1971 Plymouth 'Cuda 440+6
Here is Alan's own personal project. He landed ole Barrelcuda. The World Famous Cars in Barns car. Here is a little history on the car as told by a long time admirer of the car...you might want to grab a beer for this story:
Twenty-six years ago, when I was 10-years-old, my Dad bought a service station in my hometown of Southern Bay, Newfoundland. My brother worked as the mechanic there and he and his friends used the place as a point of congregation. My brother and I are separated by 11 years in age but we're very close so when something made an impression on him it made an impression on me. He had this collection of automotive magazine print ads that a family friend had given him. Stuff like 1970 Chevelle SS: "In 10 seconds your resistance will self-destruct", 1970 GTO Judge: "After a few moments of respectful silence you may turn the page." 1970 Challenger R/T: "This pony has horses", 1969 Super Bee: "Six Pack to go" ...you get the picture. I was enthralled by these images and thought these cars were the coolest things I'd ever see...and just a few years previous they were available from a dealership???!!! The dealerships of my youth were peppered with Chevettes and Dodge Omnis, not Challenger R/Ts. What a cool time it must have been to live then...
My brother's friends had some pretty cool iron too...1968 327/350 Corvette convertible, 1971 Super Bee, 1978 Trans Am 6.6, 1968 Mustang GT, 1973 Charger Rallye. For a 10-year-old I knew my stuff.....a subscription to Hot Rod magazine didn't hurt either. But one day, what I thought I knew was turned upside down. While riding my precious bicycle on a Friday evening, my cousin managed to ride his bike close enough to get his pedal caught in my spokes which threw me from my bike into the ditch where I suffered several bruises and one ruined back wheel. My only mode of transportation was in tatters..along with a new pair of jeans.
After severely berating my cousin, it was off to Port Rexton to Garry Randell's Cycle Shop (he repaired Harley-Davidsons and bicycles, believe it or not) where I hoped he'd piece my wheels back together. After the 15 minute ride (an eternity) we pulled my bike out of the trunk. It was then I spotted something out of the corner of my eye across the street in the tall grass. I immediately forgot my bicycle...and mumbled something to my dad like..."just see if he can fix it"... and hustled across the pavement. Two black nostrils poking through a green hood, 440-6 badges, and a black vinyl top. I knew it was a Mopar musclecar...but what? This hood...I'd never seen anything like it...that green....how did they paint a car that colour...what does the -6 mean?...I knew it must have a 440 cid engine in it. But the rest was all new to me. It said Cuda right there on the back panel...I was freaked out...I was 10...I should have been drooling over Star Wars figures, but I wanted this 1971 440-6 Cuda. After my eyes soaked up every inch of this real live serious Mopar musclecar I ran across the street to meet Garry...He said, "your bike is going to need a new wheel"...I said, "yeah, yeah...who owns that car across the street and is it for sale???"
His smile said..."where are you getting money, shrimp?" , but his mouth said, "It's my brother John's, he lives in Toronto now, and it ain't for sale." I pondered my next move..."what's the -6 on the scoop mean...?" He said, "It's got three two barrel carburetors, 6 barrels." If my dad wasn't right there I'd have said, "holy shit", but I didn't. The site of my broken bike, that had its wheel removed from it by now , brought me back down to earth. My Dad informed me that "we'll have to bring it to St. John's 'cause Garry doesn't have a wheel to fit.." , "Ok", I mumbled. From the back seat of the car I just looked out the window at the Cuda fading in the distance. I spent the rest of my preadolescence, and more, finding out everything I could on Cudas, Six packs and Shaker Hoods - this was in the late seventies, in outport Newfoundland, before the internet and musclecar magazines so it was tough, believe me. I did learn the colour of the car and from then on she became "Sassy Grass". It was a name I put on it as a kid. She's wasn't a V-Code or a Cuda or an E-body. She was just "Sassy Grass".
My bike eventually got fixed and so did my jeans. But my desire to see the Cuda over and over again never faded. I took any opportunity to go past, through or around Port Rexton, just to lay eyes on that car again. I got to know Garry better and I got to watch the car deteriorate and deteriorate and deteriorate. As I grew older, I grew angrier at this guy who just seemed to leave such a fantastic car to rot in the weeds.
By 18, I was in university and still thinking of the Cuda. The bus ride from the university town of St. John's to my home is about two hours and I'd pass each trip by dismantling the Cuda in my head, bolt by bolt, cutting out the rust, rebuilding the Dana, the engine, the brakes...it was a ritual I played out almost every weekend on my way home. By the time the bus stopped, the Cuda was gleaming and new, Polyglas GTs and all. I decided enough was enough and called John. We spoke for some time about the car and the time he had with it. The Beatty and Woods engine, the razor tune they put on it, the way the slicks beat off the quarter panel when he first drag raced it, his decision to move to Toronto and leave the car behind. All of it. But he wasn't selling. "I've had it too long to sell", he'd say. In subsequent calls (dozens), we always wished each other well and kept in touch. We became friends even: I'd send him catalogs to encourage thoughts of restoration, he'd call and say thanks and say he was going to get to it...wanted to get to it....someday. We managed to meet a couple times when he came back to Port Rexton and we spent some time together, I also met his wife Geri. He had an appreciation for how much I wanted to own and restore the car too. Geri knew as well. It was like "our" car. It's hard to explain other than that. I too understood how much he did want to get to it...to restore it. But he never did.
In 1999, when the car was removed from Port Rexton on John's word, by a friend of his, the family called me and asked if I knew where the car was. (Guess they thought I was the most likely candidate to steal it). But I did help them find it in St. John's. Seems John had asked an old friend to go retrieve it because the car was being used by the brother Garry to get some money out of John that he owed his family. Garry was going to sell it. John was having no part of that and acted by placing a call all the way from Ontario. The pictures of the car on the barrels - that are all over the internet - are taken during its time in St. John's (1999-2001). I don't know who took them and posted them but it happened, and the guy who owned the place (John's friend) nearly went out of his mind with the attention the car got and the hassles he got because of it. Then it was gone...St. Catharine's bound.
For me, Alan, the car is a huge reason why I love musclecars. Why I love Mopars. It's a reminder of where I grew up, how I grew up and where I come from. Not just physically come from, but where my heart is too. It's John's dream. It was my dream. When he died, I contacted Geri to express my condolences and she said that soon they'd be deciding on the car and to expect a call. The call never came because of a rash decision on her son's part and the fact that Geri was hood-winked into believing "the car would never make it to Newfoundland in one piece ma'am." It kills me that I don't own it. That it escaped me. But it did. And I if I can afford it, I will do everything in my power to own it. Those magazine ads my brother had are on my office wall today; that old 10-speed bicycle still collects dust in my basement. They are parts of the introduction to a hobby that I dearly love today, a hobby that I am very passionate about, that gives me life. It's not about V-code Cudas. It's gotta be that car. Hope I haven't bored you into understanding.
-DES
Great story Des!!! The owner who suddenly died in 2004 never did get around to doing that resto. The car changed hands a couple of times before I ended up with it and unfortunately Des once more missed out on the car. The ole Barrelcuda restoration has already begun and it is going to receive a top notch restoration! When it comes time to sell the line will start behind Des. Please check back to see the progress!
Work has begun...In these pictures you can see that the upper cowl was removed to replace both vent caps and repair the inner cowl because of rust. When the upper cowl was removed it made it much easier to repair all four corners which were also rusty. I wish I could have taken pictures in bare metal, but Keith Sims primed the area before I got there, he also primed the inside of the upper cowl against future rust. You can also make out the lower A pillar rust repair on both sides.
Car is at the paint shop waiting its turn for a new coat!
After 5 1/2 months, they've logged about 8hrs on it....It does make good storage.....here's an interesting email I received on the car:
Dear Alan,
A old friend from Nfld. called me last night and told me to check your website for a pleasant surprise. I was delighted to see an old acquaintance from my younger and wilder days being beautifully brought back to the condition it was in when I sold it to John Randell in the fall of 1975.
I was, I believe, the third owner of the car. It was originally purchased at City Motors in Gander, Nfld. by a person unknown and subsequently sold to a member of the armed forces stationed in Gander. I purchased it from him in the early spring of 1975. It was in near perfect condition and had 17,000 miles on the odometer. The only non-stock item on the car was a pair of 'Cuda aftermarket decals on the back of the rear fenders. Otherwise it was factory perfect to my knowledge.
Des Ryan, whom I believe you know, extensively researched the car's history a few years ago and contacted me on several occasions regarding it. He has suggested that the original engine was replaced prior to my purchasing it. I am not in a position to either confirm or refute that observation as it wasn't something I had reason to verify before buying it. It was offered on short notice as the armed forces owner needed some cash quickly and I just happened to speak to the right person at the right time. It was also not a time when the future value of what is now considered to be a true classic muscle car was a consideration. I was just a 21 year-old who wanted a nice sports car for a good price. That price, by the way, was $2,500.
John Randell was good friend of mine who lived about five minutes walk away. He had recently moved from Port Rexton and lived with his aunt and grandmother. He managed a small two-bay service station in the neighbourhood and like most young people in that business had a fondness for muscle cars. His own car was a 1972 GTO, which he lavished a huge amount of attention on. The only modification to the 'Cuda that I made was the replacement of the center carb with another from a similar 440-6. When tuning the car one day for me John had set the Shaker scoop partially aside while he worked on the car. While cranking the engine a piece of the metal support for the air cleaner melted due to its grounding against the Shaker assembly which was lying against the fender. The molten metal dropped down and burned through the venturi tube in the center carb and then disappeared further down the throat. I was lucky to find the replacement carb at all. The owner of the other 440-6 had swapped the six-pack in his Challenger for two four barrels as he found this setup better for racing. When I sold the car to John this was the only change that had been made to my knowledge. My reason for parting with the car was two-fold. One was that it was almost impossible to drive anywhere, city or highway, without someone stuck to your back bumper wanting to race and secondly the gas bill for a 21 year-old university student was crippling.
Subsequent to buying it John developed a bit of the racing bug and did make some speed related modifications. I'm sure that Des Ryan, based on his research, has more knowledge of that than I do. I had always been aware of the car sitting fully exposed in Port Rexton after John moved to Ontario and I was most disappointed to see some of the photos over the years showing its progressive deterioration. I did take the opportunity several years ago to see it after it had been brought to St. John's and it was a true shame to see what had become of what was by now a much sought after 'classic' muscle car. It had deteriorated to the point that I really didn't believe that it could ever be restored to its original splendour without replacing virtually the entire car. I know that John always had the best of intentions in terms of restoring it but it would have been so much better had it been treated more kindly in his absence. It's most unfortunate that John did not survive to see its recent transformation and resurrection. He would have been delighted, as am I, to see it almost back to its original glory.
I wish you all the best in finishing this wonderful piece of restorative work and would love to receive a photo of the completed masterpiece. In the meantime I'm making do with a kit model of the same car given to me for Christmas a number of years ago by a family member. The thrill of driving a true beast never quite leaves you, even after almost thirty years.
I hope I have been able to fill in another little piece of the history of the car for you and once again wish you all the best.
Best Personal Regards,
Maurice
Ottawa, Ontario
THE HISTORY
Back in the summer of 1970 Edward Cater walked into City Motors in Grand Falls Newfoundland, sat down and ordered this very unique 1971 ‘Cuda.
He must have known exactly what he wanted because he created one incredible car. First off he wanted the optional 440+6 with a 4spd and he just had to have the shaker hood, the wild new Sassy Grass Green paint which was sure to make the car stand out in a crowd. Not wanting too much green he checked off V1X which topped the whole works off with a black vinyl roof. While he ticked off the option sheet, the Sales Manger’s smile began to grow. A34 Super Trac Pack, A45 funky spoilers front and back, A62 a beautiful woodgrain dash with a factory tachometer, power brakes, power steering, the list went on and on.
Ed played in a rock band, so ordering the “new for 71” cassette deck was a must, same with the five speaker stereo system for the AM radio. The 14” Magnum wheels with white interior brought the price to $5,648.25, a hefty price in 1971.
Ed drove the car for only one year. The 4:10’s proved devastating to both gas mileage and the original 440 which destroyed itself and was replaced under warranty in early 1971.The car was sold over and over again until about 1979 when it was parked for good.
Fast-forward to the winter of 2004 when my wife and I purchased the decrepit car in a pile of rusted metal. The rest is history.
The Drivetrain
This car still retains its original drivetrain with the exception of the 440 block. It’s been rebuilt 100% to stock specifications using most of the original components. The original 4 speed and Dana 60 rear axle assembly have also been rebuilt and completely detailed.
You’ll find correctly date-coded parts everywhere in the engine compartment from fan belts to rad hoses and even the voltage regulator. The original date coded carburetors have been meticulously restored and function better than new. The correct date-coded spark plug wires along with the original dual point distributor are all still in place. Even the original fan clutch and rad are date coded.
An endless amount of attention was paid to recreate the sloppiness found on the assembly production lines of the early seventies. You’ll find numerous runs, drips and sags in the paint especially on the bottom of the oil pan which received very little paint, if any at all.
Throughout the remainder of the drivetrain you’ll find colour coded paint daubs to assist assembly line workers to quickly identify the parts going on each vehicle. On the rear axle assembly is a series of numbers, check marks and paper tags that indicate the 4:10 axle ratio, and sure grip differential.
Even the dual exhaust is detailed with date-coded mufflers, resonators and part number tags wrapped around the tailpipes at the chrome tips.
THE INTERIOR
The gorgeous interior of this car is exactly how it was when it left the factory. When Ed, the original owner, opted for the ultra clean white interior he got possibly the whitest set of seats ever put into an automobile.
Although the interior of this low mile car was still in fair shape, I chose to restore everything from the headliner to the carpet and the dash to the rear package tray.
An extensive amount of time was spent detailing the instrument cluster as well as the extremely rare AM radio with cassette player option. Ed spent the extra cash for the Rim Blow steering wheel, and a console for the Pistol Grip shifter. Under the dash is equally as impressive with everything correctly detailed from the dimmer switch, the clutch and brake pedal assembly, to the large heater unit.
You’ll find N.O.S. parts everywhere you look such as the chrome window cranks and the doorjamb light switches. The correct part number tags on all applicable wire harnesses and information stickers as well.
Original plastic door panels are still in place, as are the rear panels. The original owner’s manual still has its place in the glove box.
Finishing off the details in the interior is a set of correct reproduction dealership service floor mats, which would have been installed when the car was new or every time you brought it in for an oil change.
THE BODY
A major reconstruction of the unibody was performed using all Southern rustfree OEM body panels including the very rare one year only louvered Cuda fenders.
The gleaming FJ6 Sassy Grass paint was applied in a two stage process and then cut and polished to perfection. Much nicer than ever offered by the factory in 1971. A tattered vinyl top was also replaced with new material.
All emblems and trim were replaced with N.O.S. or the best of reproduction pieces throughout. The original tail light lenses as well as the side marker lights were also replaced with NOS pieces. The stainless trim has been polished as well as all the correct date coded glass. The correct bumpers were also given a fresh coat of chrome plating for an eye blinding appearance. The car is riding on a correct set of reproduction Goodyear PolyGlas white wall tires for that 100% stock look.
Unfortunately this car was ordered without the famous “billboard” stripe found on most 1971 Cuda’s leaving nothing but a lot of bright green paint to look at. That coupled with the factory colour-keyed grill and original Shaker hood makes this one outstanding example of a very rare Cuda. Truly a “one of one” machine!
OWNED & RESTORED
By
ALAN & LYNN GALLANT
December 22nd 2004 to December 22nd 2007
