Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

[1967 'cuda]

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 !":

I think I counted over 60 vehicles that were newer than 1982. - And I think there were about 157 cars I photographed. The registration fee was $20. The proceeds go to charity. That means that those newer vehicles brought in an extra $1200. When you do the math it's easy to understand why they include the newer stuff.

For the most part my attention is drawn to the vintage tin. I agree with you about those new cars. But, then again, there are those guys out there that never touched a wrench building their own classics too. - Not to mention the cars that are never driven versus the ones that see real road time.

Despite the fact that we do as much of our own work as we can there are probably some out there that would point out that we do farm out some things. I've gotten to the point where I simply accept all the entries as being from car enthusiasts and try not to cringe too much when I see the trophies going to the guys that never have the cuts, bruises, burns, or grease under their fingernails. They may know how to wax and polish their cars but they'll never have the cool road trip stories, memories, or attachment that the rest of us feel.

 

[360DartGT66]

I agree, building anything with money as your only tool is buying. Any chump can do that. But it puts food on the table for someone who DOES know how.

 

[Abodybomber]

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!

It sealed o.k, John (The Lokar atf stick), could never get a consistent fluid level reading. That, and the silly adapter tube, to put fluid in.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Slight bit of more progress.

 

[Abodybomber]

Nice.....John..Took the sister...., down to Thousand Oaks, for her radiation treatment, for ovary cancer... A really long day, (7 hours driving, plus..)... It just wiped me , out... That's,not normally happening...
Nice tinwork!.....

 

[1967 'cuda]

Nice.....John..Took the sister...., down to Thousand Oaks, for her radiation treatment, for ovary cancer... A really long day, (7 hours driving, plus..)... It just wiped me , out... That's,not normally happening...

Nice tinwork!.....

Sorry to hear about your sis. - Sending some prayers her way. I understand the drive wiping you out. I sometimes feel I need a nap after driving the few blocks to the grocery store and back. - Maybe we're just getting old?

Thanks for the kudos on the interior work. I wish I had a bead roller to fancy things up. There are a few race car buddies of mine in town that have them. Maybe I'll hit them up for some detail work after I get it all fitting right.

 

[Abodybomber]

Sorry to hear about your sis. - Sending some prayers her way. I understand the drive wiping you out. I sometimes feel I need a nap after driving the few blocks to the grocery store and back. - Maybe we're just getting old?

Thanks for the kudos on the interior work. I wish I had a bead roller to fancy things up. There are a few race car buddies of mine in town that have them. Maybe I'll hit them up for some detail work after I get it all fitting right.

Thank You, John... A befuddled friend , who passed away, left me a 750 Quick Fuel, that has been fat, on three hot mills... Going back , to my tried and true WELL MODIFIED 750. double pumper... It's had so many modifications, it's unbelievable... But it works.... ( my mild engine, consumed, five gallons of gas, idling...? Fuel pressure is at 5 to 6 .mechanical dead head, going to kit, what I know works...lol...

 

[360DartGT66]

Nice.....John..Took the sister...., down to Thousand Oaks, for her radiation treatment, for ovary cancer... A really long day, (7 hours driving, plus..)... It just wiped me , out... That's,not normally happening...
Nice tinwork!.....

I'm sorry to hear that, bomber.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Rain interrupted the funnycar interior work so I'm at a standstill now. One of my friends stopped by looking for Roadrunner parts but I didn't have what he needed. He was driving this '49 Dodge panel truck. It sits on a newer Dodge 4WD chassis with a fuel injected 360.

 

[360DartGT66]

Rain interrupted the funnycar interior work so I'm at a standstill now. One of my friends stopped by looking for Roadrunner parts but I didn't have what he needed. He was driving this '49 Dodge panel truck. It sits on a newer Dodge 4WD chassis with a fuel injected 360.
View attachment 1715048804

Super cool! I wouldn't have it sitting so high, but that's just me, I guess.

And I'd change out those wheels ...

 

[1967 'cuda]

Super cool! I wouldn't have it sitting so high, but that's just me, I guess.

And I'd change out those wheels ...

I agree about that ride height Anders. That thing looked like a real behemoth parked next to my 4WD Ford.

 

[1967 'cuda]

My gal from UPS dropped me off a package today. - Oh boy! - Oh boy! With Ray Barton script on the packing tape I knew it had to be something better than used footwear from my Sock of the Month Club.

The Stage V valve covers have arrived!

 

[1967 'cuda]

With the arrival of those valve covers from Ray Barton I was able to do another test fit of the clutch and brake master cylinders. It's a good thing they came. I see now that I need to revise my original planned changes and make the mounting plate another 1/2" taller.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Things seem to be coming along better with the Charger project. I was able to find a chunk of 1&1/2" thick aluminum large enough to suit our needs on eBay at a reasonable cost ($53). Despite the fact it was coming from New Hampshire it got here within a few days. I had it sent directly to my buddy that was going to do the machine-work for us. With any luck we could have the new brake cylinder mounting plate ready to install next week.

Spence was back from Iowa and we decided to do what we could to gain some clearance between the right side valve cover and the inner fender. After setting them on our mock up engine we found out that the valve cover was actually touching on that side. I knew we were going to be close but THAT is way too close.

I gave HemiDenny a call and he said that we could have him modify our motor mounts to shift the engine over to the left a quarter inch. At first we figured that was a good plan. - But, even if we were to have Denny modify the mounts we thought it would be to our advantage to gain even more clearance. After scoping things out it looked as though we could re-shape part of the shock mount tin-work on the inner fender. Using a torch we got the area cherry red hot and worked it down (away from the valve cover) with a hammer. By doing it gradually with hundreds of blows we were able to prevent the appearance of having been beat up and gave it a more sculpted look. Once we sand it - it should be smooth.

Because the mock up engine is plastic we grabbed an extra transmission cover and used it to shield the motor from heat.

The results were what we wanted but we did char an area of the plastic despite shielding it.

We figured we gained about a half inch of clearance.

Once we'd finished with the inner fender mod we decided to test fit those new tti headers that have been sitting in my bedroom for the last 6 months. Denny had assured us that they'd slip right into place because we weren't going to have to combat torsion bars. I trust Denny but these things have 2&1/4" primary tubes and a 4" collector. I figured that it might have been easy for Denny but even so, we'd probably fight them for hours.

HOLY CH-MOLY!! The motor is referred to as an elephant for legitimate reasons. It's huge with those heads. - But, Denny was right. Those tti's slipped right into place with no struggle. We were happy campers.

Ground clearance is good. We don't have the suspension height set yet but these headers extend just slightly lower than the subframe connectors.

Once the suspension height is set the car will probable be a few inches higher up front.

With the headers bolted on we started to look at the steering shaft. We hadn't put a scratch or dent in the headers yet but it seems we might have to get the hammer out to get room for our shaft knuckles. I KNEW things were going way too smoothly! I guess I need to apologize to the neighbors for any language their kids may have picked up.

After seeing how tight the room was, we wondered if we could shift the rack forward. The HemiDenny K-frame uses aluminum spacers that move the rack back by 7/8". If we didn't use them we'd be very close to clearing. - Otherwise we'll be putting one heck of a big dimple in the #3 exhaust tube. We're not sure yet but we may have to modify the #5 tube for the other knuckle too.

Another thing we worked on was a new steel section for the firewall. We won't weld it into place until we get the machined aluminum pieces. - That way we'll make certain it all fits together OK first. This new piece is much wider than the first section we'd made and will provide us with more space to mount the 3 reservoirs.

I had enough time today to do a bit more work on the funnycar too. I'm still fabricating the interior and tackled the steel that extends behind and below the seat.

 

[Abodybomber]

Nice...!!! You get dirty , too often... and that's a good thing...( however , you feel it... next a.m....) . Good to see you, brother....

 

[HemiDenny]

On the B/E body the rack sits (rearward) closer to the steering knuckle ends, so if you want to remove some of the spacer, the effect is minimal. You will need to leave about 1/4" for rack clearance. Just test by stacking a couple of the big thick washers. That should help the #3 tube

For the #5 tube......on the A body Hemi builds, for additional clearance, I cheat the steering shaft as far left (drivers side) as possible, often slotting the firewall bracket slightly to get all I can get. A small amount at the firewall yields quite a bit at the shaft end.

You can see now why the Hemi sits where it does.....your mod for the Stage V heads is probably the best way to go.....not much room to move the motor more to the left.

It is a dance to find the perfect location.

Lastly....I would ADVISE to not dent anything until you get the actual block in there. I have read of too many issues from relying on the plastic blocks for critical clearances.

 

[famous bob]

On the B/E body the rack sits (rearward) closer to the steering knuckle ends, so if you want to remove some of the spacer, the effect is minimal. You will need to leave about 1/4" for rack clearance. Just test by stacking a couple of the big thick washers. That should help the #3 tube

For the #5 tube......on the A body Hemi builds, for additional clearance, I cheat the steering shaft as far left (drivers side) as possible, often slotting the firewall bracket slightly to get all I can get. A small amount at the firewall yields quite a bit at the shaft end.

You can see now why the Hemi sits where it does.....your mod for the Stage V heads is probably the best way to go.....not much room to move the motor more to the left.

It is a dance to find the perfect location.

Lastly....I would ADVISE to not dent anything until you get the actual block in there. I have read of too many issues from relying on the plastic blocks for critical clearances.

How about abandoning the orig. knuckle ? I reworked a vega steering stem quite a bit once. u could gain some room w/ a u joint, no big deal to d shape, pin w/ a grade 8, or stainless bolt. I welded one side of the joint in after that, worked well. U can cut the shaft and locate the u joint for max clearance ---------jmo enjoy reading ur posts !

 

[1967 'cuda]

Nice...!!! You get dirty , too often... and that's a good thing...( however , you feel it... next a.m....) . Good to see you, brother....

- Always good to hear from you bomber. Ya, I've gotten to the point where I'm not comfortable unless I've wearing clothes that have a few grease stains and burn holes.

 

[1967 'cuda]

On the B/E body the rack sits (rearward) closer to the steering knuckle ends, so if you want to remove some of the spacer, the effect is minimal. You will need to leave about 1/4" for rack clearance. Just test by stacking a couple of the big thick washers. That should help the #3 tube

For the #5 tube......on the A body Hemi builds, for additional clearance, I cheat the steering shaft as far left (drivers side) as possible, often slotting the firewall bracket slightly to get all I can get. A small amount at the firewall yields quite a bit at the shaft end.

You can see now why the Hemi sits where it does.....your mod for the Stage V heads is probably the best way to go.....not much room to move the motor more to the left.

It is a dance to find the perfect location.

Lastly....I would ADVISE to not dent anything until you get the actual block in there. I have read of too many issues from relying on the plastic blocks for critical clearances.

Hi Denny. You're still one of our main 'go to' guys when it comes to finding answers. We decided to leave the engine location where it's at for now. Moving it to the left would likely decrease the clearance between the headers and the steering shaft. Last night Spence spent some time looking at Borgeson's website for smaller universal joints. We saw that they recommend staying at a maximum 35' angle on their single joints and a 70' maximum on their double joints. I think we'll be able to find some there that will do the job for us.

Thanks for the info on the rack location. We didn't want to commit to moving it until we heard from you. One other advantage to sliding the rack forward is that it will give us some additional clearance between the rubber boots on the rack and the lower control arms. - It was pretty close.

I like the suggestion about fudging the steering column sideways to help clear the #5 header tube. I think we'll be doing that.

After talking with you the other day about whether or not to change the power rack to manual, Spencer is now leaning back to staying with the power setup. He is considering going to an electric power assist if the power steering pump location ends up causing problems with other components. Spence did contact the shop that is supposed to be designing the power steering pump brackets and they say they should have it to us next week. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

How about abandoning the orig. knuckle ? I reworked a vega steering stem quite a bit once. u could gain some room w/ a u joint, no big deal to d shape, pin w/ a grade 8, or stainless bolt. I welded one side of the joint in after that, worked well. U can cut the shaft and locate the u joint for max clearance ---------jmo enjoy reading ur posts !

Hey Bob. We've been looking at a lot of different options for steering components. Borgeson's website (Borgeson Universal Steering Components) has a lot of info that addresses strength of knuckles and boxes. If I recall correctly, they don't recommend the Vega parts for a heavy car. We most likely will be modifying the ends of the shafts to adapt to whichever joints we end up using.

 

[Cuda68Scott]

Geez John, you are using up a lot of bandwidth on FABO with all your work on the cars, not sure if the servers can take much more! In your spare time timorrow, can you drive to Phoenix to completely restore my cuda? Keep up the postings, very interesting to watch your progess.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Geez John, you are using up a lot of bandwidth on FABO with all your work on the cars, not sure if the servers can take much more! In your spare time timorrow, can you drive to Phoenix to completely restore my cuda? Keep up the postings, very interesting to watch your progess.

Hey buddy. I really think that the impression I get a lot accomplished is made by the fact I sometimes post a bunch more details on 'small' progress. If I think back to how long ago it was that I bought that funnycar you could make the argument that it's taken me 40 years to get it to where it is now. I think the Charger is in it's 7th year. At this rate I'll have to live to be a few hundred years old to get everything done!

A trip to Phoenix will sound a lot more enticing when I start seeing snowflakes flying here. CRAP! Before you know it winter will be here again.

 

[1967 'cuda]

After a few discussions with HemiDenny we think we've got enough info to get the correct coil over shocks for the front. We played around with ride height quite a bit before figuring it out.

Later we dug out the Vintage Air components from the basement and made certain we had what we needed to get started on the installation.

The Charger was originally an air conditioned car so the dash has center ducts. Even though Spencer has no intention of installing air conditioning we had to order the kit from Vintage Air that incorporates components we won't use in order to work with our dash. Spence was able to order the interior half of the setup instead of the full kit so money wasn't wasted on a drier, condenser, or lines.

Having parts purchased years before they'll be used is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you have them available without having to wait for the supplier to get them to you. - On the other hand, you end up cluttering your house/garage for a long time and then realize just how disorganized you are when it comes time to find stuff. It gets really frustrating when you're like me and you can't remember where you put your car keys ten times a day - let alone what the heck you did with parts that you haven't seen in years.

I've tried to squeeze in a little time on the funnycar while Spence is here. Not much progress but it takes time to tweak the fabbed interior panels before they're ready for final installation.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Today I picked up the newly milled brake/clutch cylinder mounting plate. Doug (my buddy from Seward) called me yesterday to tell me it was finished. I was amazed that the aluminum had shipped so quickly from across the country and even more amazed that Doug finished the work on it as soon as he did. When I asked him what we owed he said "we're good, as much as you've helped me out, consider it paid for". WOW!! I don't think I've done all that much for him. I guess it's good to be friends with someone that owns a Bridgeport.

While I was at his place I checked out the progress on his Coronet. He's been working on the installation of a Vintage Air system in it and I thought I'd see if I could get any pointers from him that would help us avoid running into problems. The guy is super meticulous about detail.

When I got back home I went to work on the Charger's firewall. After cutting the section back out that we'd made for mounting the plate from Wilwood, I used it as a template for the hole I was going to have to make in the new section we were going to have to use for the mounting plate Doug had milled. It didn't take long to cut the opening where the plate was to be. Then I used transfer punches to mark the bolt holes and started drilling. I might have gotten it done tonight but a few friends stopped by to visit and I got sidetracked.

 

[famous bob]

Hey Bob. We've been looking at a lot of different options for steering components. Borgeson's website (Borgeson Universal Steering Components) has a lot of info that addresses strength of knuckles and boxes. If I recall correctly, they don't recommend the Vega parts for a heavy car. We most likely will be modifying the ends of the shafts to adapt to whichever joints we end up using.

Wasn`t recommending vega parts, just the idea. 3/4" stuff is readily available. Does ur back bother u after laying on a cement floor like that? Mine does, has me wondering if I can build the wagon I`m looking at buying . keep it up !~-bob