Fuel Vent Line

I had to drill some holes in the passenger side trunk floor extension to mount the fuel vent line. Psychologically difficult, otherwise easy.

Said and done

Put the old fendertag back on...original, just as it was before the resto begann, including some of the original BL-1 paint. Couldn't resist to apply a thin layer of clearcoat though.

Fan belts

Got the fan belts and a few other odds and ends installed. It went quite easy and all the accessories line up well. The transarent overflow hose from the radiator cap doesn't quite look the part but will have to do untill I find a black hose in the right dimension.

Fendertag

I'm contemplating on mounting the old fender tag without restoring it. Including some rust, a little bit of paint redone at some time and oily stuff that won't go away. I'm thinking of it sort of as a tribute to the fact that the 'Cuda is a restored car and not a survivor. It would also reference the cars condition prior to restoration and be a nice contrast to the rest of the engine bay. I've seen this done on the internet on some car and liked the idea.

steering wheel

Test fitted the steering column and the steering wheel. The coupler does not sit on the steering box correctly yet but I hope to get that sorted out within the next couple of days.
It feels good to sit on the hot seat with something to hold on to again !!!

Added a few odds and ends such as the horns. Had them media blasted and painted them in glossy black, ready to be wired up.

Clean Air Act

I mounted the carb and placed the dual snorkel air cleaner assembly on top, along with the new pie tin with the "383" callout.

More red

Got the air vent bezels painted and reinstalled the airvents. One of the vents is the original with gold/brown color, ond is a used black one I bought on the moparts board.

The dash, mounted with the ashtray - specially for my dear friend Hanno, who still thinks he will be able to smoke in the 'Cuda and get away without injury - and the glovebox door, which will still need some more adjustment to fit prefectly.

On top of the dash the speaker grille is also painted red to match with the rest of the interior.

Radiator Spring

Now being springtime, the title, of course is a pun for those of you familiar with recent movie history. I installed the radiator. It is also recored for better cooling.

The fan shroud was one of the first parts I bought for the 'Cuda. It replaces a homemade piece of tin that was bolted to the radiator when I bought the car. The overflow hose will be replaced as soon as I find a fitting piece of hose.

A new set of rims

Picked up a new set of wheels on the internet...where else??? They are KMC Hot Wheels 68 rims covered with Cooper rubber.
Trouble was, the wheels were in Bremen in Germany, almost 900 Kilometers away.
Anyway, I managed to get them here and of course I had to mount the rears immediately! The tires are 275/40-17s, the size and the offset off the rims fit fantastically, they really tuck in nicely under the fenders - suppose I will need some lowering blocks though.

The rims look a lot like the original magnums, only bigger and not steel but alloy... If I figure out a way to color the five triangles between the spokes in flat black, just as they are on the magnums, I will do that.

Good stance from the rear!

Enginebay

The accessories are on the engine. Alternator, power steering pump and aircon compressor. Just to show you that an engine compartment can look good without any chrome bling. The alternator will have to be spaced out a little yet, to line up when the fan belt is mounted. Also will have to figure out how to get the fan hooked up to the viscous fan drive.

Windows 4.0

Installed the door windows on both sides. Now all four side windows are in place. I had help from my fourteen year old daughter Miriam who preferred working on the Cuda over our initial plan of going ice skating on sunday afternoon...now how good does that sound!



Passenger side window. The final adjustments will have to be made when the roof rail trim and seal are in place but the windows already fit really tight and roll up and down well.

The door gap also lined up well after the weight of the glass and the lock was added.

Door details

I started working on the doors. The new seals were easy to install and they fit really well. I've heard many bad things about aftermarket seals (enough not to throw away the old ones) but these pieces are realy great. All the little pegs line up with the holes in the doors perfectly. The lock mechanism is also installed.

The inside door handle bolts on to the hinge with the big spring, the small rod to the left ist for the door lock.

The next step is to install the side glass.

Door installation

Ernst the expert helping me with the doors. Those things are really heavy and it's sheer impossible to bolt them on by yourself....I know, somebody out there has probably done it but I certainly couldn't.

Working togerter it is a fairly easy job, passenger side door is installed , for the time being, without any of the internals.

We installed the door just a fraction too high, figuring it will sag a little after the heavy glass, the lock and everything else is in place.

And yes, they open really fine! Now all that's missig is a hood and some front fenders and it will finally look the part of a 'Cuda again.

Manifolds

Got the exhaust manifolds mounted on the engine. Kind of a complicated affair, with some of the studs poking into the water jacket and all. Some other odds and ends like the distributor and the coil also went on.

Both manifolds on the engine. Did a mock up of the water pump. The alternator bracket is not painted yet, as it seems to be a misfit from a 440. The mounting hole on the bracket is not flush with the hole in the head, putting the alternator at an angle, which is not a good thing. The waterpump housing will have to come off again, I will also paint it orange.