As told by Jerry Lebar -- After owning several Mopars over the years, I decided I wanted to find an AAR 'Cuda. I had always liked the 'Cuda's lines--the striping, the spoilers, and, of course, the Six Barrel induction. After taking a new job in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1998, my search began. I first came across a Lime Lite AAR with a four-speed, owned by a gentleman in Palm Harbor, Florida. After getting descriptions and pictures, a price was agreed upon. I rented a trailer and headed off non-stop to Florida. In my haste and un-rested condition, I neglected to compare the body stampings to the VIN and fender tags. If I would have verified all the numbers before I rented the trailer and gave my money to him, I would have found these were mutilated, but partially readable. After getting home and finding the numbers altered, I phoned him and tried to get my money back, but he refused, so I turned him in to the local police. I later found out the car was re-bodied by some guys in Indiana. Indiana doesn't care about numbers switching, just that the title and VIN plate match. At least I have a good engine and transmission. I found out later, this T/A engine came out of a '71 model.
I decided to see if I could find a correct body to put the engine into (I gave the Lime Lite body to my brother-in-law Troy). I found a B-5 Blue AAR in Pennsylvania. This time the body stampings matched the VIN and fender tags. After the picture and description exchange, I sent my money off to Pennsylvania. Since I didn't have the time to pick it up right then, the owner wanted the full amount up front. A few weeks later, I rented a trailer and headed off to the great white North. When I arrived, it had snowed a day or two earlier and was threatening to do so again. There sat the body, covered with snow and sitting in about 2 inches of water--not very good conditions to inspect a car. I opened the door, and the entire interior was in a pile in the middle of the car. Actually, the pile was from several parts cars. Since I was going to take it all apart anyway, I figured that saved me the job. We loaded up the body, and I headed back to Oklahoma. After getting back to warmer weather and letting the ice melt off the car, I started a thorough inspection. Here we go again--I found out it had been put together from, at least, one other car and not very well. It had the roof from another car tack-welded in place inside the door frame. I stopped looking at the car after that, I was afraid of what I would find. I should have figured it out earlier from the several sectioned cars he had sitting around the property. Anyway, that was number two. That brings us to the FYI AAR I own today.
I found this one on the AARchives Web site. It was located in Ronan, Montana. This time I decided to be extra cautious. I went as far as making the seller, Ken Lozeau, put a statement on the paperwork that this was a true and correct AAR with nothing hidden. If not, I would get my money back. It had about 42,000 miles on the odometer, and, according to Ken, you could drive it anywhere. This time I was going to drive it home. With my plane ticket in hand, I flew off to Big Sky country. There were a few things that weren't quite as advertised, but they were not enough to keep me from taking delivery. The little surface rust in the trunk were actually holes the size of a 50-cent piece. Apparently, the owner previous to Ken had planned to restore the car, and he removed the trunk seal and parked the car beside his garage. He passed away, and the car sat for many years filling up with water, which led to the holes in the trunk and rear quarters. What he called a small door ding was, in fact, a 5-inch-round dent. Other than that, everything was as he said. It was supposed to come with a six-way adjustable seat, and the additional original seat was to be sent along later with a car cover and some other odds and ends--that never came.
I get it home, and the first thing is to take care of the rust. I enlist the services of Dan Powell of Owasso, Oklahoma, to do the metalwork. he replaced the trunk floor, outer wheel housings, and rear quarters. He also straightened the frame where it had a slight bend. Early in the car's life, it was rear-ended on the left side. This had shifted the back end of the car about two inches to the right. Somebody attached a new quarter-panel, but never straightened the frame. Dan straightened the frame, then attached the new panels. With Dan's work done, it was back home to strip it down and get it ready for paint. After some searching, it was decided that G.W. and Sons in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, would lay on the new FYI basecoatclearcoat. They also applied the flat black to the hood and fender tops. This paint was formulated by the Sikkens paint rep to be like the original Organasol, but more durable. We're now two months into the project, and it's home with a straight body, good sheetmetal, and great paint.
Other than the Rallye gauges that Performance Car Graphics in Tallahassee, Florida, refurbished, I did the rest of the work myself. The first things I tackled were the stripes. It took about six hours to do each side. Then I finished installing all the other body accessories: side marker lights, bumpers, grill, taillights, all of which were cleaned, painted, if necessary, and polished. With that done, I turned to the engine. Everything was stripped, and the block and all its parts were painted, then reassembled. A new set of original Holleys, which came with the first car, were parked on top of the freshly-painted engine. A new wiring harness was strung throughout the engine compartment, and new stainless brake and fuel lines were installed from front to back, along with a new gas tank. All new steering and suspension components were installed, and the front calipers were rebuilt.
The original floor pans were cleaned, and new paint was applied inside. New wiring was also installed. Everything was taken apart, cleaned, and repainted. New interior from Legendary was purchased, including new interior panels. Installation of the headliner was a pain, but the new seat covers and foams went on effortlessly. It took a year, but in November 2000 the car was ready.
With the exception of the interior panels, tires, and the Organasol paint, everything is as close to original as possible. I used correct-dated parts wherever I could, but instead of the correct AM radio, it does have an original AM/FM Radio. It doesn't have the original engine, but I know where it is. The owner doesn't want to sell it yet, but I'll keep working on him.
I now live in Easton, Pennsylvania, the rear hasn't been done yet, and from the looks of it, the 83/4 has never been touched. The case is covered with 33 years of oil and dirt, and the Sure Grip and 3.55 tags are still in place. I guess I have a project for this winter. Until then, I'll continue to drive, show, and enjoy the car.