Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

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After pulling the linkage off the side of the carbs I decided to re-fit some of the Lexan. Now seemed like a good time to cut the area out where the blower sits through. I made sure that nothing hits as the body pivots.

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That is going to be so badass.

To avoid stress cracking, you might want to round off the sharp corners in the Lexan cut-out.
 
360DartGT66 said:
That is going to be so badass.
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360DartGT66 said:

To avoid stress cracking, you might want to round off the sharp corners in the Lexan cut-out.
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There will be an aluminum interior 'doghouse' that will mate with that opening. I've been trying to get as much done as possible that I need to in order to move on to the interior panels. The lack of a transmission adapter is killin' me. I keep searching for a used one but no luck so far.

It's surprising how much heavier the body is when the Lexan is there. I'm constantly having to raise & lower the body whenever I'm fitting stuff. It's a real pain in the butt when you're doing it by yourself and you need to grab the supports (and put them in place). I always end up holding it up with one hand while I line up the poles.

I haven't gone to many car shows this year but I'm tempted to put it in a 'PROJECT IN PROCESS' class at one of the remaining shows. I think it's still too rough but it'd probably draw some attention. Maybe I could land some leads on parts I still need if I did take it.
 
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1967 'cuda said:
There will be an aluminum interior 'doghouse' that will mate with that opening. I've been trying to get as much done as possible that I need to in order to move on to the interior panels. The lack of a transmission adapter is killin' me. I keep searching for a used one but no luck so far.

It's surprising how much heavier the body is when the Lexan is there. I'm constantly having to raise & lower the body whenever I'm fitting stuff. It's a real pain in the butt when you're doing it by yourself and you need to grab the supports (and put them in place). I always end up holding it up with one hand while I line up the poles.

I haven't gone to many car shows this year but I'm tempted to put it in a 'PROJECT IN PROCESS' class at one of the remaining shows. I think it's still too rough but it'd probably draw some attention. Maybe I could land some leads on parts I still need if I did take it.
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good exercise for an old fart !! LOL getting up and down from underneath the car helps too ! ask me how I know .
 
famous bob said:
good exercise for an old fart !! LOL getting up and down from underneath the car helps too ! ask me how I know .
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I sometimes feel that putting my socks on in the morning is all the exercise I can handle.
 
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It's been a slow day here. We had company from out of state so the day was spent prepping the house and dinner. After things settled down I finally made it out to the garage.

I'm still considering making it to a few of the car shows this year. There's no way the funnycar can be done but if some of those shows have 'unfinished' categories I still would like to take it. With that in mind I decided to address some of the nastiest looking areas on the car. The Cragars needed cleaning. They were showing rust. I had a broken valve stem on one of the front wheels too. The car still rolled around but it made sense to fix it.

I'm still working on the headers. I finished the flange welding but haven't extended the tubes yet.

In order to make the car presentable by Sunday I want to do the following:
1) finish welding the headers & paint them
2) notch the body for header clearance
3) finish installing the Lexan
4) clean up & paint the rear end housing
5) get the rest of the missing engine bolts. (the carbs & scoop are just sitting there unfastened)
6) if there's still time make as much progress on body repairs as I can and get some primer on the body

Right now it's just a wish list. I should be able to get some of them done.
 
#2 is checked off my list. The body notching only took a few minutes. I'm still working on those headers (#1 on my list). I've got the left side extended. I still need to dress up the ends of the tubes though.

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The right side header extensions are done. I've de-burred both sides and they're ready for paint now that I've checked fitment. My body notches lined up great.

I'll have to see what colors I have on the shelf. Whatever I put on them now will be to prevent rust and spruce them up a bit. I may eventually change color depending on what theme the car ends up with.

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360DartGT66 said:
Good job!
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360DartGT66 said:

May I suggest a pinball theme to match your drag racing theme pinball machine?
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Whatever I choose I want it to have a nostalgic appearance. I was thinking about a darker theme and at one time thought I'd name it 'BAD KARMA'. I still may use that name but want it painted in bright colors.

I found an extra can of gold paint on the shelf that was left over from when I painted the fenderwell headers on my '72 Duster. I started spraying the first header and realized that it doesn't coat well. It looks good after several coats but it runs like water and should be scuffed down between coats to look right. I don't think I'll have enough paint for both sides. I may have to break down and buy some high temperature paint tomorrow. I think black may be my only choice here in town.

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I've stretched the gold paint as far as I could and it's so-so. For now it'll have to do. I took a sander to the rear end and cleaned it up and spritzed it black. I guess I can check numbers 1, 2, & 4 off of my to-do list. There were still some remnants of the old cage that needed to be ground smooth from the frame. I took care of them. Maybe I'll try to finish polishing the radiator yet. I should at least clean it up more.

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Tomorrow I'll have to get some socket head bolts for the carb adapter so I can mark #5 off my list. I shouldn't have any problem getting the Lexan in but I'm dreading the fumes from the resin and bondo. I may have to do it outside where it'll be better vented.

Those Cragars cleaned up pretty good. I should re-do the white lettering on those front runners though.

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1967 'cuda said:
Whatever I choose I want it to have a nostalgic appearance. I was thinking about a darker theme and at one time thought I'd name it 'BAD KARMA'. I still may use that name but want it painted in bright colors.

I found an extra can of gold paint on the shelf that was left over from when I painted the fenderwell headers on my '72 Duster. I started spraying the first header and realized that it doesn't coat well. It looks good after several coats but it runs like water and should be scuffed down between coats to look right. I don't think I'll have enough paint for both sides. I may have to break down and buy some high temperature paint tomorrow. I think black may be my only choice here in town.

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is the funny car going to be streetable ? black chrome on the headers.
 
famous bob said:
is the funny car going to be streetable ? black chrome on the headers.
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My theory is that EVERYTHING is streetable. LOL. I'd have a heck of a time trying to get in and out without someone lifting the body. I'd love to see the expressions of the local P.D if I drove it to the courthouse to license it. I guess the real question is whether or not the car will ever be race-able!
 
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I can check #5 off my list. - Picked up the fasteners to bolt down the carb adapter, carb spacers, carbs, and scoop.
 
360DartGT66 said:
Just out of curiosity, when did the hemi last run?
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Sometime in the early 70s. I need to go all the way through it still. There isn't any wear on the cylinder walls. I haven't inspected any of the crank journals but I assume they'll be pristine.

I'd like to replace the heads. They say that the aluminum heads from HOT HEADS flow really well. The pistons need to be changed to drop the compression and I should put in a new camshaft optimized for the blower.
 
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I'm still doing the mad scramble around here. I decided to hold off on putting the Lexan in until I had a chance to layer some more fiberglass on the roof.

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I started worrying about the quality of the resin I used. Although it had began gelling within 15 minutes of having been mixed, - it just wasn't setting up. After an hour I thought I'd turn my attention to the rest of the body instead of mixing any more.

Much of the body is in the bare gel-coat and it's faded from years of exposure. There are areas that have been repaired and have filler showing. I thought I'd try hiding the blotchy patches by spraying some black primer over all the areas that didn't have fresh resin on them. I won't have time to do any block sanding but I might run a scuff pad over it tomorrow morning.

I continued working 'til way past dark using a flashlight to help me rivet the Lexan down.

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Really enjoying watching you get after the funnycar project.
I could see myself getting in trouble with that and laughing about it the whole time.
Looking good.
 
ssba said:
Really enjoying watching you get after the funnycar project.
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ssba said:
I could see myself getting in trouble with that and laughing about it the whole time.
Looking good.
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Thanks SSBA. I still feel like a renegade on the forum when I'm not posting true A-body stuff. If I only used this thread for my Barracuda it would be a lot shorter. I know some guys got upset when I started including the other projects. If I was able to stay on task and finish one at a time it'd be easier to have separate threads.

The thing that got me hooked on Chrysler was the hotrod image. It wasn't the luxury cars or the economy cars - it was the fact that Mopar made so many models that looked fast just sitting still. Their presence in NASCAR and NHRA when I was growing up in the 60s & 70s had a major influence on me.

Building an iconic Mopar funnycar would make more sense if I was 20 years younger. The sensible side of my brain keeps asking why I'm putting $$ into something that I won't drive on the street and I'll rarely take to a track.

There's that famous quote from mountain climber George Mallory when he answered the question about why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. He said, "Because it's there". It sounds like a cool answer but I have to remind myself that he made two failed attempts at reaching the summit and died on his third. Hopefully my goal will end up less tragic.

I'm sure some form of mayhem will ensue when I get this thing put together and running. Whether or not I'll be laughing about it is yet to be seen.
 
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1967 'cuda said:
Thanks SSBA. I still feel like a renegade on the forum when I'm not posting true A-body stuff. If I only used this thread for my Barracuda it would be a lot shorter. I know some guys got upset when I started including the other projects. If I was able to stay on task and finish one at a time it'd be easier to have separate threads.

The thing that got me hooked on Chrysler was the hotrod image. It wasn't the luxury cars or the economy cars - it was the fact that Mopar made so many models that looked fast just sitting still. Their presence in NASCAR and NHRA when I was growing up in the 60s & 70s had a major influence on me.

Building an iconic Mopar funnycar would make more sense if I was 20 years younger. The sensible side of my brain keeps asking why I'm putting $$ into something that I won't drive on the street and I'll rarely take to a track.

There's that famous quote from mountain climber George Mallory when he answered the question about why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. He said, "Because it's there". It sounds like a cool answer but I have to remind myself that he made two failed attempts at reaching the summit and died on his third. Hopefully my goal will end up less tragic.

I'm sure some form of mayhem will ensue when I get this thing put together and running. Whether or not I'll be laughing about it is yet to be seen.
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Like the quote,John.... Fiberglass work on old substrates,just is so unpredictable. (Same situation ,with mine...)...
Zoomies look good,in gold... Am curious,if you yourself will paint it,like your other car....
 
Abodybomber said:
Like the quote,John.... Fiberglass work on old substrates,just is so unpredictable. (Same situation ,with mine...)...
Zoomies look good,in gold... Am curious,if you yourself will paint it,like your other car....
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just noticed u glassed over the escape hatch, think I`d put it back in there. what if you wanted out in a hurry? when I`ve had a wreck, the first thing is ---I WANT OUT !
You might not always have someone there to lift the front end for u. keepem coming , "posts that is"
 
Abodybomber said:
Like the quote,John.... Fiberglass work on old substrates,just is so unpredictable. (Same situation ,with mine...)...
Click to expand...
Abodybomber said:
Zoomies look good,in gold... Am curious,if you yourself will paint it,like your other car....
Click to expand...


The resin finally hardened but it took 1 &1/2 days. I had 2 one gallon cans. I think it was the older can that gave me trouble.

In keeping with the nostalgic look, I went online and searched for pictures of early funnycars. Most I saw had black headers and silver seemed like the next most common color. - But I did see a few painted gold. I like the bright look of the gold too.

As far as body paint, if I do paint it myself (and I'm almost certain I will) I won't do a quickie job like I did on the '72 Duster.
 
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famous bob said:
just noticed u glassed over the escape hatch, think I`d put it back in there. what if you wanted out in a hurry? when I`ve had a wreck, the first thing is ---I WANT OUT !
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famous bob said:
You might not always have someone there to lift the front end for u. keepem coming , "posts that is"
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The roof was so badly mangled that it no longer was close to having the correct contour. I used a combination of clamps, jacks, and braces to hold it in place when I started laying fiberglass. It had really sunk in around the roof opening.

The escape hatch that was there wasn't hinged. All they had was a Lexan panel that was held in place with some snap buttons. Whether or not I wanted to keep the roof filled I had to fill it to regain the shape. I've been debating the question of putting a hatch back in. The original cars didn't have them. I thought about the need to exit in case of fire but the car will be pretty mild compared with the nitro burners and I won't be pushing it to it's limits. Once the roof is back in shape I'll probably make one anyway.
 
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Sunday morning I got up and scuffed the primer down on the funny. It may not have been perfect with the patches of new fiberglass but 90% of the body now had a smooth even finish. I knew that the car didn't have a prayer of bringing home a trophy because they didn't have a class for unfinished projects but I took it anyway.

It started sprinkling as I left town and the highway was wet for the first 5 miles. After that it remained rain free. I love car shows and I hate them. Pulling up with a Mopar I tend to feel like Custer at Little Bighorn. The odds of coming away victorious are probably even smaller. Them Chebby boys totally dominated this one. Of the 100 vehicles that showed up only 3 were Chrysler products. I'd guess there might have been a dozen Fords (many powered by GM).

The number of cars actually built by the owners seems to dwindle each year. Whoever is willing to cut the biggest check having someone else do the work tends to walk away with the awards. After looking over each of the cars for trick modifications I'd ask the owners about what all they did to accomplish them. Almost all were done by custom or restoration shops.

Despite being one of the outcast Mopars, the funnycar garnered a fair share of attention. Most of it came from the 'old school' crowd that had never seen one up close or who were into building their own cars. The owners of the 'store bought' show vehicles never came within 100' of it. To each his own I guess.

I shrugged off the indifference of the elitists and had a good time. The 'old school' crowd made it all worthwhile. We exchanged stories about back in the day - all the hell we raised, the troubles we got ourselves into, and the cars we'd built. I had a blast shooting the breeze with them guys.

The proceeds from the car show went to support Veterans which I was glad to contribute to. Maybe next year I'll bring the funny back and be able to fire it up. Even if it doesn't bring home the bacon at the awards presentation it'll be worth it just to make the teeth of them Chebby boys rattle.
 
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