Pain...

[Hud]

Some of you all know me as having a 73 dodge charger... I ended up selling this running driving tagged and licensed car w a 440, to buy a 71 Barracuda.  The body work is completely done, the paint is good, and I have pretty much the entire car in boxes in my garage.  I have a 4-speed for it but no engine yet beside a bare 440 block w heads.  Do you ever get that feeling like you have bitten off more than you could chew?  I currently already have decent money in this thing and its so far from being drivable. Half the time I feel like putting it up, and the other half feel like I may get it done sometime when I'm too old to enjoy it.  Anyone have any thoughts, encouragement?  I cant find another car in this shape for what I have in it so I think I'm on the upside financially, but what fun is a toy that you cant play with.

I think another problem is that I wasn't the one that took the car completely apart, so putting it back together piece by piece is slow and painstaking.  I suppose I could by a rotted out 71 as a guide, but that doesn't put me any closer in all reality because a rotted out car would cost me more than what I have in this clean one...

Bummed out I suppose...  Love the garage ornament, but what to do, what to do... 

[polywideblock]

congratulations even in pieces you own my "dream" car,nice colour too. I've watched the prices on these go through the roof over the last 30 years ,by the time i could afford one, i couldn't afford it anymore. you've got a 1st class ride, I'd be happy just sitting in it and making brrrm noises and thinking what its going to be like to drive. that's an  A1 car     what colour int. is going in it?

[Hud]

lol, that is what I do when I am home... sit in it and make vrmmm noises lmao.  The interior will be white, except carpet and dash, (black)  Love the car, hell its one of my dream cars.  Just cant help to be a little dissatisfied.. Maybe its because I am 1000's of miles away from it right now, and can just dwell on how much I have to do to it.  Hopefully the ill will fades when I return home. They only thing I have to recover is the front seats, I have everything else for the interior.  I do have one small gauge in the dash pad but no cracks.  Haven t decided if I will try to fill it in somehow or get a new one.

What gets me the most is the mechanics..  I have to get absolutely everything that goes under the hood and everything I look at seems to be a rip off.

[Hud]

polywideblock you have a 71 rt, come on now man, you know you love that thing!  Lmao my dream list was a 70 RR or GTX, 71 Cuda, 71 Charger R/T, 68 Charger R/T.  Looks like you are sitting pretty well with a RR and RT Charger.  I had to give up on a Cuda and settle for a barracuda the prices were so unreal.  Always hoping to hit that lottery that I don't play lmao.

[polywideblock]

yea got a pretty good deal on the charger ,still waiting for it to arrive another month!,even so it's worth half as much as a comparable cuda or even barracuda. the roadrunner is in paint /panel won't see her again for about 18 months so in a way i know how you feel.if only you could click your fingers and have it done    just have to be patent, good things take time so they say.the runner has the same int. in it m6xw white  everythingwith black carpet /dashlooks great  and a lot cooler in the Summer sun  .every time i look at your pics i think you lucky B    I've been in love with those cars since the first time i saw "the never dead"(phantasm)  Reggie's cuda was way cool

[Hud]

Some people that don't really follow these cars think that I overpaid for her because she is a barracuda and not a cuda. To be honest, I cant find another car even remotely close to this car for the same amount of money Barra. Cud, or Gran Coupe. If I even find a car that isn't outrageous its generally rotted from head to toe, and without any metal work still more expensive than what I paid for her. I'm not going to reveal what I paid, in the event I ever have to let her go but the icing on the cake was that she was local, and it was delivered to my driveway with no additional fee's.  lol maybe I should talk on here more.. I'm starting to see the bright side of things again instead of dwelling on the crap that I will be able to fix with time..

[Dino]

Regardless of what you paid, she's yours, she's at your house and she's waiting to burn some rubber so be commited to the car.  Forget about what could have been and focus on what is.  Every day do a bit of work to it, does not matter what.  Even if you take only a single bolt, take all the old crud off and paint it, it's something off the list.  Do not, EVER, set a finished date, it'll come and go as will the next and the next and...you get the idea.

This car is yours, it's nobody elses so all the work you put in needs to be for you.  If you're stil lin agreement then you will be fine.  If, however, you're making faces reading this, get the weight off your shoulders and sell all you have, and don't even think about breaking even.

[Hud]

Dino I get you, I really do.  Getting money out of the car isn't my prerogative.  If it came down to getting rid of it, I'm sure I wouldn't be in the neg anyway.  What gets me, is not knowing the best route to go about things.  I think drive train, brakes and enough to be able to drive it to the auto hobby shop on base would be the place to start, but then I get to thinking about undercoating, and sealing odds and ends really...  I shop around for engines, and I don't want to use feebay, i never see anything that looks to be decently priced, but then again nothing local is decently priced.  I gotta get some type of plan down.  Some type of structure and short term goals.  I don't have to set a long term the car will be done by this time, but do need some type of get this done before getting into something else / structure. 

I just haven't dealt with a car that has been tore down this far before so its definitely a challenge trying to figure out the order of things to do.
Again, I'm not at home with the car right now.  Im in Afghanistan, when I'm home, I'm sure my motivation about the build will return. Having something and not being able to anything with it, seems to make you dwell on the negative more than usual.  At least this time away allows me to save up a pretty good chunk of $$$.

Lol at least its in a garage and not sitting out in the weather

[Dino]

A good plan of attack is always a necessity, as you will know all too well.  But it's the shear size of the plan that usually gets people a bit drowsy.

There's no one way to do this but it helps to focus on one part of the build and one only, you can't fix 5 things at the same time.  First make sure the body is done.  So if you are going to make this a driver make sure all the loose undercoating is gone.  Use a good primer to go over the underside, seal what needs sealing and undercoat the entire thing.  That's a single weekend with a buddy and a few beers.  Now check out the electrical.  Is it all hacked up and spliced?  Yank it out and get new wiring.  Still looks good?  Measure it all out, re-insulate the loom if needed.  Now start on the interior, get your sound deadening in place and build it up bit by bit.

You still don't have an engine and much of the car will be done now so shift focus on that, see what the options are, ask questions and opinions here.  We'll help, you're not alone.

[Cooter]

If you don't have the money to throw away getting hosed on a perticular "done" car that IS running, then you are better off building one. Like this one. E-bodies are ALWAYS more money. Bottom line is this...There is NO such thing as instant gratification when it comes ot building your car.



Just think of it this way, many of us right here have to come by ours the hard way just as you. At least you will KNOW what you have in that thing when running and done. Too many horror stories here involving too many who tried that "Easy" route of buying one "Done", and end up with a Real Piece of sh*t. Nothing worthwhile is easy. If it were, we'd all be cruising by now.

[twodko]

First. That is a gorgeous car. I think you got lucky acquiring that ride. Think of what it will be like driving that classic. Stuff in boxes, overwhelmed, don't know where to start? Don't dwell on how much reassembly there is, just take on one sub assembly - assembly at a time. Do it right the first time. Like Dino says, of you get stuck just post up and the help you need with pix (more than likely) will come your way most riki tik. One thing at a time and enjoy every last bolt crank, screw turn and fitment. If my assumption is correct, remember all the daunting things you had to accomplish to get where you are right now. Good to go?

[Hud]

Cooter, twodko

I appreciate it folks.  Ill keep at it as time permits, when I get home of course and just ask when I need to move to something new. Instead of letting it get to me, and just learn as I go.  I swear sometimes its like you are in the dark, and I swear I have considered trying to find another one just to take it apart so I could figure out what I needed to do to put this one back together lol.  I'm on the cuda-challenger forum too I have just been here longer they seem like a great bunch of guys too.  In the end the knowledge is here, and I need to quit being a stubborn jack@ss and ask questions lol.

[polywideblock]

glad to see your back on track 

[ACUDANUT]

I take it your on, or near a base.  It sounds like you need another car guy to help you. The Military is full of lonely smart gear heads.  Put a wanted add (for help) at the hobby shop and you will find the right guy to move you along.

[resq302]

Basically I did the same thing with my car only when I got it, it was a driving car but needed a lot of work with the exception of the body.  What I did was start one area at a time such as engine, trans, axle, brakes, etc.  This way you break it up and can do it when you can afford it.  In the mean time, little things like painting parts and such just to have them ready when you have the funds to put everything together.  I have to say that I have a great amount of trust in my car knowing that 90% of everything that was done to my car, I either rebuilt myself or I installed after I got the item (engine, trans, etc) back from whomever.  This way you get to know your car and what goes on with it and what to do if something should break when you are out on a ride with it.

[4cruzin]

Hello HUD,  I like some of the advice you have received here and I'm sure between the dc.com and cc.com sites, you should be able to throw this together will little issue.  I am a MOD on the cc.com site and there are alot of very helpful people there as well as here!  I think a plan is the best way to start.  I built my 70 cuda from the ground up and have a ton of pictures from that.  It was stripped completely, media blasted, painted and re-assembled.  Chryco helped me alot as well and that man is extremely smart when it comed to MOPARS!  From what I have read, you have most of the parts and alot of the body work is complete . . . sounds to me like it is downhill from here.  I think the first thing to do is get the engine plan going and while that is happening, get started on the interior and other areas.  We will all help out when needed.   

[Cooter]

Don't forget, ALOT of us here have Chargers AND E-bodies...I have a 1970 Challenger clone myself. I know a little bout E-bodies, but still learning as you are. One things for sure though, you WILL know that Cuda inside and out once your done.

[ACUDANUT]

Cooter, what's a Challenger Clone. A Dart made to look like a Challenger ?.

[Hud]

lol i didnt catch that.. intriguing.  Maybe he meant a base model cloned into a RT or something 

[Rolling_Thunder]

Hud - where you from bro?     What you sound like you need is one or two guys in the know to come over once you get the pieces done and get it together.    With 2-3 guys it takes about 2 days to take a car from bare shell to running / driving.   

[Hud]

I'm from Jacksonville NC, about 10 min from Camp Lejeune.  I'm currently in Afghan on a year rotation.  I joined Port City Mopars via the internet, while over here but haven't met any of them yet.  I really have to get to know some people lol.  There is so much scandal in the area I'm hesitant to let to many people see what I have otherwise on one of the long stints overseas I may come home to an empty garage and empty boxes lol.

[Cooter]

Don't forget, ALOT of us here have Chargers AND E-bodies...I have a 1970 Challenger clone myself. I know a little bout E-bodies, but still learning as you are. One things for sure though, you WILL know that Cuda inside and out once your done.

Cooter, what's a Challenger Clone. A Dart made to look like a Challenger ?.

I believe if you had actually READ what I typed instead of just skimming my post and trying to be funny, you would have seen I typed "1970 Challenger clone".....Built from a 1972 Challenger.

[bill440rt]

Putting a car together from a bare painted shell is the fun part! The hard work has been done already! 
Many guys would kill to be in your shoes right now.

Go thru the parts you have in boxes. Organize them by category/section. Make a list of what can be saved, & what needs to be replaced.
Most importantly, get an FSM or one of those E-body restoration/reference books. Or better yet, both. READ! Then DO!
These cars are pretty simple, it should not be that hard. You CAN do this! Look at it this way, at this stage, it's "only" nuts-n-bolts! 

[Hud]

Don't forget, ALOT of us here have Chargers AND E-bodies...I have a 1970 Challenger clone myself. I know a little bout E-bodies, but still learning as you are. One things for sure though, you WILL know that Cuda inside and out once your done.

Cooter, what's a Challenger Clone. A Dart made to look like a Challenger ?.

I believe if you had actually READ what I typed instead of just skimming my post and trying to be funny, you would have seen I typed "1970 Challenger clone".....Built from a 1972 Challenger.

Thats what we were talking about Cooter, you left out the "built from a 1972 part," so we were in the dark.  Didn't know what type of clone you were talking about.  Whether it be a 1970 just cloned into a more desirable 70 or a latter year car, which you just cleared up.  You don't have to skim to see where to confusion came from.

[Hud]

bill440rt, I can handle nuts and bolts lol. Speaking of subject, I have read somewhere that you can order labeled in the package nuts and bolts for every part of you car that are already the right size as well as instructions for the more difficult areas.  I cant remember where I read it, and if it was on DC or CC.com, but if anyone knows what I am talking about I would greatly appreciate the info.  I can start ordering stuff I know I do need now, so when I get home its game on.