1969 440 'cuda ~ Original Road Test

[69 Cuda 440]

1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

To satisfy the NHRA Drag Rules.

This is, simply put, a stupid car. It is an 'evil handler', and can hardly
steer or stop. It is, a straight line only car.

The 1969 440 'cuda was built to satisfy the NHRA Stock Class rules, which was at one time a {50 of 'em Rule}.

Now to be homologated into the NHRA, 1000 of these A-Body Missles will be required in 'regular production'. The 440 'cuda is to have 360 built, and the 440 Dart is projected to have 640 produced.

This 'nose-heavy' Barracuda weighs in at a comfortable #3279 lbs. {Shipping Weight, but is has a horrible 61/39 Front-to-Rear weight distribution.

To put it simply, it is an under-steering beast, even with Super Heavy-Duty Suspension.

In initial Road Tests, the car does not handle well at all, other than a straight line. The steel-rims {14" x 5.5"} are fitted with E70 x 14 Tires. Traction is unheard of, and you can 'destroy' the rear tires at will.

In early March 1969, and on a cold Saturday, we took the 'missle' to Westhampton Dragstrip out on the far end of Eastern Long Island.

In our first test runs, we simply rolled up to the line at 'idle', left the Shifter in 'Drive', and put our foot on the brake pedal.

Next, was to gun it as soon as the Chrondek Christmas Tree ran down the string of lights.

We smoked the tires right into 2nd-Gear. It was 'a hairy ride', as the 440 screamed down the track and flew thru the Traps at 104 MPH.

 

[1969383S]

Sounds like pure fun to me.

I enjoy these old facts/trivia.

Keep posting them!

 

[69 Cuda 440]

Cars Magazine

We had two-weeks to play with this car. One-week was for Photo Shoots, and One-Week was for Road Testing.

On the Handling Test, it was 'Pure Hell', as the back-end swung out numerous times when hitting the corners.

The Barracuda would badly under-steer thru the turns, and the body felt like it was twisting away from the Uni-Body frame.

Like most of Mopar's A-Body cars, the Barracuda is built like 'crap'. The doors were misaligned, the fenders had unequal gaps, and the body-parts rattled when we punched the car out.

Braking was a misnomer, as the 10" Drum-Brakes would not stop this car when deaccelerating from high-speeds of 90 MPH. 'A Death Trap'

 

[krazykuda]

1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

I thought that they were build because Mr. Norm proved them wrong by building the original fifty 68 Dart GSS's. #-o


Chrysler said that the 440 wouldn't fit in the Dart without major modification. Mr. Norm ordered 383 Dart GTS's and swapped crate 440's into them and proved that it could be done. :glasses7:


He took one to Highland Park to show Chrysler, and the head of engineering had Mr. Norm show his engineers how he did it so easily (it wasn't as tricky as they "told the boss it would be"). :evil3:


Then they made the 440 Dart available in 69....



I ran into Mr. Norm at a local show/swap a few years ago and had him, his son, and grandson autograph some shirts for me. Three generations of Mr. Norm..... :cheers:


View attachment Mr Norm A01 B.jpg

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View attachment Mr Norm B01 B.jpg

View attachment Mr Norm B02 B.jpg

View attachment Mr Norm C01 B.jpg

View attachment Mr Norm C02 B.jpg

 

[69 Cuda 440]

1969 440 'Cuda

The Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

Is the 440 'cuda something special. Well, for overall neck-snapping
straight line driving, it is an emphatic yes.

That is why it is advertised as;

'The 'Cuda 440 Special Package'

The Chrysler Engineers somehow stuffed a wide and over-sized 'wedge'
into this small engine compartment, using 'grease', pinch-bars' and
'steel shoe-horns'.

The 440 'Super Commando' comes with everything you want in Big
Block power. 440 Cubic inches, with a Factory Rating of 375 Horsepower
at an easy attainable 4600 RPM's.

For Torque, this massive Wedge produces 480 Foot/Pounds @ 3200 RPM's.

The engine is the standard 440 'High Performance' which can be found in the
Plymouth GTX and Dodge Coronet R/T, and the soon to be released '440 Dart GTS'

In other words, this engine is capable of pulling down small buildings without
too much trouble.

 

[mikedevore]

My Cousin drove a new '69 notch back 440 Cuda.
No traction at all!

He ended up buying a new 340 Dart Swinger.

 

[krazykuda]

Yeah, but it wasn't Chrysler engineers who figured out how to put the 440 in the 69 Barracuda. It was the mechanics at Mr. Norms who he gave the task to who figured out how to do it in a 68 Dart.


Mr. Norm taught Chrysler how to do it. We talked about it when he signed my shirts.

That is why the head of Engineering at Chrysler had Mr. Norm show them how he did it. They told their boss that it couldn't be done easily/effectively. Mr. Norm showed them that it was possible by doing it..... And drove one up there to show them....


I met a local guy here back in the 80's that had one of the original Mr. Norms GSS Darts. He told me all about the mods that Mr. Norm did to make it. His nephew also had an original 69 440 Cuda.


Every time his nephew pulled the engine on the Cuda, he put a new starter on it, as it was too difficult to replace when the engine and headers were installed in the car. The heat from the headers made the starters burn up quick, so he changed them whenever it was convenient when he pulled the engine as a precaution.

 

[baracus]

Let's get some quarter mile times. Had to be capable of easy twelve with good tires.

 

[krazykuda]

Let's get some quarter mile times. Had to be capable of easy twelve with good tires.

They guy that I met used to run mid 12's with just a cam, manifold, and carb.


He had an adjustable "staged" nitrous kit, and could only fit 9" slicks under it without altering the wheel wells, so his limitation was traction. ale: (He didn't want to cut an original GSS Dart - one of fifty)

His best run with nitrous was 11.17 sec, but still had some tire spin.... :burnout:


His car was an original Mr. Norm Dart GSS with about 45 k miles. He bought it from the original owner - an old man that used to pull a boat with it.... O


He showed us how he refills his nitrous bottles himself. He fixed dental equipment and was able to get a full size tank full of medical nitrous and filled his own bottles using a baby scale. Pretty cool.... :cheers:

 

[EL5DEMON340]

Yeah, but it wasn't Chrysler engineers who figured out how to put the 440 in the 69 Barracuda. It was the mechanics at Mr. Norms who he gave the task to who figured out how to do it in a 68 Dart.


Mr. Norm taught Chrysler how to do it. We talked about it when he signed my shirts.

That is why the head of Engineering at Chrysler had Mr. Norm show them how he did it. They told their boss that it couldn't be done easily/effectively. Mr. Norm showed them that it was possible by doing it..... And drove one up there to show them....


I met a local guy here back in the 80's that had one of the original Mr. Norms GSS Darts. He told me all about the mods that Mr. Norm did to make it. His nephew also had an original 69 440 Cuda.


Every time his nephew pulled the engine on the Cuda, he put a new starter on it, as it was too difficult to replace when the engine and headers were installed in the car. The heat from the headers made the starters burn up quick, so he changed them whenever it was convenient when he pulled the engine as a precaution.

I'm guessing the Chrysler engineers were more than smart enough to figure it out. Maybe it really wasn't on Chryslers too do list.

 

[krazykuda]

I'm guessing the Chrysler engineers were more than smart enough to figure it out. Maybe it really wasn't on Chryslers too do list.

No, Mr. Norm found a trick to make it easier than they thought.


Once he showed them, they said, that will work.... #-o

 

[Bulldozer]

No, Mr. Norm found a trick to make it easier than they thought.


Once he showed them, they said, that will work.... #-o

im holding my breath here lol was the trick to install it all from the bottom like the factory installed the 383 without the exhaust manifolds?

 

[krazykuda]

im holding my breath here lol was the trick to install it all from the bottom like the factory installed the 383 without the exhaust manifolds?

I can't remember what he said that they did to make it work. #-o


My memory ain't what it used to be.... ale:

 

[69 Cuda 440]

1969 'cuda 440

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

The 'first' tests runs down the track at Westhampton Drag Strip on
that cold Saturday in March 1969 were perfomed by our experienced
test driver > Cliff Gromer.

Nothing that our 'test team' {Fred Mackerodt and Sonny Falcone} could do, prevented the Barracuda from smoking the E70 x 14" tires.

While the Top Speed reached 104 MPH on several runs, the best Elapsed Time
was no better than 14.04.

Each of the runs were performed with the 727 Torqueflite left in 'Drive', and
the transmission went the thru the shifts at it's factory pre-set shift points.

* 1st-to-2nd shifted @ 4000 RPM's
* 2nd-to-3rd shifted @ 4500 RPM's

While the MPH thru the Traps was to our liking, the Elapsed Time's
were somewhat disappointing.

The 600 lbs. of Engine on the nose, and the puny E70 x 14" tires made the off-line traction abysmal with this car.

 

[318willrun]

I watched a guy restore one of these factory gems!! His car made it to the front cover of one of the Mopar magazines, unfortunately, they changed the green for the cover. It was a beautiful car in person, and done right on the rotisserie.

 

[69 Cuda 440]

1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Bilt For One Thing Only,

After our initial test runs at Westhampton Dragstrip, the Public Relations Department for Chrysler-Plymouth {Fred Tew and Kerry Smith} wanted to know our feelings.

We told them, the 440 'cuda needed some big help off the line, and we wanted to perform a 2nd Drag Test.

We said that the 14.04 ET was just a 'minor taste' of what this car could do. And based on a 'best' 104 MPH, we felt that the
Barracuda could easily get into the 13.60's.

We told Fred Tew, that the Barracuda was 'hindered' beyond belief with E70 x 14" tires and 3.91 Cogs.

Then Fred had Kerry Smith arrange for us to bring the 'Limelight Green Freak' over to Rockville Centre Dodge for some adjustments.

This Dodge Dealership, located on Sunrise Highway in Nassau County, is the 'Center of Performance' for Dodge and Plymouth
hot cars in Long Island and the '5' boroughs around New York.

The Performance Department is loaded with talented 'Mopar Nuts',
that know their stuff.

If you tell them the problem, 99% of the time they have the tools
and parts to fix it.

 

[69 Cuda 440]

1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only

Well we headed over to Rockville Centre Dodge on Sunrise Highway for an 'in-house' tweaking for our press-test car, the 440 'cuda.

The Director of Performance at Rockville Centre Dodge is 'Al Kirschenbaum'. He first sent the 'Cuda over to one of his big-block specialist's 'Ace'.

The first task, was to tackle the Timing Chain. Ace said that a high-strength double-roller Timing Chain is neccesary for the 440, to ensure proper Valve timing and to prevent any loss of power at high RPM's.

Ace said, that most of the factory chains will quickly stretch out and have more than 1/8" play {+.125"}, and that will effect performance.

Ace likes to have the Timing Chain set at a 'firm-to-tight' tension. He
replaced the stock unit with a 'Sealed Power' double-roller unit.

 

[YY1]

With today's tire and suspension technology, and some aluminum engine components-

This car is capable of having the best of both worlds:

Unmatched 1/4 mile times even by most new cars, and better than average if not road course handling.

I wonder why they planned on almost 2 to 1 Darts to Cudas? Weight?
I believe the Cuda rear glass is actually a benefit for traction as well as handling...
...and the Cuda quarters and wheel wells are already large enough to run almost any tire you could want.

If the 383 fit, why is it such a stretch of the imagination to suggest a 440?
I don't get that at all.

I'll take two please, and auto for the strip and manual with a Passon 5 speed for the street.

 

[69 Cuda 440]

YY1

Not quite sure what Mopar's plan was, other than to just get them out there
in mid-1969.

Model ...........................Production ...... Shipping Weight

1969 GTS 440 Dart......... ..... 640 ............... #3229 lbs.
1969 440 'cuda 'Fastback' ..... 299 ............... #3279 lbs.
1969 440 'cuda 'Notchback' .... 45 ............... #3204 lbs.

 

[ddartdude]

YY1

Not quite sure what Mopar's plan was, other than to just get them out there
in mid-1969.

Model ...........................Production ...... Shipping Weight

1969 GTS 440 Dart......... ..... 640 ............... #3229 lbs.
1969 440 'cuda 'Fastback' ..... 299 ............... #3279 lbs.
1969 440 'cuda 'Notchback' .... 45 ............... #3204 lbs.

The difference in weight of the 3 vehicles is all located over the rear wheels. All fastback Barracudas, no matter what year, have a traction advantage over the same model year Darts and notchback Barracudas.

 

[69 Cuda 440]

Alan

Correct

1969 Rear Glass Weight

* Dart ............................. 19.7 lbs.
* Barracuda 'Notchback' ..... 19.7 lbs.
* Barracuda 'Fastback' ....... 56.0 lbs.

Also, the Barracuda 'Fastback' had a heavier Rear Seat {+27 lbs.},
due to the heavier seat frame and fold-down hinge assembly.

Also, there was additional body metal around the Rear Window
frame of the Fastback {+12 lbs.}.

 

[dusterdoug]

What's amazing to me is that is could even go 104 MPH with the OE driver's side exhaust manifold. That was a built in throttle stop!

 

[69 Cuda 440]

1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only

'Ace' reassembled the front engine components with our 'new' Double-Roller
Timing Chain.

Then for a 'bonus' he installed a special Fuel Pump. 'Ace' said that the stock
440 Fuel Pump puts out fuel pressure at {3.5 to 5.0 lbs.}. That is fine for the
street, but 'Ace' said he likes to use the Hemi-type Fuel Pump which can
maintain between 7.0 to 8.5 lbs.

This would ensure enough fuel for our thirsty Carter AVS 750 Carburetor at
the big-end, where it seemed to starve a bit during our test runs.

 

[RustyRatRod]

No, Mr. Norm found a trick to make it easier than they thought.


Once he showed them, they said, that will work.... #-o

Read the same thing all my life. That Chrysler learned it from Mr. Norm. Before that, they were not even thinking of trying it.

 

[69 Cuda 440]

Read the same thing all my life. That Chrysler learned it from Mr. Norm. Before that, they were not even thinking of trying it.

Oh, so very wrong my friend.

That same story has been told by Mr. Norman Kraus for a very long time.

Same thing with the 'first' 383 in a 1967 A-Body.