Mopar virgin checking in with new 1969 Barracuda - with questions.... ;)
Thank you, Cawley! I am sure that I will have lots more questions in the future as I dig into the car. It's a long learning curve to escape from the Darkside...LOL and I have to relearn everything I've ever been taught... ;) There is something magical about the fish. I was thinking about how it was marketed when it was new....the whole "pony car" concept and everything. So what it is, is a competitor to the Mustang and Camaro? It's a very light and maneuverable car, like a sports car but with a "big" V8 for lots of power. I know all those pony cars came with big blocks too during the HP wars. You have a big block in your Cuda - how does it handle? Certainly much more power but is it nose-heavy and awkward to drive (compared to the small block)? Being a gearhead, I'm always interested in (much) more power.... ;) but I've never driven a big-block powered pony car so I have no point of reference. Is the small block such a handicap when it comes to HP? Again, I'm thinking very long-term, as usual, and any future upgrades. Since my car no longer has the original engine, it wouldn't hurt resale value to install a different engine, and there's no such thing as too much HP. So would it be worth it to put in a big block (or hemi.. :) ) if the handling suffers tremendously? I suppose a 360 would be another option and I assume (knowing nothing of Mopars) that it could be stroked for more displacement. I'm constantly thinking of other upgrades to make, such as subframe connectors and rebuilt suspension, better springs and other stuff. I know that specialty companies have redesigned the front suspension of these cars. Is it worth it to do something like that for better handling, or just replace the parts with stock components? I'm definitely on a pauper budget, so that is a big factor. I'm trying to get ideas on what cheaper alternatives there are to improving various performance parameters. I really like this Cuda and even as great as it is now, I know it has huge potential to be a street killer against any of the modern cars out there. And I love doing that. In my past, I'd love to surprise modern Teutonic muscle cars with the brute power of my warmed-over 454 powered Monte Carlo, which basically never lost a stoplight race. However, that is a 2-ton beast and can't handle like a Cuda. So I'm looking forward to doing more surprising of unsuspecting modern cars that sell for 10 times what I have in the Cuda. That's what hot-rodding is all about and I think the fish is an ideal vehicle to carry out that campaign. What do you think?
