, I was supposed to go out and drive it this weekend, but something in the valve train broke and had to be replaced and it wasn't going to be up and running in time. Next week they're busy, the two weeks after that I'm busy, so it'll be December 4th before I go out and see the car again.

It should give them time to have it all tuned up and have all the kinks worked out of it as a driver. It gives me time to get the title and get insurance and registration taken care of, etc.

It's almost there! I've already got a black aluminum horn cover and LED tail lights waiting for it at home. haha

As for pics, I'll probably have some awesome ones taken soon after I get the car. I have a coworker who is a big car guy and a great photographer. He does stuff like this. 2012 calendar here I come! I guess these will have to do for now.

[gtx6970]

Very good looking car , I'd like more info on the a/c lines used and or manufacturer if I may. I have a similar project in the works and I like the way the a/c hard lines are made and routed

Thanks in advance

[willhaven]

I'm 99% sure it's a Vintage Air system.

At first I wanted an A/C dash with a new A/C system hooked up to the old vents, but they got the Vintage system and it has a set of black vents under the dash that are nice and small and make the dash less cluttered. In hindsight, it was the way to go. I checked their brochure and it looks like it comes with hard lines, so I expect that's all from the Vintage Air kit off the shelf.

Honestly, I didn't spend a lot of time picking and choosing components, especially under the hood. I just sorta said "440/6, modern A/C, make it black with aluminum valve covers" and the rest just happened.

[the_engineers]

You/they have done well 

[71cudajoe]

I'm 99% sure it's a Vintage Air system.

At first I wanted an A/C dash with a new A/C system hooked up to the old vents, but they got the Vintage system and it has a set of black vents under the dash that are nice and small and make the dash less cluttered. In hindsight, it was the way to go. I checked their brochure and it looks like it comes with hard lines, so I expect that's all from the Vintage Air kit off the shelf.

Honestly, I didn't spend a lot of time picking and choosing components, especially under the hood. I just sorta said "440/6, modern A/C, make it black with aluminum valve covers" and the rest just happened.

It looks like a Vintage Air system to me. I noticed it right off as it looks very similar to my own which for sure if Vintage Air (see pic below).

By the way, I am enamored with your car. It looks fantastic. I'm partial to the 71s, but I really love everything you've done with your build. GREAT JOB!

[SBDave]

Great looking car!  I love the black on black hood/body treatment.  What size tires are you running front and back?  Those pictures your friend took are amazing.  Can't wait to see your car get that treatment!

-Dave

[willhaven]

Thanks for the compliments guys! I think the biggest thing that will turn the purists off will be the wheels. They aren't everyone's cup of tea. I tried to keep everything else subtle and oldschool hot rod to some degree. All about unifying the style, simplifying the car, not using too many colors, having enough chrome from every angle but not too much, etc.

What size tires are you running front and back?

You know, I'm not sure offhand but I think I can check. I have some of the uncompressed pictures at work and I may be able to make out the exact size of the tires for you. The car is still in Missouri for another month or so.

To be honest, I wish the rears had a little more meat on the sidewall. The 18s in the front have the perfect proportions of tire to wheel for my tastes. When I kill the rears, I will probably go a bit bigger to make the proportions match up.

[willhaven]

Ok, I checked the high res pics I took and no dice on the wheel size. At least not for sure. All I can be sure of is that they're BF Goodrich.

I think the rears are 285/35/20. No idea about the fronts.