Another fine '71 'cuda

[go-fish]

Hemi, air ride Tech 4-bar, Alter-k-tion, Bad A$$. This is a Matt Delaney creation, you know, the guy responsible for the triple black Hemi AAR 'cuda with the Heidt's IRS. His creations seem to stick to a stock exterior/interior but exotic and modern mechanicals. Word is, he had a "Direct Connection" to Mopar Performance to get some really trick stuff.

[F70t/a]

dude that is a sweet cuda

[MrAngry]

Damn... how much money does this guy have anyway...

[datsbad]

I saw this car first hand on the powertour. It looks cool but there were some major issues with paint, bodywork and some things that were not acceptable to me on a high dollar car that you would expect.

Some other people saw the same things as i was looking at it, which made me feel better to know that i was not being to critical .

The car has a stock feel to it and it looks good, I liked it a lot but just some things could have been done better. I dont claim to be a perfectionist , there are just my opinons(well others also apparently) . I did hear it was a major rush to get it there for the tour , so maybe they will be fixing things to bring it up to par .

either way , cool car

[go-fish]

The car was a rush to get finished for the tour. He had other cars that were driven by some of todays Mopar masterminds, like Paul from Hydratech and Bill Reilly of Reilly Motorsports.
Delaney is a real estate investor that is based out of North LA (Louisiana). I think he's got a little loot. From what I have heard and read you couldn't find a nicer guy. I would like to look at his 'cudas up close as I am kinda copying alot of his ideas for my 'cuda.

[DRJDVM's '69]

Very nice. I've been looking at the AirRide stuff. I love the stance.

Go-fish.... I'd love to see pix of your car. I'm building a 70 Barracuda right now, so I'm always interested in what others have done.

[email protected]

[Bob Johnson]

I just don't get the Hemi AAR Cuda Motif..either it's a Hemi car, or a AAR car (small block Trans Am Style)..A Heidt's Rear End just doesn't belong under a Street Machine much less a Pro-Tour Car, IMHO..It's a Street Rod Rear End. High gloss billboards just don't register with me either..I thought he was a little brazen at SEMA when Troy had Sick Fish there with Delaney's Black Car. Delaney said Troy who? No one in this sport can make that statement with authority. As discussed in the Top 10 Builders thread, Troy is arguably the best in this business. I was a little surprised with the car Delaney had at SEMA in the Chrysler Booth last year. It was definitely a step down from the black Cuda. This red car is not on par with the black Cuda either. To play this game, you don't go backward, you move forward. I am not knocking his work as I think he assembles a car that is pleasing to the eye. Bolting on aftermarket parts does not a great builder make. Am I looking at this wrong?

[go-fish]

I just mated the tranny and the block tonight, just a mock up to measure for the drive shaft. I will be ordering the Air-Bar this week. So in the next few weeks I ought to have the stance nailed. I have been waiting to see how the front looks with some weight on it. I will dig the ATI supercharger out soon and get some pics of that along with the Hydratech system I just hooked up. I have some brake line to bend and that is about it for the next six months. I am going to Guam for awhile, I will get the cylinders bored and the stroker put together when I get back next spring. Hopefuly I can get it on the road not long after spring so I can tear it all back down and knock out that bodywork, it is rust free but definately not dent free. Got all the chrome and interior so good shape there. I am going to get an AAR hood.

[go-fish]

Wow, Coot, hold on a minute. Nobody ever said this car was cooler than yours, buddy. It's just a cool lookin 'cuda. You guys just come from different camps, that's all. I guess it is just the differences in perspective in perspective. "Troy who?" now that is pretty fudged up. He is going to be remembered alot longer than Delaney that is for sure, but I didn't hear him say it with my own ears.
Two different ends of the spectrum as far as putin' cars together. One style is all out Daryl Starbid'esc and the other is "That's what they should have done from the factory in 1970". BTW, they are both PT. And IRS does belong in the PT world along with all the other suspension systems that WORK.

[Bob Johnson]

Wow, Coot, hold on a minute. Nobody ever said this car was cooler than yours, buddy. It's just a cool lookin 'cuda. You guys just come from different camps, that's all. I guess it is just the differences in perspective in perspective. "Troy who?" now that is pretty fudged up. He is going to be remembered alot longer than Delaney that is for sure, but I didn't hear him say it with my own ears.
Two different ends of the spectrum as far as putin' cars together. One style is all out Daryl Starbid'esc and the other is "That's what they should have done from the factory in 1970". BTW, they are both PT. And IRS does belong in the PT world along with all the other suspension systems that WORK.

Quite obviously I agree with independent rear suspensions in PT since I had one installed in my Cuda..but Heidt's is not built for this application. It's for Street Rods. There are plenty of viable alternatives. I didn't mean to seem like I had my panties in a wad. It is just quite weird when I hear people comparing general contractor type builders with the likes of Alan Johnson and Troy Trepanier. There are guys that can assemble parts from aftermarket suppliers, and contract out other work and make a good looking car. But these cars are not in the same universe as a car that Alan and Troy build.

[formula]

It is just quite weird when I hear people comparing general contractor type builders with the likes of Alan Johnson and Troy Trepanier. There are guys that can assemble parts from aftermarket suppliers, and contract out other work and make a good looking car. But these cars are not in the same universe as a car that Alan and Troy build.

I don't think that bob is just getting all riled up because his heels are being nipped at (not that his heels are being nipped at anyway)...I happen to agree with him on all points. This is a very well assembled car, but all the stuff on there is not exactly trick. Heck, I'm just a hack weekend mechanic, and I'm bolting an airride setup onto my car. I don't mean to devalue his work, Just saying that i think he's still got a lot of work to do if he's gonna throw snide remarks at the likes of troy trepanier.

[Stu Seitz]

You know, I hate to beat a dead horse, but why did you choose to use a MII suspension?

[MrQuick]

damn there goes my color combo. its a nice car, not too showee and not too sheeet house. Just up my alley. Haven't seen it up close but I like.

[go-fish]

It isn't really a MII front. Sure it has MII spindles, well not ones from an MII itself. I don't know if that constitutes it as an MII front suspension.The rack is a Flaming River piece. The kit is called Alter-k-tion from Reilly Motorsports, I found it through BigBlockDart.com when I was looking for the Magnum Force unit. I went with this set up because the Magnum Force has long range issues, the coils mount to the stock shock mounts wich cause eventual damage, and I believe you have to use a motor plate. The UCA's mount to stock location and all the ball joints and bushings have Mopar part numbers. I have heard people say they sold the Mag Force and bought the Alter-k-tion. The whole thing saves me easily over a hundred pounds and I get a shist ton of adjustability. I know it came in a box so I guess my pride in it just went down a little. I used to think it was "trick" but it wasn't made from scratch.
I don't want to beat a dead horse either but you know how Troy Trepanier is a prankster and jokester, how do you know that the SEMA comment wasn't in jest, something between two builders, not owners, and it got outside of that realm? I don't know either one of them and think it is a little Soap Opera-ish to sit here and go through the "he said, she said" thing.
I just posted these pics because it IS a pretty cool ride, no G-Force 'cuda, but still cool. I want to see MY 'cuda in that state and I don't think G-force was the end all, be all for 'cudas just like SickFish wasn't so I aint gonna stop dumping money and free time into mine. Well that's it for me, I don't want to step on anymore toes. I don't want to change minds or defend people I don't know, I do enough of that in the desert.

[Bob Johnson]

It isn't really a MII front. Sure it has MII spindles, well not ones from an MII itself. I don't know if that constitutes it as an MII front suspension.The rack is a Flaming River piece. The kit is called Alter-k-tion from Reilly Motorsports, I found it through BigBlockDart.com when I was looking for the Magnum Force unit. I went with this set up because the Magnum Force has long range issues, the coils mount to the stock shock mounts wich cause eventual damage, and I believe you have to use a motor plate. The UCA's mount to stock location and all the ball joints and bushings have Mopar part numbers. I have heard people say they sold the Mag Force and bought the Alter-k-tion. The whole thing saves me easily over a hundred pounds and I get a shist ton of adjustability. I know it came in a box so I guess my pride in it just went down a little. I used to think it was "trick" but it wasn't made from scratch.
I don't want to beat a dead horse either but you know how Troy Trepanier is a prankster and jokester, how do you know that the SEMA comment wasn't in jest, something between two builders, not owners, and it got outside of that realm? I don't know either one of them and think it is a little Soap Opera-ish to sit here and go through the "he said, she said" thing.
I just posted these pics because it IS a pretty cool ride, no G-Force 'cuda, but still cool. I want to see MY 'cuda in that state and I don't think G-force was the end all, be all for 'cudas just like SickFish wasn't so I aint gonna stop dumping money and free time into mine. Well that's it for me, I don't want to step on anymore toes. I don't want to change minds or defend people I don't know, I do enough of that in the desert.

I think what you're doing is very cool for a guy that's building his own car. That's what these kinds of parts are for. A regular guy can build a good handling car that will ride well and do what he wants it to do. But a quality builder/Fabricator does not take motors, Trans packages, manufactured headers, rear ends, suspension kits etc and call the finished product a milestone piece. Assemblers and General Contractor type builders can fool lots of the general public and even the manufacturers quite obviously, but guys like me that have been around the block many times see right thru this stuff very quickly. BTW Troy, Alan, and others didn't take that comment lightly, even though they thought it was a real joke. I didn't build the Cuda to be all end all for this hobby. It was built to be the new high water mark for others to shoot for. It wasn't meant to take away your motivation to work on your car, but to show others what could be done and hopefully give you ideas for your cars. I'm sorry that you take it that I expect EVERYONE to build a car to this level or do nothing..nothing could be further from the truth. When I see your car finished, I will think it's cool. But then you're not trying to pass yourself off as an Alan Johnson or a Troy Trepanier. When you do that, you're going to have to build one helluva car to impress me.

[go-fish]

I do understand that Troy, Alan, Schwartz, and the like are among the elite and I wouldn't compare thier products with a guy like Delaney's stuff. I am sure Delaney makes a living off his commercial real estate and not cars. PHR did an article on guys doing Mopars for the PT scene, Delaney, Trepanier, and others. I remember he explained his view on what he liked to build, wich is stock appearing vehicles, stock interior, and updated mechanicals. Some people like that. I never tried to draw a paralel between Delaney's car and anybody elses' car when I started this thread. Sorry to ruffle the feathers. BTW, I would like to know the general publics view on the black 'cuda and the Schwarts Poison Dart (both used Alter-k-tion and Heidt's), but not a comparison to other builds just a view on the results of each build individually. I think the Heidts is a great IRS, inboard brakes, indestructable third member, great joints and 1/2 shafts, and strong control arms. The Alter-k-tion is a proven front suspension in hard core road race to hard core drag race. Now you can get Shockwaves instead of coilovers.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

i like it..

[Bigblue73]

I like the car and the stance is Killer. Delaney has done some nice stuff in the past.

I don't think its fair to compare him to the "Greats" His cars are all nice but they are not the fabricated monsters that Cooter's car is or what TT has doen with Sickfish. How can you compare these machines as they are not on the same playground. Bob's 'Cuda is the ultimate in purpose, function, use of materials and style. Bare none. Extreme.

The heidt's IRS allows us Mopar guys to run the wide tires without mini-tubbing. At least a 315 possible a 335.

The air bar and alterkation front clip are nice pieces and as mentioned proven. Hard to beat. Can I adapt a DSE front stub under my Challenger?

[Hydratech®]

I drove this 'Cuda for a few hundred miles during this year's HRPT, and it is FANTASTIC! While it may seem subtle from its visual cues, you experience lazer sharp accuracy in everything you control when in the driver's seat. We didn't want to run all too hard at first, since this build had zero miles on it when it rolled off the trailer in Kissimee, though once it hit the 500 mile mark we let 'er rip! Modern elephant crate HEMI performance was of course on tap, but what really knocked all of our socks off was the 25 mpg average fuel economy - couldn't believe it! Vintage Air blasting ice cubes at you, megawatt sound system playing XM radio, running heavy on the loud pedal the whole time. When in the twisties and turnies, you'd drop the air bags down a bit and corner like a C6 Vette - almost uncanny.

Click here for the story:

http://www.cardomain.com/features/hotrod_part1

http://www.cardomain.com/features/hotrod_part2

BTW - This 'Cuda is just the tip of the iceberg, as Delaney Auto Design has now come to life = Matt has decided to progress from hobby status to full on builder status: http://www.dadsmopars.com/ Watch for some really wicked Mopars to roll out of his production over the next few years.

[Bob Johnson]

I do understand that Troy, Alan, Schwartz, and the like are among the elite and I wouldn't compare thier products with a guy like Delaney's stuff. I am sure Delaney makes a living off his commercial real estate and not cars. PHR did an article on guys doing Mopars for the PT scene, Delaney, Trepanier, and others. I remember he explained his view on what he liked to build, wich is stock appearing vehicles, stock interior, and updated mechanicals. Some people like that. I never tried to draw a paralel between Delaney's car and anybody elses' car when I started this thread. Sorry to ruffle the feathers. BTW, I would like to know the general publics view on the black 'cuda and the Schwarts Poison Dart (both used Alter-k-tion and Heidt's), but not a comparison to other builds just a view on the results of each build individually. I think the Heidts is a great IRS, inboard brakes, indestructable third member, great joints and 1/2 shafts, and strong control arms. The Alter-k-tion is a proven front suspension in hard core road race to hard core drag race. Now you can get Shockwaves instead of coilovers.

I heard there were some problems with the Heidt's control arms when you put some big H.P. to them. Even heard Delaney had problems with them on the black car..