Unfinished Business: 1972 Plymouth ‘Cuda 340
The Barracuda was a reborn car in 1970 and buyers got treated to engine choices that ranged from mild to wild. Through 1971, you could get a 383, 440, or 426 Hemi V8 under the hood. But the game changed in 1972 as the focus shifted to placating the insurance industry and lowering emissions output. So, the wildest you could go by then was the ‘Cuda 340 like the seller’s car. It looks really good and has had some work done, but more things remain on the to-do list. Located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, this Mopar is offered through a no-reserve auction here on eBay where the current ante is $20,100.
Muscle car demand had waned and the shapely ‘Cuda 340 saw just 5,864 copies built in 1972 of which 1,701 had an automatic transmission. Given that the seller’s car is numbers-matching, remaining examples like this one may only number a few hundred. The car has more than 105,000 miles, which predicated a rebuild of the motor in the 1980s. If runs “ruff” but the seller doesn’t zero in on what the culprit (s) might be. The transmission appears to leak fluid, so a new gasket may be required. But a trickier problem is that not all the running lights work so some electrical gremlins may have roosted.
The seller may have only owned the car for about a year. During that time, some new parts have been added. That includes new brakes (plus the master cylinder), a starter, alternator, tires, exhaust, and a gas tank. In the passenger compartment, the carpeting and headliner are new, and the front seats have been reupholstered. We don’t know when the UPS brown paint was reapplied, but some new sheet metal is in place. Like the trunk (notice some filler where the lid closes), rear quarter panels, and drop-downs.
All-in-all, this ‘Cuda appears to be a solid car to finish that the seller has decided against. If the issues with the motor and the wiring aren’t too difficult, this may be a weekend cruiser sooner rather than later. The seller has provided a brief video of the Plymouth driving down the road to help interested parties make up their minds.
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Comments
This could be a nice car.
I get the feeling that pix ten with gobs of primer is hiding 🙈 something as well as the driver inside door too.
I like the brown as it screams 70s baby 👍
It’s a nice Mopar from 20′ away. But.. to me the paint job is hiding issues I noticed. Look at the door hinges area. I noticed is a non RT dashboard setup with a crack in the pad.The temperature sensor is not hooked up. I wonder if the oil pressure sensor is also. The wiring needs a look over. The engine painted Ford blue. Who ever buys this make sure it’s a 340 not 318. I seen this happen before. The price now is fair enough. But I know it’s going to get higher. Also fender tag is missing. Just hope the next owner is wise a do a full check over before taking. 🐻🇺🇸
Also has a 69 AMX for sale.
The Wild Mild.
If anyone is seriously interested in buying this cuda I would be happy to look it over for you as I live here in pittsfield, ma. I’m restoring a 71 cuda 440. You can contact me at (413)449-3756 or email me at [email protected]
Had lots of electrical problems on my ’73 Charger.
Had the same problems as this Cuda….the running lights, tail lights, etc.
I believe that was pretty common on these era Mopars.
Not an impossible fix, just very tedious & time consuming,
tedious & time consuming on a car as basic as a 1973 Barracuda ? Come on. This one likely has electrical issues due to moisture corrosion as it seems to have had a lot of rust repairs- and it is in New England where rust is constant. And no , it wasn’t a “common problem” on these era Mopars , I have owned and still own many 60s-70s Chrysler products, and never had electrical gremlins ,including my high school beater 68 Belvedere which was a fisherman’s car and spent years sitting by the salt water and had more holes in it than Bonnie and Clydes car.
Relisted, and then SOLD for $30,100.