Thanks to decades of passionate muscle car rebuilds, Nick Panaritis has gained an impeccable reputation amongst Mopar muscle car enthusiasts across Canada and beyond. He’s one of the go-to guys if you need an engine rebuild for your vintage muscle car, and he’s certainly no stranger to Plymouth Cudas. And that’s precisely the model of car he’s tackling in the latest video from his YouTube channel, Nick’s Garage.
Breaking The Ice On This Timeless Mopar Muscle Car
This is the season for most muscle car owners to stash their beloved vehicles for hibernation in their garages and opt for their winter beaters instead. And just like those hibernating Mopars, Nick prefers to remain inside his garage with the heaters on full blast as he rebuilds engines that will roar once more when spring arrives.
This video sees Nick at his garage in Montreal and he’s quick to point out the harsh winter conditions that the city is in. The car he’ll be working on has come all the way from British Columbia for an engine overhaul and some detailing. It’s a blazing orange 1970 Plymouth Cuda 440-6 with a shaker hood and highlighted with black “hockey-stick” decals.
It’s straightforward work for Nick, but this vehicle didn’t have a straightforward journey to the garage. Along the way, the trunk key snapped in the steering column and held the car up in freezing Toronto for a month.
Getting Down To Work On This Plymouth Cuda 440-6
Nick and his team carefully roll the car off the flatbed truck and dust off some snow that has gathered during the journey to Montreal. Then Nick lifts the signature shaker hood and appraises the engine. He’s quick to identify parts that he needs to replace like the battery tray, spark plug wires, battery wiring, and an ugly gas filter.
There’s a lot of detailing that he’d like to do on this Plymouth Cuda to get it to show standard. The owner also left a surprise in the trunk for Nick. It’s a max wedge manifold that he wants on the car. It’ll likely be too big for the Cuda but Nick is going to try to squeeze it under the hood anyway.
Nick will allow the car to warm up overnight before he gets down to business on this latest orange Mopar to arrive at his garage. There are two more orange Mopars waiting for Nick to rebuild - a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner convertible that’s destined for Australia, and a 1972 Dodge Charger headed for Texas. It seems Nick will have enough work to see him through the remainder of the winter.