{"id":83557,"date":"2024-12-25T07:44:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T12:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=83557"},"modified":"2024-12-09T09:27:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T14:27:16","slug":"triple-black-u-code-cuda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/owners-clubs\/2024\/12\/triple-black-u-code-cuda.html","title":{"rendered":"Triple Black U-Code \u2019Cuda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sweden is a nation known for importing thousands upon thousands of American classic vehicles every year. Among them are a large number of muscle cars such as the Dodge Charger and Challenger, as well as the Plymouth Road Runner and \u2019Cuda. This 1970 Plymouth \u2019Cuda arrived in Sweden as early as 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“I am the tenth owner. I bought the \u2019Cuda in October 2021.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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This is what Benny \u00c4lvenstrand tells us, perhaps best known to you, dear reader, as the owner of a blue, fully loaded 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Hellcat featured in an article here on DodgeGarage<\/a> a few months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c4lvenstrand’s wait had been long. Around the turn of the millennium, he heard about the car, which was then advertised for about 15,000 euros. But if you snooze, you lose.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“The car was purchased by Thor Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m, from the town of Oxel\u00f6sund in southern Sweden. A pilot who is now retired but was flying to North America for the airline SAS at the time. I have followed the car ever since, and eventually got the opportunity to buy it from him,” \u00c4lvenstrand says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the purchase was not a foregone conclusion. Yes, the deal was on the verge of falling through. Again. You snooze, you lose. Or at least you end up paying extra\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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“We have been talking all the time, Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m and I. For over twenty years. I had expressed that I would be interested in buying the \u2019Cuda if it ever became for sale. So, one Wednesday three years ago, he called me. ‘Now the car is for sale. Are you interested?’ I said, ‘I’m a bit tight right now. Can I call you over the weekend?’ The weekend came, do you think I called?!” \u00c4lvenstrand says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. \u00c4lvenstrand did not. He was busy with other things and simply forgot to call.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“On Tuesday or Wednesday the week after, I called Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m and asked if I could come see the car. \u2019Cuda? It’s in the town Enk\u00f6ping now,’ Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m said. But you live in Oxel\u00f6sund, quite a distance away, I replied. ‘Yes, I drove the car to Mel’s Garage to sell it through them since you didn’t call back,'” \u00c4lvenstrand adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then smiles. What can you do? The move to Mel’s Garage meant that the price tag on the \u2019Cuda went up several thousand euros. But this time, \u00c4lvenstrand jumped in anyway. A day late and a dollar (or two) short\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thus, \u00c4lvenstrand became the car’s tenth owner in Sweden. Or ninth if we count out Mel’s Garage. This number corresponds to relatively few owners for an American car in Sweden that has been in the country since the mid-1970s. It is not uncommon for an American classic to have 20, 30 and sometimes even 40 previous owners, along with a corresponding state of wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The reason I bought this car in particular was that I had sold my 1971 \u2019Cuda convertible and felt that something new had to happen. Then this \u2019Cuda appeared. I knew Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m had good maintenance of his stuff, of the car. Plus, it\u2019s a bit of an unusual \u2019Cuda, which is of course fun,” \u00c4lvenstrand says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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By unusual, he means that the Plymouth is U-coded. An authentic 440 car, with that kind of V8 straight from the factory. It is also matching numbers. Or partially. There is a modified 440 cui in it now, but \u00c4lvenstrand got the original engine, which is sitting on a pallet in his garage next to his Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> cars. Additionally, the \u2019Cuda lacks both power steering and power brakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been more than just acquainted with \u00c4lvenstrand ever since I did a report on his 1970 Dodge Challenger R\/T SE with a 440 cui about ten years ago. We often meet at various car events and can get lost in any discussion. Suddenly, we find ourselves talking about music. We clearly share tastes, which becomes evident when \u00c4lvenstrand lists his favorite bands and artists such as David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Yello, Rammstein and Iron Maiden.<\/p>\n\n\n

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But music actually has quite a connection to Mopar cars this time. So we haven\u2019t completely lost our way. Before this interview, I reviewed the previous one I did with him about his SRT Hellcat. I read a bit lazily through all the previous Dodge and Plymouth cars he has owned but saw neither Road Runner nor Coronet on that extensive list. So I confront him. Why has \u00c4lvenstrand not owned these two models?<\/p>\n\n\n

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“If you look closely at the list I sent, you\u2019ll see that I have actually owned both cars. Both a Road Runner and a Coronet. Although the Coronet was in the form of a 1970 Super Bee,” \u00c4lvenstrand says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bummer. He is right. And by the way, it\u2019s in the Super Bee that the music connection exists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was the drummer of The Nomads, Jocke Ericson, from whom I bought the Dodge. It was nice and all. The deal was made in the district \u00d6stermalm in Stockholm, and I managed to get to the sausage stand at Norrtull at the end of Vallhallav\u00e4gen in the same district before I regretted it. I realized that this whole “sofa in front and column shifter” gig was really not my thing. Yes, it had a 383 HP in the car, but what did that matter? I sold it a few months later,” \u00c4lvenstrand says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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He then adds that just before the purchase, several rather big Stockholm-based big music groups owned Mopar cars. Besides Jocke, also Martin Jonsson, drummer in Blacknuss, who had a 1970 Dodge Charger. And then Robban Eriksson, drummer in The Hellacopters, who at that time owned a red 1970 Dodge Challenger. Yes, all drummers, even the same year model. Quite a strange coincidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c4lvenstrand has a very good grasp of his \u2019Cuda’s history and has two full binders of information about the car. As previously mentioned, he knows the number of owners in Sweden and when it was imported. It was Kjell Nilsson who brought the car into Sweden on December 2, 1975, and he and his partner Lena then had it for two years. The car has been owned by people in Swedish cities such as H\u00e4rn\u00f6sand, V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, \u00d6rebro, Kumla and Oxel\u00f6sund. It has been taken apart down to the molecules twice in its history. It has rolled with slot mag wheels and been quite lifted with high jackers in the back. It has also been painted red with a blue undercarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today, it is triple black \u2013 black vinyl top and paint, and black interior. The color? Mopar\u2019s original color TX8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to the car\u2019s V8. The engine currently installed was modified by the previous owner Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m. It is a lightly modified 440 cui with a slightly aggressive camshaft, an Edelbrock intake, a slightly larger carburetor and various other “tuning goodies.” According to \u00c4lvenstrand, the engine is very peppy and good for 450 to 500 horsepower somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the most important points about the \u2019Cuda, however, is the car’s handling. This is something \u00c4lvenstrand returns to again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Fj\u00e4llstr\u00f6m replaced and upgraded the entire front suspension, including the sway bar, when he owned the car, and it has a different steering box. One from Flaming River, the kind all racecars use. Much tighter than the original steering box, and not as many turns of the steering wheel. The car also has front shock absorbers from Bilstein, no cheap stuff,” \u00c4lvenstrand says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then we get into the car’s “stance.” Stance in the car world refers to the car’s “posture or style” \u2013 how it stands on the road. This mainly includes how the wheels are angled, the placement of tires and rims in relation to the car’s body, and how low the ground clearance is. \u00c4lvenstrand is very satisfied with the \u2019Cuda’s stance. And here there is indeed a bit of an unusual and fun story to tell to wrap up the interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The car has Super Stock springs. It sits differently with those than with the original springs. I really didn\u2019t like that look. It used to look from certain angles as if the \u2019Cuda had 500 kilos of bricks in the trunk. After talking with various experts, I was advised to either reforge the leaf springs or put on high jackers. I was very skeptical about air suspension in the back, thinking the car would bounce around like they did in the 1970s. Imagine my surprise when it turned out that it got both a very good stance and good handling with 30 psi in each high jacker. They\u2019ve probably improved a bit over the years, these air suspensions,” says \u00c4lvenstrand.<\/p>\n\n\n

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He of all people should know. \u00c4lvenstrand has owned muscle cars for many decades and drives a lot with them too. The \u2019Cuda, yes, it has rolled about 2,500 kilometers in 2024. That\u2019s more than many enthusiast cars roll in decades, at least in Sweden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sweden is a nation known for importing thousands upon thousands of American classic vehicles every year. Among them are a large number of muscle cars such as the Dodge Charger and Challenger, as well as the Plymouth Road Runner and \u2019Cuda. This 1970 Plymouth \u2019Cuda arrived in Sweden as early as 1975. “I am the tenth owner. I bought the \u2019Cuda in October 2021.” This is what Benny \u00c4lvenstrand tells us, perhaps best known to you, dear reader, as the owner of a blue, fully loaded 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT\u00ae […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":83653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2624],"tags":[3012,2949],"class_list":["post-83557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-owners-clubs","tag-dodge-europe","tag-plymouth-classics"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/BlackUCuda_Feature.jpg","social_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/BlackUCuda_Social.jpg","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83557"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83557"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83891,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83557\/revisions\/83891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}