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I loved my old toys to,and there are a few i kick my ass for ever selling,but my memory doesn't glorify them,or make them faster then they actually were,lol.I'm not knocking the 1320 or Demon at all. If I was looking for fuel mileage and A/C I'd pick the 1320 all day but I'd still have a bigger smile if I could find my favorite old car to drive. Mine was my daily driver and can't tell you the amount of times I'd raise the hood just to see if I could adjust something to improve it. I don't have one now because I can't find one I can afford and plus I really don't know if I'd want to drive it on the road with the drivers we have on the road now anyway, lol. I could probably afford a Demon or 1320 before I could afford the older one I'd want with the ridiculous prices they want for them. I may could afford one if they would keep the sentimental value and just sell me the car, lol. You're right about me glorifying the old days tho, I had a blast and miss a lot of things about them, even adjusting my dual points, lol
What you did in your teenage years doesn't really apply now,lol. I used to think 4.88 gears / 4,000 rpm at 60 mph / no power steering or power brakes and drum brakes were great in a daily driver when i was 18,lolI guess we all have different memories and it's good to be different. I was always proud of my cars and felt like I took care if them and could go where I wanted. I remember when I was 16 and me and 2 other people took my first car ('65 Dodge Polara which had 3.91 gears) to Daytona Beach Florida because we had never seen the ocean or beach. It was winter time in the Va area we were from and we drove all the way to Daytona Beach. Was hardly anyone there (was winter time to them too) 70 degree weather, so we stayed about 20 minutes and decided we seen sand and water and turned around and went back to 12 inches of snow when we returned. lol. I still like traveling like that and don't own a vehicle I didn't think would do it. I need to stop, I'm smiling to much remembering the past. Hopefully everyone has great memories of their youth.
I 2nd all you say here.While I in no way shape or form can deny the awesome power of today's cars the older ones are the ones "I" appreciate. Our older cars was man against machine. We had carburetors that would bog if you didn't know how to adjust them. We had 3 gears if you had an automatic and 4 if you had a manual. Today's cars have 6 and 8 gears. We used wrenches and screwdrivers to work on them, not a laptop. We didn't have roller cams (from the factory), fuel injection ect.... If we did good at the drag strip or on an old country road on the weekends it was "us" not a computer. Our old cars had "raw" horse power, triple valve springs pushing on solid lifters on the lobes of the cams. When I race my modern truck today I feel like a steering wheel holder, I launch it (which is easier than my old cars) and steer it till the end of the track and let off. The truck, computer, transmission does all the rest. If I had my window down I could put my elbow out like a normal Sunday drive. My old cars if it did good racing it was because of me knowing how to drive it or if it did bad it was because I didn't know how to drive it. Sorry for the long rant but that's the only reason I wouldn't compare the 1320 and Demons to the A12 but I also wouldn't try to put the A12 in the class of the 1320 or the Demon. I highly respect them all tho in their own class! In the end I also see what they are saying some what. Just my own opinion!
Thank you sir, I lived it and loved it!I 2nd all you say here.
Most liked the'70 and up E body Cuda's. The '67 thru '69 were always my favorite. I'm the oddball once again but I like being different! That would be a great street car for today for me!Old Meets New With This Hellcat-Powered 1967 Plymouth ’Cuda Project!
Schwartz Performance built this 1967 Plymouth Barracuda and did a Hellcat engine swap for a fresh take on this classic ’Cuda.
Steven RuppWriterMatt LankfordPhotographerAug 23, 2024
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We’ve all heard the line “I’m going to fix it up one day!” Generally, the owner of some long-held, stalled-out project car says it with such confidence that we believe it’s going to happen. Well, most of the time it doesn’t, and the car sits, eventually becoming one of our barn find stories. But sometimes the owner follows through and their long-held classic car dream is finally realized.
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Meet ***** Fowler’s high-school 1967 Plymouth Barracuda. He’s owned it all these years while growing up and living in Alaska with the intention of working it over “one day.” The day came when he read up about Schwartz Performance’s G-Machine chassis and placed an order. As Jeff Schwartz told us, “He couldn’t find a shop in Alaska to make it all happen, so he hired us to complete the build for him.”
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The plan was to work-over the exterior of the Cuda and add some modern touches without killing the vintage vibe of the classis Mopar. TruckLite LED headlights were added along with a modified front bumper to house a pair of driving lights. A custom front chin spoiler was fabricated to add a bit of aero along with a rear spoiler that was grafted to the trunklid. Fowler wanted a Hellcat swap for the Cuda, so the engine bay and inner fender panels were worked-over to accommodate the massive Mopar mill. This also meant the hood had to be heavily modified to clear the blown Hellcat while keeping the factory die-cast grille inserts. When the bodywork was perfect, the Cuda was shot in a BMW Tanzanite Blue Metallic paint that Fowler’s wife chose, along with a custom Hemi hockey-stripe graphic.
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As mentioned, the Cuda sits on a Schwartz Performance bolt-in G-Machine Chassis with single-adjustable Ridetech coil-overs, a power steering rack, and a quartet of 14-inch Baer Pro-Plus disc brakes working with a full-floater rear hub system. To tame body roll, there are splined front and rear sway bars with aluminum arms. The Hellcat-swapped Mopar rolls on 18x8.5-inch and 18x11-inch GT3C Forgeline wheels, with custom “Cuda fish” center caps wrapped in 245/35/18 and 315/30/18 Pilot Sport rubber.
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The star of the show is this Mopar Performance Hellcrate 6.2-liter supercharged crate engine. It comes in at the factory-rated 707 hp and, to clear the hood, runs Schwartz’s low-profile intercooler manifold. The engine runs the Mopar ECU and harness along with the OE serpentine drive system. To clear the chassis there’s a Milodon low-profile rear-sump Hellcat oil pan, and Schwartz fabricated the coil pack covers before shooting the entire engine in metallic silver. The boosted mill is cooled via a C&R Racing aluminum radiator and fed by a custom EFI tank, with Hellcat 525 fuel pump, from Rick’s Tanks.
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Backing up the Hellcat is a performance-built GM 4L80E transmission (surprise!) with a US-SHIFT electronic trans controller. A custom driveshaft with 1350 U-joints spins the power back to the Moser full-floating 9-inch housing with Currie third member, 31-spline axles, and TrueTrac differential with 3.70 gears.
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For the interior, Schwartz crafted a custom console, dash, and instrument cluster and added a few more “Cuda fish” emblems throughout. The aluminum gauge carrier is accented with touches of carbon fiber and Autometer gauges track the vitals. There’s a Digital Guard Dog pushbutton start system and Procar by Scat Rally seats with custom upholstery keep the occupants in place. The OEM-style center console was updated with billet switches as well as a Lokar shifter, and passengers stay comfy thanks to the Vintage Air system.
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Add it all up and we feel the result is a pro-touring ride that is just the right mix of classic style and modern performance. The body mods and updates are there, but they aren’t overdone, and the car still oozes sixties cool while getting all the modern performance we’ve become accustomed to. We’re also pretty sure it’s the baddest Mopar in our 50th state.
My dream lately is a 72 to 74 Cuda with a Hellcat and 8 speed swap,with A/C /cruise etc,lolMost liked the'70 and up E body Cuda's. The '67 thru '69 were always my favorite. I'm the oddball once again but I like being different! That would be a great street car for today for me!
Do it!My dream lately is a 72 to 74 Cuda with a Hellcat and 8 speed swap,with A/C /cruise etc,lol
My buddy even has a brand new Hellcat crate engine sitting on an engine stand,he'll sell me,lol
Just money and common sense holding me back,lolDo it!