Details abound. Every nut, bolt, bracket, fitting, and anything small enough to fit into a glass bead cabinet were cleaned and painted. New LED taillight inserts from Hi Tech LED Products went into the rear panel. A custom billet and stainless fuel tank by Rick's Hot Rod Shop with a quiet internal electric fuel pump feeds the engine all the motivation the right foot dishes out. A Kicker stereo system rounds it out. Special thanks goes out to YearOne, who supplied a lot of the restoration parts to make it all happen and to give the car it's almost-stock appearance.
"The 'Cuda was shown at SEMA, the Mopar Nationals, and Chryslers at Carlisle last year," says Marcus. "The real test was its maiden voyage from Orlando to Englishtown, New Jersey, for the Hot Rod Power Tour. Only a few bugs had to be worked out along the way; the windshield molding could not take the 150-plus mph on one of the safe road track areas and became loose!"
Not bad for stuff that came out of the box.
Looking mostly stock, the...
Looking mostly stock, the interior does have a few subtle upgrades, such as the Classic Auto Air A/C unit, and the Flaming River steering wheel and tilt column.
Fast Facts: '71 Hemi 'Cuda RestoMod
Matt Delaney • Shreveport, LA
Mopar Power
Engine: Rather than a standard displacement 426 Hemi, Mopar's big 472-inch lung was selected. Pretty much as built, the only change was to a new Comp Cams hydraulic roller outfit using new lifters made for this engine. Critical peripherals include a Mass Flo EFI system kit, which comes with everything needed to go 'fuelie' on the Hemi, fed via a high-volume pump in the gas tank. The 3-inch exhaust came from tti, while small parts are from YearOne and Billet Specialties. Like everything Delaney does, it is fully detailed.Transmission: A Keisler TKO 600 five-speed transmission.Differential: An 8-3/4 with an aluminum center section, 3.91 gears, and Sure Grip, all Ma Mopar.Horsepower and Performance: Nobody knows for certain, but it can take the factory speedo to the magic 150-mph mark with ease.Sure Grip
Suspension: Changes were pretty extensive, though only fabricating the 1/8-inch plate for the frame was done from scratch. Air Ride Technologies supplied the shocks and the rear traction outfit, while Flaming River and AlterKtion pieces upgraded the steering and K-frame, respectively.Brakes: race-type, six-caliper Wilwoods on all four corners using prebent Fine Lines tubing and Hydratech Hydroboost fluid management.Wheels: 18-inch Fikse Pro-fil 13 wheels (we're not sure why that number 13 is in there).Rubber: Nitto Extreme 555 radials; front 225/50/18 and rear 295/45/18.High Impact
Body: A '71 340 'Cuda treated to stripping, checking, fitting, fabbing, and elbow grease. Thanks to YearOne, it's living life like the Six Million Dollar Man. The Shaker was the key to looking the part.Paint: No decals on this bad boy. Mike Harris gets credit for making the PPG Ferrari hue look like a sea of blood and adding the billboards as paint.Interior: Retrofited with pride with upgrades such as Custom Auto Air, Kicker sound, a Flaming River steering wheel, and Custom Corbeau front seats. Tim and Matilda Clark get credit for the sano appearance.Best Performance: Let's just say, "I can't drive 55! Where's the Autobahn?"