Parts wear out, technology improves, trends shift, and for many racers, new builds replace previous projects. Jeff Ross, however, has been loyal to his Mopar muscle car for more than half a century and built a beautiful 1973 Plymouth Barracuda that has stood the test of time.

Growing up in the era of Dusters, ‘Cudas, Challengers, Camaros, Mustangs, and more, the iconic cars – and his uncle, Jim Jeffers, who always had something fun in his garage – inspired his interest in horsepower.

Ross, a 68-year-old collision shop owner, first found the vehicle in 1974 when he was just a teenager working at a body shop that bought and rebuilt salvages. “This car had been hit in the rear but was in great condition overall. We cut it in half at the windshield posts and rockers, and welded on a replacement clip,” recalled Ross, who already owned a 1970 Barracuda at the time and appreciated Chrysler’s E-body platform. “The transmission had gone out in mine, and I fell in love with the yellow paint on this one, so I traded my ’70 for this ’73.”

Of course, Ross used his rebuilt ride to drive to and from high school as well as to do some racing. At 17, he could often be found reading high-performance magazines and soaking up as much knowledge as he could. “A couple of guys in my hometown raced occasionally, and I thought that was so cool,” he added. “Now, I’ve owned this car for 51 years and have rebuilt it more times than I can count, but now it’s part of the family.”

Fortunately, Ross’s career allowed him access to the tools and skills needed to keep his ‘Cuda running and looking its best. Although it’s gone through several visual refreshes in its lifetime, the car’s current yet classic two-tone paint scheme is a striking blend of pearl yellow (paying homage to its original color) over Honda blue with custom-blended striping.

“It was painted in-house at my shop, Jeff’s Auto Body in St. Clairsville, Ohio, with R-M Diamont products, then finished with a wet-sanded and buffed RM 5335 high-solids clearcoat,” explained Ross, who has owned his business for 47 years. Of course, Ross has chosen to honor the Barracuda’s original look – and the rules required for the classes in which he races it – and has not otherwise modified the body.

Inside, an original stock interior preserves the historic muscle car era in its purest form and includes a wood-trimmed gauge cluster. Although the carpet has been replaced since the ‘Cuda rolled off the showroom floor in 1973 and the no-frills black front seat upholstery has been redone by Legendary Auto Interiors, Ross kept it as original as possible.

Muscle cars were meant to be raced, though, and Ross tastefully appointed his Plymouth with only the absolute necessities that a driver needs to go fast and stay safe. “I’ve got a chromoly roll bar from PK Race N Rods of Millersport, Ohio, G-Force safety belts, an AutoMeter tach, and AutoMeter oil and water gauges,” he explained.

Over the past five decades, Ross’s Barracuda has had many big block and small block combinations under its hood. Currently, the all-motor combination consists of a 340 cubic inch original Plymouth powerplant that was bored to 4.070-inches but retained its 3.31-inch stroke.

“It’s set up to run in NHRA Super Stock at the moment. Joe Ewing owns the engine, and Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana, built it to run at 9:1 compression using CP pistons and Manley rods,” said Ross, who sometimes runs in Stock Eliminator as a 1974 model with a 360 cubic inch engine instead. “It’s also got a Milodon oil pan and Melling oil pump.”

BES Racing Engines in Guilford, Indiana, worked their magic on the Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads, which use 1.88-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves. A COMP Cams roller camshaft actuates the valvetrain, with Jesel 1.5-ratio rocker arms keeping everything stable at high rpm.

The combustion components, too, are straightforward but race-proven: after the carburetor, an Offenhauser intake manifold feeds the naturally aspirated cylinders, while a MagnaFuel pump and regulator maintain seven pounds of pressure. Finally, MSD handles the spark with a 6AL box, coil, distributor, and wires.

Exhaling through Performance Welding stepped headers, the small block produces a potent 510 horsepower — enough to push the Barracuda to a personal best quarter-mile elapsed time of 10.73 seconds and a fastest trap speed of 121 mph with a respectable 1.39-second 60-foot time.

Backing the bullet is a Chrysler A904 TorqueFlite automatic transmission built by A&A Transmissions of Camby, Indiana. The gearbox was outfitted with an 8-inch converter set with a 5,000-rpm stall speed and a flexplate from TCI, then coupled to the steel driveshaft featuring a Lakewood safety loop. Inside the cabin, Ross selects his preferred drive mode via a B&M Quicksilver shifter.

Out back, a Mopar 8 3/4-inch rear end houses US Gear 4.86 gears and a Moser spool, then outputs power via a set of Moser axles to the Hoosier slick tire rubber-wrapped WELD Racing wheels.

“The front control arms are all stock, as per class rules, but I’ve got Calvert shocks and six-cylinder torsion bars while the rear uses 9-way adjustable Calvert shocks and Calvert’s split mono leafsprings,” elaborated Ross. He’s also kept the rear brakes stock with factory Mopar units, while the fronts have been upgraded to units from Wilwood for enhanced stopping power.

After fifty-plus years of painstaking wrenching, racing, and more wrenching, the result of Ross’s commitment is a car that stops fans in their tracks at any event. “For me, it’s the striping, the color, and the overall feel,” he said. “What’s there not to like?”

Although he also owns a 2009 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak that he runs in Super Stock, too, Ross’s Barracuda has a literal lifetime of memories – and plenty of wins – that makes it truly special.

“I run it in Stock Eliminator, Super Stock Eliminator, Nostalgia at the local tracks, and brackets,” stated the Mopar fan. “I’ve won a couple track championships, have gone to the NHRA Division 3 Bracket Finals with National Trail Raceway and Pacemaker Dragway, have won a few NMCA Stock/Super Stock events, set a couple IHRA records in the past, and I’ve won my class at the NHRA Sportsnationals several times.”

With just 43,000 miles accumulated on its odometer, Ross’s striking yellow-and-blue 1973 Plymouth Barracuda is, essentially, a rolling scrapbook that’s only gotten better with time. Although the years have flown by, Ross still finds himself drawn to the staging lanes, fueled by the same excitement that gripped him as a teenager. And his classic ‘Cuda has been with him through it all, from high school to maturity, a constant and steadfast partner by his side through all of life’s changes – and one that is sure to still be there many years from now.

CAR: 1973 Plymouth Barracuda
ENGINE: 340 ci Plymouth by Jeff Taylor
HEADS: Edelbrock by BES Racing
RODS: Manley
PISTONS: CP
CAM: COMP
POWER ADDER: none, naturally aspirated
TRANSMISSION: Chrysler A904 TorqueFlite by A&A Transmissions
CONVERTER: 8” converter with TCI flexplate
REAR END: 8 3/4 Mopar
SUSPENSION: stock in front, Calvert Racing in rear
BRAKES: Wilwood in front, stock Mopar rear
WHEELS: Weld
TIRES: Hoosier
QUICKEST ET: 10.73 seconds (1/4 mile)
FASTEST MPH: 121 mph (1/4 mile)