The Crusty Cuda: Whole lotta Shakin' (N96) Goin' on!

[njsteve]

I sent off the original, Prestolite cast iron #3438317 distributor to Joe White who previously restored it for Dave.

Although it was already setup with the original dual points and ready to go, I wanted it upgraded to the Pertronix electronic ignition setup before I installed it. Dave had already put in a generic single point distributor that he converted with a Pertronix system when he was trouble shooting the original non-start problem (that turned out to be the defective ignition switch). That's why the dual point was in a box when the car project initially arrived. Unfortunately the Pertronix unit he used is not the same one for the dual point applications.

Joe White's specialty is restoring old distributors and upgrading them if requested. He also reverified the ignition advance curve and set it at 18 degrees at 3,600 rpm. Check out his facebook site for prior restoration photo at "Joes Mopar Distributor Restorations." He also does vintage aftermarket distributors and other makes as well.

I installed a recently acquired Pertronix 40,000 volt, 1.5 ohm coil, and I'm using the "deballasted" ballast resistor that Dave converted with a section of 10 gauge wire, as the Pertronix needs full voltage to run optimally.

The distributor should be back here and installed next week. (fingers crossed).

[njsteve]

Joe is all done and ready to ship out after doing some extra detailing on the unit.

[njsteve]

I spent an hour or so trying to finagle with the 1970's FM converter that I installed. It does work ok and gets the local FM stations but since the factory AM radio only puts out 2 watts, it wont power the speakers with any degree of volume that you can actually hear when the car is running. I even disconnected the fader switch and wired the dash speaker directly to the two speaker leads coming out of the radio itself, with no improvement.

So I am on the hunt for a vintage 25 or 40 watt underdash amp to get some sound output. There are several on ebay - like the Audiovox Sound Exploder AMP500-D. I've seen several on Ebay (that's where I got the two photos below), unless someone here has some old sound equipment lying around.

[njsteve]

I spent an hour installing the black plastic mudflaps from my old 70 Charger just to protect the paint. That was after I spent four hours using a clay bar and then waxing the car for the first time. It's probably been 43 years since the last time it was waxed (or even on the road, for that matter)

I took the Cuda out for a drive today, down to my buddy's shop. The old car drives very nicely. Tracks straight as an arrow down the road, so I guess my attempt at doing the alignment myself actually worked!

When rolling you don't even notice that is has manual steering. It's actually nice and tight with actual road feel compared to how a normal Mopar with power steering feels. And the manual drums aren't that bad either.

If I could get some decent tunes on the radio, I'd be all set.

[njsteve]

Update: I found a vintage NOS Audiovox Sound Exploder amp. The guy wanted $80, I offered him $35 and he accepted. I mentioned that the two prior NOS units sold within the past month for $23 and $25 plus shipping, so he agreed $35 including shipping was a reasonable offer.

[CTBob]

Da car's lookin' super-snazzy, Steve! Nice score on the Audiovox unit, too!

[mockingbird812]

Your ‘cuda looks DAZZLING!