Track Day 'Cuda

[CJD Automotive]

I'll just copy and paste from the intro section to get this started:

Hey guys, this is my '70 'Cuda build getting ready to start. It's the second go 'round on this car, with the previous build thread on Pro-Touring. So why do it again? Well, I was 90% done with the car, but like most people, couldn't afford to buy everything at once, so it was drawn out. When it originally started, I thought my suspension choices would be great and give me a chance to compete at an upper level. I worked the Optima Daytona event, and saw the writing on the wall. In just a year the cars had evolved phenomenally, and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. CAM cars were getting pretty serious as well. So there I am, a car that I've worked on for 5 years, not even going to be competitive before it's finished. That will take the wind out of your sails. About that time, I met Ron Sutton. We talked about different things to improve what I already had, but in the end, it would still be a crutch for a less than optimal design. So I had to make a choice. Build a nice cruiser that would not be competitive or change everything and build the car I had hoped it would be when I first started, but fell short. So I put the car on hold another 2 years to save the money I needed to build something that is well beyond my driving talent and would not be obsolete in a few years. And this is where it starts.



First order of business. Clean the shop! Get the car up on the drive on, and then spend about 4 hours leveling the rack out. I used blocks and shims. Then square up and level the car at the correct rake and lock it down. Threw some shop wheels under it for absolutely no reason other than just wanting to see what it looked like!



Blueprints from Ron Sutton, Check.



Cart of destruction, Check.



Some goodies showing up from Fedex, Check.



Unfortunately, the frame sections didn't show. Been waiting two months already, so what's a few more days.

You can see I started the wide body on the rear. Tried wheeling out some skins, but the body line location just didn't let that work out how I wanted. Haven't used an English Wheel much, so could have just been my inexperience. Either way, went the old school way of cut and weld. 20 fricken' feet of weld on that one quarter and it's still not done. Needed one side to get track width, but waiting on putting the front in before working the fenders. I'm hoping that being able to remove them to work them will make life much easier!