Kevin Bradley's 73 'Cuda

For those of you that have been fortunate enough to see Kevin Bradley's Panther Pink Challenger you can attest to the fact he is a very capable home mechanic.  With a full time job, kids and other responsibilities the restoration took seven years.  It was also Kevin's first full restoration.  Kevin's current project is a 73 'Cuda hardtop.  Now retired and kids launched, Kevin's goal is to finish this car in about half the time it took to complete the Panther Pink car.

Kevin purchased the current project car in 1995.  He found the original owner car in Fremont.  At that time the 'Cuda was set up as a drag car and was raced at the Fremont Raceway.  In spite of hard use, the car was equipped with its original 340 cid, 4 speed and was rust free.  The car had billboards painted on the side as you can see in the "before" picture.  The restoration began in earnest in 2022, almost 30 years after Kevin acquired the car - testimony for holding on to those future classics!

The first order of business was disassembly and media blast.  Next, Kevin sent the car into a shop in Sonora for body work, primer and paint.  After approximately 14 months in the body shop, he was able to get the car back into his shop and on the lift.  Kevin decided to go with a current Mopar color, Destroyer Gray, which looks fabulous with the flat black he chose for the hood.  He is currently rebuilding the suspension which will be reassembled with upgraded torsion bars and bushings.  The suspension will be cleaned, hot tanked and powder coated, all in Kevin's well equipped shop.  

Kevin's plan for the car is to create a reliable, comfortable and visually appealing ride that he can take to shows as well as on long cruises.  The car will have some get up and go as well - the rebuilt 340 originally had 275 hp stock.  Kevin estimates the final dyno numbers will be closer to 400 hp at the flywheel.  Upgrades include an QFT (Quick Fuel Technology) Holly carburetor and Edelbrock intake and heads for better breathing as well as a Crane cam.  The rear gears are currently 3.23 and Kevin plans to replace those with 3.91 gears.  To help temper the high gears, he plans on upgrading the four speed to a Tremec TKX 5 speed transmission.  

I am sure the result of Kevin's efforts on this current project will be the equivalent of his Panther Pink Challenger. We look forward to following Kevin's progress and ultimately seeing the 73 at future Cars & Coffee events!