Deciphering a cars history. I hate 'owner two'.

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RSie

RSie

Idiot In Training
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The more I dig in my Cuda, the more I get the feeling I'm following 2 people that worked on this car. I'll call them Owner one (O1), and Owner two (O2).

O1 spent a lot of time on this car. Replaced the factory 318 2 bbl, 904, and 8 1/4 (from the tag and build sheets) rear with a '70 340, 727, and 8 3/4 rear. Beautiful paint. I think he (or she) got it with the front end smacked in, hence the '68 header panel and hood. I can tell the seats were redone professionally.

I think after O1 had done all this, the car sat for a long time. Pulled lots of mice nests out of the frame rails and torsion support. The seats still look like new underneath, so they didn't get there.

O2.. I want to kick in the groin area. Probably bought it to flip. Didn't give a crap about spraying (with a rattle can no doubt) to make a spot on the interior to make it look better, and getting the seats in the process. 'Who cares! can't see that!'. Shove bondo into the rotted inner fenders, rattle can it!

The back end of the car looks good from what I've seen so far.. just hope O2 didn't work his 'magic' there too.

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Yep, we hope we are kicking ours forward with the right approach, took lots to get there and never through.
 
1969383S said:
Yep, we hope we are kicking ours forward with the right approach, took lots to get there and never through.
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I just can't understand on how someone would shove bondo in like that, and sell it. I only paid $1500.00 for the car ten years ago, knowing the dr. rail and torsion support were shot.. but if I were the guy that bought it and paying good money for it, and later found that bondo, it wouldn't even be 'hey, I want my money back'... it'd be a good ***-kicking time.
 
Man I feel for you. That's a **** ton of work but if everything else is not like that then you're golden! Frame rail looks good so if the outer body panels are good you can fix it up and match the colors with a blend. Looks like "02" got out of it when he could. Hang in there. Remember there are less and less of these cars every year so we have to fix what we have. :thumbsup:
 
Hellrats said:
Man I feel for you. That's a **** ton of work but if everything else is not like that then you're golden! Frame rail looks good so if the outer body panels are good you can fix it up and match the colors with a blend. Looks like "02" got out of it when he could. Hang in there. Remember there are less and less of these cars every year so we have to fix what we have. :thumbsup:
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Pass frame rail is shot too. Can stick my fingers through the top of the hump/UCA mount points.
I have a complete inner tub to go into it from a '74 Dart more-door I parted out last summer for it. Frame rails, inner fenders, torsion support as a unit.
Fenders and doors look nice.
Just pisses me off someone would sell this as a car capable of driving. Like I said above, if I had paid good money for it years ago, and found this later, it wouldn't be 'hey, I want my money back'. It'd be a straight out blindsided knockdown, with additional pummeling.
 
Hellrats said:
Ouch! Yea that's going be a project.
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Yep. Depends now on how much rot I find in the back. I really, really want to get this girl on the road.. but I have to be realistic. Doesn't help that I have a line on a pristine '68 Valiant 273 more door for under 2k. That would be a fun car with a 340, 727 and 8 3/4. I could probably make that car price out with parting the Cuda. Depends on what I find in the back of the Cuda.
 
Don't screw around fixing one side. It is easier to replace the front clip. It is so easy I can never figure out why guys would want to replace a rail or a fender well. We would do them in three days drive them in and drive them out. That is without OEM paint work. Sanding and blasting is not my cup of tea. and if my son isn't doing it these young guys have to wash up every 20 minutes .

Drop the suspension , motor and trans out the bottom. If the torsion cross has to be replace You will need a doner for that. When installing the clip do it without the K member and torsion cross member so you can so you can move the rails together to get the clip in. After it is in place put a K member in Bolt the fenders in place to make sure it is aligned right and use the rear cowl hole for height. Tack it in place remove the fenders and fill in the holes you punched into the clip. he charges 500 to 1000 if there is no motor and the seats and carpet removed. torsion cross members add more. I lost count of how many we did. I know three in the last year or two and two coming in. Daves clip is in the trailer ready to go on. We are waiting until my Darn Duster is together. When its your own car it don't matter how long its on the lift.

When its finished you cannot tell it was ever touched as long as you get the same year. They are all different but they all fit 67-76

This cuda is done and the Demon. The Demon has a 72 clip. If you know the cars you can see it. also the original paint did not match the Car. It was repainted at one time . Its getting quarters and trunk floor next. Then it goes for paint somewhere else . we do not paint complete cars for people here . To much equipment has to be rolled out of the back room

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Oldmanmopar said:
Don't screw around fixing one side. It is easier to replace the front clip. It is so easy I can never figure out why guys would want to replace a rail or a fender well. We would do them in three days drive them in and drive them out. That is without OEM paint work. Sanding and blasting is not my cup of tea. and if my son isn't doing it these young guys have to wash up every 20 minutes .

Drop the suspension , motor and trans out the bottom. If the torsion cross has to be replace You will need a doner for that. When installing the clip do it without the K member and torsion cross member so you can so you can move the rails together to get the clip in. After it is in place put a K member in Bolt the fenders in place to make sure it is aligned right and use the rear cowl hole for height. Tack it in place remove the fenders and fill in the holes you punched into the clip. he charges 500 to 1000 if there is no motor and the seats and carpet removed. torsion cross members add more. I lost count of how many we did. I know three in the last year or two and two coming in. Daves clip is in the trailer ready to go on. We are waiting until my Darn Duster is together. When its your own car it don't matter how long its on the lift.

When its finished you cannot tell it was ever touched as long as you get the same year. They are all different but they all fit 67-76

This cuda is done and the Demon. The Demon has a 72 clip. If you know the cars you can see it. also the original paint did not match the Car. It was repainted at one time . Its getting quarters and trunk floor next. Then it goes for paint somewhere else . we do not paint complete cars for people here . To much equipment has to be rolled out of the back room

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I TOTALLY AGREE. There will be less welding, and it will take less time. There will be a lot of measuring to do (exact measurements and making things square is important). I am guessing, however, that the thought of doing that will scare off most people who might otherwise try to tackle the individual pieces.
 
What has to be done is do not bend or change the tabs on the back of the rail while prepping it. Or the braces going to the rockers. Put the rails against the cross member level with the bottom. Move them out against the rocker braces. then put 5/16 bolts in the rear alignment holes in the rear of the fender well at the hinge area. This pretty much puts the clip where it has to go. Then install the hood and fenders to check alignment. If the braces with the holes coming off of the cowl are damaged or rusted then you will have to do some measuring.

My son is making a fixture to put the 108 cars on for body reassembly. We do enough of them so it will save time if we could put the body and the parts on a fixture then just weld them up. You would not believe how many race cars are out there that are twisted from removal of the fenderwells and they don't brace the rails.

We have one coming from Mike Curcio's race shop in Easton Pa. They cut the braces off to remake headers. They welded them back on with the rear slick flat. Now when you air it up the right front tire comes off the ground. They sent it out the door like that.
 
Double and triple check that you have the correct build sheet. Those cars did not come with the 8 1/4 that early.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
What has to be done is do not bend or change the tabs on the back of the rail while prepping it. Or the braces going to the rockers. Put the rails against the cross member level with the bottom. Move them out against the rocker braces. then put 5/16 bolts in the rear alignment holes in the rear of the fender well at the hinge area. This pretty much puts the clip where it has to go. Then install the hood and fenders to check alignment. If the braces with the holes coming off of the cowl are damaged or rusted then you will have to do some measuring.

My son is making a fixture to put the 108 cars on for body reassembly. We do enough of them so it will save time if we could put the body and the parts on a fixture then just weld them up. You would not believe how many race cars are out there that are twisted from removal of the fenderwells and they don't brace the rails.

We have one coming from Mike Curcio's race shop in Easton Pa. They cut the braces off to remake headers. They welded them back on with the rear slick flat. Now when you air it up the right front tire comes off the ground. They sent it out the door like that.
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Thanks for this reply, and the one above! This place rocks! Awesome to get advice from someone who's 'been there done that' multiple times.
My plan was to replace the whole clip together. I already have the clip from a 74 Dart I parted out last summer for this. I have to patch a few spots on it.. saving up for a gas bottle for my new mig welder.
Thanks for the advice and info on getting it fitted up right.
Just so ya know, I'll probably have lotsa questions for you when I get to the point of getting it back in. I know it's going to take me (with no experience doing something like this, and I stlll have to learn how to weld, lol) a lot more than 3 days to do it!
 
RustyRatRod said:
Double and triple check that you have the correct build sheet. Those cars did not come with the 8 1/4 that early.
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I double checked everything again. Broadcast sheets match the fender tag, VIN on the dash and rad support, and title.
It lists the axle as code 566, which all the decode stuff I found listed 566 as seat belts. I did find one post on here where someone said a 566 axle code is a 8 3/4 741 case. My car has a 489 case. End of the day it doesn't really matter, but kind of interesting.
 
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