A-body help needed for my 65 Barracuda

[buzzkill71]

I drove my car downtown and was leaving work. As I backed out of my space in the parking deck my brakes failed, engine stalled, and I started rolling backwards down the incline towards the bottom of the ramp. I was unable to stop the car (pulled emergency brake and tried to throw car into Park with no effect. I hit the wall at the bottom of the hill at about 35 mph. Pics attached...the damage is bad and I am still in shock but I will get her back to where she was.

The good news is no one was hurt. I didn't hit any of the dozens of cars on the way down the hill. And lastly, me and the car did not go through the retaining wall and fall 5 stories to the ground.

I had this car for 2 months and had just taken 2nd place at a local car show. The previous owner spent 17 years restoring this car to near factory original and I feel like I have ruined a piece of history.

I need parts for the car. As of now I know I need the following:

1. rear bumper
2. both complete rear tail lights units
3. both rear quarter panels
4. new steering wheel (bent completely out of shape when i hit holding onto it)
5. possible new trunk lid

Will find out more this week once it gets on a lift and is inspected but she wil lbe out of commission for at least 2 months or more. PM me with information.

 

[goldfish65]

Sorry to see this. I know exactly what this feels like, the good news is FABO members will come through with the parts you need, they did for me a few years back. Ebay is worth checking, I found a rear bumper there (65 Valiant bumper is the same.)

You are lucky you didn't hit a bunch of cars...I parked for years in that very same garage when I worked downtown, Suntrust, right?

 

[1968FormulaS340]

Wow man. Im sorry about your car, it's a good thing you are alright.

That door hitting the front fender is a bad sign. I don't want to say this but that damage may be terminal. Before you even start rounding up parts I would get it on a frame machine and see if it can be pulled back into spec.

 

[zhandfull]

Wow sorry to see that!

That does not look fixable to me, at least from a financial prospective. Mite be better off with another body.

 

[caferacerx]

OUCH! this sucks, the door hitting the front fender is indeed a bad sign as 1968FormulaS340 has mentioned, I am hoping the floor and frame have not buckled, that is a really nice car

this is a prime example of why it is a really good idea to upgrade to a dual reservoir master cylinder on any pre 67 car, that way you only lose half of your brakes and the other half can still slow you down

 

[69B-Cuda]

man, that is sad... glad you are OK and did not run into anything else though, or go through the wall and over!

 

[buffoni88]

WOW. I can't believe that...almost makes me want to cry seeing what has happened to your car! Did the previous owner drive it a lot? Have you done anything to it since you bought it? That's crazy...I'm sorry to see this happen to such a beautiful car :-/

 

[chryslerfat]

The door into the fender shows enough uni-body damage that the car is not fa cost effective repair. By the time the frame is pulled and parts are replaced you could buy almost 2 more of them.

 

[lou3500]

I agree with the others with the door all wrinkeled up at the fender it looks like shes beyond affordable repair in my opinion. What kind of insurance do you have [hopefully not pip/liability] i would have the unibody checked out prior to purchasing any parts you may be better off getting another 65 cuda/valiant and useing the parts off this one. Next car you get put on a dual master cyl it was the first thing i did you never know when something will give up. Sorry to see such a nice car get damaged like that.

 

[1968hemidart]

Sorry to see your Cuda damaged .........

I have one question, Did you have " CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE " ( AGREED Value ?

If so, they will pay for the Damage with Zero cost to you. I ask anyone who calls me for Parts for sale, or Repairs to their classic Mopars, and I offer Free Information, about having the "correct Insurance Policy ( Not Geico, Allstate, State Farm, etc.)

Mopar Charlie

 

[pettybludart]

Sorry to see this,but it goes to show that the PO spent good money on the body/paint and not on safety(brakes).I take it the emergency brake doesn,t work?You might be better off finding another car and use yours as the donor.Hope insurance helps you out.

I would be looking into who saftied/certified this car for the road 2 months ago.

 

[buzzkill71]

There were a lot of questions in there and will try and answer them all.

1. The car has a dual chamber master....part of this was panic on my part. I did not pump the brakes like I should have. Also the carb needs different rods and jets (was scheduled to get them installed) and this is why it stalled. I was so focused on not hitting any other cars and turned backwards that it made trying to do anything difficult. In retrospect I should have just turned into the first car so that the damage would have been minor...or maybe throw it in neutral and get it started back up and put it in drive.
2. The brakes are now actually working better than before the accident so not sure if the master cyclinder froze or maybe clogged?? Emergency brake still does almost nothing.
3. I have come to accept that I will most likely have to get a donor car and move everything from mine to it minus damaged items. My resto/repair guy comes out this week to jack her up and look underneath to see if floor buckling has occurred. I hate to take another one out of circulation but may not have any other choice. It appears to me that the bumper forced the outside of the quarters out and forward....I can feel no creases or buckles on the floor boards in the back but we'll see.
4. I have State Farm but not regular car insurance. I signed up for their classic car insurance so not sure where that leaves me. They have treated me right over the last 24 years so we'll see.
5. When I test drove the car and had it inspected everything was ok. One big thing is that the PO maybe drove it 1 time a month and I was driving it every weekend over the last 2 months and stated as much when I got it from him. The brakes worked fine but had softened some over the last month. I was going to take it in for some adjustments but it was stopping.
6. The master cyclinder is obviously a rebuild or orignal. Whatever course I take I will be investing in a new one possbily with a booster. Also have the front discs inspected as well as the rear drums....obviously something is not right with that emergency brake.
7. In retrospect this car may not have been ready for regular driving. It sat a lot and who knows what kinds of things were never discovered because it wasn't on the road much. The PO loved this car and spent 17 years restoring it. He calls every once in awhile to see how I am liking it. I am dreading his next call. Things happen that are beyond our control sometimes....these old cars are not always 100% and I am just glad I am ok and no one was hurt....someone could have been easily behind me going to their car to go home.....I can tell you they would probably be dead had I hit them.
8. The big loss will be that back bumper....it was original and had been comepletly rechromed. It was like new.
9. I was in the process of making minor cosmetic changes but otherwise haven't altered the car mechanically. Was in the process of getting an original radio restored for it and getting the center grill repaired and chromed. Otherwise I was just enjoying her. I have been trying hard not to beat myself up but it's hard not to every time I see it sitting in my garage.

Will post updates and status when I know more. Appreciate all your help and suggestions.

 

[65cudalover]

Dude I am so sorry to see that happen to you. I had a similar deal happen to the front of my 65 cuda GT due to the same sort of brake failure issue. My car ended up in a roadside ditch and spent a year in damage repair. Mine now has a dual brake system and 318 motor and is ready for another 100k miles as I was lucky only the front was damaged. My group that repaired the car did a great job to modernize this car no longer completly original but made for driving down the road for a true mopar A body lover like me! Keep your mind in a positive mode and you will find what is needed to regain your way down the road good luck and thank the Lord you and no one was hurt!

Gregg

 

[64physhy]

Man, what a shame. Looks like it was a damn nice car. I disagree that the bumper was the big loss, in fact, the bumper is probably the smallest loss. They aren't hard to come by and can be rechromed fairly inexpensively. The big damage is the quarter panels and the unibody frame is probably tweaked. If the master cylinder is a dual chamber, it's probably not original. I'm pretty sure '64 and '65 only had single chamber master cylinders.

 

[65cudalover]

yes the first three years were all single body master cylinder cars, that is why mine got screwed up and I replaced it with a dual cylinder one!

 

[caferacerx]

duel reservoir master cylinder was 1967 and up
good news is everything from your car should be an easy winter project to transfer to a rust free donor car, interior, drive train, trim, add a little paint,a rechromed bumper and you are back to square one by spring! with the added satisfaction of having built it your self, hopefully with a NEW master cylinder and NEW emergency brake cables
even if you have never done something like this yourself don't let it discourage you, it is a very straight forward project that can be easily accomplished by anyone with the desire to do so, and all the help you could want is right here for the asking on FABO, just remember you have many friends and your car has many fans here

 

[cudamark]

It can be fixed. I just cost money. A good frame/body shop should be able to pull it all out and get it straight. A donor car would probably be cheaper if you can find a good solid one for a reasonable price but if this one is rust free, that's half the battle so try to save it if you can. It's a good lesson for all of us not to let little defects slide. When things don't work, fix them right away so they don't combine together in disaster. You had 4 systems fail, any one of which could have stopped the car if they had worked correctly. Hope it works out!

 

[pettybludart]

I hope this doesn,t deter you from your passion of owning a fine Early-a body Barracuda.Let us know what your insurance says/does for you.I,m always curious to the responses from them on these matters.Good luck.

 

[buzzkill71]

I have had a passion for vintage cars since I was old enough to know what a car was. I am in no way deterred from owning and driving a car like this. Appreciate all the well wishing and advice. I do think in my quest to get her back together again I will spend the money to modernize some things in lieu of originality....let's face it I am not going for concours quality. This car was mint and now it isn't, question is how I will rebuild her. This car is rust free and the places where the paint came off the metal looks brand new.

I only have to endure the wife during this process as I sacrificed my daily driver to get this car. We work together and so getting to and from work was never in question but living with one car for the next 2 to 6 months will be a challenge that I'm sure I will never hear the end of from the little lady. I was only putting about 100 miles a week on her but did use her to scoot around town, go play golf, weekends, car shows, etc. That flexability will be gone for the near future.

Will keep this thread going with updates and progress reports for all my fellow MOPAR family.

 

[buzzkill71]

Adjuster came out and took pics of the damage. They are on the fence if it is fixable or not. My guy is coming out tomorrow to do his estimate. Working with them to set the value of the car. They did not have one listed so using others like it for sale as a comparison. We'll see where this goes.

If they total will retain salvage rights and just take money and move to a new body if this one cannot be repaired. Found several off of part cars available so that may be the course I take to get her back. Also happy that I am not going to take another project car out of circulation. Was feeling really bad about the thought of that. also been researching parts I know will need to be repaired as well. as soon as I get cash in hand I will be hitting you guys up for parts.

 

[trapster]

I don't know how you still have a back window. You may want to consider removing it before straightening the frame.

At least you went to the correct college.

good luck

 

[BillGrissom]

Beautiful car. I agree that the damage may be terminal since I expect the floor pan crumpled to allow the quarter panels to bend that much. However, the uni-body shell is probably only ~30% of the value. Look at all the good parts you still have. Even the trunk and rear lights appear spared. If you believe the Desert King resto show on TV, your back glass alone is worth $2500.

It wouldn't be too hard to transfer your parts to a new shell. Most guys end up taking almost everything off anyway when restoring a car, and you would skip the laborious de-rust, re-paint, "find rare trim" steps. Just start with a good rust-free shell from CA or AZ and spray rust inhibitor in all nooks and crannys. You appear to be a tech grad, so should be simple, much easier than building a rambling wreck. (I spent 4 yrs there slaving on a Phd those ***'s cheated me out of).

You need to know the tricks when dealing with insurance companies. My Newport has been totalled ~3 times now. Last time was after a deer ran into the passenger door. I just drive to the estimate shop they suggest, the estimators shake their heads and report "can't fix it". The insurance decides to total it, thinking "old car, few hundred dollars", so now "it is just a question of price". I help them out by digging up "comparables" from Hemming's etc. You might use the absurd asking prices on craigslist or, even better, send a video from Mechams auto auctions. The insurance lady doesn't know that the 2-door 413 "comparable" might be worth more than my base 383 4-door. Last time, we agreed on $3500 I recall. To save them hassle, I offer to buy it back for $700. I end up with a check for ~$2700, buy a door for $150, repaint and done. If you think just clueless CA companies, two times were in Atlanta, and various insurance companies.

 

[caferacerx]

Beautiful car. I agree that the damage may be terminal since I expect the floor pan crumpled to allow the quarter panels to bend that much. However, the uni-body shell is probably only ~30% of the value. Look at all the good parts you still have. Even the trunk and rear lights appear spared. If you believe the Desert King resto show on TV, your back glass alone is worth $2500.

It wouldn't be too hard to transfer your parts to a new shell. Most guys end up taking almost everything off anyway when restoring a car, and you would skip the laborious de-rust, re-paint, "find rare trim" steps. Just start with a good rust-free shell from CA or AZ and spray rust inhibitor in all nooks and crannys. You appear to be a tech grad, so should be simple, much easier than building a rambling wreck. (I spent 4 yrs there slaving on a Phd those ***'s cheated me out of).

You need to know the tricks when dealing with insurance companies. My Newport has been totalled ~3 times now. Last time was after a deer ran into the passenger door. I just drive to the estimate shop they suggest, the estimators shake their heads and report "can't fix it". The insurance decides to total it, thinking "old car, few hundred dollars", so now "it is just a question of price". I help them out by digging up "comparables" from Hemming's etc. You might use the absurd asking prices on craigslist or, even better, send a video from Mechams auto auctions. The insurance lady doesn't know that the 2-door 413 "comparable" might be worth more than my base 383 4-door. Last time, we agreed on $3500 I recall. To save them hassle, I offer to buy it back for $700. I end up with a check for ~$2700, buy a door for $150, repaint and done. If you think just clueless CA companies, two times were in Atlanta, and various insurance companies.

I agree with this
another thing is you may want to think about using a collector car insurance company like grundy or haggerty, they offer "agreed value" insurance policy's
what that means is you and the insurance company "agree" on the value of the car, so there is no guess work, if you insure it for $10,000 (I picked this amount at random) that is what you get if it is totaled or stolen, no guess work or negotiating with them over how much it is worth,
and unlike regular insurance company's your cars value will automatically INCREASE every year
I have grundy and my car appreciates $500 a year (my rates also go up by $5 a year) my car (according to the insurance company) is now worth $2000 more than I payed for it and my annual premium has only gone up $20 a year, a good deal if you ask me

 

[bamacuda]

OUCH! I am a 64-65 Barracuda and Valiant LOVER! I will keep abreast of your progress, as I may have parts you will need. There is a guy near me named johnnyp on here that dismantles these cars that are near basket cases but the parts will keep the rest going. Check him out, he's in Birmingham.

 

[bamacuda]

By the way, the emergency brakes are very ineffective at best, and even less so when the car is moving backwards. It is really a parking brake that will hold the car still, not for stopping the car. My brother was backing our 64 Valiant out of a mildly sloped driveway with nearly non-working brakes to put it on level ground so that I could put new brakes on it when he tried to stop it the same way and ended up slamming into my step dad's brand new Volare (sticker still on the window). I ended up fixing the Volare at the body shop I was working in. The valiant had a slightly misshaped taillight area and all I had to fix on it was the lens.

Gain respect from your agent by letting him know that you were trying to protect him from loss by avoiding $35K cars that would have cost him so much more.