Roller Plus Parts: 1973 Plymouth ‘Cuda
Plymouth was one of the first pony cars to enter the market – and was also one of the first ones to exit. The third generation arrived in 1970 and created a fair amount of excitement – but for a brief period. By 1974, sales of muscle cars (and ones in the same family) were declining and Chrysler left the market (the Dodge Challenger was canceled, too). This 1973 is the ‘Cuda edition which once commanded a lot of power. But this version could have come with either a 318 or 340 V8 when new. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, this Mopar roller comes with a lot of parts and is available here on craigslist for $9,250 OBO. Mitchell G. has been hard at it again with tips for us!
With an all-new E-body platform in 1970 to separate it from the Plymouth Valiant, Barracuda production increased by 50%. But sales dropped like a rock just one year later and the “pony” never recovered. 1971 was the last year for major muscle like the 440 cubic inch or Hemi V8s, so the most power you could get in a ‘Cuda by ’73 was the 340 small block. But the basic 318 was also an option in the ‘Cuda series at this point. We’re not sure which was in the seller’s car when it was new, but neither is there now.
Plymouth only sold 19,000+ plus Barracudas in 1973 and half of them were ‘Cudas. Since this car was once an automatic, it could be one of 2,700 (318) or one of 4,500 (340) assemblies. The seller provides no history of what brought this Plymouth to its current state. A shop full of parts suggests much of it is there to restore the auto, but not everything.
The original color of the Mopar is a guessing game, but since the mostly solid floorboards are white, that gets my note. The black vinyl top looks to be in surprisingly good condition while rust is visible in the lower extremities of this ‘Cuda. Other than it having a clean title, not much else is known about the car. Perhaps the seller can elaborate further in person. What would you do, drop in a Hemi?
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Comments
With todays gas prices, this looks very economical to run especially down hill.
Give it to me for scrape price, and I will get it out of your yard. Then I will tinker with it in the garage after super and on weekends. Won’t cost much except my time, then I will drive it. Won’t be an investment except an investment in my happiness. That is the way is used to be done. The way it still should be done.
A great deal for someone who like jigsaw puzzles and sheet metal work.