looking for some input on a 74 cuda I'm interested in buying

[bigredbarn]

Hey guys I'm not well versed in the cuda world so I'm looking for some constructive input on a 74 cuda I'm thinking about buying. First off it's a friend of mines car he's had it since 92 it's always been garage kept. It's powered by a built up 440 which he said in now a 496 with edelbrock aluminum heads, its backed up by a 727 with stahl converter, has 8 3/4 posi with 3.55 gear, flowmaster dual exhaust, headers, msd ignition. The body is really solid but has a little rust around the back window. This car was turned into a show car in the 80's so it needs a paint job, they blacked out the engine compartment and trunk. the car was undercoated at some point as well. the seats will need new upholstery. we started negotiations at 25k and I think I can get the deal done around 20k but I'm not sure if that's a good price or if I should could looking. Good advice is much appreciated Thanks.

 

[DetMatt1]

That seems high even at 20k but that's without seeing any pictures. Think about it this way, it needs 5 to 7k in bodywork and paint and another maybe couple of grand in interior work and a drivetrain that was rebuilt 24 years ago so who knows, you may need to do something with that while its out of the car for the repaint. The original drivetrain is long gone so I'm thinking at best this car would be worth around 25k when done which means you shouldn't pay more than 10 to 12k. Again, this is without seeing pics.
Welcome to the site from the Motor City!

 

[bigredbarn]

Thanks for the reply i thought it was too much but I'm pretty impressed with the performance and the body needs minimal repair plus the paint though. My buddy had the engine redone after he bought it. He said it has about 10k miles on rebuild. The aluminum heads were added a couple years ago. I'm thinking I might be better off waiting for one that doesn't need paint. The interior is really not bad but it's tge 80's velour stuff so it needs updated.

 

[DetMatt1]

Oh man that looks nice and it even has a fender tag. See what I mean about pics?, that changes some things but he's still high at 20k because of the whole paint and interior thing. That ain't going to be cheap. I'll bump my previous current value a bit but not much.

 

[bigredbarn]

It's actually pretty nice car I'm just kind of picky but I think even being picky 20 is too high with the paint and interior. I really wouldn't have a problem driving it a while the way that it is but if I get bored with it and want something different I don't want to lose a bunch of cash. Thanks for the input

 

[moparlee]

It's a nice looking 20 footer car. Offer him something like 15 and maybe you can get it for about 17. Then enjoy it and just drive it like it is. What is the underbody look like, frame rails, floor pans, trunk pan?

 

[js29]

If the rest of the paint is in good shape A good body shop should be Abel to match it, repair the area and blend the color and clear the roof quarters and trunk lid. with out painting the hole car.

 

[DetMatt1]

17 is too high imo.

 

[bigredbarn]

The underneath is very clean but my buddy undercoated the car years ago. Floors and frame are very solid. The body is very solid except for a small area of rust at the back window and it has some blisters on the roof by the drip rail.

 

[bigredbarn]

He has for kids with bikes and such. So there are various scratches so to do the car right it will need a paint job. It's a 20 footer looks good going down the road for sure, but I know the car I just sold was about the same condition paint wise and people were turned off by the thought of painting the car.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

A lot has to do with your intentions , Mopars are expensive to build & I am sure it would cost more then 20K to build , it cost me 24k to do paint & body alone on mine & it was not rusty at ll with only 42 k miles on it , so complete running & driving is a BIG plus saves chasing parts . If you are going to keep it & have fun with it & can live with the cost & not look back you are OK , but you may be upside down trying to sell it . I have seen restos eat up 60k real fast so you need to be very choosy about what to dump $$ into . My advice is always to buy the most expensive car you can afford as it will save time & $$ in the long run