70 Cuda U Code: catch and release

[edl]

So,  did you get a pic with him by your car?

naw...but i did get his autograph   

[edl]

Mike - i asked him what the tag told - he didn't give me any codes, but confirmed that it is a yellow twist, 4 speed, black hockey stripe, black vinyl top and black interior, AM radio, no power options

not sure if this is from the tag, but it is a 3.54 gear (anything bigger would have required power brakes), 15" wheels (he was able to tell this from a spacer in the front suspension and which spot the spare tire holder was...i.e., up high for the small spare, which also was for 15" wheels)

as for going forward, yes i will restore the car - famous last words, right - will be my first restoration attempt - will get it close to correct but won't sweat the really small stuff - true objective is to drive it
 -
of course the hardes part is to try to think where to start!! - what are your preferred plan of attack for doing a full restoration?

[Topcat]

of course the hardes part is to try to think where to start!! - what are your preferred plan of attack for doing a full restoration?

First before you do one more thing on your car, you need to sit down and do a long thinking on this project.

How much can you really dedicate of your annual income on a consistent basis?
Keep in mind financial emergencies will happen sooner or later. (Not to mention your wife/ G/F, family will have needs to be met.)  So what you think and what will be, will no doubt change every year in and year out.

How much work do you plan to do on your own? We're talkin hours per week you can hopefully; consistenly dedicate. Seasons where you live (weather) take some part of the year away. Too hot or too cold parts of the year. Me? I hit it hard on my car in Fall and Early Spring just for that reason. Would be nice to own a giant A/C heated shop!

Are you willing to teach yourself certain skills: Mig Welding, bodywork, fabricating, polishing, buffing, re-plating,  for example. Go on You Tube and join forums that specialize in whatever it is you want to learn if you plan to Do It Yourself!

Can you estimate how much of the main parts you'll need to get it on all fours and painted? An Excel spread sheet is a good way to keep track for your resto and I recommend this. One for parts, budget, needs. 

Once you do make the commitment to do a full rotisserie restoration, you will need to take tons of photos of how everything was before you took it off and notes. Then bag it! Burn it to a disc. You don't want to loose these in the future because your computer decided to crap out on you.

Next, Start researching parts companies. In Parts wanted section here, there is a huge list of vendors. Start looking at them all.

Lastly, you'll need to get a nut and bolt book for references. The one you need:

http://amkproducts.com/Catalog_PDF.htm

and

http://www.mmcdetroit.com/Market_Place/
 

[Topcat]

You will also need reference books unless you have an incredible photographic memory.

These are available online. Roseville auto parts might even have it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MOPAR-70-Cuda-Road-Runner-GTX-Service-manual-ORIGINAL-/370440698946?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item563ffc7c42

[Challenger6pak]

edl, the 3:54 is on the fender tag.

[528 Hemi Cuda]

Edl,
That is great you will get your fender tag. You can ask Barry the best places to look for your broadcast sheet. I know we found one in the headliner of one of our Cuda's.  We also found one inside the blow up spare tire. How it got there we have no idea.  That is the strangest place we have found one.  Like some people have said the first thing you should do is get lots of pictures and maybe a video of your car before you start anything. When my husband starts one he takes pictures of the front end, the rear end, any place that he might forget where something would go. He has done so many of these cars that he could do them blind folded now but when he first started restoring them he always documented everything. Also ask lots of questions on this board if you need any help. There are a lot of very knowledgable people on here. Good luck.
Pink Ice

[Moparal]

what was te vin #?   Is it an E code for La?

[edl]

edl, the 3:54 is on the fender tag.

got it - thanks C6P

[edl]

what was te vin #?   Is it an E code for La?

MoparAl - the VIN is:

BS23U0B157232

So:

Make:  B = Plymouth Barracuda
Price Class:  S = Special, 'Cuda
Body Type:  23 = 2 Door Hardtop
Engine:  U = 440 375HP 1-4BBL 8 CYL
Model Year: 0 = 1970
Assembly Plant:   B = Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA
Sequence Number:  157232 = 57232th Vehicle
 

[edl]

Edl,
That is great you will get your fender tag. You can ask Barry the best places to look for your broadcast sheet. I know we found one in the headliner of one of our Cuda's.  We also found one inside the blow up spare tire. How it got there we have no idea.  That is the strangest place we have found one.  Like some people have said the first thing you should do is get lots of pictures and maybe a video of your car before you start anything. When my husband starts one he takes pictures of the front end, the rear end, any place that he might forget where something would go. He has done so many of these cars that he could do them blind folded now but when he first started restoring them he always documented everything. Also ask lots of questions on this board if you need any help. There are a lot of very knowledgable people on here. Good luck.
Pink Ice

Thank you Pink Ice - I have given up hope for a broadcast sheet in the car - glove box...out; headliner...gone; front and rear seats...checked; spare...missing; I think at this point i will have to post here (not sure where on C-C, but somewhere) and a place called moparts to see if by some miracle someone has this piece of paper

as for the restoration, yes...pictures, pictures, pictures - and bagging, and tagging

thanks you for your good thoughts

 

[Challenger6pak]

Were you able to check the original seats that were taken out of the car before you bought it?

[edl]

First before you do one more thing on your car, you need to sit down and do a long thinking on this project.

How much can you really dedicate of your annual income on a consistent basis?
Keep in mind financial emergencies will happen sooner or later. (Not to mention your wife/ G/F, family will have needs to be met.)  So what you think and what will be, will no doubt change every year in and year out.

How much work do you plan to do on your own? We're talkin hours per week you can hopefully; consistenly dedicate. Seasons where you live (weather) take some part of the year away. Too hot or too cold parts of the year. Me? I hit it hard on my car in Fall and Early Spring just for that reason. Would be nice to own a giant A/C heated shop!

Mike - you shredded my sail - after reading this post i started thinking really hard - then i looked at the guts of the car strewn about my garage floor half to mostly rotten - i started replaying my wife yelling at me ... something about a "bottomless pit" - I looked around the garage and saw that it knows little more about how to do this resto than i do - and then it hit me..."what did i do?" - after mastering the queasiness i thought that i could post to the site, admit that i bit off more than i can chew and see if i could get out of it - i thought they'll think i am a fool, but hey, if someone wants a great project worth doing, here it is.

at some point in the afternoon the tide turned - the kids told me how cool the car was and that they want to grow up to be builders like me (i am not a builder, more of a fixer upper, handy man around the house, but that was a good booster); my wife said if i wanted a project, OK, but not in the garage (so part way out of the woods) - and i figure if i ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, that maybe i'll be able to do

so for now, i won't be listing the car on the for sale section (but if i do tomorrow, no snickers please) - instead i will try to work my way through your questions because they are good and force reflection and see if i can come up with a plan - day by day 


.

[edl]

Were you able to check the original seats that were taken out of the car before you bought it?

Seller does not have my original seats - he bought the car with the 72-74 seats in it - separately, he has another 70 cuda that had the right searts, so he took the 72's and gave me the 70's - i checked those to see if i could find someone elses build sheet - i think I saw bits of it within this enormous mouse's nest...

[Cuda Cody]

Mike knows what he's talking about.

If I were you, I would budget 30K to 40K and about 2 to 4 years.  If you really hit it hard (i'm talking 15+ hours a week) and learned how to mig weld and do good body work you might be able to get the hard costs down to 20K to 25K.  You could also cut corners and save money too, but if you want it done right it will take time and money.

There are a ton of good guys on this site that will help you.  For some here this is a hobby and for others it's living.  Asks lots of questions and you will get all the answers you need.  Also, start going to the local car shows and try to meet local mopar guys.  They can be a wealth of help and you'll soon learn the good body shops and the ones to avoid.  Once your done with the body and paint and your ready to get that motor running, just fly Neil in and let him work his magic.

Good luck.

Mike - you shredded my sail - after reading this post i started thinking really hard - then i looked at the guts of the car strewn about my garage floor half to mostly rotten - i started replaying my wife yelling at me ... something about a "bottomless pit" - I looked around the garage and saw that it knows little more about how to do this resto than i do - and then it hit me..."what did i do?" - after mastering the queasiness i thought that i could post to the site, admit that i bit off more than i can chew and see if i could get out of it - i thought they'll think i am a fool, but hey, if someone wants a great project worth doing, here it is.

at some point in the afternoon the tide turned - the kids told me how cool the car was and that they want to grow up to be builders like me (i am not a builder, more of a fixer upper, handy man around the house, but that was a good booster); my wife said if i wanted a project, OK, but not in the garage (so part way out of the woods) - and i figure if i ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, that maybe i'll be able to do

so for now, i won't be listing the car on the for sale section (but if i do tomorrow, no snickers please) - instead i will try to work my way through your questions because they are good and force reflection and see if i can come up with a plan - day by day 


.

[Topcat]

Mike - you shredded my sail - after reading this post i started thinking really hard - then i looked at the guts of the car strewn about my garage floor half to mostly rotten - i started replaying my wife yelling at me ... something about a "bottomless pit" - I looked around the garage and saw that it knows little more about how to do this resto than i do - and then it hit me..."what did i do?" - after mastering the queasiness i thought that i could post to the site, admit that i bit off more than i can chew and see if i could get out of it - i thought they'll think i am a fool, but hey, if someone wants a great project worth doing, here it is.

at some point in the afternoon the tide turned - the kids told me how cool the car was and that they want to grow up to be builders like me (i am not a builder, more of a fixer upper, handy man around the house, but that was a good booster); my wife said if i wanted a project, OK, but not in the garage (so part way out of the woods) - and i figure if i ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, that maybe i'll be able to do

so for now, i won't be listing the car on the for sale section (but if i do tomorrow, no snickers please) - instead i will try to work my way through your questions because they are good and force reflection and see if i can come up with a plan - day by day 


.

First thing: don't sell it. I really like your car. In fact, I'm envious.   
Secondly, Your car looks like a very solid project. And if you do decide to go a full rotisserie resto; you are further ahead than many here that are dealing with very rusty car bodies. So you got that as a head start.

If you decide to go rotisserie resto, everything must come off of course. Then the blasting. Then the primer, then the blocking. I have 3 years into mine right now and it is just starting to see the light of day towards paint. I try to put in 10 to 15 hours a week consistently. Keep your chin up and get the Rocky determined face on and let's see you get goin!!