(Photo by Jim Campisano)

Jerry Eugenio was driving a ’64 Plymouth Sport Fury in 1970 when his brother Ray came back from Vietnam and parked a shiny new ’70 340 ’Cuda on their street in Brooklyn, New York. This had a profound effect on Jerry, and it was soon thereafter he found his own 340 ’Cuda, albeit a slightly used ’68 notchback.

Jerry indeed loved that 340 ’Cuda, but as is often the case, he got married, had some kids and the lovable A-body Plymouth was sent to a new home. But the avocado green/TorqueFlite automatic car never left his heart.

A subtle custom touch: Jerry outlined the area surrounding the deckled panel in red Plastidip, just to see what it looked like. He decided to keep it and we think it looks great. (Photo by Jim Campisano)

Fast forward to 1996. Jerry decides it is time for a new 340 ’Cuda to fill the void in his heart. He saw one advertised in a magazine by a classic car flipper in Palm Beach, Florida. He inquired about it, and flew down to check it out. It was not a numbers-matching vehicle, but that did not concern him. It gave him the opportunity to build it just as he wanted it.

The price was right, and after a thorough inspection, he bought it.

For the first time in decades, Jerry was in Mopar Heaven. Truth be told, his new Barracuda started life as a 318 two-barrel car with an automatic transmission and factory air conditioning. Actually, that sounds like a pretty appealing vehicle, but it had been breathed upon by the previous owner. He was the one who converted it to 340 power.

Jerry contacted said owner to see if there was anything he needed to know about the sporty compact, or if it had any secrets he’d need to address. The man candidly told him it did not. He had taken everything from his ’68 Formula S Barracuda and transferred it over to the car you see here — the 340, transmission, rearend, springs, torsion bars, etc.

“I did a front disc brake conversion,” said Jerry, “and over the years I just modified things as they needed to be repaired or upgraded. I put a Borgeson steering box on it when the original steering box leaked. The rear leaf springs were flat, so I got Mopar Performance heavy duty springs. I increased the torsion bars from 0.84-inch diameter bars to one in 1.13 or something like that. So it’s got a much better suspension than the Formula S cars had. I also added tubular upper control arms.”

About That 340 …

The former owner did reveal that the short-block had been assembled by noted Mopar racer “Akron” Arlen Vanke. It’s a .030-over block with Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum heads, an Edelbrock Air Gap intake manifold, and Barry Grant Street Demon 625 cfm carb. The cam is now a COMP 268HE piece. When he bought the Plymouth, the cam was so aggressive Jerry had to ditch the power brakes due to lack of vacuum. The current COMP cam offers excellent power without any tradeoffs in driveability. One subtraction he made was trading the headers that came on the car and substituted factory high-performance manifolds.

The Barracuda is a real factory air car, but Jerry upgraded the system to a modern Classic Auto Air system. The car lacks power steering, but between the Borgeson box, control arms and improved caster and camber, the owner does not miss it.

The trans is a 727 TorqueFlite with a governor from a 440. It shifts at 5,800 rpm every time. Out back is a 3.23 Sure Grip for comfy highway cruising, without the need for overdrive.

His most memorable experience in the 340 ’Cuda?

“There’s not just one. The constant stream of people asking me about the car,” he related. “The old woman at the supermarket — just the look on her face. People telling you their mother or relative had one.”

Color: Not Quite Factory

As we said, Jerry did most of the work on the Barracuda. One thing he did not do was the paint. He and brother Ray did the bodywork before it was sprayed, but he farmed out the last part. The color is slightly lighter than the stock gold, which bothered Jerry at first, but he’s come to really like it.

The car had a vinyl top when it left the Hamtramck, Michigan, plant. but Jerry ditched it off when the car was refinished. One compromise was the vinyl top’s body trim was reinstalled. He likes the look, and should he ever decide to add the top back on, the trim pieces are already there.

The Barracuda really runs and drives like a dream. Jerry installed a hidden stereo, and when the Florida temperatures get too toasty, he cranks the air conditioning.

And then there are those awesome Trans American Race Engineering SuperLite wheels, which give the Plymouth a period correct sports car look. They are wrapped in 255/60R15 Galaxy Radial GT tires in the back and 215/60R15s up front.

(Photo by Jim Campisano)

Every once in a while, Jerry hears from the former owner, and on numerous occasions he has offered to buy the car back. That is not likely to happen. Jerry drives the car constantly, and gets a smile on his face every time he turns the key. He is more than happy to keep making new memories.

This 340 ’Cuda’s a keeper.