A friend of mine has a 1970 426 hemi charger and i remember the first time he fired it up in his shop. I always loved classic cars but hearing that car fire up made me a mopar fan for life. It sounded like king kong was stomping around on the shop floor. The whole ground was shaking. Thats burned into my memory forever!
A 71 Hemi Cuda hardtop in GF7 Sherwood Green Metallic paint with Black vinyl Top and billboards is a bucket list car for me, even over any exotic supercar on the planet. It wouldnt be a show queen either, I would need a hefty rear tire budget!
Nick, you are a “God” of old school musclecar engines! George THANK YOU for bringing Nick and his talent to the rest of the world! And well done to EVERYONE at Nick‘s garage! 🚙 💨 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇬🇷 🇦🇺 ☮️
Brought back a lot of great memories from my 1971 barracuda ... same body and top only mine was the smaller 318 version. Thanks for posting this one Nick !!
You are not alone!! many of us pushed those little 318s, hard: )of course most of us knew how to flip the air-cleaner cover for the instant 4 barrel sound:)
I love how the owner says " yr good Nick" when Nicks tells him to have a go. He can see how much Nick is loving being in it, and doesn't wanna let him get out. Top class.
Couldn't help to feel exceedingly happy for Mike to get his hemi cuda running after all those years of work, and for Nick to have the pleasure of having a hemi cuda in his shop once again! Always nice to see an old art form at practice.
I’ve been waiting for this video since Friday Night Live when you talked about this Cuda. Exceptional car, and Mike has every right to be proud of this machine and the smile on his face tells it all. A kid I graduated high school with in 1973 had this identical car, and I rode with him: ONCE. We had driven two or three miles, and his toes being tickled by the fan blade I told him, “Mark, you land this thing, and I’ll walk back to work.” Sadly, he blew the engine (as 18 year olds will do) just before graduation and his parents refused to loan him the money to replace that beast. The last time I spoke to him it was sitting in his dad’s garage. Nick, you also had two cars that I had in high school in the shop. That gold 66 GTO was identical to the one I had, and I loved that car. But I loved the hemi-orange 71 Demon 340 more so I sold the Goat to my brother and bought the Demon. Thank you for a trip down memory lane.
Don, the driver always knows that everything is under complete control, and the rider(s) always are thinking "oh sh*t, let me out immediately." I've been in both seats and its always the same. And BTW, that exhaust sounds awesome. Not a stock camshaft's sound for sure.
Boy, what a time warp - I had an AAR in that gorgeous red-orange, black interior, with the rally gauges, pistol grip, and no console. I loved the businesslike feel of that interior, and the feel of that Hurst Competition Plus shifter through the pistol grip - watching Nick shifting and hearing that gear whine gave me chills - those sensations come back to me as if I were once again that 20 year old crazy, trolling for a good stoplight matchup on a Saturday night in the west San Fernando Valley...
I've owned three 440s but never a HEMI. My fault back in the day when they made them. Great show Nick. I'd love to drive that car. 1971 Cuda is my favourite car.
If you don't have to have a real original a 426 you can still build one from scratch or even buy a complete crate. Not cheap but obtainable, around $8k to $16k depending on the route you take.
@@Dayandcounting Actually I meant buying a HEMI Cuda brand new. I could have or at least one or two years old. I've owned a 1968 440 Charger RT, 1969 440 GTX that I bought from the original owner in 1971, 1970 Challenger 440 RT/SE and a 1972 Challenger 340. Helped a friend put a 426 HEMI in his 1967 Dodge van, that we drove to High School back in 1971 and he bought a 1966 HEMI Charger from it's original owner for $850 in 1975 that he ultimately sold to Rick Finch, the bass player in KC & The Sunshine Band. Best Regards. ** P.S. Presently I have a 2004 Z06 Commemorative Vette that I bought brand new. Great Car
The master is always at work. Knowing g what they should be, but still going with the customer wants, if they can work out. Great Job youngman and team.
My dad is not the biggest fan of e-body convertibles ever. He found that his ‘70 Challenger 440 six pack convertible was the sketchiest convertible he ever owned. But according to him it was the meanest car he ever owned with it’s 4.10 gears and a 440.
Hi Nick. You sure work on a lot of nice cars. When I change spark plugs on my Mopar. I use a piece of rubber hose push on the top of the plug and lower plug into place, and start to turn into threads. Then pop off hose and use socket to finish tightening it.
That is one beaut Cuda even if a clone and thanks to Nick Mike's ride is even better. Thanks for yet another beaut video and hey stay well all till next time.
Wow Nick that was a treat back to 1970-71! My brother had a new 1970 Hemicuda back then....still owns it.... and it was great to hear what a stock exhaust Hemicuda sounded like again! Great job on getting that one back in shape! My brothers car still sits not running since 1974.
@@nickpanaritis4122 He stopped driving it in 1974 and it sat in the garage. We pulled engine back in 2003 to freshen it up and he developed health issues and it sat. For last 5 years he has been trying to the thing together....worries over little things. Wish we were closer to your shop!
I had a chance to buy a hemi Cuda for $2500 back in 1975 but passed because of the insurance. Who would have ever known... Thanks for your dedication Nick!
Exactly! I lost count of how many Chevelles and Camaros I didn't buy because I thought $2000-3000 was too high🙄 I would buy every one today if I had another c!
@@robertwest3093 I hear that. I grew up in Pennsylvania and was always a Mopar fan. There were plenty of muscle cars around. Those were definitely the good old days.
Back in the 80's I used Champion spark plugs exclusively. AC spark plugs would commonly have 1 or 2 bad ones in every new set so I wouldn't put a set in without putting them through a spark plug tester. I had bad experiences with NGK plugs failing shortly after installation. Once was a motorcycle that had 1 plug fail in less than 5 minutes and the other failed in less than 10. A pair of Champions ran until I got rid of the motorcycle. My 70 Dodge Coronet had Champion plugs that were in it for 55,000 miles. I would check and regap them once a year and clean and regap the points at the same time. That engine used quite a bit of oil and had plenty of blow by and it would still start on a bump of the starter. Unfortunately Champion plugs aren't what they used to be but the good news is that most of the other brands have improved.
Man , that Hemi Cuda is just a very beautiful Muscle Car . Love the 2 4- barrel setup on the car too !!! Mike ,you got a beautiful, beautiful car !!!!!!! That Hemi has a beautiful cam chop coming out the rear pipes! Mike ,you brought to the Mopar Master Master Mechanic....Nick knows the Mopars like the back of his hand 🖐 Be nice to run that car on the drag strip to see what it would do ....Nick's Garage the best Muscle Car Channel on RU-vid... I see the GTO's !!!! Ruff Ruff!!!
Goood evening, guys!!!! Man, that’s one sweet looking CUDA!!! And Mike certainly made the right choice bringing it to Nick to iron out the kinks. It’s a treat to see Nick get all amped up when he’s enjoying himself!!!! Passion personified!!!! I know Mike will look forward to finally being able to enjoy his dream ride!!!! Kudos Nick and great week to you all😊
No stumble, just RUUUMMBLE! Fabulous diagnostic on the carb Nick. It's amazing how much things changed with the right plugs and riching up the primaries. That's the beauty of Carter carbs. I had a Carter Strip kit for my 440 with a thermoquad and was able to dial that baby in using the right jets and metering rods. You can go now Mike!
the doctor is in , Nick can tune the Hemi in his sleep .. His green Hemi was a killer on the street, nice to see Nick giving the Hemi a workout , thanks for the video George
Nice job again Nick, fine tuning that carb for that engine. Yes he sure is a body man, because those panels are as flat as glass, beautiful, fit and finish on that body. the paint is stunning. My best friend had a 1971, 340 Cuda, all black, he paid $1,500 for it in 1980, it was in very good condition.
Good stuff, Nick got real excited when he spoke about how it should Rev up, never saw him get so passionate about something. Cool stuff. That will keep you young. Thanks
Nick the legend street racer. Sitting behind that wheel brought all those good times back. The look on your face said it all. Awesome Cuda. The owner did a amazing body work to her too. Absolutlly stunning colors and nicely detailed. That's a looker for sure. Your customers smile and comments said it all Nick "Your number one". My hats off to you George you did it again " always amazing " your number one as well. All the best to the team. Thank you for sharing. Alberta.
Great to see the Mopar vehicles still running and being cared for to this day as a teenager my first car 70 Plymouth Roadrunner, 70th Challenger, 64 Dodge Coronet, 74 Dodge Coronet, and on and on. All the cars I eventually gave away, except the 70 Roadrunner was stolen from me one summer . After that no more muscle cars came into my life. Wish I had another 70 one more time
Although I had a '70 Roadrunner, that 'Cuda right there is the Mopar I always wanted. The AFB's were always the easiest carbs for me to tune; rods, jets, and step-up springs and I could get those things to walk and talk with good gas mileage, too! I love how Nick comes up with any reason to get in client's car and give it an "Italian tune-up" before they take it home! Haha! That road is too damn crowded !
When you were test driving it on the long black dyno , it sounded like a gearbox bearing clicking. The clicking went away when you pushed the clutch in .
I remember playing a music festival our west and a guy had a Hemi Cuda and he took me for a ride we went down this narrow little Saskatchewan road and after a few miles he said lets go back so he stoped and cranked the wheel and hit it Snapped the car around on the one and a half lane road the opposite direction without hitting the grass like nothing .These motors have POWER and sound like gates of hell open when you stand on it cool car guys Thanks
Great job on the tune-up. Your customer is going to get a lot of "Smiles per Mile" when he drives his car to the cruise-ins and car shows. Thanks for posting. Best Regards - Mike
This was just pure, mind-candy fun. Micro adjustments on carbs make all the difference. I just did this on my 1971 Super Bee and finally got it to really perform. Very satisfying. Hats off, again, to the great camera work. I especially like the 39:30 mark, when Nick rolls that beast up and the cameraman gets us right down to the hissing, angry induction of the beast that is the Hemi power plant. Man oh man, that is something!
This is my Favourate Car In The World, i love the front grille and front fenders and the billboard, i had a 70 Barracuda 340, just like the one above your challenger, it was orange with the hockey stick 340, originally a 340 4 speed pistol grip but someone changed the motor cause they blew it and put a crate motor in it and an automatic, whished they left the 4 speed in it, i had lots of fun it it but in the end i had too sell it because i had 1 - nowhere to store it , 2 - im on Disability and cant afford to drive it, this car is a beauty lucky guy has this and a 68 Charger, my favourate Charger is the 70, Love your show Nick, whish i had your knowledge of cars., i dont so i watch you and learn , well i guess the only way i will get my dream car 71 cuda is if i win the lottery , Lmao.
There are mechanics, and then there are MECHANICS. Some folks can troubleshoot and some putz around. I could feel the shift linkage, when you were going through the gears - muscle memory! I enjoy your videos. BTW, I'm 71 and used to see all sorts of muscle cars, back in the day. I come from a Chrysler/Mopar family.
Greetings Nick, for your info if you didn’t know already, the 1940 IV2220 Chrysler aircraft engine was built with Hemispherical heads. This design went into the 436 at a later date, interesting
I don’t care how rare they are or how much they’re worth, convertibles don’t do anything for me, I’d take a hardtop any day! Minus the vinyl roof 👍 god what a gorgeous cuda, love the billboard graphics
Oh Nick,! I miss my 383 Cuda'. I wish I hadn't sold it! Same Year but it didn't run like a standard 383. The previous owner put a Cam , Edelbrock & Holley carb! It had to at least 400 HP. Looks so much like mine. That was a low production Year ! I Still ❤️🩹 remember stomping on the Bright head lights with my left leg & stomping 🦶 on the bright 🌞 lights on the floor! That was the only Year Cuda' came with 4 headlights. I recall going to the Mopar Nations - getting a Pistol Grip shifter, Fog lights. I ordered chrome tipped exhaust. $100 each fro MOPAR. The guy's at the Dealership Thought 🤔🤔 I didn't have a Cuda'. I drove down in my ex Raunalt. When I pulled up in my '71 373tgeir Jaws dropped. I was like yeah It's a Cuda'. I drove it cross Country to Oh. I like your show thanks 👍👍 Nick!
