'72-'74 Cuda Grille

[Snake45]

Does anyone make an improved grille for the AMT/MPC '72-'74 Cudas, or at least the headlight buckets? I have a couple of these I'd like to build but I just can't stand the way the headlights look. Or does anyone have a suggested fix for the area? I can't quite figure out how to fix the mess.

[freakshow12]

I would drill the headlight holes and use buckets/ lenses from either the new cuda or a rm 69 camaro

[Snake45]

I thought of that but the shape of the headlight surrounds are different between the '70 and the '72-'74.

I'm thinking of maybe backing up the area with several thickness of styrene, drilling out to set the headlights deeper into the area, and then trying to "cone" out the area either with a drill or by filing. Might not be 100% accurate but almost anything would have to look better than the kit treatment of the area.

[VRM]

A friend of mine is working on a conversion of the '70 Cuda to '72-'74. For the grille he is changing the '70 to add the split and mesh of the later years. It will not be exact, but after going to Carlisle and looking at both I think the only people who will worry about it in scale are the ones who would need to redesign the kit anyway. And yes, he is doing the front valence, tail, and seats.

He has offered it (and a '71 conversion) to Kevin at Missing Link. The masters should be finished shortly.

Steve

[Force]

Interesting...so then we can do a more correct looking Motown Missile and Sox & Martin 1972 Cuda...Nice!

[mikelo]

If you can find an original annual kit, the part around the headlights look a lot better. I have one I am trying to figure out how to graft onto another body I have. I am not sure why they flattened the part around the headlight or when, but I have an issue from the 80's that the modification was already made on. I can try to take a pic later tonight if you would like to see it.

Mike

[Snake45]

  On 9/4/2014 at 4:35 PM, VRM said:

A friend of mine is working on a conversion of the '70 Cuda to '72-'74. For the grille he is changing the '70 to add the split and mesh of the later years. It will not be exact, but after going to Carlisle and looking at both I think the only people who will worry about it in scale are the ones who would need to redesign the kit anyway. And yes, he is doing the front valence, tail, and seats.

He has offered it (and a '71 conversion) to Kevin at Missing Link. The masters should be finished shortly.

Steve

Sounds very most way interesting! I'd very much like to see that. Any idea when it would be available? If it looks good, I'll take at least two.

[Snake45]

  On 9/4/2014 at 4:54 PM, mikelo said:

If you can find an original annual kit, the part around the headlights look a lot better. I have one I am trying to figure out how to graft onto another body I have. I am not sure why they flattened the part around the headlight or when, but I have an issue from the 80's that the modification was already made on. I can try to take a pic later tonight if you would like to see it.

Mike

Yes, I'd love to see that if it's not too much trouble.

BTW, I think the other day I found on my harddrive a pic I snatched off the net of the headlight bucket on the (unrestored) '72 Motown Missile. I can load that up onto photobucket and post it here if anyone's interested.

[VRM]

He was almost done 3 weeks ago.

I will see if I can get my friend to send me some pics of his progress, and also find out when he plans to finish the masters.

Steve

[Bob Ellis]

I drilled out the headlight area and found another head light bucket out of the Round2 AMT '61 Galaxie. It was a custom with clear lens.

These funky head lights are a result of MPC modifying the Cuda kit to a stock car after the 1974 annual kit. Don't forget that the turn signal lights under the grille were removed as well. If you get a chance to see an original 1972-1974 MPC Cuda kit, you will see how much better they used to be.

In a related note, the Chrysler emblem on the lower right part of the right front fender was removed after the 1974 annual kit run. Non of the subsequent kit runs by ERTL that I have seen have the emblem.

[br67]

I see Modelhaus offer these-could they not help?

1972 Plymouth Barracuda (chrome-plated)

Headlight sets, chrome plated

[ChrisPflug]

I made some light buckets from an AMT Duster grille

[mikelo]

Let me see if I can remember to get some pics. It would be easy to add the headlights of your choice with the original front. I still have found no reason for why they did that.

Mike

[mikelo]

I found them. The original one is in white plastic but was painted blue and had the custom nose glued on with tube glue. I think you can still see how the area around the headlight was more correct than it is now (the one in primer).

Mike

[ChrisPflug]

Original 72-74 bodies can be found in usable condition for not much money- spending an extra 10 bucks or so is certainly a viable alternative to lots of surgery or a conversion kit. The 1980 and up MPC bodies are a bit funky in other details that were restored like the door handles and such

[caine440]

I drilled these out and used an AMT Duster grille for the parts. Not the best but it still loks better then the stock kit I started with.

[Snake45]

Thanks all for the replies and ideas. I have something I'm gonna try. Will post pics if it works, will slink away quietly if it doesn't.

[VRM]

Here are the '72-74 updates for the Revell Cuda. Not sure if the bumper updates are needed, but they might be helpful. Feel free to comment or suggest.

'71 Cuda up after this...

Steve

[VRM]

Here are the '71 parts to convert the Revell Cuda.

He said there is still about a weeks worth of work left to finish.

Feel free to comment or suggest...

Steve

[Snake45]

Those '72-'74 headlight buckets look 100% better than the kit parts, but it looks like the headlights might sit out too far. Or do they really sit back in those buckets a bit, like the real ones?

[VRM]

  On 9/11/2014 at 10:48 PM, Snake45 said:

Those '72-'74 headlight buckets look 100% better than the kit parts, but it looks like the headlights might sit out too far. Or do they really sit back in those buckets a bit, like the real ones?

The headlights buckets are from the '70, so they should sit at the same point. I think it will be just a bit inside the grille edge. They are not recessed into the grille section, but they will look pretty close.

[Snake45]

Here's a pic I found on the net of a '72 headlight bucket. It's a bit different from the '70. This is the unrestored '72 Motown Missile

.

[Bob Ellis]

When MPC turned the Cuda into a stock car, they removed the inside of the lip around the headlight that made the headlight appear sunken. It is on the '74 annual kit, but it's gone now.

[Bob Ellis]

VRM, those 72 parts are an improvement

[azers]

Vrm when will the 72 conversion be available.