The first car feature goes to my uncles 1974 ‘Cuda. He has always been into cars, mostly older VW Beetles and Buses, but just last year he decided that he needed something with more power. Something that still fills that nostalgic portion of his heart, but also breaches into that ‘Muscle’ portion he has been yearning for. He began his search by looking online for a split bumper Camaro…but this yellow ‘Cuda kept popping up in his Facebook marketplace. None the less, split bumper Camaro was the aim so he pressed on.

Although many Camaro’s were available, none were matching up to what he wanted. Wrong color, wrong options, wrong price range, no split bumper, etc… He just couldn’t find what he was looking for…and yet again, this yellow ‘Cuda kept taunting him from his Facebook marketplace. After 5-6 months of searching, he finally decided to look into the ‘Cuda that had been tempting him. What he found out about the car was what finally swayed him: only ~12k 1974 ‘Cuda’s were produced and then they got more rare depending on options. Camaro’s were mass produced so they aren’t all that rare (with production numbers running in the hundreds of thousands and then options deciding the rarity from there) so he decided on the ‘Cuda, making him the second owner of the car!

Once Dave drove his ‘Cuda around, he realized that the performance was not keeping up with the looks. Although this car was restored and had the original 318 V8 engine, it only produced ~200 hp with the mods that were done to it (upped from ~150 hp). He needed MORE POWER!

He got in contact with a local Mopar guy and the consensus was to install a 496 wedge engine (which will put out ~500 hp and 500 ft/lbs of torque) to really get the ‘Cuda moving. So off the ‘Cuda went to get the engine built, installed, and other necessary modifications that would be needed to accommodate such power. The ‘Cuda will still harness the A727 3 speed auto transmission (beefed up to handle the added power), a Mopar 8 3/4 rear end, disc brakes, and a staggered tire setup for that muscle car look.

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The interior will remain the same because as you can see, it needs no changing. The slapstick shifter, the gauge cluster, vinyl interior, carpet, steering wheel, everything is still in great shape since its restoration.

Dave will soon be getting his ‘Cuda back and is looking forward to cruising and attending local car shows with it. He can’t wait and I can’t wait to go for a ride!