Plymouth Cuda 340

Cuda 340 at a glance

The 340 in the 1970 E-body range

For 1970 the Barracuda moved from the compact A-body to the new E-body, which was 127 mm (5 in) wider and 152 mm (6 in) shorter overall than the outgoing car. The 'Cuda became a separate model with the 383 four-barrel as its standard engine. The 340 was the optional small-block, rated 45 kW (60 hp) below the 383 on paper.

Plymouth offered three hotter engines above it. The AAR 'Cuda used a 340 with three two-barrel carburettors, rated at 216 kW (290 hp) gross, and the Hemi 'Cuda had the 426 Hemi. Car Life found the engine set two inches further back than in the old Barracuda and called it "our favorite Mopar powerplant", while noting that Plymouth did not seem to encourage its use.

Car Life tests the 1970 Cuda 340

Car Life published its test of a 1970 'Cuda 340 in February 1970. The car had the TorqueFlite automatic with Chrysler's console "Slap-Stick" shifter, a 3.55:1 axle and E60-15 tyres. It weighed 1,647 kg (3,630 lb), 73 kg (160 lb) more than the four-speed 1969 'Cuda 340 the magazine had driven with a 3.91 axle. Each new door and its surrounding structure added about 34 kg (75 lb), which accounted for most of the gain.

The figures followed the weight. The 'Cuda reached 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, 100 mph in 19.4 seconds and covered the quarter mile in 15.0 seconds at 94 mph, the first 340 the editors had driven that would not break 15 seconds. They listed a top speed of 202 km/h (125.4 mph) and averaged 16.9 L/100 km (13.9 mpg US). The test car understeered heavily, because the promised rear anti-roll bar was missing, and stopped on power drum brakes. Car Life also found the boot smaller and the rear seat usable only by young children.

Compression and ratings year by year

The 1971 car was the last high-compression 340 'Cuda. At 10.2:1 it still needed premium fuel, and Carter's spread-bore Thermoquad became the factory carburettor, cruising on two small barrels and opening large secondaries under load. That year brought four headlights and fender gills, both used only for 1971, while the scalloped bonnet was standard and did not feed air. The large "billboard" side graphics were an option that buyers could leave off. Plymouth built 16,492 Barracudas for 1971, of which 1,983 were V8 cars with the four-speed.

For 1972 compression dropped to 8.5:1 so the engine could run on lower-octane pump fuel, and the rating moved to SAE net. The 'Cuda range shrank to the 318, now the base V8, and the 340, with the 225 six still offered in the Barracuda. In 1973 only the 318 and 340 V8s remained. Barracuda output rose to 18,490 in 1972 and 19,281 in 1973. Late 1973 production and the 1974 cars used the 360 V8, rated at 183 kW (245 hp) net.

Small-block rivals inside Chrysler

Plymouth put the same four-barrel 340 into the smaller A-body Duster 340, with the same 205 kW (275 hp) gross rating in 1970 and 1971. Dodge sold the same E-body as the Challenger, which Car Life found roomier inside than the Barracuda.

How many 340 Cudas were built

Chrysler's production split by engine is not published in the sources used here, so the 340 share is unknown. Wikipedia gives 48,867 Barracudas for 1970 with 43,280 V8s, while the author of the Car Life retrospective gives 55,499 for the year. Base Barracudas made up 49 % of 1970 output, and only 13.2 % of 1970 Barracudas had front disc brakes, according to Automotive Industries.

Cuda 340 today: what to check

The vehicle identification number is the first check. On 'Cuda 340 hardtops sold through Hagerty's records, such as BS23H0B391963 (1970) and BS23H1B148243 (1971), BS23 identifies a 'Cuda hardtop, H is the high-performance four-barrel 340 and the next digit is the model year. A 318 car fitted later with a 340 keeps its original engine code.

• Year details: four headlights and gills belong to 1971 only; an 8.5:1 engine belongs to 1972-1973.
• Brakes: many cars left the factory with drums all round.
• Driveline: the A833 four-speed with a Pistol Grip shifter and an 8 3/4-inch axle with Sure Grip were options worth documenting.
• Rarity: the 1971 car combines the higher compression with the one-year trim.

The 'Cuda 340 sits in the Plymouth catalogue and in the E-body years of the muscle car guide.