70 HEMI 'CUDA " THE MOST SAUGHT AFTER OF ALL !! "

From 1966-71, Dodge stuffed their massive Hemi into the small E-Body platform and the 1970 Hemi 'Cuda is widely accepted as one of the most saught after of these. Only 652 were built when new, including 14 rare convertibles, making an original Hemi 'Cuda a rare sight. The Hemi 'Cuda was forced in scarcity due to the extra $900 it cost to build one-nearly a third of the standard purchase price. At $250, the 390 bhp 440 V8 became the norm and made the Hemi Cuda an exception. Motor Trend tested the 426 Hemi ’Cuda in their May 1970 issue, reaching 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 14 seconds at 102 mph. The long list of options made available for 1970 Barracudas included such goodies as a Track Pak with a 3.54:1 differential ratio, Rallye wheels, a range of exciting colors including Plum Crazy, pistol grip shifters, hockey stick sport stripes, hood pins and a variety of creature comforts. Of all the options, the R-code steet Hemi 426 was the most legendary Mopar engine. It typically delivered 425 bhp through the solid 727 Torqueflight automatic and a 3.55:1 Sure Grip rear axle. That is, unless the car was one of the 284 that got a 4-speed manual. With their classic shape, tire-shredding American power, limited production and huge popularity a 1970 Hemi 'Cuda can easily fetch over $150 000 USD. This is a remarkable amount for a car with the same build quailty as a mass-produced Plymouth. However, the aggressive sound of Hemi combined with visual street cred and Barrett-Jackson publicity now make these Cudas more expensive than most Ferraris produced in the same era. Changes for 1971 were minimal and included a more complex 6 inlet grille design and fender gill louvers. Only 100 or so of these were built and the seven ultra-rare 1971 convertibles are the most expensive muscle cars money can buy. In 72, the government and EPA kicked the muscle car in the ass with emissions regulations. After that time, no more Hemi or more big block models could be ordered

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Fords Legendary Muscle Car " The Ford Fairlane "427" Thunderbolt

History of the Fairlane Thunderbolt


The history of the Thunderbolt begins with America's love of competition. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday was the idea at the time, and the big "3" knew customers could identify with cars that they saw at the track and in the showroom. Even if you didn't go out and buy a 427 Galaxie, you sure did want to go check one out at the dealership after you saw it rumble by in the staging lanes. Showroom traffic is worth a lot to dealerships, and Ford knew this and made sure they had a major piece of bait with their new strip machine. This car would put them on the map as far as drag racing goes, with an engine already established as reliable and supremely powerful.

In 1963, an alliance between Ford's special vehicle department and the East Providence, RI dealership Tasca Ford created a mule vehicle which would ultimately be known as the Thunderbolt. Tasca had been running a '62 Fairlane stuffed full of a 406 engine, and had gotten Ford's undivided attention. A test car was built in 1963 to determine if an advantage would be gained by using the unitized body Fairlane in drag racing (versus the full framed Galaxie) This blue '63 Fairlane 500 hardtop was equipped with a 427/425 horse engine and an 4 speed transmission to test the feasibilty of a midsize car and big block engine combo. The car went largely unnoticed at the races it attended. Apparently it was crushed instead of being sold. That's the usual story for Ford prototypes, even today.

It was determined that this combination would give Ford the weight break it needed to run with the Max Wedge MoPars and the soon to be released Hemis. The Dearborn Steel Tubing Co. (DST), was picked to do all of the conversion work on the Fairlanes. The cars were built at the Dearborn plant as Fairlane 500 2 door sedans, minus all sound deadener, sealer and insulation. These cars did not have radios, heaters, or rear window cranking mechanisms. The side windows were plexiglas, and they were optioned with the 289/271 horse engine. This engine choice gave the cars a 9 inch rear end and larger brakes, which they would definitely need in a very short time.

The first run of cars were built in late '63. They were Vintage Burgundy with tan interiors. 11 cars were delivered to Dearborn Steel Tubing, and hand built into full fledged drag monsters. Apparently, 9 were done and presented to the drag teams at the same time. All of these cars were identical, except for one automatic. It was driven by Paul Harvey and sponsored by Bob Ford in Dearborn. This car was the only Vintage Burgundy, automatic transmission combination car built. Tragically, it was destroyed in a crash after being sold in 1965, killing the driver. I feel that this would be a very valuable Thunderbolt if it was around today.

The second and third runs were different creations. These cars were NOT assembled at the factory, but rather transported to DST in pieces and assembled there. The first 11 or so cars were in fact complete cars which were built by FORD, taken to DST, and completely dismantled for the transformation. Since the total number of cars was fairly high for such a special type of machine, the second type of assembly was definately preferable.
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