'70 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda Reference Pics & Info

[drodg]

Tim I am going to assume the blue color that the Shaker was offered in was B5?

[drodg]

Btw since we have been debating this Shaker color topic. I did see on one of the forums that there was at least one B3 Ice Blue Shaker 70 Cuda that was seen in the early 80's and the Shaker was painted Ice Blue. The car was a low miles survivor.

[tim boyd]

Tim I am going to assume the blue color that the Shaker was offered in was B5?

Bingo! TB

[freakshow12]

So would the whole car have to be blue? Or could you have picked up say a white or black car with a blue shaker?

[Rob Hall]

One thing I love about vintage Mopar muscle car kit builds is it seems there were so many permutations that were plausible for a given model year w/ options, etc..

[tim boyd]

So would the whole car have to be blue? Or could you have picked up say a white or black car with a blue shaker?

Fred...yep...the entire car would need to be B5 Blue Fire Metallic in order to have the Blue Shaker. But one could still have added a vinyl roof, and a white or black "Sport Tape Stripe", or since the B5 Blue Shaker was a mid year add, one could have added the "Longitudinal Strope Sttripe", so bottom line, plenty of potential variations in the build...just as Rob notes in his post directly above.

TIM

[gtx6970]

Interesting, I've been around Mopars my entire adult life and ths is the 1st I've ever heard of the availability of a blue shaker bubble

Or a white hockey stick stripe

[1972coronet]

... and 1969-1970 "B5" is a different shade than 1971-ca.1974 "B5" .

1969-1970 = EB5

1971-1974 = GB5

The first letter indicates the year of the respective colours' model year release ( e.g. , "E" = 1969 , and "G"= 1971 , et seq. ) . The first letter was changed only if the colour was reformulated (and it would appear that "_B5" was reformulated a number of times throughout its life !)

Conversely , some colours were never reformulated ; let's take Hemi Orange / Tor-Red for an instance : its paint code was always "EV2" , and it was available from 1969-1972 .

[tim boyd]

... and 1969-1970 "B5" is a different shade than 1971-ca.1974 "B5" .

1969-1970 = EB5

1971-1974 = GB5

The first letter indicates the year of the respective colours' model year release ( e.g. , "E" = 1969 , and "G"= 1971 , et seq. ) . The first letter was changed only if the colour was reformulated (and it would appear that "_B5" was reformulated a number of times throughout its life !)

Conversely , some colours were never reformulated ; let's take Hemi Orange / Tor-Red for an instance : its paint code was always "EV2" , and it was available from 1969-1972 .

One of my favorite topics...

• 1968 there was also a (different) 1968 Bright Blue - often seen on '68 Roadrunners that still carried Chrylser's old paint code system - code QQ1 "Electric Blue" (Plymouth) and "Bright Blue Metallic" (Dodge).

• '69-'70 EB5 and '71-'73 GB5 as in John's note

• '74 B5 was yet another color..."Lucerne Blue Metallic" for both Plymouth, and Dodge. It was not as pure/intense a Blue as GB5. GB5 was discontinued/not available in '74

So...when people say "B5 Blue" in a generic way, they are actually talking about what could be four different paint colors. Certain magazine editors are the worst about this! TIM

[johnbuzzed]

I've read in more than one source that you could order a Mopar just about any way you wanted, color-wise and option-wise. You didn't have to buy a car that was on the dealer's lot. I would think that all the manufacturers operated that way "back in the day"; I remember seeing a medium metallic blue '69(?) Camaro with a green vinyl top in the early '80's. Of course, we must consider the little "custom" touches some owners would add to personalize their rides. A little paint here and there is all it takes.

[tim boyd]

Interesting, I've been around Mopars my entire adult life and ths is the 1st I've ever heard of the availability of a blue shaker bubble

Or a white hockey stick stripe

Bill...like you, I've been around Mopars (or at least,Mopars of this era) all my life (my professional work career was with a different manufacturer!)

I've been aware of the white sport stripe some time now, but the Blue Shaker was a surprise to me as well.. Of course, I am relying here on what the professionals and the printed record says....TB

[drodg]

I always assumed you could get the white stripe in 1970. Was the red available in 1970? I am at the office and so all of my books are at home.

[drodg]

Well here is a link that answers my question about stripes etc. http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/colorAndTrim/1970/70_Plymouth_Tops_Stripes_Accents0004.jpg Btw this is a great sight that I use often.

[tim boyd]

I always assumed you could get the white stripe in 1970. Was the red available in 1970? I am at the office and so all of my books are at home.

Well here is a link that answers my question about stripes etc. http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/colorAndTrim/1970/70_Plymouth_Tops_Stripes_Accents0004.jpg Btw this is a great sight that I use often.

I also use this resource regularly and I completely agree - it's a fantastic resource.

In this case, the chart represents the availability at the beginning of the year - with the V6X Sport Tape Stripe representing the "hockey" stripe being in Black only.

This source is also among the best sources I've seen on mid-year updates, but they haven't captured everything in this area - yet. I've also noticed that they continue to add updates so it's a good idea to check back every few months.

There are several '70 'cuda restorations that show the stripe in white, meaning either that it became available during the year, or (and this is possible) somebody got creative after the fact. I have never seen a survivor or 'cuda restoration with a red stripe, though.

TIM

[drodg]

Tim you are right about updates on the Hamtramck sight. I have used it quite a bit for original info on my 1975 Roadrunner. You know Ricahrd Carpenter from the singing group has an original non restored 70 Cuda 440+6. It has a red stripe on it and I remember reading an article years ago about the car and I believe the car hasn't been restored. It has a red stripe. Here is a link http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/Auto-04%201970%20Plymouth%20Barracuda%20'Cuda.htm Thanks everyone for all the info I have learned through these posts. I thought I knew everything about 70 Cuda's but I was wrong.

[drodg]

This is a better link I believee

http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/index.html

[JS23U]

Does anyone have a pic of a 'cuda with a factory blue shaker? Also, I have quite a collection of fender tag pictures, but none of them shows V6W for a white (or even red) hockey stripe... They must be very rare, I tend to believe many of the restored cars with a white stripe got them because on that specific car the owner liked it better than a black one or whatever belonged on the car.

[tim boyd]

Tim you are right about updates on the Hamtramck sight. I have used it quite a bit for original info on my 1975 Roadrunner. You know Ricahrd Carpenter from the singing group has an original non restored 70 Cuda 440+6. It has a red stripe on it and I remember reading an article years ago about the car and I believe the car hasn't been restored. It has a red stripe.

David...thanks, that is very interesting about the Richard Carpenter car. I recall reading about this car many years ago, and in fact I always thought that the red stripe was factory-correct, but when I started to research this subject a few weeks back, I went through all my books on Mopars, and the file of articles I've been keeping on '70'cudas. This file dates back to 1984, and has somewhere north of 30 color articles. There were a number of white stripe cars amongst the various articles and books, but none with the red stripe that I remembered. The fact that this Richard Carpenter car was ordered late in the model year would support the theory that white, and possibly (?) red stripes, were added before production of the '70 model year concluded.

Within the last couple of hours, I checked my Galen Govier Mopar Sales Codes books, and it shows " V 6 * " as the '70 'cuda Sport Tape Stripe, where " * " is used to signify that the last digit is different depending on the color of the stripe. On some of other other tape stripe options, he later defines what the third digit is (in terms of color choices), but on the V6* this definition is missing from his listing.

Maybe we are going to have to declare this as "non definitive" until someone (hopefully the Hamtramck Registry?) can come up with a copy of factory documentation clarifying when and what additional colors of the V6 Sport Tape Stripe were added during the year.

Thanks everyone for your additional insights on this....TIM

[tim boyd]

Does anyone have a pic of a 'cuda with a factory blue shaker? Also, I have quite a collection of fender tag pictures, but none of them shows V6W for a white (or even red) hockey stripe... They must be very rare, I tend to believe many of the restored cars with a white stripe got them because on that specific car the owner liked it better than a black one or whatever belonged on the car.

One thing to keep in mind is (from what I recall back in the day) that the production run of '70 'cudas and Challengers was very front-loaded in the 1970 model year. This was due in part to deteriorating economic conditions during the year, the growing onslaught against muscle cars by the government and insurance industry, and not the least, some new and very innovative GM F-Body cars introduced in February, 1970 that completely rewrote the book on sports compact cars. What this means is that the second half of the model year for 'cudas and Challengers, roughly February to July, had less significantly less production volume than the first half, and this of course was also the period during which many of the new 'cuda and Challenger options became available. That's probably one reason why these cars are so rare or in some cases, essentially unknown.

As I said, I've never personally seen a Blue Shaker, but then again, I've never seen a car equipped with any eight of the additional rear elastomeric bumper options that became available at mid year, either.

Today I looked up (again) one of the sources I used on the Blue Shaker info, it is the "Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Car Red Book, Second Edition, by Peter C. Sessler, MBI Publishing, 2001."

The specific reference to B5 Blue (along with Rallye Red, Oganisol Black, and Astrotone Silver) Shaker availability is on p. 47. As we all know, Mopar reference books vary in their accuracy, but I've found Peter C. Sessler as an author to generally have his act/accuracy together, whether he's writing about Mopars, Engines, Paint colors, or whatever. Still...

More food for thought...TB

[69NovaYenko]

Side note, the Spicer/Dana 60 was more commonly used as a light truck differential, mostly as a full float rear axl in 3/4 ton and single wheel 1 tons. GMC, IH, Ford, Dodge, and even a few Chevrolets used them. It was also common in 1 ton 4x4s as a front axle, and can still be found under most 3/4 and 1 ton vans in semi and full float variants. The Dodge/Plymouth Hemi cars were the only passenger car application of this axle (I have heard rumors of 440 cars with it as well).

Longbox I ran across this little blurp about the Dana 60 and 440 power-plant combo:

Mopar first introduced the Dana 60 in the late 1950s on some heavy-duty 1/2- and 3/4-ton 4WD pickups. Ford also used a Dana 60 in its heavy-duty pickup trucks in the late 1950s. For the next five decades, all major American manufacturers used this axle in either front- or rear-axle configurations. For this month's article we will focus only on the Dana 60 that was used in rear-axle applications. Chrysler began using the Dana 60 in 1966 big-block B-body passenger cars (specifically the 426 Hemi and the 440 engines with a 4-speed transmission).

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2006/04/01/hmn_feature27.html

Hope this helps.

Edited November 27, 2013 by 69NovaYenko

[horsepower]

I've read in more than one source that you could order a Mopar just about any way you wanted, color-wise and option-wise. You didn't have to buy a car that was on the dealer's lot. I would think that all the manufacturers operated that way "back in the day"; I remember seeing a medium metallic blue '69(?) Camaro with a green vinyl top in the early '80's. Of course, we must consider the little "custom" touches some owners would add to personalize their rides. A little paint here and there is all it takes.

I know that most manufacturers would let you do that, I don't know about any of the others, but if you tried to order a combo that they considered "non-resellable" Ford would not accept the order. I know of a lady that worked with my wife that tried to order a 1978 T-Bird in black with a green interior, & they refused the order saying that if she were to trade it back in at a later date the it would not be a car they deemed sellable.

[1972coronet]

Chrysler had a sales code for "not recommended" colour combinations : "V09" (typically , any "9" suffix = Special Order ; conversely , any "8" suffix = Delete ; e.g. , "V88" = Delete GTS / Swinger tail stripe) . Combinations of , say , EV2 with a Saddle Tan interior and a V1W top would solicit a "V09" on the fender tag .

"V4_ " , was another rare option available on the Barracuda (BH) and 'Cuda (BS) models . I've seen :

V4M ( Magenta )

V4W (White)

V4G ( Green )

The colour quickly faded out from these stripes , turning them to their white base colour (!) . Additionally , remaining "Mod Top" vinyl top material was "reconstituted" for the 1971 Imperial . The material was redyed in Burgandy ; and in climates such as the southwest , the burgandy very quickly bleached-out , thereby revealling the floral origins ! Few survive to this day ...

Another consideration regarding the colour-availablity of the Shaker just may be related to the plants' outside suppliers . Remember , the E-bodies were built in two plants in 1970 : Los Angeles (hartops only , and no Hemi models) as well as Hamtramck (both bodystyles , all engines). Perhaps the L.A.-built cars with Shakers were sourced from a supplier whom accommodated EB5-painted Shakers ?

I'll get into the California-specific exhaust when someone mentions a 440 Six Barrel conversion of this kit ...

[tim boyd]

"V4_ " , was another rare option available on the Barracuda (BH) and 'Cuda (BS) models . I've seen :

V4M ( Magenta )

V4W (White)

V4G ( Green )

The colour quickly faded out from these stripes , turning them to their white base colour (!) . Additionally , remaining "Mod Top" vinyl top material was "reconstituted" for the 1971 Imperial . The material was redyed in Burgandy ; and in climates such as the southwest , the burgandy very quickly bleached-out , thereby revealling the floral origins ! Few survive to this day ...

Another consideration regarding the colour-availablity of the Shaker just may be related to the plants' outside suppliers . Remember , the E-bodies were built in two plants in 1970 : Los Angeles (hartops only , and no Hemi models) as well as Hamtramck (both bodystyles , all engines). Perhaps the L.A.-built cars with Shakers were sourced from a supplier whom accommodated EB5-painted Shakers ?

I'll get into the California-specific exhaust when someone mentions a 440 Six Barrel conversion of this kit ...

John ...cool...is the V4 was the Longitudinal Strope Stripe (don't have my code book with me downstairs)? If yes, there was a fourth color - black. What is really interesting is that there were 2-3 different names Plymouth used to describe the magenta and green stripes, depending on what document you were looking at.

That Imperial story about redyed Mod Top material is wild, first I've heard of that. Can you imagine...the typical staid older corporate type (llocal Bank President, perhaps) who buys his '71 Imperial and then has the top fade into a Mod Top? Priceless! (BTW, I am a fan of the '69-'73 Imperial anyway, shame that you couldn't get it with a console when you ordered the bucket seats - that would be a too cool match!)

More Mopar trivia - in 1970, when you ordered a Dart Custom 2-door hardtop (a very rare car to begin with - 95% of Dart Hardtops were the Swinger/Swinger 340 models that year) with optional bucket seats, Dodge added a "GT" nameplate, probably more leftovers from the '69 model year. (For those of you not familiar with Mopar history, the Dart GT and GTS were discontinued in 1970 with the arrival of the Challenger). I wonder how many Dart Custom "GT's were built that year? Maybe a few hundred at most?

Still more Mopar Trivia - while special paint Mopars were on the decline starting in '71, there were at least a few 1973 Charger SE's built with the B9 Dark Blue Metallic that was otherwise a C-Body exclusive color that year. The paint was listed as Code "09" on the window label (again, for you non-Mopar types, Mopar data plates used "999" for special paint cars). I personally observed several of these at Pointe Dodge in Gross Point, Michigan, in Spring of 1973, these were also unique because they were the only '73-'74 Charger SE's I ever saw with the optional Halo Vinyl Roof (yes, it was a factory option for SE's). There was also at least one Dodge Coronet Crestwood wagon also painted the same color at the same dealership, and my Dad ended up buying it new and using it as his business/family car for the next four years. Oh...it also had the 400 Magnum, duals, and even the Tuff steering wheel, all from the factory.

TB

Edited November 28, 2013 by tim boyd

[FASTBACK340]

All this Mopar option break-down's is fascinating guys!

Not to muddy the waters, but I know a guy with a Black `70 440 Barracuda and a red hockey stick. Not sure if it's 100% legit to the fender tag though....

Edited November 28, 2013 by FASTBACK340

[1972coronet]

Not to rail road this thread ; here's a link to the ill-fated Burgundy Top of the 1971 Imperial :

http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1971/Paisley/