67 Barracuda convertible

This forum arrived at just the right time. I`m about a month into the restoration of my 67 Barracuda convertible. The engine and trans are both out as well as the suspension and the task of dealing with rust is in full swing. The floor pans in the front have been replaced and I`m now working on the inner fenders.

Looks good. Lots of work there.

We love pictures! Thanks for sharing!!!! :toothy7:

The inner fenders are in place after attaching them with screws they were tack welded in place, then the screws were removed and they were welded in place. The inner fenders and firewall were both sandblasted and all welds were ground smooth. Some body putty to the joints, an afternoon with the block sander and a clean up with the air gun and tack cloth. The paint went on in 3 coats, a couple runs to fix and the engine compartment will be ready for reassembly. What I would like to do with this restoration is to get the suspension, brakes, and drivetrain back together and in the car so I can move the car ,or even take it places for help with the rest of the restoration. There is so much metal work to be done on this car(never left N.Y.until now) that I`ll be replacing the 1/4`s and trunk extensions. The floors and inner fenders are only the start. I`ll continue adding pics as I progress and I`m all ears if anybody`s got advice, shortcuts, etc.. they`d like to add. Here`s a couple pics of the engine compartment as she is now, with 3 coats of 68 Matador Red (same as 67`s Bright Red). As I toil my dog Dexter sleeps, and after 14 years, he still doesn`t know what end to put on the pillow!

Looks great.

I am rebuilding my 67 ragtop as well. I have put new front frame rails,inner fenders,quarters,trunk floor, trunk floor extensions,not to mention interior etc. etc.. If I can be of any assistance drop me a line. Do you have any parts you need or want to get rid of?

looking at the progress you've made makes me want to go work on my '68 in the middle of the night. On of these days my engine bay will look that good. Keep up with the pics, it helps to get my off my lazy tail.

looking at the progress you've made makes me want to go work on my '68 in the middle of the night. On of these days my engine bay will look that good. Keep up with the pics, it helps to get my off my lazy tail. I feel more like the dog.

You are just making great progress on that fish. Good work, and keep the photos updated as you go.

I am rebuilding my 67 ragtop as well. I have put new front frame rails,inner fenders,quarters,trunk floor, trunk floor extensions,not to mention interior etc. etc.. If I can be of any assistance drop me a line. Do you have any parts you need or want to get rid of?

Wow and I thought I was up the creek without a paddle! Thank you 67ragtop for your offer, I will assuredly call on you if need be. Thank you all as well, I`ll keep the progress pics coming.- John

looking at the progress you've made makes me want to go work on my '68 in the middle of the night. On of these days my engine bay will look that good. Keep up with the pics, it helps to get my off my lazy tail.

I`m glad it`s motivating for you, as you can see (by the photos) I work on it day or night, whenever I have a little time to spend on it. I just wish I could remember to take more pictures of the work in it`s various stages.

this is a great thread. I think I will do the same with my 66 Valiant ragtop. Looks great. the floor looks real nice

Looking good. Your flying too.

You have done a mighty fine job with it so far. Looking forward to the finished pic. I am the same boat as you with a 65 dart conert. Floor is pretty much gone. Luckly the inner fenders are stuill in good as as is the trunk.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Dartcuda/tn_floorin65dart.jpg

Lot of rust there but it looks like you know what you are doing

Looks great :wav:

I just got my 67 convertible home last night. It's got a little rust, but I don't think it will be too hard to deal with.

Today was a productive day, I got the suspension all put together and installed on the car. I bought a complete kit from PST, about $400.00, but included most EVERYTHING! I also found a set of HD Monroe shocks at my local parts store for $11.88 ea. and I got my 10% off too. I paid that much for the same shocks 25 years ago! Bravo Monroe!! The suspension all went together smoothly with the exception of the 2 bushings that the sway bar pass through. A word of advice," if your sway bar`s bushings are okay, don`t replace them". I spent at least two hours replacing those two !@#$%^&* bushings, and when I went to the service manual for advice, they suggest to replace the entire sway bar assembly! LOL! I guess Chrysler knew what they were talking about. I also got the wheels back on the car so I can set it down and installed the steering column, m/c, and wiper motor.

I hope to get the engine installed next week, all 180 neck breaking horses. LOL! With the help of a couple of FABO members the engine`s nearly complete and except for a (taller) throttle cable bracket and an air cleaner, it`s ready to go. I want to get the drivetrain in and then I`ll start tackling the RUST again!!!

Time was on my side this week ,so I decided to install the engine. A little gas leak at the filter but after practically falling into the engine compartment, this little guy fired right up! I couldn`t run it but a minute as the cooling system is not in place, I did manage to get a timing light on it. Once the radiator is back from being recored I`ll see about the oil pressure,temperature, and charging system. Right now all looks good. Here`s some pics of the engine going in.... I did this on my own ,and it was the easiest engine I`ve ever installed, went in in just a few minutes! It allowed me time to hook up most everything ,but I still need to find a higher throttle bracket. I`m waiting on new brake lines and once those are installed ,I`ll begin working on the rust again.

I just got my 67 convertible home last night. It's got a little rust, but I don't think it will be too hard to deal with.

Hello Jim- I saw your car in the garage; it looks like it`s in pretty good shape. It should make a nice ride! Congrats on your new acquisition!!

Yeah, it's pretty straight. I haven't looked under the carpet yet, but it does need soem trunk repair and slight quarter panel repair, but it will be one of those "easy restos", sort of.

Fantastic work! You're giving me inspiration now! Just curious...what was the timeline from pic #1 to the last?

Yeah, it's pretty straight. I haven't looked under the carpet yet, but it does need soem trunk repair and slight quarter panel repair, but it will be one of those "easy restos", sort of.

Good luck with it, and post some pictures of it as you get going on the restoration.

Fantastic work! You're giving me inspiration now! Just curious...what was the timeline from pic #1 to the last?

Thanks, I get inspired by many here as well! The very first photo in this thread is of the car when we first got it in late July. The first photo of the floors ,etc.. was about 2 weeks ago. I spent August pulling the car apart and chasing down parts for the drivetrain and rebuilding/putting the engine back together. Only in the last couple weeks have I started to work the rust, but I`m usually pretty steadfast at tasks and unless I run out of time, money , or inspiration I should move along at a fairly good clip.

Thanks, I get inspired by many here as well! The very first photo in this thread is of the car when we first got it in late July. The first photo of the floors ,etc.. was about 2 weeks ago. I spent August pulling the car apart and chasing down parts for the drivetrain and rebuilding/putting the engine back together. Only in the last couple weeks have I started to work the rust, but I`m usually pretty steadfast at tasks and unless I run out of time, money , or inspiration I should move along at a fairly good clip.
WOW! That's incredible progress by my timeline! My resto is going quite slow...but steady. I'll begin posting prog reports and pix in "Part 2" of my Duster project soon.

WOW! That's incredible progress by my timeline! My resto is going quite slow...but steady. I'll begin posting prog reports and pix in "Part 2" of my Duster project soon.

Your part 1 is a great "read" and I`m sure part 2 will be equally entertaining. You`ll have to post lots of pics as you go, to compliment your excellent writing. I`ve made steady progress on my Cuda, but I think it`s because my mother has had some health issues lately and she`s had to go to nursing home. This has been tough on me and my family and my way of dealing with stress in my life is to work my A** off. So whether I`m working at WORK or on the restoration of the `Cuda, I`m spending an inordinant amount of time and effort at both. I hope for things to level off and return to normal soon. As I progress I`ll keep you guys posted. Thanks.

Looking good, but slow down ! Your making me feel like a slacker.

wow yeah i agree adam i look like a slacker too, man you sure are moving right along, lookin good :headbang:

Guys, I just do what I can ,when I can, unfortunately life gets in the way! LOL! Today I pulled out the 4 fenders I`ve got for the car and started hashing out what parts to use of each. I had a visitor come by and check me out but didn`t stay to help. As Steve Irwin would`ve said, "a real beauty", an Eastern King snake about 3 feet long slithered out of my flower bed, stopped and stared at me. He sat in a patch of sunlight momentarily, but I was lucky enough to grab my camera and snap a couple pics of him before he left. I hope to get some work done on the fenders soon and get some pics posted on the progress.

awh i hate snakes, good lookin project coming along :headbang:

great pictures for sure. I'm in the same process as you. Luckily I had a great specimen to start with. This is very encouraging stuff to look at. Did you use an engine leveler to get the engine back in? I have never seen one before. looks like it made the job off putting the engine and trans in together easier. Wonder if i should pick one up or rent one.

great pictures for sure. I'm in the same process as you. Luckily I had a great specimen to start with. This is very encouraging stuff to look at. Did you use an engine leveler to get the engine back in? I have never seen one before. looks like it made the job off putting the engine and trans in together easier. Wonder if i should pick one up or rent one.

Hello Dave, I was checking out your resto and you are sooooooooooo lucky that your car is a California car. It looks so good compared to the northeast and east coast cars like my 67, dartcudas, and AdamR`s cars. You should be able to Rock-n-Roll through your restoration since you don`t have to deal with rusty panel replacement. I did use the engine leveler installing my engine and it is very nice, you can tilt the engine any way you want it. My engine installed in minutes,(literally)! I highly suggest getting one! Keep up the good work!- John/Longgone

I have 4 fenders for the car that all have issues ,so I had to pick the best two and add a replacement lower panel to each. In addition one of the fenders had been radiused on the edge for tire clearance. It was the better fender though since the other had been hit hard on the top front corner. Here are a couple photos of the left fender as I worked the panel to it. I decided to butt the edges of the panels instead of lapping them to keep the fender/body line as straight as possible. I measured up from the body line 5/8 of an inch and cut the rotted fender off. I measured the panel and cut the same amount off the panel. After aligning everything, I clamped the panel in place with vice grips and welded about every inch along the back of the fender. I repeated that process over and over welding between each weld until it was completely void free. I flipped the fender and repeated the process on the front. I got one area in the middle a little too hot and warped the metal some but after a grinding and hammer and dolly work there shouldn`t be any problems. I also added a small piece to the lower front of the fender where it was radiused using the same technique.There`s a small picture of that repair as well. I`ll post more photos of the continuing work on the fenders. I`ve tried to put the pics in chronological order but the computer has other plans, but you can sort `em out. :salute:

nice work on the fenders John. My other Valiant is in bad shape like your cuda. I plan on doing the same kind of work but I have no welding skills, yet. I'll be learning along the way. Hopefully, they will have the panels and floors I need by the time I get to the other car. The convertible is my priority for now. I am now sold on the engine leveler. Was it from Harbor Freight or something you picked up from a local parts store?

wow and i though my fender looked bad, way to come along with those patches, they are kinda a pain to work with, they wernt very correct for my fender, i did a lap joint as compaired to ur butt weld also

nice work on the fenders John. My other Valiant is in bad shape like your cuda. I plan on doing the same kind of work but I have no welding skills, yet. I'll be learning along the way. Hopefully, they will have the panels and floors I need by the time I get to the other car. The convertible is my priority for now. I am now sold on the engine leveler. Was it from Harbor Freight or something you picked up from a local parts store?

I believe it was Northern Tool that I got it from ,but most every Auto/Tool place should have one. There are different quality levelers out there, so make sure the one you pick isn`t the cheapest. The price will reflect the quality!

wow and i though my fender looked bad, way to come along with those patches, they are kinda a pain to work with, they wernt very correct for my fender, i did a lap joint as compaired to ur butt weld also

This car had spent it`s entire 39 years in Scarsdale ,N.Y. so it`s had plenty of salty winter roads to traverse. The car looked pretty good until you got about 6 inches from the bottom( all the way around the car) there`s just tons of rust! The fender I ended up using was a boneyard piece, because the original had a big dent in the top corner. The donor fender also had it`s vertical rear mount/support still intact whereas the original`s was gone from around 6 inches down! Fender patches are just the beginning, next there`s the doors to patch as well as 1/4 panels to install. I checked out your resto and it looks like you have the same patch panels that I do, and I agree they are kinda crude and difficult to work. I thought the butt joint would help me maintain the exact position of the lower patch panel. Your patch looks good and if you have any pointers, please share them with me!

It`s been very busy at work and home so my time with the B`cuda has been limited, but I did manage to install the hood and start work finishing the left fender. By installing the hood an aligning it with the cowl panel it gives me a guideline for the fenders. I worked the joint where I installed the patch panel on the fender and the joint looks great. The problem I have is there`s a bulge in the center and edge of the body line of the patch panel. The center bump is probably my fault for getting that area too hot when welding it up. The edge is just poorly formed. I`ll straighten them both, but I also need to work the bottom 4 inches on the side that mates with the door. As you can see in the photo the gap between the door and fender close up on the bottom 4 inches of the fender. This is another case of a very poorly reproduced patch panel. I hope that someone will start reproducing some of these sheet metal parts with more attention paid to the quality of the product. For now we have to work with what we`ve got. Next update should show both of these problems taken care of and the right fender worked. The photo of the car shows the wheels off, I`ve been hunting for the self adjuster parts for the brakes as well as some of the correct springs. All of the self adjusters were removed from the car, seems the guy I bought the car from liked to adjust brakes alot.

Well I'm still impressed. Hope it get ironed out okay.

I`ll get `em squared away. The patch panel was pretty poor quality and I didn`t help by overheating it but I`m thankful for any patch panels I can get. You guys with early A-bodies have even fewer choices!

You're keeping the front drums? I don't think that's advisable, but I do have a complete 10" front drum set out in the shed. Plus, I think most of the parts may be available new.

This car came with the optional HD, 10" brakes and all of the shoes and cylinders were newly installed when I bought it. The brakes were one of the only things that worked well on the car. lol! The drums which have both been replaced at least once have one more turn left in them, they`re at .040 over now.The engine is no HP maker either so slowing her down shouldn`t be much of an issue.

I forgot to mention this earlier in the threads ,but I when bought this car it was with the understanding that the engine block was cracked. Even before the car arrived here from N.Y. I was in search of a 273 block to replace the seemingly cracked block. The guy I bought the car from was getting water in the oil and thought it was blown head gaskets, so he removed the heads, had them shaved ,new guides and seals installed, and a 3 angle valve job done. Happy as a clam he reinstalled these practically new heads with new gaskets and filled up the radiator.Thinking he`d found the source of the problem and fixed it, he changed the oil and proceeded to crank it up. Instead of the big smile of a proud father he was horrorfied to find water in the oil again. Disgusted he took the car to his local mechanic. I don`t know what the mechanic did, but his diagnosis was that the block was cracked. I took his word for it when I bought the car, so I sought out a 273 shortblock and lo and behold ,a member had one here in the car parts for sale section. After a talk with Bob (the guy with the shortblock)who was looking to put a 340 in place of his 273, we worked out a deal and the shortblock was removed from his B`cuda ,palleted ,and sent to a terminal here in Va. where I picked it up. It was $200.00 and about $140.00 in shipping from Michigan to Va.. Bob had just rebuilt this shortblock and had installed .030 over pistons with Chromo rings,new cam,rod, and main bearings. As a bonus this block was cast on the exact same day as the original 4-17-67. What`s the odds of that happening? I ordered new water,fuel, and oil pumps and installed them along with the recently reworked heads. A new vintage Edelbrock intake was compliments of Ebay and Bob served up a new/used Eddy 500 carb and a timing cover. While this was in the works, I pulled the engine and couldn`t find any sign of a cracked block. What I did find was a timing cover that had corroded so bad that the water pump was pumping directly into the timing chain area. Bingo! The"cracked block" was found. So in the course of about one month all of these things transpired to put together one nearly completely rebuilt engine and find out the truth about the original engine.

Wow Longgone... you've got your hands full with that resto!! Reminds me of my trek with rust not too many years ago... My front fenders have over 20 hand made patches/braces that nobody reproduces - if that tells ya how shot mine were too! 4 new floor pans, new quarters, patched rockers, rebuilt torque boxes, hand fabricated trunk extensions... the list could go on... it's good to see these cars being fixed up, even with all the work required! :)

Wow Longgone... you've got your hands full with that resto!! Reminds me of my trek with rust not too many years ago... My front fenders have over 20 hand made patches/braces that nobody reproduces - if that tells ya how shot mine were too! 4 new floor pans, new quarters, patched rockers, rebuilt torque boxes, hand fabricated trunk extensions... the list could go on... it's good to see these cars being fixed up, even with all the work required! :)
Yeah this one`s from the snow belt as yours was, but not quite as bad! Although by the time I`m done with the rust repair/metal fabrication ,I will have replaced almost everything you have save the torque boxes, rockers and rear floor pans.This car has been in continual service since it was new, so it hasn`t missed any winters or had any time off the road in nearly 40 years. I new what I was getting into when I bought it and I`m handling the challenge with a grand in sheet metal and the time it`ll take to do the work. One good thing about the car is the documentation for this car is phenomenal. I have the original vehicle request draft, invoice , window sticker, 2 build sheets, the salesman`s business card, owners manual , and every receipt for the car for the last 3 owners and 39 years. Here`s an example...

Notice on the last image on the previous thread that the car salesman added the deposit instead of subtracting it from the total. They get it all squared away a month later when the car is delivered. LOL!

Hey John, You are really moving along. I'm glad you got the engine fired up. I was wondering which cam did you use? Bob

Hey John, You are really moving along. I'm glad you got the engine fired up. I was wondering which cam did you use? Bob

Progress was fast for a while, but work is demanding right now so things have slowed down. I used a factory 2bbl. 273 cam, just had it mic`ed and polished, it spec`d within tolerances so in it went This one`s all about mpg. It should be great fun when it`s all back together. I recently got the radiator back from the shop, it was recored, which gave me the opportunity to run the car. Late the other night without any fenders/headlights on the car I cranked her up and stole away across the street to a primary school with a large well-lit parking lot so I could go through the gears and try out the brakes,etc.. My girlfriend thinks I`m insane but she did get a good laugh out of me driving the car without any fenders/frt.end with the top down! Thanks for all the help Bob and let me know how your 340 project is going.

The car is mobile now, thanks to Steves Radiator Service in Yorktown Va.. Here`s a couple pics of the radiator as I received it and after Steve did the recore and straightened the tanks. I couldn`t resist but add a couple Mopar dress up pieces to the engine!

Very interesting thread Longgone, you`re doing an awesome job with your
convertable. Sure gives me a lot of inspiration.
Keep up the great work.

Very interesting thread Longgone, you`re doing an awesome job with your
convertable. Sure gives me a lot of inspiration.
Keep up the great work.

Thanks Swedefish, progress has been really slow lately as my work schedule hasn`t afforded me the time and the weather hasn`t been condusive for working on it. I hope to get back to the grind soon and post more photos of the progress.

I am rebuilding my 67 ragtop as well. I have put new front frame rails,inner fenders,quarters,trunk floor, trunk floor extensions,not to mention interior etc. etc.. If I can be of any assistance drop me a line. Do you have any parts you need or want to get rid of?
I don't know what your looking for but I got some 68 dart parts like disc brake spindles calipers and rotors but rotors are thin. Also have power steering box pump and brackets. A tried smoking 360 [free] brand new headers muti piece, 4 barrel factory manafold. Spindles and rotors are big bolt pattern 1976.

Progress was fast for a while, but work is demanding right now so things have slowed down. I used a factory 2bbl. 273 cam, just had it mic`ed and polished, it spec`d within tolerances so in it went This one`s all about mpg. It should be great fun when it`s all back together. I recently got the radiator back from the shop, it was recored, which gave me the opportunity to run the car. Late the other night without any fenders/headlights on the car I cranked her up and stole away across the street to a primary school with a large well-lit parking lot so I could go through the gears and try out the brakes,etc.. My girlfriend thinks I`m insane but she did get a good laugh out of me driving the car without any fenders/frt.end with the top down! Thanks for all the help Bob and let me know how your 340 project is going.
awesome job very few people understand the time and money it takes to restore a car the you have.

"Time won`t let me" should be my theme song lately, as I haven`t had time to do much at all on the B`cuda. I did order a lot of interior seat covers, carpet, and door panels and have waited for time to install them. I got a 20% discount on it all due to the winter sales. Here`s a few pics of the rear seat cover install. These are from Legendary and are exact duplicates of the originals. I bought hog rings at the local hardware store, they`re about 1/4 the cost of buying them from Legendary or Year One. I cut the old rings off w/ the blue handled cutters and removed the old ripped covers. I installed the metal rods in the rear of the new seat cover after taking them from the originals. The muslin lining was in good shape so I left it and simply installed the new cover with hog ring pliers (red) and the help of a welding vice-grip. The vice grip makes the fabric easier to grasp and to stretch over the frame. There`s a copy of the build sheet that I`m just going to leave in it`s place. I`ll soon be doing the front seat covers and post photos as I go. This is good work to do since winter`s here, but I did do it all inside where it was nice and warm.

awesome job very few people understand the time and money it takes to restore a car the you have.
Thanks jrat , I visited your garage and see that you`re up to your neck in restoration as well,..... looks good!

Way to go John. That's a great job you did on that seat cover. Keep the photos and updates coming.

John's go it going on :toothy8:

John's got it going on :toothy8:

Finished up installing the new Legendary covers on the the front seats and when I removed the bottom of the passenger seat, I found that the guy who had recovered them in 1990 forgot his razor blade on the cushion. It had been there for the last 16 years. Someone before me tried to remove the side covers from the seats without first removing the tracks. They had broken all the small brackets that support the center. I removed the brackets, straightened, redrilled them, and rivetted them back in place.

It`s been a long time since I`ve had a chance to work on this car, but while I`m doing the body work during the day I`ve started working on the trim at night. Here`s a little work I`ve done on the headlight bezels. I started with sound pieces but both are dinged up well so I had to do a lot of straightening first. I picked several pieces of wood as well as a screwdriver, and a center punch to bang out the dents. Once all the dents are out I flipped the the bezel and started sanding with 220 then moved to 400 grit sandpaper. From there I took the bezel to my buffer and with white and red rouge I buffed it out. I finished by painting the trim with a paint pencil and Mopar argent silver paint. Here`s a couple pictures of the restoration. The last 2 pics are of the other bezel, before and after straightening and rough sanding.

Great to hear about your progress again, John.
It`s looking great.

WOW! Did that trim ever turn out great! Have you done it before?

The car is really coming together, cant wait to see more.

WOW! Did that trim ever turn out great! Have you done it before?

The car is really coming together, cant wait to see more.

Yeah , I have a 68 fastback that I did a two year restoration on, so I got lots of practice on it. I need to get a dedicated buffer because I`m using a buffer wheel on my wood lathe which is less than ideal. I`m sure I could get better results with a real buffer but for now this is okay for what I need. Thanks for the encouragement!

Great thread!!
Gives me more inspiration to work on mine.

Hey,
That was my trusty old 67 Barracuda! I now have a new one though.

See my progress pictures at:

http://netlynx.us/abrodeur/cuda/rebuild.htm

More coming soon. My 273 engine is just about ready to install - perhaps this weekend.
I have new disc brakes, large bolt pattern axles, 8-3/4 rear end etc.

The red Barracuda above looks like it needed a lot of rust attention; too much for me. Best of luck to you.

I will post new pictures soon.

Tell your engine compartment mine says hi.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e53/clownzilla/DSCN3293.jpg

I`ve been working the inner grille sections and have all the dents out. I had to replace several studs as well ( there`s always a few busted ). I simply drilled out the rivets, removed the brackets, and silver soldered new studs in. There`s more polishing to do but I want to fit everything now in case I have to do some tweaking. Here`s a rough fit, turns out I do have to do some bending of the bezels to get a good fit. This weekend I`ll start tackling the trunk mouldings, YIKES! Check out the vintage floor mat.

That looks great John.
How long do you estimate that it will take before you have her on the road.
Keep up the great work. :thumbup:

Thanks swedefish. I might have her roadworthy within a few weeks ,but as far as rust goes it may be 2008 before all of it `s cut out and replaced with good metal. The quarter panels, trunk extensions, and rear valance are all in the garage awaiting installation. It should be done just in time to put it all away for winter. Lol!

Wow, I`m finally getting back to doing some work on the vert. I bought a 68 GTS and have been working that to the point that it was ready for a REAL bodyshop to take over. Lol! My 15 year old Dalmatian Dexter got sick about the same time , July of `07 and died of cancer/immune disorder in Feb. of `08 that was a major factor that kept me from working on the car. Anyway ,I bought a 8.75 rear end from a FABO member (BubbaC....kudos to Bubba) to replace the 7.25 that was put in the car in the early 80`s, after the PO had broken the pinion gear. The car came with a 8.75 sure-grip with 2.94 gears. Right now all I have is a peg-leg 3.55 but it`ll do to get her going again. I cleaned everything and painted the housing and some 5.5 wheels I have for it as well. It also came with 5.5 inch wheels from the factory but they were also missing when I got he car. The car has HD leaf springs -7 per side, ...one of the few things that haven`t been removed and replaced with something inferior. The rear end should go in within the next few days and I need to find another driveshaft or have mine cut to fit. I went ahead and pulled the fuel tank (so I can safely weld and) to remove some big dents from it. I found it was replaced in 1980 with an original. It had some dents in it that I removed by plugging the filler tube hole and then pressurizing the tank with air via the fuel line hose. The dents popped right out. Soon it`ll be time to start tackling the rust on this guy...and this ones got a ton of it. I`ll be replacing the 1/4 panels, rear valance, and trunk extensions. Oh, it`s going to be fun. Attached are some photos of the finished work and the pending work.

Okay I`ve had some time lately and have launched a full scale attack on the rust. The right quarter is off and I`ve repaired all of the substructure so I`ll actually have something to attach the quarter skin to. It`s been several days of work to get all of the rusted metal out and the new metal fitted and welded in. There was rot in the front of the wheelwell and all around it`s perimeter as well as the rocker panel and the trunk extension. I`ve cut out the rot and replaced all of it with fresh metal. They don`t make a trunk extension for the 67-69 Barracudas yet but I was able to use one for a Dart by trimming the width and length. The area around the wheel was pretty bad and it took a while to fabricate a new wheel lip. After all the new metal was welded in and ground smooth I put of coat of body putty on it, sanded, and primed everything. The quarter panel was fit and bolted on first with self-boring screws and then welded in 4" spaces. It takes HOURS just to do the welding on these things. Here`s a couple photos and I`ll add more if the weather lets me.

Nice work. It's seeing other people do this stuff to their cars that inspires me to work on mine. Keep it up!

WOW ! I thought my 67 ragtop needed a lot of work. Looking through the pics makes me want to help you. No doubt that you'll "geter done'
I have to ask why you seamed the qtr. skin down the side of the car rather than on top beside the deck lid ?

WOW ! I thought my 67 ragtop needed a lot of work. Looking through the pics makes me want to help you. No doubt that you'll "geter done'
I have to ask why you seamed the qtr. skin down the side of the car rather than on top beside the deck lid ?

Yeah this fish is from N.Y. and had been there her entire life, so she has a lot of rot. Eventually I`ll have all new metal under her and without any more harsh winters she should go at least another 40 years. It would`ve been nice to seam the new quarter on the top but the replacement skin had a very poor top edge (not very sharp, uneven, and turned up considerably) so I knew I could never get that crisp body line seaming it on the top. After doing three of these skins ,I`ve learned to leave the tail light buckets intact as well. The replacements never seem to line up with the tail light housings and trunk extensions like they should, so I kept all the lines original there too.

I finished the welding and grinding on the top edge of the quarter and started filling the seam with body putty. Here`s the latest, just a couple photos of the completed weld and the first application of body putty to the seam. Rain moved in and cut things short so work stopped rather early today. It`s daunting knowing that when I finish this quarter that there`s another one waiting for me on the opposite side and a rear valance to install. Whew!

This is lookin good! Have any time goal you are trying to hit? Hope to see ya' around this summer. Im tryin hard to get mine rollin for the summer!

That is coming along great John - When you polish the back trim can you go into detail on what you do and what polish to buy and where to get it - I need to make several trim pieces shine again and I cant seem to figure out the secret ..... your trim is looking awesome btw.
Bill

Great progress, John.
It`s a real inspiration to look at your pics.

This is lookin good! Have any time goal you are trying to hit? Hope to see ya' around this summer. Im tryin hard to get mine rollin for the summer!

Sure would be nice to have it ready this summer but with weather, work, family, friends, and time for anything in between it`s going to be tough. My Dart is close to being painted too and I know as soon as it`s back home I`m going to want to work on it. Not enough "me" to go `round. Early Fall would be a realistic goal now. Thanks for checking in, hope to see you around.- John

That is coming along great John - When you polish the back trim can you go into detail on what you do and what polish to buy and where to get it - I need to make several trim pieces shine again and I cant seem to figure out the secret ..... your trim is looking awesome btw.
Bill

Bill when I get back to the trim again I`ll do a more detailed explanation on the restorative process. A quick tip: Good rouge and a buffer wheel will go a long way.


Great progress, John.
It`s a real inspiration to look at your pics.

Swedefish, I think of you guys that already have sweet verts and that`s what inspires me!

I`ve finished the fitting of the first quarter panel and the major body work associated with it and have moved on to the second panel. The rust underneath the drivers side panel seems to be more concentrated towards the front unlike the passenger panel where most of the rust was around and behind the wheel. Surprisingly enough there is actually a good part of a trunk extension on this side. Lol! I`ve got the panel cut away and have started cutting out the rust beneath it. Wow, what a mess, and after this panel I have to do the rear valance. Here`s a couple photos of past and present work including the 8.75 that I replaced and re-installed.

I should have come over and looked at that from a different view. They say the block will clean up at 30 over so here comes the stroker. YES!

Nice project. Nice work also. Keep posting.

Damn man that quarter came out nice!

Damn man that quarter came out nice!

Thank you 4mulaSvaliant. I`m working on the other one and it`s kicking my butt. This new quarter panel is in terrible shape from the start and getting it to line up with everything (like it`s supposed to) is nearly impossible. After a ton of repair to the front of the wheel tub, inner rocker panel, and trunk extension I got the new panel fitted and started the welding process. Ran out of light ............and energy, but there`s always tomorrow. Heres more progress pics.

I had one heck of a time getting the drivers side panel to fit correctly. It turns out the distance from the apex of the inner wheelwell to the top body line is 5/8`s shorter than on the passenger side. When I would put the panel in the right place it would engulf the wheelwell. I ended up augmenting the wheel lip about a half an inch to get the panel to fit to the wheelwell and to the existing factory panel. This way the distance from the wheel lip to the top body line was equal on both sides- 12". The panel was also longer at the bottom front edge causing it to bulge out so I had to cut a notch in it and then weld it back together tighter. I spent several hours just getting the fit of the panel worked out, I hope it`s worth it when all is said and done. Here`s the panel repair in the front bottom corner. More pics to come later once the body putty has been worked. With the weekend approaching I may get a chance to tackle the rear valance.

Amazing how much can be fudged without noticing ayy. Good thinking, on solving the issue. Im sure its a little more comforting knowing you have the panel hung so it looks correct AND matches side to side! LOL I cant blieve Im saying it, but I wish I were beyond the mechanics and on to the body like you are. Fortunately I dont have and panel replacement concerning the 1/4s but I do have plenty to get done! Anyhow good luck. Its lookin' good.

I only got the first application of body putty on the drivers quarter panel and didn`t work it very much. I moved on to the rear valance. I`m getting it removed so I can work the new one into place and connect the quarters to it. Here`s a view of the rear of the car with the old valance removed. Of course there`s rust to be repaired underneath everything before I can install the new panel. The new valance is from Laysons, it`s the proper gauge and is shaped nicely but not quite as good a fit as I`d like. There`s going to be a little force applied to get some of these parts to meet up right. I hope to tackle it this weekend if possible.

Looks like a fun job, John.
Seriously, great progress and it`will feel great when you`ve
finished the rear rust repairs. Looking excellent so far.
BTW, don`t think that I`ve seen any pics of your Dart, please post a couple, or do I find them in another thread?

You are doing an excellent job! Convertible Barracuda mmmmmm this is going to be one sweet car!!!

I made the rust repairs to the frame and got the rear valance installed. I`m always remiss when it comes to taking pictures "along the way" but I did get one of the valance installed. It was tough to get that rascal lined up but here`s a couple pics.

Looks like a fun job, John.
Seriously, great progress and it`will feel great when you`ve
finished the rear rust repairs. Looking excellent so far.
BTW, don`t think that I`ve seen any pics of your Dart, please post a couple, or do I find them in another thread?

Thanks Swede, I didn`t do a resto thread on the Dart but you can see a couple photos of it in my garage from the way I found it to how it looks now.

You are doing an excellent job! Convertible Barracuda mmmmmm this is going to be one sweet car!!!

Thank you vkarapanos, trying to get it ready for this summer!

Worked some more on the quarter panel and rear valance this weekend managing to get all of the welds puttied up and block sanded. Here`s a couple pics of the latest in the rust removal process. I`ll be block sanding until the cows come home, these quarters are just so full of waves. I hate rubbing on anything this much without some instant gratification!:-D

lookin good - you are makeing excellent progress it took me forever to get my qtrs on - have you done these before?

lookin good - you are makeing excellent progress it took me forever to get my qtrs on - have you done these before?

Thanks Bill ,your vert is coming along beautifully too. I`m thinking of changing the color on this one and silver is on the list of possible colors. As far as installing quarter panels, this latest install makes it about half a dozen times now. You learn things with each one which makes the next easier, but this last one took me back to the beginning. A lot of the cars here on the east coast (esp. northeast) are ate up with rust and replacing panels is a way of life. Lol!

I`ve been working the front bottom corner of the passenger door. I had to weld in a piece about 4 x 6 right in the corner and up to the lower body line. It`s gonna' be hell getting the line crisp again as well as the corresponding one on the fender but I`ve got the panels in and I`m going to start the process of working that body line. I sure wish the repair panels for these cars was of a higher quality. I`d certainly pay a small premium to avoid the work it takes to make these panels look presentable. Here`s the only pic I have of the REP on the door so far. REP = Rust Eradication Program. Lol!

I sure wish the repair panels for these cars was of a higher quality.


I agree. I just bought a fender patch for mine, and I belive I could have made something as good as what I bought.......

I agree. I just bought a fender patch for mine, and I belive I could have made something as good as what I bought.......

With the fender patches, the body line at the rear of the patch (that matches up with the door line) is nearly non-existent. Working a good line in there before attempting to install the patch would be much easier than trying it once it`s on the car. That`s one of the mistakes I made.

Excellent fab work. I didn't even know rear valences were avail. Thanks for the pics on the mods, very helpful.

Grant

With the fender patches, the body line at the rear of the patch (that matches up with the door line) is nearly non-existent.

Yeah, I'm thinking about cutting mine up and rewelding it before trying to fit it........

Excellent fab work. I didn't even know rear valences were avail. Thanks for the pics on the mods, very helpful.

Grant

Thanks Grant, I got that valance from Laysons, and even though I had some trouble with fitting it, the quality of it was much better than most every other panel I`ve installed.


Yeah, I'm thinking about cutting mine up and rewelding it before trying to fit it........

That would be a great idea, it would be a much better finish.

Where did you get you upper front inner fenders?

Where did you get you upper front inner fenders?

These guys have them and most of the patch panels- http://www.autobodyspecialt.com/ HTH.

I just found this thread and have been reading through. Very Impressive. I did have a question regarding the front grill work you were doing and the broken studs. Where did you find replacement studs or did you use a screw with the same threads and just cut or grind the head off. I have several broken on a 68 and I have taken the trim completely apart and trying to figure out what to use as a replacement. Just up the road from you in Richmond, VA.

I just found this thread and have been reading through. Very Impressive. I did have a question regarding the front grill work you were doing and the broken studs. Where did you find replacement studs or did you use a screw with the same threads and just cut or grind the head off. I have several broken on a 68 and I have taken the trim completely apart and trying to figure out what to use as a replacement. Just up the road from you in Richmond, VA.

Hello Richmond neighbor, I used stainless screws and brazed them to the grille frame then ground off most of the head.

Since my last post in this thread I`ve sold the vert to another FABO member here, fishman. Though it`s been a while the car is now painted and already bringing home the bacon at the car shows. A bit more detailing and she will be gorgeous! Check it out here: http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=69907

i need to do the exact same body work on my 67 notch. rear quarters, rear valence, inerfenders, and lower fender patches. and thats just what I know about. you did some really good looking work.

i need to do the exact same body work on my 67 notch. rear quarters, rear valence, inerfenders, and lower fender patches. and thats just what I know about. you did some really good looking work.

Thanks, they can be brought back with a little effort.

Looks great, good job. I'm kindaglad that I dont have that much work to do thou.