As so many obsessions do, it started simply for Hawthorn Woods, Illinois native Joe Capps. He just wanted a capable performing Mopar street car. But an enabling friend can always spur us along to go further than we thought we would, and for Joe, that was good buddy Matt Renz of Midwest Muscle Cars.
“Matt and I both set out to just put together some cool street cars, but I guess you could say we got a little carried away,” he said with a laugh.
Yeah, Joe. I guess we could say that.
“My dad and older brother were both GM guys,” Capps recalled. However, at the tender age of 9 years old, a neighbor’s 1969 Super Bee set the Pentastar bug deep in his brain and he’s been consumed ever since.
That obsession led to the acquisition of this 1971 Cuda back in 2007. The car had already been treated to the pro street look and a warmed-over 440 when he discovered it online in a garage in Las Vegas. After flying out to look it over and agreeing to a deal, the car was shipped home and work promptly began.
By 2008, the 440 had been rebuilt, but the car had already become a bit mundane for Capps’ taste, so a new nitrous mill was slid between the frame rails. After posting a best et in the 9.60s and at Renz’s urging, Capps decided to step it up a bit. The car was shipped to Rod Competition Specialties (RCS) in Butler, Wisconsin where Pat Spangenberg started work on a full chromoly 25.2 cert chassis. Up front, the car has been fitted with 2-inch … Read more of this article. Just click on the digital feature below this introduction.
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