Supercuda's on the way back...after18 years!

-
Don't sweat the trunk weather strip issue. I had the same concern when I restored the California Flash....replaced the seal, adjusted my brain's out....turns out it only needed the sun to work its magic. One day outside and the seal relaxed, now shuts better than new with just a ....click.

Same /same with new door seals...a day in the sun works wonders.
 
HemiDenny said:
Don't sweat the trunk weather strip issue. I had the same concern when I restored the California Flash....replaced the seal, adjusted my brain's out....turns out it only needed the sun to work its magic. One day outside and the seal relaxed, now shuts better than new with just a ....click.

Same /same with new door seals...a day in the sun works wonders.
Click to expand...
Thanks HemiDenny,
It definitely is closing easier now than when I first installed it. Wonder how the factory managed to get it right when the car was built?? Probably a much pliable rubber Im thinking than the repop stuff
 
HemiDenny said:
Don't sweat the trunk weather strip issue. I had the same concern when I restored the California Flash....replaced the seal, adjusted my brain's out....turns out it only needed the sun to work its magic. One day outside and the seal relaxed, now shuts better than new with just a ....click.

Same /same with new door seals...a day in the sun works wonders.
Click to expand...

BTW, Denny, what supplier do you use for seals,weatherstrip etc...?
 
So... latest update on ole "Supercuda.

I discovered a minor oil leak where I had modified the base pan on my 360 Magnum to clear the bolt for the Alterkation Rack and pinion steering. No big deal I thought, just drop the pan, reweld the seam and Im done.
Wrong!
I'll make a long story as short as I can.

If you have a AlterKation kframe with the 8 quart Milodon pan as I have on a 360 Magnum , here's the procedure I used to remove basepan. (learned the hard way of course...)
1. Disconnect the power steering pump lines and drain the fluid.
2.Remove the front wheels.
3. Take the steel lines off the rack
4. remove the bolts holding the tie rods to the spindle.
5. Remove the rack completely
6. Remove starting motor
7. If 4-speed, remove inspection plate.
8. After removing basepan bolts, pan will easily drop out.
9. With the 8 quart Milodon pan, the standard Felpro one piece basepan gasket works fine with the LA style timing chain cover.

I hope this helps someone else that ends up in this situation.

Car back on the road, test drove 100 miles, no leaks.
 
AAndrews said:
BTW, Denny, what supplier do you use for seals,weatherstrip etc...?
Click to expand...

sorry....just saw this.

Metro, Soft Seal comes to mind. usually pick them up from various vendors at Mopar shows / swap meets. Never had any issues with any.
 
HemiDenny said:
sorry....just saw this.

Metro, Soft Seal comes to mind. usually pick them up from various vendors at Mopar shows / swap meets. Never had any issues with any.
Click to expand...

Just saw this HemiDenny,

Thanks for the info!

Cheers!
 
A very sad note in the resurrection of my car...

The guy who helped me restore it, John Best, the very first person to show it to me over 44 years ago passed away recently of major complications due to being a diabetic. I credit John to most of my knowledge of Mopars, especially A body Barracudas as he had and restored 5 of them. John was one of those rare people who would drop whatever he was doing to help out someone in trouble. He's the guy on the right in the jean jacket in my avatar. He was 64. Really going to miss you bud.

Godspeed...
 
Sorry for the loss of your good friend. It really does suck.

Godspeed John.
 
So SuperCuda's getting another upgrade..

I have decided that the 3;91's have to go. I have a 489 case that came with the car since I bought it. Open diff with 3;23"s. I contacted Cass at Dr. Diff and ordered new Clutch type Diff, new large U-Joint 29 spline yoke and 29 spline 3:55 Ring and pinion plus rebuild kit. I was going to invest in a Passon 5-Speed but I am tentative about its production schedule and availibility.

A big shout out here to Cass and his team..

I ordered thse parts on Jan 12th and received them on Jan 20th. I requested the parts be shipped via USPS and sure enough , they arrived way faster than any of the Courier companies such as UPS,Purolator, Fedex. I have shipped parts from most of the bigger suppliers, Classic,Year One, Summit etc.. and if I had bought similar parts from them I would still be waiting with no guarantee that they would be properly packaged as well as Dr. Diff did. On top of that , when considering shipping costs and customs /brokerage fees, it was cheaper.

Note to Canadian FABO members. This was a heavy package and I was still able to ship it via Postal Service. I didnt think it was possible before so check with your supplier if you need to ship heavier items. You will be pleasantly suprised.
 
Sorry to read of your Mopar mentor passing Al, way too young. Great news with Dr. Diff! Ive been contemplating an "upgrade" on ours from 323's up to 355's. If you dont mind how "bad" were the shipping costs?
 
4spdragtop said:
Sorry to read of your Mopar mentor passing Al, way too young. Great news with Dr. Diff! Ive been contemplating an "upgrade" on ours from 323's up to 355's. If you dont mind how "bad" were the shipping costs?
Click to expand...

About $ 240.00 US . For a very heavy reinforced box (Great job packaging it up Cass!!). Remember, I'm on an Island on the Far East Coast. You will be a lot less in Ontario so should be much cheaper for you. Shipping/Customs pricing for me is outrageous but what can you do? If I want the parts , I have to suck it up and pay.

BTW, Thanks for the condolences for John. He waqs such a great person, always willing to take the time to share his extensive knowledge in a way you could understand. Guys like him are becoming scarcer every day.
 
I just went through your entire build. What a let down hearing about John.:( You guys did an awesome job, and his memory will live on with "Supercuda".

One of the finest resto's I've seen. You should be proud.:thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the great compliment Troy!

Ya, John and I put a lot blood sweat and tears into ole Supercuda!

Really going to miss him as a lot of Summer evenings were spent congregating at his garage with other Car owners.

As I'm sure happens everywhere, it usually turned into a shitshow with a lot of bench racing, taunting other brand owners and trading barbs back and forth but always a laugh.

Makes me realize how little time we get to enjoy these cars. Have to take advantage of every opportunity to drive them.

Good luck with your build and post some pics when you can.

Cheers!!
 
So... latest on ole Supercuda.

I changed out the 741 case with the 3:91's and cone style suregrip to a 489 case with powerlok and 3:55's.
I'm finding it much better for cruising and the occasional highway trip. Better fuel mileage and not a huge loss of performance.

Also, I finally got a pic with the second owner of my car! Here's Mr Max Harding sitting in his old car. First time since 1972!!

On a much more bizzare note..

I met Max when he married my first cousin! We were talking cars when I discovered he used to own my Cuda!

What a wild series of events!!
DSCN5793.JPG
 
4spdragtop said:
That's a cool twist with a previous owner. Nice to see your happy with pumpkin swap!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve!

I initially was put off with the cost but now after installing it i'm glad I did.

Max (the second owner) is a very cool dude. Had a great chat with him about the history of the car . A lot of stuff I didn't know.
 
Ole SuperCuda participated in a Wheels for Wishes Carshow this weekend. It raised $50,000 for a buddy dog !!

Here's a pic they took while I was entering the registration line.

upload_2022-7-18_12-3-31.jpeg







Here's a pic of Nathan with... "Spiderman!!!!"

This years recipient of a new Guide/buddy dog.


8013_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=zPpNNiMfkJcAX-yLDJw&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.jpg



5695_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=i4cxzR5QkgcAX-is6wW&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
So.. another year later and now close to 8000 miles on ole Supercuda since it was restored.

Still far in the lead, the best modification to the car was the Alter-k-Tion front suspension and the 4 link StreetLynx rear setup.

Second, for me, was changing from an automatic to a 4-Speed.

I'm absolutely loving driving this car!!

A few minor mishaps, small chip in the paint on the upper valence, and, I drove a bee through my new custom built radiator (at about 90 mph !!)

Best events I've been a part of to date is the Wheels for Wishes Carshow to raise money for guide dogs for kids going blind.

This year's recipient of $50,000.00 for her guide dog was a 19 year old girl named Kylie who now will be able to attend University in the fall.

Boy, this one really tugged at the heartstrings when she addressed the crowd to thank everyone and tell her story!

There was waterworks everywhere, even the hardened ,stone faced participants couldn't hold back after listening to her.

Such a great event and I'm so glad I can participate and contribute in my own small way...

The car community here and everywhere else is just awesome!!

Cheers!!



1690559871299.png





1690559641012.png
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top