SO nothing fancy this week, but got the fenders back from the acid dippers and surprisingly they were more left to em then i thought. Both need a lot of welding, one more than the other. The drivers side had a bunch of old patches in it. I figured for progress sake i would start on the less of two evils. So below is a few snapshots of some welding that was started on the passenger fender.
66 cuda resto after 14 years of storage!
- Thread starter Ericneu25
- Start date
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66CudaJim
66 cuda
Nice fab work on the fender.
FomocoReformed
Well-Known Member
Nice work! Glad to see another old project coming back to life. Looks like you have a pretty clean car to start with there. Those fenders ain't so bad! You should see what we north easterners have to work with!
Thanks. Remember, the car is form NH originally, where i am from. So she has seen a lot of new england winters. But i was pleasantly surprised how solid these fenders were. Sometimes you cant find em in better shape so i lucked out!
FomocoReformed
Well-Known Member
Yeah fenders are tough, I had to replace both of mine and have one shipped from georgia and the other one came from north dakota.
Muad'Dib15
Well-Known Member
Ooh, nice to see someone else with a 66 cuda in the Milwaukee area. Now there's 4 of us that own the early style cuda/valient, 3 that I know of. My dad saw a red 65 convertable, which I haven't seen a few years ago. There's also a gold 65 around me and the guy actually goes to the park that I take my dog to.
Jack's auto ranch out in Watertown has 3 barracudas if you are looking for any parts. I don't know the condition that they are in, but if you need parts they still have some of the body left on them.
Where roughly are you located?
Jack's auto ranch out in Watertown has 3 barracudas if you are looking for any parts. I don't know the condition that they are in, but if you need parts they still have some of the body left on them.
Where roughly are you located?
hey muad'dib15, im located on the north side of milwaukee, by mequon. Ive actually only seen one white 66 cruising around brown deer time to time, but havent seen it in about two years. There is also a bone stock baby blue one that shows up at a local car show around here too!
Hey all, just to let you know that after a good almost year i am finally back on the cuda! I do have both fenders finally done and in primer, and hopefully this upcoming FEB we are pulling her out of her storage and pulling the motor, doing a tear down, and then putting her up on the lift to see if its a rotisserie job or if i can get by without.
ill keep you posted hopefully more than i have been!!
ill keep you posted hopefully more than i have been!!
Welcome aboard and I see you are moving forward in fine fashion :thumleft:
When you do get it up in the air one thing I would put on my to do list
would be frame connectors :book::idea1: My next move for my 66 Valiant.
This is the kind of thread I enjoy as it moves forward :rock:
Thank you for posting up some good pictures and plan, the high school barracuda will be on the road before you know it
Keep up the good work, and always enjoy time spent doing it when time permits is the first rule in my book let's just say I was in school when our cars hit the show room :coffee2: Keep up the great work and info thread :cheers:
When you do get it up in the air one thing I would put on my to do list
would be frame connectors :book::idea1: My next move for my 66 Valiant.
This is the kind of thread I enjoy as it moves forward :rock:
Thank you for posting up some good pictures and plan, the high school barracuda will be on the road before you know it
Keep up the good work, and always enjoy time spent doing it when time permits is the first rule in my book let's just say I was in school when our cars hit the show room :coffee2: Keep up the great work and info thread :cheers:One question, or poll i should ask, do i keep the 273 or go for a lil more fun like a 318? I have to rebuild the 273 anyway so i figure why not get a lil more bang for my buck. Go for a bigger block and then have money well spent on a car i plan on holding onto, as i have done for so many years already?
Any ideas, comments welcome. Please sway my decision!!
Any ideas, comments welcome. Please sway my decision!!
Beautiful work, seal the back sides good to prevent this from happening again, I would guess you did, I would still por15 the back side after all the great work you have dun
So everyone, the motor has been pulled as well as tranny. However we took down the motor cuz it was turnin over but lacked compression. And surprise, cracked block! :banghead: She was full of water in the oil. Looks like she froze one winter in storage and swelled up. ops:
So i guess i am going with a 360 squad car engine my friend has in his garage! might as well build that up and have a lil fun. And with that hopefully the car will be on a rotisserie within a week or two. Ill add a few pics for you all soon!
ops: So i guess i am going with a 360 squad car engine my friend has in his garage! might as well build that up and have a lil fun. And with that hopefully the car will be on a rotisserie within a week or two. Ill add a few pics for you all soon!
crvtec90
Well-Known Member
Hope it feels good to get back on the project. Mine sits for quite a while as well in between repairs. Nice job on the fenders.....Good thing you could fix them up nice instead of having to source replacements. I definitely second the idea of frame connectors.
If youre block is cracked thats unfortunate. Dont be to quick to scrap it since there is still lots of usuable stuff to keep. The oil filter adapter, oil pan, timing cover are easy to remove and probably needed. Also I believe the crank and rods are forged pieces. My 273 was beyond repair so I used all the parts on a junkyard 318. The 273 heads can go on a 318. The rocker arm shaft assemblies are adjustable
If youre block is cracked thats unfortunate. Dont be to quick to scrap it since there is still lots of usuable stuff to keep. The oil filter adapter, oil pan, timing cover are easy to remove and probably needed. Also I believe the crank and rods are forged pieces. My 273 was beyond repair so I used all the parts on a junkyard 318. The 273 heads can go on a 318. The rocker arm shaft assemblies are adjustable
moparlover
Well-Known Member
a suggestion about the engine. the one you have is probably a decent start. i would ask around and find out which is the best machine shop in your area. get the engine to them. ask them if they have any stuff for sale. sometimes they will have a shortblock they built for someone who abandoned it with them. they can look over the 360 for you and advise you in the right direction. for instance, if the crank is bad you could consider getting a kit with forged crank, etc. or maybe one of the heads are cracked, etc. you never know.
a good machine shop is worth it's weight in gold. they will do it right the first time so you dont have to do things twice. they will save you money in the long run.
a good machine shop is worth it's weight in gold. they will do it right the first time so you dont have to do things twice. they will save you money in the long run.
moparlover
Well-Known Member
you are way ahead of me even though i had to pay 3k for mine. notice the engine tilt (413 sitting in there originally at a "slant"). they tried a schumacher conversion but goofed up lol
it's tilted left to right and side to side :/
i'm putting a hemidenny front kit in her
the inner fenders have been replaced already, outer fiberglass fenders installed, and the new floor pan is in. she's waiting for the quarters to be welded at the moment
it's tilted left to right and side to side :/
i'm putting a hemidenny front kit in her
the inner fenders have been replaced already, outer fiberglass fenders installed, and the new floor pan is in. she's waiting for the quarters to be welded at the moment
crvtec90-I definitely second the idea of frame connectors.
Yea i am thinking frame connectors are a way to go after i researched em a bit thanks to other members input! I heard the dart ones with the shovel style end fit the 66 cuda but of course ill research. Its not a rush yet.
As for the motor, im still torn between 318 or the 360. I have one of each so Im researching both because, again no rush. just trying to educate myself to make the right decision. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
The 318 would be an easy bolt up to where my 273 sat, and the 360 would need a bit more like torque converter etc to mount up. 318 better gas mileage, 360 more torque, etc etc. Both engines would need a rebuild as well so that's a monetary factor . i guess im torn!!! Anyone have any input?
im in no rush but wouldn't mind being swayed!
Yea i am thinking frame connectors are a way to go after i researched em a bit thanks to other members input! I heard the dart ones with the shovel style end fit the 66 cuda but of course ill research. Its not a rush yet.
As for the motor, im still torn between 318 or the 360. I have one of each so Im researching both because, again no rush. just trying to educate myself to make the right decision. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
The 318 would be an easy bolt up to where my 273 sat, and the 360 would need a bit more like torque converter etc to mount up. 318 better gas mileage, 360 more torque, etc etc. Both engines would need a rebuild as well so that's a monetary factor . i guess im torn!!! Anyone have any input?
im in no rush but wouldn't mind being swayed!
AussiePlymouths
Well-Known Member
Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your thread.
I think that you'll be happy with either 318/360, like you said "they both have pros & cons".
Nice to see you making progress and sharing pics with other members.
You probably are inspiring them - you have me!
Thanks
Gary
I think that you'll be happy with either 318/360, like you said "they both have pros & cons".
Nice to see you making progress and sharing pics with other members.
You probably are inspiring them - you have me!
Thanks
Gary
Muad'Dib15
Well-Known Member
C&S in Butler rebuilt mine. Now, I needed just about everything under the sun replaced or redone except for 7 of the rods, so it cost me about 3500 to get my 360 rebuilt and that's including the break in lube, pertronix ignition, and other things needed to get it running. If you get a weighted flywheel like I did, then you can just use a 318 torque converter and not worry about they external weight on it anymore. I just need to get it tuned, probably by west bend dyno, then it should be even better than it is right now.
paid $1000 to redo my 340 X heads that were completely trashed. I needed a serious realignment hone on the block. I ended up getting a new crank as a bearing was nearly spun and they couldn't fix it. I had a bent rod, the pistons rings were worn down to nubs and the pistons were wearing into the block. I got new pistons, flat tops, the rods were blasted and the one that was bent was replaced. The cam was seriously worn down and I ended up going with a Lunati 60403. It has some serious rump to it when the car's cold that lightens up and smooths out once it gets warmed up. I'm quite happy with it the way it is right now.
paid $1000 to redo my 340 X heads that were completely trashed. I needed a serious realignment hone on the block. I ended up getting a new crank as a bearing was nearly spun and they couldn't fix it. I had a bent rod, the pistons rings were worn down to nubs and the pistons were wearing into the block. I got new pistons, flat tops, the rods were blasted and the one that was bent was replaced. The cam was seriously worn down and I ended up going with a Lunati 60403. It has some serious rump to it when the car's cold that lightens up and smooths out once it gets warmed up. I'm quite happy with it the way it is right now.
So Muad, does that cam run pretty good street wise? looking for a nice lump to her but also streetable. Also, did you run headers on yours and what kind? I am lucky that I already have a place up in Allenton where i have the car, got a guy there that rebuilds motors and he is itching to get on the 360, just needs to know how deep my pockets are willing to go!
First though is the body, hoping to get her on a rotisserie soon, maybe by the weekend if i can dismantle the rest.
Muad'Dib15
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, it's a great streetable cam. It's got a nice rump to it without being intrusive and doesn't intrude on the drive-ability of the car at all. I have a video of it when I drove it about a day after the huge rain storm and about 3 hours before the ice storm 2 weeks ago. I just need to actually get it up. I don't have headers on it, I'm running a set of 2000 Durango manifolds on it. They will clear but you need to either shim the hell out of the mounts or grind the manifolds to clear the steering shaft. If you click on the 66 b'cuda in my signature it'll take you to my photo bucket library of the car. If you plan on going to world of wheels next week I may be able to talk to you a little more about it.
btw, I was originally quoted at 2500 for the engine rebuild before we found out about all the issues with it. Clint said that it was quite possibly the worst looking engine that was still running that they had seen in a long time. Guess that means that Mopars run badly longer than Chevvies run at all if the saying is true.
btw, I was originally quoted at 2500 for the engine rebuild before we found out about all the issues with it. Clint said that it was quite possibly the worst looking engine that was still running that they had seen in a long time. Guess that means that Mopars run badly longer than Chevvies run at all if the saying is true.
seabee
Well-Known Member
Welcome to FABO!
Funny, my 66 was painted yellow somewhere in the past. The underside of the trunk and hood were butternut yellow. Weird since it was originally silver.
Funny, my 66 was painted yellow somewhere in the past. The underside of the trunk and hood were butternut yellow. Weird since it was originally silver.
Great work on your car. Keep em pictures coming!
Just throwing a few pics up of the engine out of the bay. We drained 10 quarts of oil and water out of her from the crack in the block, and amazingly she still was turning over lol. Also showing a few shots of the empty engine bay, and took a quick snap of the underside. the frame rails actually are really clean considering the sit time of about fifteen years!
Tomorrow we should be putting the fenders and hood back on for alignment purposes before i start to dismantle for a jig. thanks guys for watching!rayer:
Tomorrow we should be putting the fenders and hood back on for alignment purposes before i start to dismantle for a jig. thanks guys for watching!
rayer:
kbsouers
Well-Known Member
Cool build, I had a 66 cuda 318 auto. silver w/red interior. I pritty much gave that car away about 15 years ago...oh well, I still have my 68. My 68 sat for years. Finding this sight about 6 months ago sparked a fire under my butt to get my old project going again , Keep up the great work! by the way nice fab work. good pics.
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