I really do not have the time for a project car and I have decided that I am going to sale my 73 Cuda and concentrate on doing some things to my 69 Cuda I have wanted to for a while. I have made an attempt to describe the car the best I can below. The attached pictures of this car are exactly as the car is now. I can be reached on my cell phone at 423-202-6063 almost anytime.
Over All Info:
The Car started life as a true BS23 CUDA that was a 318, 3-speed manual shift in the floor car. It has power disk brakes, manual steering, and was NOT a factory A/C Car. The cars factory color was B5 blue with blue interior. I bought the car pretty much as it sits. The only major thing I have done is taken the awful blacked out hood job off the car and returned it to green. The car was a running and driving car before the prior gentleman took it apart. The 318 was long gone and someone had put in a 1971 440-4bbl motor out of a Newport or Imperial. He did not know. He did say that the motor ran really good when it was in the car and he had no intentions of rebuilding before re-installing it. He was just going to detail it and put it back in. Before disassembly, it had a BB 727 Automatic behind it. He drove this car a lot before taking it apart. When they put in the BB, they put it in with the automatic from the donor car. I guess they did not have a BB 833 so they used what they had. They mounted a Hurst Quartermatic ratchet shifter in the manual hump on the car. I also quizzed him about how the car drove and he indicated that it drove really well. The prior owner had told him that he had rebuilt the front end. Looking at it, I don't know about that, BUT there is not much play in the steering. The box and all the linkages feel and react tight, but to me suspension does not look newly rebuilt. The car has been off the road for about 3 years now. I know this guy well and he is an honest guy so I have no reason not to believe what he has told me. But what I know is just that…. I never heard the motor run.
Body:
The body on the car is really straight. It has had both quarters replaced. They did a good job. They cut the quarters right below the top body line so the top line looks and fits as original as does the rear finish panel. You have to stand on your head in the trunk to see the seam. There was one place in the trunk that has had a patch (about 4" x 4"). You can't tell it from top but you can see underneath. Some undercoating is needed here. There was as a small patch made in the front floor. Another patch was made under the battery box. It too looks great from top, but underneath needs some attention in the wheel well. All the frame rails are solid and factory with no patches that I can see. The car has been painted Sassy Grass green and is a nice job. It has been sanded and buffed, but probably needs to be gone over one more time to finish it up. Where I took the black off the hood and where the black met the green on the fender tops, you can see a line under fluorescent lights. Outside you can not see it. The back tail panel is painted glossy black and needs to be repainted flat. I would not put the factory texture on it if it were mine. Both bumpers are new. The back one was installed but using the 73 brackets and the filler piece. I have recently taken off the back bumper and removed the filler piece. I have 70-71 style brackets to suck the bumper in right. The front bumper is still in the wrapping and has never been put on the car. I do not have the 70-71 brackets but have instructions on how to modify the originals to suck the bumper in. This is a very easy modification. The front filler panel is already gone. The grille has already been painted and looks good. It has been patched but you can only see it from behind when it is out of the car. I have new reproduction head light buckets for the car. The lower valance and parking lights are there and good. The lenses and chrome rings for these are showing wear/hazing. I would probably use these for now and replace later. They do reproduce these. The large oval pot metal trim for the grill is there but pitted. They reproduce this if you wanted new. I would probably use for now and then replace later. I have a new hood pin kit for the car with the mounting brackets but they are not installed. The emblems for the hood are new repos and are the 440 CUDA ones. The windshield is new and in the car as is the back glass. The quarter windows are in the car and good. The side glass is out and in a box. There is a little light scratching on one of these.
All of the trim (windshield, back glass, door top, and rear tail panel) is there and in good shape just needing polished. You would need to buy molding clips to install. I have a new reproduction 71 style go-wing and installation kit as well as the 70 reproduction gilled rocker moldings. I have new reproduction outside door handles for both sides. The car has all new weather stripping and it is installed. The only pieces it would need would be the quarter glass strips and the piece that actually attaches to the door panel. Trunk seal and under hood bumpers / wedges are there and new. All 4 marker lights are there and are new reproductions. The only other comment that I can make about the body/trim is that the hockey stripes are painted on. They actually look good for painted stripes, but on the passenger's side, they must have masked the stripes before they adjusted the door. The small piece of the hockey stripe that comes to a point on the door is off a little on that side. The car has dual painted, non-remote mirrors. The glass is out of the driver's side mirror.
Drivetrain:
The motor as described above is supposed to be a running, good engine. It has all the brackets and alternator still hanging on it. It has the factory cast iron intake and factory AVS. While it was out, I was going to check the bearings, put in a new oil pump, and possibly do a valve job. I would also probably replace the water and fuel pump just for good measure. Other than that, I would have just detailed and put it back in. Unless I wanted to do a cam change with aluminum intake.
The tranny is a 23 splined E/B transmission. I bought it, the clutch, PP, TO bearing, clutch fork and shifter box / linkage from a guy that had it running in a 340 Cuda he was converting to a Keisler unit. All is there and looks good. I was going to buy a reproduction pistol grip handle for it. I also have a 10.5” flywheel but do not have a bellhousing. I was going to buy a reproduction from Brewers Performance. They are $299. The 440 was not out of a manual car so the pilot shaft bearing would have to be one that is made to sit in the converter bore. This would be needed. I do not have a driveshaft that will work with a BB and Manual Tranny. This would have to be made.
The car has an 8
Over All Info:
The Car started life as a true BS23 CUDA that was a 318, 3-speed manual shift in the floor car. It has power disk brakes, manual steering, and was NOT a factory A/C Car. The cars factory color was B5 blue with blue interior. I bought the car pretty much as it sits. The only major thing I have done is taken the awful blacked out hood job off the car and returned it to green. The car was a running and driving car before the prior gentleman took it apart. The 318 was long gone and someone had put in a 1971 440-4bbl motor out of a Newport or Imperial. He did not know. He did say that the motor ran really good when it was in the car and he had no intentions of rebuilding before re-installing it. He was just going to detail it and put it back in. Before disassembly, it had a BB 727 Automatic behind it. He drove this car a lot before taking it apart. When they put in the BB, they put it in with the automatic from the donor car. I guess they did not have a BB 833 so they used what they had. They mounted a Hurst Quartermatic ratchet shifter in the manual hump on the car. I also quizzed him about how the car drove and he indicated that it drove really well. The prior owner had told him that he had rebuilt the front end. Looking at it, I don't know about that, BUT there is not much play in the steering. The box and all the linkages feel and react tight, but to me suspension does not look newly rebuilt. The car has been off the road for about 3 years now. I know this guy well and he is an honest guy so I have no reason not to believe what he has told me. But what I know is just that…. I never heard the motor run.
Body:
The body on the car is really straight. It has had both quarters replaced. They did a good job. They cut the quarters right below the top body line so the top line looks and fits as original as does the rear finish panel. You have to stand on your head in the trunk to see the seam. There was one place in the trunk that has had a patch (about 4" x 4"). You can't tell it from top but you can see underneath. Some undercoating is needed here. There was as a small patch made in the front floor. Another patch was made under the battery box. It too looks great from top, but underneath needs some attention in the wheel well. All the frame rails are solid and factory with no patches that I can see. The car has been painted Sassy Grass green and is a nice job. It has been sanded and buffed, but probably needs to be gone over one more time to finish it up. Where I took the black off the hood and where the black met the green on the fender tops, you can see a line under fluorescent lights. Outside you can not see it. The back tail panel is painted glossy black and needs to be repainted flat. I would not put the factory texture on it if it were mine. Both bumpers are new. The back one was installed but using the 73 brackets and the filler piece. I have recently taken off the back bumper and removed the filler piece. I have 70-71 style brackets to suck the bumper in right. The front bumper is still in the wrapping and has never been put on the car. I do not have the 70-71 brackets but have instructions on how to modify the originals to suck the bumper in. This is a very easy modification. The front filler panel is already gone. The grille has already been painted and looks good. It has been patched but you can only see it from behind when it is out of the car. I have new reproduction head light buckets for the car. The lower valance and parking lights are there and good. The lenses and chrome rings for these are showing wear/hazing. I would probably use these for now and replace later. They do reproduce these. The large oval pot metal trim for the grill is there but pitted. They reproduce this if you wanted new. I would probably use for now and then replace later. I have a new hood pin kit for the car with the mounting brackets but they are not installed. The emblems for the hood are new repos and are the 440 CUDA ones. The windshield is new and in the car as is the back glass. The quarter windows are in the car and good. The side glass is out and in a box. There is a little light scratching on one of these.
All of the trim (windshield, back glass, door top, and rear tail panel) is there and in good shape just needing polished. You would need to buy molding clips to install. I have a new reproduction 71 style go-wing and installation kit as well as the 70 reproduction gilled rocker moldings. I have new reproduction outside door handles for both sides. The car has all new weather stripping and it is installed. The only pieces it would need would be the quarter glass strips and the piece that actually attaches to the door panel. Trunk seal and under hood bumpers / wedges are there and new. All 4 marker lights are there and are new reproductions. The only other comment that I can make about the body/trim is that the hockey stripes are painted on. They actually look good for painted stripes, but on the passenger's side, they must have masked the stripes before they adjusted the door. The small piece of the hockey stripe that comes to a point on the door is off a little on that side. The car has dual painted, non-remote mirrors. The glass is out of the driver's side mirror.
Drivetrain:
The motor as described above is supposed to be a running, good engine. It has all the brackets and alternator still hanging on it. It has the factory cast iron intake and factory AVS. While it was out, I was going to check the bearings, put in a new oil pump, and possibly do a valve job. I would also probably replace the water and fuel pump just for good measure. Other than that, I would have just detailed and put it back in. Unless I wanted to do a cam change with aluminum intake.
The tranny is a 23 splined E/B transmission. I bought it, the clutch, PP, TO bearing, clutch fork and shifter box / linkage from a guy that had it running in a 340 Cuda he was converting to a Keisler unit. All is there and looks good. I was going to buy a reproduction pistol grip handle for it. I also have a 10.5” flywheel but do not have a bellhousing. I was going to buy a reproduction from Brewers Performance. They are $299. The 440 was not out of a manual car so the pilot shaft bearing would have to be one that is made to sit in the converter bore. This would be needed. I do not have a driveshaft that will work with a BB and Manual Tranny. This would have to be made.
The car has an 8
