68 Cuda Autocrosser

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68 Cuda Autocrosser

68 BARRACUDA

340 FORMULA "S"

SCCA E-STREET PREPARED

INTRO

I just graduated from Manufacturing Engineering at Iowa State University. Yes, that’s in the land of corn and frozen tundra. I have gotten into Mopar suspension handling, and would like to reciprocate the sharing, contributions, and commentary of my findings and experiences like others have done for me.

In high school I was bit by the Mopar bug after seeing my Dad’s friend’s purple Hemi Challenger. Since then I’ve never looked back. I then acquired a '71 383 R/T Challenger in 1989 and recently purchased a '68 340 Formula "S" Barracuda coupe in winter 1993. In high school auto shop, I got involved with circle track racing at Saugus Speedway Ca. I quickly noticed that only Chevys and Fords were related to anything that turns. After building on a few Chevys in school and learning a few principals, there’s nothing holding back a Chrysler.

THE CUDA

I am in the middle of a full on resto of the Challenger (bought it not running), and my daily driver is the Cuda. And when I mean daily driver, I mean this is a numerous cross country drivin’, engine haulin’, autocrossin’, blizzard drivin’, Iowa -40 deg. cold startin’, road trippin’, drag racin’, apartment movin’, get out in the snow and start pushin’, stuffed to the gills haulin’ (pun intended), grocery gettin’, running on empty -I’m a prayin’ -vultures a circlin’ -desert-gas-hermit a savin’ brute for punishment machine. This is the car that I did the suspension upgrades to. I compete in SCCA autocrosses in E-Street Prepared class. In this website I’ll show how I improved the Cuda’s handling and share some experiences.

WHY HANDLING ?

The phrase "man and machine have become one" best describes good handling. It is the where every command of the driver is obeyed precisely by the car. An evil handling and braking car will ruin all the fun of driving, as well as cause danger to its occupants and other drivers sharing the highway. In traffic, little rubber-band-powered-shoe-boxes will embarrass a muscle car.

I realize tire smoking acceleration is gobs of fun. This is certainly a tradition among the Mopar ranks. 60’s and 70’s Mopars are known for straight line performance but little else. The truth is that they are not any worse handling than the other muscle cars of that era. Why just have a great accelerating car, when you can have a great handling car too? By today’s standards our older cars handle like a wet noodle. The good news is that it’s not that hard to bolt on some suspension parts to make your Mopar handle better. With a little effort, you can make it a downright competitive handling car.

Driving through a twisty road or taking a corner really fast can be lots of fun. The only problem with this is that when you really want to test your driving skills and push it, the public highways aren't a good place to do it. Finding the car’s and your limitations can be quite misfortunate. Take my word on it. Luckily, there are competitive off street organized safe events that really test your car’s handling and your driving skill. The B.S. stops when the flag drops! This racing is called "autocross" and it won’t break your wallet and won’t require some unstreetable car. Autocrossing and on-course high speed events are means for anyone to get involved. When it comes to classed competition that is relatively cheap and is done with street cars, I believe this is the best bang-for-your-buck motorsport out there !

AUTOCROSS

SCCA Solo II is one of the easiest, safest, and one of the most popular ways to become a participant in motorsports instead of just a fan or spectator. Solo II events also provide an excellent opportunity to improve your driving skills and to explore your car's performance capabilities in a controlled environment.

Solo II events, also known as autocrosses or slaloms, are a type of single car timed competition which place an emphasis on driver skill and precision. Solo II courses are usually laid out on large paved areas such as parking lots and airport runways. Each driver gets several chances to negotiate a twisting course defined by plastic marker cones while being electronically timed. To win, a man or woman must be both quick and precise as there is a time penalty added for each marker cone that is displaced, and victories are often measured in thousandths of a second.

Best of all, you don't need a special racing car, or even a sports car, to take part. With four categories of preparation divided into 26 different car classes (including 14 classes for stock or mildly modified street cars) each driver and car competes against other cars of similar performance.

Most clubs have separate category for Novice competitors. They also may have special Pro, Street Tire, and Vintage categories. In these categories, cars from different classes compete together with their times equalized using a recognized "handicapping" index.

For more information about:

SOLO II RULES (most RWD muscle cars fit in FS, ESP, or CP depending on modifications)

Joining SCCA

Novice Handbooks

Solo II F.A.Q.

Clubs Near You Go to an event and check it out!


Official 1970 AAR Team T-shirt. and Hot Wheels limited production 70 AAR Cuda. And AAR watch Must see. Now availible for purchase. E-mail SavageG@wwdb.org

--CONTENTS--

SPECS Drivetrain and Suspension of my 68 Cuda

DISK BRAKE SWAPS FRONT AND REAR Parts list, pictures, tips

PICTURES Pictures of: my Cuda, building of the beast, advertisements, prototypes

Some Handling Theory By Dick Guldstrand of Guldstrand Engineering. Good introduction to handling. Read this first.

The Trans Am and Corvette Chassis Out of print. By Steve Smith More advanced theory for all makes. anti-roll bars, racing tires, roll couple, shock absorbers, bump steer, spring rate selection, reading tire temperatures, bldg. the Mustang chassis, and much more. Updated 7/9/99 -now near complete except for bump steer section.

Adjustable Shock Physics Article from "Sportscar Magazine" NEW !

ADVANTAGES OF MOPAR HANDLING Advantages to Building A Mopar Autocrosser. Note: Some mods illegal in ESP but all legal in CP. If you don't care about competition, anything goes updated 3/2/00

TECH & TIPS

Mods on other cars, '74 Petty Stock Car catalog pics, 1982 DC catalog kit car pics, observations, things to watch out for, ideas for other build ups, Torque Thrust pictures, leaf spring pictures

MOPAR PITMAN AND IDLER #'S Quick ratio info. Listing BY PART # of most RWD pitmans and idlers. Could be useful for interchanging, adjustments, and swap meet scrounging

OTHER MOPAR AUTOX & ROADRACE CARS Some pictures and specs of other Mopars set up for handling. updated 3/2/00 !

REFERENCES & LITERATURE Learn before you do. Listings of helpful magazine articles. Most which were used to base my modifications and choices. Books to also help you. Interesting and helpful vintage books, magazines, race programs to look for. updated 7/9/99

LINKS updated 3/2/00

MY CUDA'S DATA PLATE with sections of the 68 Dealer Brochure

MY 71 CHALLENGER R/T 71 Dealer price guide

CARS IN THE FAMILY '70 Mach I, '73 Corvette, '70 VistaCruiser

FOR SALE reasonable prices

67-76 A-Body defoster vents, black, perfect, no fading
69 Cuda black std. coupe rear door panels excellent
67 Cuda black std. fstbk rear door panels excellent
67-69 Barracuda fastback rear quarter window upper moldings very nice no dents
71 Challenger upper and lower black deluxe rear seats. No rips
70 RR/Satel. frt bumper brkts, w/fender braces
68-70 Plymouth B-body hardtop drip mldgs no scrapes or dings 8 pcs
68-70 RR/Satel. hardtop decor package upper door mldgs, no scrapes or dings 6 pcs
68-70 Body headliner bows
68-70 B-Body front and rear stainless window moulding no dents/scrapes
68 RR/GTX/Satel. tailight extensions, no dents, original paint, very nice
69 Coronet headlight bezels left & right.

WANTED

Koni, Bilstein, or Carrera shocks: For RWD Mopar

Front 1 1/8 Sway bar: For E-body, 70- B-body, or 73-76 A-body

Burgundy A-body interior trim: Burgundy upper and lower '68 dashes, front window A pillar covers, dash defroster vents, bottom door defroster vents.

68 Cuda Coupe White Deluxe or Standard Door Panels:

Head rest(s) white bucket seat , only need 1, but will probably have to buy both: will fit off of B,A,or C bodies.

Detroit Locker for Chrysler 8 3/4: This would probably come from the tons of gear sets used for an old NASCAR team

I'm a member of Chrysler Performance West Car Club. Click here for club info and Spring Fling 2000 and Fall Fling info.