1972 Cuda V21 hood & color keyed grille options ?

Barry Thanks, I figured from the sheet I posted it appears to be standard for my FE5 car. So even if it's not on my data tag it should be presumed correct then. I just wanted to see if the build sheet indicated it.... after all factory line workers needed to know which grille to install. I am still trying to learn. Since it came standard with body color painted mirrors/grille an option code would be needed to indicate chrome mirrors or argent grille?
From your Hamtrack Historical pics this car is TB3 and should have a standard body color grille and mirrors.


The previous owner of my car had said he put a build sheet back in the car. I never found it, maybe it's in the speaker tray. Has anyone ever found one there? The pic of the sheet I posted above is from the ebay car

Nice post and thanks to the e-bag link. My 72 cuda is basin street blue, black vinyl top, black side stripe, color keyed grilled, chrome drivers mirror, no passenger mirror, but no V21 hood paint (at least that can be seen). The car was repainted at some point but it is the original color. Car needs a full major resto having been smashed by a tree in my yard.

Can you circle on the broadcast sheet where the V21 option would be indicated?

Sorry for the poorly drawn circles

Mine is on my tag ...see top line far right

larry4406, I am looking for any information that would specify my car did come with a color keyed grille. Other than knowing the history of my car and knowing it was original to the car... how can I prove my car came with the color keyed grille? So far all I have is the hamtrack historical document, and a prior owners word. So was there ever anything on the data tag or buildsheet? Maybe even the window sticker. I would love to see a window sticker from one.

I don't know what more you could be looking for. If the Trim Selector says it's standard for your color car and that there is no coding necessary for it the dealer couldn't have just forgot to code it and the car didn't get it.

My '72 Cuda came with the V21 blacked out hood option, and the original grille was indeed body colored. My car is Basin Street Blue (B3) with no vinyl roof or side stripes. One other "interesting" item my car originally had (and still has) is the headlight buckets are all chrome, with no black paint around the headlights. When I first got the car I thought that someone had somehow removed the paint, but after careful inspection it appears they came this way from the factory.

I restored my car back in 1990 and at the time I didn't like the look of the blacked out hood so I left it off (some restoration, ha...). I did have the forethought to fully document the treatment however and I have photos and sketches with the critical dimensions if I can locate them. When I redo the car (in the next two years) I plan to put the original hood treatment back because it has kind of grown on me. I don't have the original grille however, so I will stick with the argent silver NOS one that I bought for $135 back in 1989

My first car was a 72 Barracuda and way back then I fell in love with the factory photos of the Basin Street blue car with the black out treatment. I too have been drooling over the one currently on EBay and would consider it my dream car....

My opinion of the colour keyed grills is simple....It's much like the 1971 Cudas....All "CUDAS" that were a certain colour were supposed to get a colour keyed grill as part of the "CUDA" package, but we all know of the supply issues, by 72 I'm sure the supply issues remained or even got worse meaning most 72 Cudas got argent grills the same as the Barracudas.

That ebay car is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the V21 stripes!

ucadant - I wish I could help, but can't. My 72 is buried at the moment and its build sheet is somewhere in the basement. My color keyed grille is basin street blue (smooth - no grit), black louvered area, with a orange-red perimeter around the opening. At some point I will get the junk of the car and open the hood to see what the fender tag says (i.e. V21 or not) and if it is there, I will sand down some of the hood and fenders to look for black paint.

Thanks Larry, this raises another question for me now as I always assumed from the photos I have seen that the orange area in the argent grilles was black on the body color grilles. Does anyone have any info on this?

I guess the 73 had the color key grille as an option
http://www.allpar.com/model/cuda.html




U-Cuda'nt

I bought the 72 Basin Street Blue Cuda that was on Ebay. What an awesome car. Well worth every penny I paid. The third line does show the V21 hood treatment.

I used to own a '72 'Cuda 340 that was FE5 Red with V21 and colored grille .

Greg

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I was the high bidder didn't meet reserve called him an made a deal. He wanted $30 and I didn't pay that. But I probably would have had I saw the car in person it's just that nice. Best car I've bought in quite a while.

Did the '72 "colored grill" last the entire year? I have a 5/72 EV2 'Cuda should the grill be orange? It does have G36 & V6W but no V21.

I just got this blue grille with a dark argent where the orange is on most.I have found no signs of a repaint?

second pic

My car was built 12/71 is FE5 and has the G36 and V21(seen above in this thread) and from what I've seen not all cars in the listed colors seem to have had the color keyed grille. It was theorized by one member that just as in the 71 Cuda production the supply may have had an effect on the what they actually assembled the cars with. I think that the option was seen in early built cars.

Checking over the option sheet the G36 and grille must be a seperate deal. I've personally only seen it on V21 cars and on one B5 blue car (online) that was repainted, not sure if it was added. I was basing my assumption that the G36 and color keyed grille were tied together some how, from what I had seen. I've only seen the painted grille on cars with painted mirrors and V21. (The orange car with the Hemi and shaker is/was also a V21 car).

The Cyber Cuda does not currently have a color keyed grille. Wonder what it's build date was, and if it ever had one?

I'd guess the built date and plant would coincide on cars with the painted grilles. I am going to start contacting the members I know of with these cars for build sheet and data tag info





Moparclown Thanks, if you can post extreme close ups of the paint , texture and termination point tape lines that would a huge help. So not texture found on the painted portion of the grille to indicate it had Argent sanded off?

6bblgt if you could do the same that would be great.


I imagine a few of these cars with this option would have had broken grilles replaced with Argetn units over the years and who could tell and how?

I spoke with a buddy and am planning to go look thru a factory manual tonight that MAY have some data on this option

Ok home sick, so I thought I'd update to this post again.

I've corresponded with some more owners of 72 Cuda's both V21 and G36

One owner of an EV2 Cuda with the G36 option (non V21) provided pics of his grille while it was still in original paint. So more proof that the loop was argent, not black as I had previously presumed from the appearance of the black and white press release photo's this car's scheduled production date July 10 of 1972.

My cars build date is actually 12/71 (I mistyped it in the original post and can't change it) and is a G36/V21 car. I know my car history since the prior owner was family. He informed me that the prior owner said that the grille was correct and should be body color (it had a color change at that time) I actually bought/delivered/refinished and helped install an argent grille back in the day. Reveiwing broadcast sheets I see something but will need a few more G36 cars sheets to compare.

Blaine Kelly's Cyber Cuda had body color mirror's but not a painted grille http://kelleyhome.homestead.com/cybercuda.html

The car is currently owned by Bob Malcom Dodge in Ohio http://www.bobmalcom.com
Bob's wife Sharron Malcom was nice enough to fax me a copy of the broadcast sheet. I can see that it is coded for V21 but G35 O/S Lh remote chrome mirror

The ebay car did get sold, and I subsequently lost track of it.
If anyone knows of it, I'd like to get it touch with it's current owner.

The broadcast showed V21 but the data tag did not?? It also showed G36 on the tag/sheet, and had a color keyed grille

Another 72 apparent G36 car from ebay (no data tag option codes provided)

Kick starting a classic thread, these photo's show the color of the painted area around the grille sections that was normally orange on argent grilles.

An old ad, it can be found in the Oct 1971 Hot Rod (oh and FYI my broadcast sheets turned up , owner #2's son came through)

So as far as I can tell, the G36 option for color keyed mirrors plus the BS Cuda designation allowed for the colored keyed grill in certain colors. Orange Blue Red and Yellow being the most common. I have a late built 72 07/10/72 that is fender tagged G36 and has the color keyed mirrors and grille (pictured above in another post.) Have not pulled the broadcast sheet, but it is not a V21 car, nor does it have stripes or vinyl top.

Exactly... and thanks John, it took me a few years but I'm learning. (check the date on the first post in this thread)

As the chart on page one details a Cuda (BS VIN) with G36, in any of the 6 specified colors should have come std with the color keyed grille.

I want to record as many as I can to see if they fall off at a certain date possibly due to a supply issue (as they say 71's did when a delivery truck rolled over)

I also actually found a relocated California 72 TB3 V21 here, it has aftermarket mirrors and argent grille but upon inspection appears to have had a minor front end collision (If I recall corrctly it had a factory replacement P/N stamped hood, I know the hood latch support was not painted) it's a G36 car built 8-71 so I'd say it had the color keyed grille.

I have a 1972 Cuda with a July 14 build date and V21, GF7 paint. When I got the car, it still was largely in original paint. The grille as entirely green, no argent border. It has one chrome remote mirror, side stripes, black vinyl top.

Sunroof I was unaware you had two 1972 V21's. I'd love to document this car and any original condition photo's you have of it. Here is a pic, it's a still from a preproduction video it was apparently a factory deal made from photoshoot still's and voiced over, that I've just aquired

Uh-oh - I have a poser - someone violating my copyright! I am the ORIGINAL Sunroofcuda! Yes, mine is also V-21 & has the factory sunroof. The original grille in mine is the Sun Gleam Silver & has the red areas by the chrome trim. My car is the Gold Leaf metallic, white roof, white interior, white stripes. I am the second owner & have build sheets & the 2-page window sticker.

Ahhh I didn't catch the difference in the member name I'd still like to document the car he described, I have the gold car info you provided. going through my files....the Cyber Cuda lives on and is for sale yet again. Blaine Kelly's old car, also owned by Bob Malcom..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsOcPj8Fvk it is not coded for the G36 mirrors (hence no color keyed grille), but they have been on this car a long time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zePO303c1OM

Does anyone know the poster of this video youtube user Daniel Berube of Québec? It appears the video is from when the car was for sale in Sept of 2014.

On ebay and ending in 20hrs

DATA COMPLIMENTS OF: the Cyber Cuda webpage and Blaine Kelley


KEY:

A = 20" UP from hood edge (nose side). 9 5/16" between red areas
B = 39" UP from hood edge (nose side). 9 9/16" between red areas
C = from bottom vent corner (passenger side vent hole; hole closest to middle of hood). 11 1/4" to red
D = 11 1/4" from hood lip (windshield side) to red. ** (Align togther with point 'C')
E = 9 3/16" hood lip (windshield side), going over 6th vent (from center of hood) hole
F = 9 10/16" hood lip (windshield side), going over 13th vent (from center of hood) hole
G = 10 10/16" hood lip (windshield side), going over 5th vent (from driver's side fender) hole
H = 15 3/4" from CORNER of hood lip (windshield side) to red ** (align together with point 'I')
I = 46" up from hood edge (nose side). 9 1/4" IN from hood edge (driver's side fender edge)
J = 36" UP from hood edge (nose side). 6 15/16" from edge to red
K = 25" UP from hood edge (nose side). 6 13/16" from edge to red
L = 13" UP from hood edge (nose side). 6 13/16" from edge to red
M = AT hood edge (nose side). 6 11/16" from edge to red

1 = 4" UP from hood edge (nose side). 6 11/16 from edge to red
2 = 21 1/4" - from edge to far side of first 'red' scallop
3 = 30 9/16" - from edge to near side of 2nd 'red' scallop (not pictured)
4 = 45 10/16" - from edge to far side of 2nd 'red' scallop (not pictured)
5 = 52 1/8" - total width of hood from driver's side to passenger side (not pictured)

# 3,4 & 5 are not shown on picture, but would be a continuation of the line between
points #1 & #2. This 'line' was measured starting at 4" above the hood egde (nose side)

Hi.....glad to see you on here. I haven't been on for 9 months..lol

Hi. I really enjoyed your post. I wish it had been started earlier. Now I will need to repaint the centers of my grill. Are you keeping track of V21 cars? I have one that I would like to add to the list. I am pretty sure mine came with a driver side only chrome side mirror. I have owned mine for about 26 years and I will drive for the first time soon. I will post pictures soon.
Jeff

EDIT Jeff PM sent.

On ebay now, ad states original paint. It's not a G36 car, as shown by the fender tag. The passenger door doesnt show evidence of a racing mirror.... interesting

On ebay now, cool http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-Plymouth-Barracuda-Project-/222362495276

FWIW: I just found this forum and pics of my former car.

I purchased the car that has been mentioned in this thread from Jim Stewart of Milton, Pennsylvania in 1999. Jim had finished restoring the 'cyber cuda' shortly before I purchased it. He had also procured a parts car to help with the restoration. A set of doors with window glass and a bunch of parts were included in the sale to me. I ultimately gave those to a buddy who was fixing up a Barracuda GC.I have a pair of pictures somewhere that Jim gave me showing the grill, hood and driver's side prior to restoration. The original paint was rough at that point. Grill on the car was argent ... color-keyed grill was an option for my color Rallye Red, but I didn't think all got that treatment = correct?

This was my dream car and I thought I'd keep it forever, but ultimately only kept it for 2 years because of family reasons. (Yes, I wish I still had it now). I did take it to the Mopar Nats in 2000 and that little yellow decal was still on the front windshield last time I saw the car in the Southern Motors video. I sold it to Bob Malcom, the former long-time dealer in Peebles, OH in 2001. They kept it for more than a decade and it was even mentioned in the 'Plum Crazy' video by Throttle TV when they visited the Malcom's collection. I am aware of it being sold 2 times since then, including from Southern Motors in 2015 (shown in a video earlier in this thread). No idea since then.

The car ran well, but #7 plug would often foul if you were not patient about initial warm up or once warm, to restart and let idle for a few moments before driving. I always kept extra spark plugs and a long socket set in the trunk. I assumed the Jet-Hot coated header that bent up to to allow room for the steering rack was just too close and too hot.

Just wanted to add a few notes on my past car since it was mentioned. I no longer have the website showing the V21 specs, but was glad to see it was posted here. Hopefully that can help someone in the future.

Gotta say, as cool as a '70 or '71 'cuda would be to have with a big block, I thought the '72 with the V21 hood paint and the scalloped '72 side stripes were my favorite design combo on the e-body cars.

Blaine
the 'Nati

I had a 72 green car with color key grille, is was dark argent where the orange was on argent grills. Still have the grille. I know its an old post but...