1968 340S Coupe 4spd

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cudaspaz said:
A good fabrication guy can put that thing on a rotisserie and go to town making that thing solid underneath with some extra reinforcements like some nice subframe connectors, torque boxes and panel replacement.

That's would I would do.

I would also mini tubb that thing if I was going to be in there, but that's just me.
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At this point I am all about rebuilding the unibody. the decision I have to make is all original or resto mod like you mentioned. Both are tempting! I may be forced in the restomod just because of the amount of replacement and things required to make the repair safe. Either way I am loosing my ***!
 
Fist off they only made 351 notch back 340 4 speed Formula S cars.Today we do not rebody or use these cars for parts,this isn't 1990 anymore.The rare finds such as this should be restored.There are plenty of parts for these cars and more and more being made everyday.Just go to Auto Metal Directs webside.And factory metal is not that hard to find.
It has the fender tag and supposed to have the original block so it needs to be saved.It will cost 20K or more to restore it right unless you can do all the work yourself.Most of us can not afford to drop 20K-30K for a restored car so we have to start with a project like this car.

Jim
 
I've got a 68 notch here that is solid as a rock structuraley. Sure there is rust in the floor pans and qrt extensions. Nothing that isn't easy to patch. Come and help me remove the drive lne, wench it onto a trailer. 600 bucks.
Put together a list of what else you might need after you get this one and swing by Barracudakid in North Carolina. He's got lots of parts too.

by the way, Did you look for a flat washer welded to the front of the K-frame ? Thats a indicater of a 340 K.
 
RedFish said:
by the way, Did you look for a flat washer welded to the front of the K-frame ? Thats a indicater of a 340 K.
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Haven't looked for that, but two broadcast sheets later, engine, carb, heads, exhaust manifolds, distributor, air cleaner, etc. all numbers match- I won't be too surprised to find the right K-member in there, too!

Thanks for the parts car offer, too. I have to get into this one quite a bit more to formulate a scope. The goal right now is to do everything I can without spending another nickel. THEN, I will pick a plan and go for it.

Thanks everyone for posting and enjoying this along with me.
 
I dont think you will find the washer welded to the front of K-frames until 1970 models but it will have sway bar mounting holes.
 
I figured I would bump this up. I have made very little progress since it is been very cold and I haven't bother to heat the garage. I have been getting my basement shop set up so I have a place to keep everything as I take it off.

I'd be curious if any one who has completely dismantled one of these cars can suggest a plan of attack. I am working the interior right now, but pretty soon I will need to get serious, and I don't want to take stuff off willy-nilly.

Really just musing as the winter months pass. Love to hear your experiences.

Thanks.
 
It can be fixed.

Question is , can you afford the repairs?

If you do it yourself you can save tons in labor unless you can find someone like my buddy in Dallas, Ga who does great work cheap and fast.

He restored an E body in very similar condition in 8 months flat with three of those months at the final paint shop waiting for an opening to simply shoot the paint.

If you can find someone like that it would be a golden opportunity unless you are a wizard at body and fabrication work.

Other guys said get a donor car with a solid chassis......I agree that would be the best way to go, but then again, saving this whole car would not be a bad idea and would be a very rewarding but challenging project.
 
The only part of the car you dont want to take apart and put back together again is the quarter window assemblies. Everything else is fairly simple.
 
cudaspaz said:
It can be fixed.

Question is , can you afford the repairs?

If you do it yourself you can save tons in labor unless you can find someone like my buddy in Dallas, Ga who does great work cheap and fast.

He restored an E body in very similar condition in 8 months flat with three of those months at the final paint shop waiting for an opening to simply shoot the paint.

If you can find someone like that it would be a golden opportunity unless you are a wizard at body and fabrication work.

Other guys said get a donor car with a solid chassis......I agree that would be the best way to go, but then again, saving this whole car would not be a bad idea and would be a very rewarding but challenging project.
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I figure I have a ton of stuff to do BEFORE I start spending the money on repairs. The dismantle process should keep me busy for a while. Once I am done, I can figure out whether the unibody gets repaired or not. My strong preference is to keep every single original part I can- even if I don't put it back on right away.

I am working in tight space (and available time) so no hurry. I just don't want to do things too far out of order.

Thanks for the replies. Feel free to throw in your 2 cents!
 
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cuda garage.jpg
 
That is a great project. I searched long and hard for my 68 340-S Notchback. Mine is auto and I would love to have the 4 speed. Those are definately in very short supply. Keep us posted.
 
Bag and tag everything. Pictures for reassembly which will be a while. Are you planning on doing the work yourself?

Grant
 
Red 340-S 4 spd notch with black bench seat. Might be the only one left like it. Yes you will put more into it then it will be worth. But over time it will continue to go up in value.
 
Simon glad to hear you are fixing her up. Someone told me the same about my "S". And I just didnt have the heart to let her go. I have a beautiful pair of 68 fenders, both very near NOS. If you are interested drop me an email and maybe we can work out a trade...I am looking for a really nice pair of 69's. My email is cuda169[at]hotmail.com.

4spdragtop
 
Thanks for the encouragement. The originality of the car is what drew me to it. The rust is bumming me out, but it may make victory all the sweeter! In the meantime nothing beats the quality time out in the garage. I'll keep FABO posted!
 
I'm pretty sure that Formula "S" cars were also available with a 383 ....in 1968
 
remember this, this car is only matching numbers once, and then it is not. not ever.i fix this stuff all the time. fix it. imho!
 
I would not cap those frame rails. I would get some good used original frame rails, drill/cut the old ones out, and weld the original ones back in. Member crackedback can set you up with some nice original metal.
 
Everyone has opinions on how they would restore that car including myself.
Those who build anything will tell you the foundation is the most important part of construction. We all know the unibody chassis has its short commings. Thus the need for torque boxes and frame ties to make them stronger.
That car did come off the assembly line as a special build but at the head end of the line its foundation was no different that any other 2 door a-body.
I would have to start with a good solid foundation , add those items that strengthen, then rebuid the car on that. I tend to believe this would be the pennywise plan also.
I haven't done the math. I dont believe caps and patches are meant for restorations but just for repairing daily drivers. My .023742 cents :)
 
I know the auto rust guys sell caps but their site shows some pretty thorough replacement jobs, too. Check out the AAR Barracuda photos.

This car is going to be done right or not done at all. I figure the majority of the frame rails will need to be replaced outright.

I am still on the fence with the non-stock stiffening, though. I'd like to have a stock car and a stiff car. Things like frame connectors seem to take me down the non-stock path and toward XV motorsports type of stuff. If it was a /6 car I would have no misgivings about this route...
 
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