Jeremiah 29:11

I think this is cool that at least we can teach our children about this this era of Muscle Car in the Challenger and Barracuda.

1970 Dodge Challenger And 1970 Plymouth Barracuda - Leading By Example
How Do You Teach Your Sons About Mopars? Keep Two Big-Block E-Bodies In Your Garage

writer: Kevin Shaw
photographer: Jerry Heasley

Joseph Kulick of Hughestown, Pennsylvania, is one amazing guy. Sure, we're a little jealous that he and his wife, Mary Pat, can somehow afford two classic, fully restored, big-block E-Bodies on a high school teacher and professional landscaper's salaries.

Joseph is the original owner of this Rallye Red '70 440 Six Barrel, four-speed 'Cuda, picking the car up during the freezing winter of 1970. Joseph kept his foot in the Plymouth for three years before he got married. With the change in his new living conditions, the 'Cuda was then committed to daily driver status. After a three-year stint as a daily driver, the E-Body was then stored in a garage, kept safe from the Northeastern winters and salted roads. After six years, Joseph, a new father by this time, decided to exhume the red coupe from its pen and take it out when weather permitted. For the next 10 years, the 'Cuda became a source of enjoyment for taking the kids to grandma's house for Sunday dinners.

By 1992, the Plymouth began showing its age. A succession of engine failures, oil leaks, a failed water pump, and visible rust convinced Joseph to take it to an auto restoration shop. After five miserable years of little good being done, Joseph and his now grown boys took the 'Cuda back and decided to strip the car apart themselves. After disassembly, Coventry Restoration dove into the body work and paint with professional fervor, while the Kulicks attacked the motor, transmission, and suspension. The engine was rebuilt by Krause Motorsports back to stock specs, re-using nearly everything on the factory engine. The West Newton, Pennsylvania, engine shop exceeded the Kulicks' expectations by even coming to their home to help advise them in the rebuild. Coventry Restorations repaired all the shoddy work performed by the previous shop and replaced panels where necessary. the 'Cuda still wears its original Rallye Red paint in places that didn't required rust repair and panel replacement. The freshly repaired body was then returned to Joseph's garage where he and his boys began piecing the puzzle back together.

So original is Joseph's E-Body that it still retains its factory elastomeric bumpers and Shaker hoodscoop. The Super Track Pack Plymouth wields all its original running gear (taken off earlier for the restoration), restored, repainted, and freshened up. But the 'Cuda wasn't destined to be the only amazing E-Body in the Kulicks' corral.

During the height of the 'Cuda's restoration, Joseph came across another E-Body-the '70 Challenger R/T SE in our double header at the Mopar Nationals in 1998. The unusual color combination of white-on-blue tugged at him until he struck a deal with the owner. The Hemi Challenger was an anomaly, as very few came with as many options as this '70 did. The Hemi was backed with a 727 TorqueFlite and a Dana 60 with factory-low 4.10 gears. Interior accommodations came loaded to the gills . . . well, as much as the massive elephant in the engine compartment would allow. Power steering, power disc/drum brakes, an overhead console, and an eight-track AM/FM stereo came with the SE packaging. As Joseph dug deeper into the Hemi's genealogy, he discovered that only 37 Challengers were built in 1970 with similar pedigrees.

Joseph, with his '70 'Cuda still in the shop, drove the R/T for three years until it was time to switch out the parking space in the garage with the newly returned 'Cuda. The R/T Challenger was disassembled, then sent off to Coventry Restorations. Unlike the 'Cuda, after the Challenger was disassembled, Coventry was given ca

Jeremiah 29:11

These next series of pictures are cool.

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/D16B8F012ABF4E54B686C8090312FAC6.jpg[/IMG]

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Here is the other car they did.

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/65422B4039D2450F92D4E08F546DC282.jpg[/IMG]

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I did not remember having these overhead displays back in the day.

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/E4CAA98AD0324CB283DAF7E8E3415B6F.jpg[/IMG]

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Steering wheel shot.

Looking at the pedal in this shot makes we really want a manual tranmission. There is something about having 3 pedals and a pistol grip shifter
that just looks mean and awesome.

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/90AB70AB06F2422DAB16274E32CB2B6D.jpg[/IMG]

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At first I thougth it was an 8-track player.

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/B95877C943E34B19B064440B9001A901.jpg[/IMG]

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The infamous "Shaker" hood.

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/D8B85BDE257B46B8A332A1B92E1ECE7F.jpg[/IMG]

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Can you say "Pistol Grip"?

[IMG]local://upfiles/17/1D07996C311D4F55B541C29DE2F06FC9.jpg[/IMG]

RoswellGrey

Jeremiah, I know the SE editions had the overhead displays. A kid I knew back in the '70s got one and it had the same thing as in the picture. When he first got the car, one or two of the lights were burned out and he had a hard time getting the thing apart to replace the bulbs. Eventually, though, he got everything to work so he could look up at a sign to see if a door was open. Looking at the pic of the side of the Challenger, it appears to have the SE badge on the C pillar.

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I guess I never saw them. I wonder what the plans are for the Concept Challenger. How about some performance gauges up there?

One thing I have been thinking about is how I will integrate a PC in my car. I may have one of the portable ruggedized PC's and mounted under the seat
and a display on the dashboard. I will look into be able to use the internal GPS display with it so I do not have multiple displays, just one central one.