Gary and Karen Hood located their 'Cuda through a friend they met at the Mopar Nationals after telling him that a similar 'Cuda would look great in their garage. After a few months passed, this new-found friend called the Hoods telling them about a '71 ragtop that was for sale. Gary went to see the car, bought it, and the restoration began.
The car's history was non-existent with the exception of purchasing it from a couple in Ohio. During the restoration process they found a drive-in ticket stub from a theater in Lexington, Kentucky. This $1.75 ticket led them to believe the car started its life in that area of the country.
With only 10,034 miles on the clock, at first glance the Mopar seemed in fair condition and restoring it would be an easy task. Unfortunately the 'Cuda's true condition became apparent during a restoration which resulted in an additional digit ahead of the decimal place.
The car was brought to Elite Body and Paint in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, for a ground up. Here, it would spend nearly three years of its life. After sandblasting the old finish off and removing nearly two wheelbarrows full of bondo, Gary told us, "We should have licked our wounds and moved on." But being the Mopar nuts they are, they knew the car had to live, and in a true move of passion, said, "It's only money."
The fourth and final year of restoration took place at the Hood's farm. The assembly took place in their barn in a designated Mopar-only section. With help from another Mopar junky, Tom Dinner, the 'Cuda slowly but surely got back together.
Stauffer Motors, a local performance shop in Marlette, Michigan, rebuilt the engine. The 383 was bored .060 over and rebalanced. The 906 heads were milled .010 producing a 9:1 compression ratio. Stainless valves were inserted into the heads and valvetrain motivation is provided by a Lazer cam with 220-degrees of duration and .454-inches of lift.
The car is in perfect condition and has earned several trophies including a First at Chryslers at Carlisle and second in the E-Body original class at the Mopar Nationals. Gary says, "Even so, if I can't drive this thing, then it's not worth having." So, on occasion you can hear Gary letting the neighbors know he's still around by boiling the hides in front of his house. Otherwise, the 'Cuda sits next to its cousin-a '70 Road Runner-in the Hood's Mopar-only garage.