Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

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If those are straight threads with "banjo" fittings on that Wilwood stuff, do not use the supplied aluminum crush washers. They will always leak. Get the appropriate sized dead-soft copper crush washers, and you won't have leaks. I fought a leaky Willwood M/C all last summer, and their junky washers were the problem.
 
If those are straight threads with "banjo" fittings on that Wilwood stuff, do not use the supplied aluminum crush washers. They will always leak. Get the appropriate sized dead-soft copper crush washers, and you won't have leaks. I fought a leaky Willwood M/C all last summer, and their junky washers were the problem.
I concur. Alu is crap for the banjo application.
 
That overflow canister isn't going anywhere, that's for sure ...

I guess we could make another mount on the other side and then there wouldn't be a need to run a front bumper... :D

We really won't need to run an overflow tank with the Evans waterless coolant but drag strips require one if we ever want to get a 1/4 mile time.
 
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If those are straight threads with "banjo" fittings on that Wilwood stuff, do not use the supplied aluminum crush washers. They will always leak. Get the appropriate sized dead-soft copper crush washers, and you won't have leaks. I fought a leaky Willwood M/C all last summer, and their junky washers were the problem.

I concur. Alu is crap for the banjo application.

Thanks for the heads up. These master cylinders don't use any banjo fittings but I'll have to check to see if there are any that attach to the calipers.
 
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We've continued to struggle with engineering the master cylinder bracket assembly. Using the plastic Hemi mock-up engine (without the Stage V valve covers) we've only been able to estimate clearances. Every time we've considered moving one thing it effects another aspect elsewhere.

I don't own a mill. I don't have a lathe. I have no desire to fill up the rest of my garage with equipment beyond what's already shoehorned in here. That having been said, we sometimes have to rely on outsourcing work we need to other shops.

Our plan was to have the aluminum parts from Wilwood remade at a machine shop. Today I went to one place for a cost estimate. :eek: HOLY-CHMOLY!!!

These are the two parts we needed modified.
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What we wanted was to have them both made an inch taller and the rear plate made an inch thicker to provide us with a deeper recess. A rough estimate of cost was $600. Spencer's on his way back to Iowa but I called him up to give him the info.

I've already started racking my brain for cheaper alternatives. I think I can fabricate the parts myself. With the availability of material locally (and the cost) I've looked at reproducing the parts out of steel. It wouldn't have the high tech appearance of aluminum but I'm pretty sure I could pull it off.


 
It's been a long time since this thread actually had an update on my Barracuda. The last time I made reference to it was after I broke the fiberglass hood when I drove the car without having it pinned. Today seemed like a good time to do the repairs.

Fortunately the damage was isolated on the bottom. After supporting the hood upside down on a pair of padded bar stools I ground the area surrounding the break. Then I used fiberglass jelly instead of the regular resin. (I didn't want to combat dealing with a runny mixture) I threw a couple of clamps on it and cut some fiberglass to work over the cracks.
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Cuda repair, now we are talking! Next time you start it, capture some audio or video and post it, I need some motivation. :D
 
Cuda repair, now we are talking! Next time you start it, capture some audio or video and post it, I need some motivation. :D

At the pace I work it might be awhile. I REALLY need to replace those Purple Hornies to tame that decibel level down and I bought that big stall converter for it a few years ago and am thinking about installing it soon. I know, - excuses, excuses ...

Keith Black keeps promising us that the Hemi will be coming and that seems to push the Charger project higher on the priority list. We may not have the car completed before the engine but we'd like to be able to drop it into a derivable when it shows up. (and I doubt Spence will consider letting me use the 'Cuda as a test platform for it):)
 
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After fiber-glassing the 'Cuda hood I went ahead and did some more welding on the Charger. The core support is finished except for the bottom that I'll weld once I get it on a rotisserie.
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John, can you tell me where you got the bracket to hold the master? thanks.


Sorry it took me so long to reply jaws. Spencer bought the clutch cylinder assembly a few years back and it took awhile to find info on it. I believe it came from American Powertrain.

Specialty Performance Parts, 5 and 6 speed Transmission Conversions and Accessories | American Power Train

If you're in the market for those pieces I can ask Spencer if he wants to sell his. They're still new and we won't be using them with this pedal setup he bought now.
 
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Progress on the Charger is sporadic. It seems that we're constantly putting it 'on hold' while we wait for parts. It's almost a year and a half since we ordered the Hemi block from Keith Black. The Stage V heads are supposed to be here soon from Ray Barton. I think we ordered them over six months ago. We are still waiting for the custom billet alternator & power steering pump brackets that were ordered months ago. I guess all these delays allow me time to work on other things instead.

I fabricated a support bracket for the mini battery box but we won't know if it'll clear the power steering until that custom bracket arrives. I guess I won't be attaching it yet.

I spent a bit of time finishing up the welds on the funnycar zoomies. I tacked them together last year and never had a chance to finish. The big Mopar car show is next weekend in Omaha and I'm considering entering the funny in an unfinished project class. I need to get more done on it if I want it to look respectable.

Meanwhile (on the home front) Teresa has decided to try her hand at becoming a professional cake maker. It sounded like a good idea and I've been doing my best to help out. So far all we've learned is that we both are clueless and we suck at making cakes. I truly believe that people learn from their mistakes so we should be geniuses in no time at all.
 
Despite the slow down in posts I have been staying busy. Progress has continued on the Charger and funnycar.

The work on the Charger is limited while we're waiting for more parts to arrive but I managed to sand the core support and put it in primer. I went ahead and test-mounted the new battery box bracket. Now and then I notice small things that still need to be tweaked.

In between working on cake disasters with Teresa I also began work on the interior of the funnycar. Who'd have thought that making cakes would have been so difficult? We're still learning and each one looks smoother than the previous.
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I'll be sitting between the slicks when the car sees track time so I opted to make the wheel tubs out of steel. (the thought of a popped tire tearing through thin aluminum sort of freaked me out) I used 16 ga. steel. For the floor I used 14 ga. aluminum and then made the side panels out of 18 ga. aluminum. The thinner aluminum for the side panels is easier to work with and saves weight. The heavier gauge on the floor should support a person's weight without wanting to bow.
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The big Omaha Mopar car show was yesterday. I went with one of my buddies but we didn't take anything with us this year. I don't think there were as many cars there this year but that didn't mean that the quality of the cars had dropped. I was surprised at how many Hellcats were there. - 5 Hellcat Challengers and 2 Hellcat Chargers.

I didn't buy anything at the swap meet but I did run into a friend that owns a Bridgeport mill that said he'd machine us that brake cylinder mounting plate for the Charger. I need to diagram it out and get it to him soon.

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One of my favorites at the show was this '69 Roadrunner. It had a fuel injected all aluminum Keith Black Hemi!

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More from the show.
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Although it wasn't a true A12 SuperBee, this car looked great.
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An original slant 6 car that hasn't had a V8 transplant.
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You don't see many of these Plymouth pickups.
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They put this Hurst edition Challenger on the dyno a few years back and I think it pulled around 800 HP.
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I had to take several photos of this black Charger. With the Hemi, it's very similar to what Spence's will look like. I tried to get pictures of clearance between the brake booster and valve covers as well as some of the clearance to the inner fenders. The tail stripe is also similar to what Spence had been considering.
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A guy that lives about 15 miles away just bought this Charger from a farmer for $50. It's rough but you can't deny it was a heck of a bargain.
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A guy that lives about 15 miles away just bought this Charger from a farmer for $50. It's rough but you can't deny it was a heck of a bargain.
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To say the least, John..... Thanks for the pictures, of the Mopar show... That orange Road Runner, tickled my fancy. Good to see you post. Got the proper trans dipstick, for the 727.... Turned into the usual 3 hour debacle....:) Next step, alignment....
 
To say the least, John..... Thanks for the pictures, of the Mopar show... That orange Road Runner, tickled my fancy. Good to see you post. Got the proper trans dipstick, for the 727.... Turned into the usual 3 hour debacle....:) Next step, alignment....

I often find that the small detail items can take up as much time as the major ones. What was it that you didn't like about the Lokar dipstick? I've never had one but I can't say I wouldn't ever consider getting one if it fit my needs.
 
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I often find that the small detail items can take up as much time as the major ones. What was it that you didn't like about the Lokar dipstick? I've never had one but I can't say I wouldn't ever consider getting one if it fit my needs.
It didn't fit, my o.e.m. standard..., to be honest.I was never happy, about it.. It' s nonfunctional, for the price....
 
It didn't fit, my o.e.m. standard..., to be honest.I was never happy, about it.. It' s nonfunctional, for the price....

Did it fail to fit (and seal) into the transmission? - Or was the problem on the other end? Length OK? Curious minds want to know!
 
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Did it fail to fit (and seal) into the transmission? - Or was the problem on the other end? Length OK? Curious minds want to know!
Perfection! For once, an aftermarket part kicks ***.... Lokar dipstick, well....no comments.lol....Bellissimo.....
 
Fifty bucks ...
Lots of neat mopars. But I never will understand why a person would go buy a new car, and put it in a car show, yeah, right , they really did something ! Any body w/ a job can do that ! I didn`t even look at them when I was a judge in a show, ' WHICH I`LL NEVER DO AGAIN !":
 
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