'67Fish
Active Member
Greetings everyone! I’m starting this new thread at the encouragement of my brother, Kevin. Ever since I can remember, our family nearly always drove Chrysler products. One of my favorite cars as a kid was a second cousin’s 1967 Barracuda coupe. She got it new as a high school graduation gift and I remember a family reunion where everyone was circling the car and admiring it. I guess that left an impression on me. When it came time for me to get my first car, I wanted one of those 2nd generation Barracudas. But, I never could find one for sale. Instead, I ended up with a 1970 Duster 340 for my first car in 1975. (Go see my brother’s rebuild/restoration of that car at FABO: Finally getting to it!!! 1970 Duster 340 )
Fast forward to Fall 2009. Scrolling through Craigslist, I came across a 1967 Barracuda for sale that was just a few miles from where I grew up in PA. I asked Kevin to check out the car for me since I live out of state. He sent me some pictures and said it looked, “pretty good.” The car was an unmolested 273 2bl Notchback automatic with a split bench and the seller was ready to deal. Unfortunately, at this time, my wife and I were involved in a cycling accident. I had no injuries but she had suffered head trauma. I couldn’t think about a car given the circumstances and told my bother that I would pass on the Notch. On Christmas Eve 2009, the doctors gave my wife a clean bill of health from her accident. It was the best Christmas gift I could have gotten but, it was going to get even better. That evening, my family surprised me with the Craigslist ’67 Barracuda for Christmas! Even after all those years, I’m still touched by that special Christmas.
Fast forward again to Spring 2020. A combination of work commitments, kid’s college, and life in general keep pushing the Barracuda to back burner. It’s now been nearly 11 years since I was given the car and it was in storage all that time. In the meantime, Kevin has finished his Duster 340 restoration and takes the car for her maiden road trip to visit Mike Ross and Ken Falzini in Medina, OH. Mike’s persistence and Ken’s bodywork/paint craftsmanship had resurrected Kevin’s car after he suffered a series of setbacks (it’s all in his thread). During the visit, Kevin mentioned that I have this Barracuda. Mike tells Kevin (and I later confirm with phone calls) that he has a slot to work on my Notch and the timing is perfect for bringing the Plymouth out to Medina for the body work and paint. But it’s got to be, “Now!” O.k., having seen Ken’s and Mike’s work, I’m convinced. Here’s even the better part: My brother loved restoring his Duster 340 so much, he is willing to do the same for me! Since he’s already made the connections and knows many of the ins and outs from his A-body experience, I’d be silly not to take him up on his offer. The timing is right.
So, here’s my ’67 Fish. We’ll be keeping it mostly original with some exceptions. We’ll be adding an 8.75 Sure-Grip rear end that I bought from a fellow FABO member some years ago. We’ll do some modifications to the engine as we have a period correct, factory four-barrel intake manifold and carburetor. I envision the car looking like it did, “Back in the day.” I’m going to let my brother take point in this project and he’ll be updating this thread too. We look forward to contributing to FABO and making progress.
'67 in storage.
Interior
273
Going to Ohio!
First some dismantling in PA.
My good friend, Jim Walker, with the 8.75. Kevin's already working on the rebuild.
Jim, Kevin, and I drive through the night to Medina, OH. With Ken, the four of us bag & tag and strip the car down. Not too bad for 24 hrs! More later!
Fast forward to Fall 2009. Scrolling through Craigslist, I came across a 1967 Barracuda for sale that was just a few miles from where I grew up in PA. I asked Kevin to check out the car for me since I live out of state. He sent me some pictures and said it looked, “pretty good.” The car was an unmolested 273 2bl Notchback automatic with a split bench and the seller was ready to deal. Unfortunately, at this time, my wife and I were involved in a cycling accident. I had no injuries but she had suffered head trauma. I couldn’t think about a car given the circumstances and told my bother that I would pass on the Notch. On Christmas Eve 2009, the doctors gave my wife a clean bill of health from her accident. It was the best Christmas gift I could have gotten but, it was going to get even better. That evening, my family surprised me with the Craigslist ’67 Barracuda for Christmas! Even after all those years, I’m still touched by that special Christmas.
Fast forward again to Spring 2020. A combination of work commitments, kid’s college, and life in general keep pushing the Barracuda to back burner. It’s now been nearly 11 years since I was given the car and it was in storage all that time. In the meantime, Kevin has finished his Duster 340 restoration and takes the car for her maiden road trip to visit Mike Ross and Ken Falzini in Medina, OH. Mike’s persistence and Ken’s bodywork/paint craftsmanship had resurrected Kevin’s car after he suffered a series of setbacks (it’s all in his thread). During the visit, Kevin mentioned that I have this Barracuda. Mike tells Kevin (and I later confirm with phone calls) that he has a slot to work on my Notch and the timing is perfect for bringing the Plymouth out to Medina for the body work and paint. But it’s got to be, “Now!” O.k., having seen Ken’s and Mike’s work, I’m convinced. Here’s even the better part: My brother loved restoring his Duster 340 so much, he is willing to do the same for me! Since he’s already made the connections and knows many of the ins and outs from his A-body experience, I’d be silly not to take him up on his offer. The timing is right.
So, here’s my ’67 Fish. We’ll be keeping it mostly original with some exceptions. We’ll be adding an 8.75 Sure-Grip rear end that I bought from a fellow FABO member some years ago. We’ll do some modifications to the engine as we have a period correct, factory four-barrel intake manifold and carburetor. I envision the car looking like it did, “Back in the day.” I’m going to let my brother take point in this project and he’ll be updating this thread too. We look forward to contributing to FABO and making progress.
'67 in storage.
Interior
Going to Ohio!
First some dismantling in PA.
My good friend, Jim Walker, with the 8.75. Kevin's already working on the rebuild.
Jim, Kevin, and I drive through the night to Medina, OH. With Ken, the four of us bag & tag and strip the car down. Not too bad for 24 hrs! More later!
