Montag, 12. Dezember 2011

Hard hat

I picked up some instant style with a period correct seventies Helmet. Courtesy of "Toxic Tom", a true artist with the paintgun and long brush! The deep metalflake really comes out in the sunshine, unfortunately there isn't a lot of sunshine in this part of the world in the middle of december...

The gold leaf digits reflect the build year of the 'Cuda, so I guess that pretty much defines weather I'm ever going to sell the car or not *Hararar*



Donnerstag, 1. Dezember 2011

Take a seat



They don't recline, they dont swing forward and they're not adjustable. Nevertheless, I picked up a set of contemporary sport seats to have a little more support while cornering. The red blends in well with the rest of the interior. I want to have them easily interchangeable with the original seats and mount them for the more sporting trips with the 'Cuda!

Montag, 14. November 2011

Having a ...

Time for a break!

Sonntag, 13. November 2011

Fuel pump



I don't need it at the moment, but if a bigger engine should come along one day, I have this electric fuel pump waiting. The aerospace pump is good for engines up to 850 horsepower, so it should handle any hemi-project I might indulge upon.

Mittwoch, 9. November 2011

Finishing touches

I finally got around to putting an antenna in the front fender of the 'Cuda. It's not a correct vintage mopar antenna but a cheapo piece from the local autoparts store. The cable is routed through the proper hole inside the fenderwell. Now the Cuda is practically finished with everything in working order - but this project still has miles to cover. The possibilities are sheer endless, from more power via a bigger engine or fuel injection, to a slick fivespeed manual overdrive transmission, better brakes, or further suspension upgrades. I'll see what my time and pocketbook permit in the course of the coming years. Goal will be to make the 'Cuda handle better, be quicker and more reliable than it was when new. Additional wheels will also certainly be in store...


An upgrade I was advised to invest in is this chrome ignition box. It is said to be superior to the ornage one I had installed, not being built in China, we'll see next season.




Dienstag, 18. Oktober 2011

Last run

Another weekend of spirited driving through the beautiful autumn countryside lays behind the 'Cuda. Unfortunately I left my camera at home so you will not be able to enjoy the images imprinted in my memory.

This was the last outing for the season, over the winter I will try to make further improvements to the 'Cuda to make it better yet....stay posted!

Freitag, 14. Oktober 2011

Wrenchin'



A new addition to the toolbox. A gearwrench set from Kamasa. I already had a metric set and really love to work with it so I picked up a seven piece SAE spec set as well.

More carb work

More fiddling with the carb. Since the 'Cuda was still running a little rich, I'm now trying out different jet sizes. Changed from 69 to 64 on the 600 cfm Holley and will see how the effects are.

Mittwoch, 5. Oktober 2011

Slick wheel

I fitted  a 15X8 inch Aero wheel  for test purposes ...including a bada** looking nascar slick!


Carb swap



I've been fiddling with the carb for quite some time. The original carb has the engine running fine but it's consuming irrational amounts of fuel, soiling up the rear of the car in the process. I sourced a replacement, a 600cfm Holley from Germany to see if things get better. The carb is really almost the same as the original Holley, safe for the electric choke.

Montag, 22. August 2011

More pics

Thirsty contestants lining up for gas at the only service station in town after the first day...

A pristine '69 Camaro convertible








































Cars &Friends

I had the privilege of joining a select group of gearheads for one weekend of exciting mortoring in the Austrian Alps. The "Cars and Friends" Ralley led us over mountain passes and along some of the most scenic roads of the western most part of the county.


There were numerous faboulous cars brought to the starting line, ranging from early Porshe 356's, E-Type Jags, a Toyota 2000 GT and many more. One of the highlights was this Aston Martin DBR2 from the fifies.


The 'Cuda ran flawlessly all weekend, gulping up miles and miles of wonderful tarmac. Only on the way home I had an issue with a dead battery after I suppose the alternator is not supplying sufficient current.



Long sweeping uphill curves are the natural habitat of the fresh bigblock








Samstag, 13. August 2011

Stance

Since stance is everything, I lowered the rear by one inch. I think it looks perfect now. The difference was not accomplished by an engineering marvel - just simple lowering blocks - but it helps the looks a lot and does not interfere with handling. I also adjusted the red Konis a little softer as the rear was a little choppy.


Mittwoch, 10. August 2011

Let there be light

More work on the rear lights




I was not entierly comfortable with the rear turn signals being red - they are mandatory amber in this country - for fear of having a hard case in the event of a possible accident. So I put colored bulbs in the backup light bezel a while ago to change the turn signal color. Since this left me without functioning backup lights my friend Robert came up with a creative idea. Three small leds drilled into the bezel on the underside enable a white light for backup .. Problem solved, thank's Robert!















Freitag, 5. August 2011

Suspension Upgrade

I had new tubular upper A-arms installed yesterday. They are from Hotchkis-Suspensions, and seem much more stable and sturdy than the previous pieces. In addition to that, these A-arms are fully adjustable and feature a unique geometry corretion bracket to improve cornering ability and steering response. Ball joint rod ends also add to the quality feel.

Montag, 1. August 2011

Interior

As you may have noticed the vigours of keeping the family and my employer happy have kept me from working on the 'Cuda for the last couple of weeks. Nevertheless a few improvements were done to the car. Being a non-smoker, I Installed one of those big tachometers instead of the ashtray. It's nice to know what the engine is up to even with an automatic transmission. Next to the tach is an fm radio, not an original mopar but a period correct blaupunkt unit out of the early seventies. It has been serviced and equipped with the possibility to plug in an i-pod. The tach is hooked up in the meantime, radio will fill the interior with cool tunes soon.

Wheel choice once more



Aaron from New Zealand suggested dark wheels with a fine red stripe around them for the 'Cuda. What a tasteful combination! It's exactly what I had on this Audi I used to own a few years back. I really miss that car now and then...




Road trip

I helped a good friend pick up a 1964 Ford Galaxie in northern Germany. He'd been looking at the car for quite a while and now was the time to bring it home. The Galaxie is fitted with a 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet engine with dual quad carbs and is very presentable.

Red with a white top seems to be a quite common color combination in the area. The Galaxie made the 500 mile trip home without breaking a sweat and will have found a good home after initial registration formalities in Austria.



Mittwoch, 29. Juni 2011

At the wheel

As I feel there is still room for improvement on the color of the wheels, I had a friend at the office do some quick renderings of a few color choices on the computer. Red and black are my current favorites...






















Sonntag, 26. Juni 2011

More tracktime

More pics of the first trackday for the 'Cuda. Here next to Muggis killer '70 Hemi-powered Coronet.

Some tight turns on the track..









At the track

I was able to spend a wonderful day at the racetrack at the Austrian Mopar Nationals! Although the 'Cuda is not quite finished yet, it's built to be driven so I took it out for a couple of shakedown runs.







The movie was made by Richard on his mobile phone, he was kind enough to let me have it so I can share it with you.



Mittwoch, 22. Juni 2011

New wheels

I got new wheels for the 'Cuda. Contemporary 15 inch road race wheels.
I'm still searching for a less prominient place for the licence plate. A little lower and set back more.


Still working on the stance, seems a little high in front right now.





Greetings from the new tires :-)







Donnerstag, 9. Juni 2011

Two new parts

Picked up some parts to be mounted! The licence plates that go with the registration. Not really expensive but not easy to come by either. You can't choose the number unless you pay an additional charge so I let chance rule. I find the DoubleD at the end quite fitting for the bigblock actually...

Donnerstag, 2. Juni 2011

Donnerstag, 26. Mai 2011

Floor it

The 'Cuda is back on the ground after a late night operation on the torqueflite to get the shifting issue under control.