Baracuda

[blackfire93]

has anybody ever raced a baracuda with their f-body? i was just wondering because my friend just got a 1973 4-speed baracuda with a 360 in it. it needs a little work but when he's done it should be a really nice car. as far as i know the only mods it has are headers. i took a ride in it and got to drive it and it doesn't feel as fast as my car but maybe i'm just thinking that subconsciencely. anyway we're planning on a race soon and i was just wondering if you people think i'll have a chance or not.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

"has anybody ever raced a baracuda with their f-body? i was just wondering because my friend just got a 1973 4-speed baracuda with a 360 in it. it needs a little work but when he's done it should be a really nice car. as far as i know the only mods it has are headers. i took a ride in it and got to drive it and it doesn't feel as fast as my car but maybe i'm just thinking that subconsciencely. anyway we're planning on a race soon and i was just wondering if you people think i'll have a chance or not."

I haven't raced one but I have owned an old Dodge. I love these old cars. A 1973 Cuda is an E-body. The Chryslers were really detuned in 71. They were pretty heavy too around 3500 pounds. It probably has 3.23 gears in it. Compression ratio dropped from 10.5:1 to 8.5:1. They put really wimpy cams in them too but they are just about bullet proof. I new a guy who built a 440 for his and tried to blow up the stock 318 before he pulled it out. He put a brick on the gas pedal, it went to 5000 rpms, ran for about a half an hour like this until it overheated and stopped running. It cooled off and fired right back up.


If you have a LT1 350, He might jump out through 1st gear but that shouldn't last very long. Stock, the Cuda is about a 15 second 1/4 mile car. He doesn't really have a prayer. Just do it at the nearest drag strip. I'm just getting tired of seeing people getting killed street racing and it gives performance cars a bad name. OK off my soap box.

BTW great song.

[Injuneer]

For all their rumble, 60/70's "muscle cars" weren't all that fast by modern standards. And as noted in the post above, in 1971 just about all of them were "detuned" for emissions..... cars that were running 12:1 CR big blocks suddenly became 8:1 boat anchors. My 1966 GTO 360HP, 389ci Tri-Power (3x2bbl carbs), wide-ratio 4-speed, 3.55 Saf-T-Trak rear was "highly competetive" in that era, but was only a 14.5 - 15.0-second 1/4-mile car. The weights were high, and the HP was "gross", as opposed to the "SAE net" ratings that took over in the early 1970's.

I wouild say stock to stock, the 4th Gen F-Body should have the edge over the Barracuda. Now if it was a 'Cuda "Hemi Under Glass" it would be a 12 to 13-second wheel stander, but those are sort of rare (Performin' Norman probably has a couple ) Also unlikely that the 'cuda is truely "stock" at this point in its life.....

[Performin Norman]

I just sold my 71 Cuda Vert 440 6 pak. It was pushing about 400 engine horsepower. I think just about any V8 car on this board could beat it.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Not in looks. Man that is one nice car. That is my favorite mopar. I had a friend who had a 71 340 Cuda. It was brown with the black 340 on the side. I put the motor in it for him. The tach went to 8500 and I have seen it burried before. Oh and yours was a convertable too. How many 440-6 pack convertable 71 Cudas were made. Maybe 10.

I have a video clip for you guys. Let me see if I can get it uploaded to my wifes web site tonight. A 71 Hemi cuda during burnouts. WOW what a machine.

[markd79ta]

The 426 Hemi and the 440 6 pack Cudas were extremely fast cars. I prefer the 440 far more then the Hemi. The Hemi is great at WOT and it has bragging rights, but I wouldn't want to cruise one in town. The 440s are unruly, cold blooded, but far more reliable. The 360s were okish, but a '73 360 doesn't have much stock. Your friend should find a 440 to put in this thing, and then he would have something. I sure wouldn't want to meet him at the track if he did. There was a good race at the nationals last weekend between at 426 Cuda and a 427 Camaro. The Camaro beat it by a .1 of a second. I never thought too much of the small block Mopars.

[Joe 1320]

Originally posted by Performin Norman
I just sold my 71 Cuda Vert 440 6 pak.

Norm, that is sooooo sweet. As far as Mopars go, there aren't many that I didn't like. My best friend's 440 Charger got us in trouble several times while growing up. It sounded like a full race ready stock car. Must have been the headers and straight 3" pipes. I think if I were going to get into any of these it would have to be a blown and tubbed Hemi Dart GTS convertible. The baddest engine in the lightest body.

[Performin Norman]

Here's the funny thing. My first car was a 71 Dodge Challenger. They are sister/brother cars made in the same factory. My two favorite mopars.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

OK try that. Oh and turn up the sound. I hope you have a subwoofer.

http://claire-marie.net/Awsome_HEMI_...r_BURNOUT.mpeg

[blackfire93]

my car

just in case you didn't know what your suppose to be comparing the baracuda to... my car is a 1993 formula that's mostly stock.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Originally posted by Jeff 95 Z28

... Just do it at the nearest drag strip. I'm just getting tired of seeing people getting killed street racing and it gives performance cars a bad name. OK off my soap box.

Did you check out where he is from? Montana, lol... no worries...

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Sorry we got carried away. There are several people who grew up in the "olden" days.

[Joe 1320]

Originally posted by Jeff 95 Z28
There are several people who grew up in the "olden" days.

Watch it..... LOL!

As far as the comparo of the 93 Formula to the 'Cuda..... You should be able to smoke him. Just make sure you don't smoke the tires, or you may have to make up ground.

[Performin Norman]

I'll be at the mopar nationals next month. I hope I don't back with and E body.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Take lots of pictures. http://www.moparnats.org/ I have some pictures of a national wing car meet here in Atlanta in 1984. I'll scan them and post them somehow.

On another note, I got to ride in a General Lee used in the show years ago. It had a "healthy" 440 in it and yes the doors worked. It had low back bucket seats and an 8 track AM only radio. It had a weight box in the trunk to add weight to get the car to fly level. 350 pounds for a small block and 550 for a big block. They had a scrap book with a ton of pictures of wrecked General Lees and Plymouth Fury police cars. 2 car carriers loaded with wrecked furys.

OOPS I forgot this is a F-Body Forum. I would like to find an E-body pisol grip and put in a late model F-Body.