’71 Billboard Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda

A high-water mark in the muscle car era

Unique styling year for the car

A "1 of 59" Hemi 4-speed 'Cuda

Rust-free, straight-body shell to replace the original car

A styling change

The "E-Body" Plymouth Barracuda was produced from 1970 to 1974 and it died off because the American public had lost their appeal for purchasing the large-bodied Pony Cars. 1971 was a unique year for the car as it was the only year that, an example, four headlights were used, and it was the last year for the convertible body. Some feel the 1971 Barracuda was the most "busy" in terms of overall styling, while others feel the car is the high-water mark of the extremes of the muscle car era.

The E-Body Barracuda line was similar to the Dodge Challenger however, it ran on a 108-inch wheelbase, which was two inches less than the Dodge, and all the body panels were different between the two "sister" pony cars. A long hood, a short deck is what E-Body cars were all about, with a wide stance and a width of 74.7 inches.

The styling changes for 1971 saw the deletion of twin headlights and the fitting of a new type of grille, composed of six segments shaped with three as the letter "D" mirrored by three in the opposite shape. If ordered with the optional "Elastomeric Bumper" the grille came painted in selected body colors (according to factory literature there were six colors available with the front high-density molded urethane foam bumpers and four for the rear). The lower valance panel saw a redesign as well, and the front bumper is different from a 1970 model as a result of the wider lower bumper cut-outs.

The taillights were slightly restyled with separate housings for backup lights.

The rear view of the 4-speed Hemi 'Cuda shows the tell-tale Dana 60 rear axle and this particular view of the car reveals that it doesn't feature an outside passenger's side mirror, which was optional, plus because it's a "no radio" factory car, there's no antenna on the right front fender.

Not all 1971 Barracudas were performance models, options included:

a standard 198-cid 125-hp six-cylinder came on the basic coupe
a 225-cid six-cylinder engine
a 318-cid V8s
a 2-bbl version of the 383-cid V8

All 'Cuda models could be had with a choice of four different powerplants:

standard 383-cid B-block
340-cid LA-block
440-cid 6 bbl RB-block
426-cid Hemi.

For buyers of the 'Cuda performance models, 1971 saw some further styling "add-ons" that were one-year-only features, namely the large quarter-panel side stripes and the four simulated vents on the front fenders.

This black-and-white combination clearly shows the extreme impact of the graphics design, a lot of bang for the $37.55 extra cost!

One of the most recognizable visual features of these 2nd-year E-Body Plymouths, when presented in 'Cuda form, is the "Billboard" side markings, done in either black or white hues as factory options. Legend has it those unusual graphics came as a result of a disgruntled designer at Chrysler. The worker had been long waiting for a promotion, growing tired of the job of only designing side stripes and minor decals on cars.

When he was assigned to propose a new stripe design for the 1971 'Cuda, he quickly drew a huge and "overkill" design as a joke, and surprisingly, management loved it!

The car was being saved

Mopar lovers have long celebrated the famous 426-cid Hemi engine, so-named for its cylinder heads that feature hemispherical combustion chambers. These engines were produced in street form from 1966 through the 1971 model year, rated at 425 horsepower, and fitted with dual four-barrel carburetors. Starting in 1970, the Hemi engine received hydraulic lifters and a slight engine compression ratio reduction from 10.25:1 to 10.20:1, with listed horsepower remaining at 425 at 5000 rpm, and torque listed at 490 lb./ft. at 4000 rpm.

Code N96 means "Shaker" and it was standard equipment on Hemi E-Body cars. For those that thought that they could order a "sleeper" version of a 1971 Barracuda with a Hemi engine, the mandatory hood scoop totally and completely killed any chance of not getting noticed!

The pictured car is unique in the sense that when reading the Broadcast Sheet, the original paper that was placed inside the rear seat springs, and indicating a "1 of 59" 1971 Hemi 'Cuda 4-speed car. Some years ago, long before these cars saw the unbelievable spike in value, this car was unfortunately in a high-speed mishap where the car barrel-rolled causing extensive damage to the body shell and sheet metal. When the body shop was given the task of repairing the extremely damaged car, the decision was made to find a rust-free and straight body shell to replace the twisted and heavily "crunched" original structure.

When the car was being saved, all the Hemi components were switched over to the replacement shell, including;

numbers-matching engine and transmission
extra-heavy-duty torsion bars
heavy-duty front sway bar
skid-plate fitted K-member
Dana 60 rear end
thick leaf springs
original interior
pistol grip shifter
and all other factory components

To handle the grunt of the Hemi engine, a large Dana 60 rear axle with a 9.75-inch ring gear diameter, was used for manual transmission applications. This particular car has the "A33" Track Pak package, which incorporated 3.54:1 ratio, ideal for street and strip performance. During the restoration, the white-hued circle marking and small yellow paint dab were used, based on typical original factory identifications. The yellow mark was to draw attention to service bays to use limited slip diff-lube only.

The Hemi 'Cuda had beefy leaf springs with six leafs driver's side, and seven leafs passenger's side, and wheel hop was almost non-existent because of the superior design. The rear underside view shows the amount of detail work done to bring it back to the condition of a new vehicle in a 1971 showroom.

Detail work on the front suspension included accurate zinc dichromate (gold) coating on the lower A-arms and phosphate plating on the upper control arms, along with fully detailed authentic correct color-coded paint swabs. The drum brakes,11 x 3-inch, are somewhat rare as many Hemi cars featured upgraded disc brakes up front.

With the rear brake drum removed it's clear to see the amount of detail on this restoration everywhere you look.

Rather than discard the original Hemi engine block that was not road worthy because of coolant leakage, it was researched that there were industrial shops in the earth-moving equipment field capable of repairing a large cast iron unit such as the Hemi block.

Fully balanced and blueprinted, the short block was built with the same 10.2:1 compression and double roller timing set as the original equipment.

The year 1971 was the last for the mighty 426 Hemi, it was a potent production powerplant: 2.25-inch diameter intake valves, 1.94-inch diameter exhaust valves, both made from XB Silchrome Chrome steel material, a 480/490-inch lift,284-degree duration camshaft, double-breaker ignition, double-roller timing chain, wintage tray, dual Carter 4-bbl carburetors, 10.2:1 compression. 425horse power at 5000 rpm. Because the factory knew these engines would be seeing extreme duty by their owners, it didn't feature the standard 5-year, 50,000-mile warranty but was subject to being backed for 12 months, or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The engine was fully tested on the dyno, developing 422 horsepower. The patching work on the block held up tight and no leaks!

The fender tag on the' Cuda actually involves two separate metal tags, one on the left with a reference to the factory equipment such as E74 = 426 Hemi, D21 = Manual 4-speed, A33 = 3.54:1 Track Pak, A62 = Rallye Instrument Cluster and the other listing "Hemi Fender" which is special cut for the F60 x 15 tires on 7-inch wide wheels.

"Billboard" quarter-panel stripes were available exclusively on 'Cuda models, in black(V6X) and white (V6W) and came with three different engine displacement call-outs: "340" and "383" and "440" plus "HEMI" for those that ordered the 426-cid engine.

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Available as an option, the rear wing was known in and around Chrysler-Plymouth dealerships as the "Code J81 Aerodynamic Spoiler" and it sold for an additional cost of $34.35. These wings were not offered on 6-cylinder cars, 318 cars or 383-2-bbl applications.

The first glimpse of this 15-inch Rallye Road Wheel (Code W21) is that the red color showing through the cooling holes of the wheel shows that it's a drum brake car.

Pony cars were not known for large trucks and the Barracuda for 1970-74 was not known for large cargo areas. When the Hemi engine was specified, the use of 15-inch wheels came with that package, and included was the Code W34 Collapsible Spare Tire that provides some more room and could be aired up via a pressurized aluminum air canister that fills up the tire via a Schrader valve. The jack assembly appears to have never been used.

Rallye Instrument Cluster (A62) consisted of a wood-grained applique face panel with a 150-mph speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure gauge, electric clock, trip odometer with push-button reset.

When a car came from the factory not equipped with a radio, it came with a "block off" plate as pictured. Because the 1971 Barracuda didn't come standard with a radio, this is considered a "no radio" car and some mistakenly refer to these as being "radio-delete" cars, however, that is not accurate as nothing was deleted, it was an extra-cost option to have a radio.

Hurst came up with a "Pistol Grip" short-throw shifter for 4-speed manual transmissions, and it had a feel to it that gave the driver confidence of "no more missed shifts."

The overall interior theme was modernistic and the styling touches such as the sculpted door panels gave the Chrysler E-Body cars a look all their own from the inside and out. Located on the lower dash panel is the manual chock handle, something that came on the Hemi for 1971.

Three-spoke, Code S83, "Rim-Blow" simulated wood grain steering wheel featuring inner horn activating ring, was a $28.60 option and adds some pizazz to the interior.

Had the body shop had the foresight to retain the original body shell, even though it needed an extreme amount of attention to fix, which may or may not have been beyond the capability of the shop, the purists in the collector car world would be giving the vehicle more kudos than the way it was repaired. Hindsight is always 20-20.