1967 barracuda fastback resto or mod?

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poppys67toy

poppys67toy

slow learner
Joined
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pinole ca
hi you probably heard this question a hundred or more times from other members .i own a 1967 fastback 273 commando 904 white/ black interior manual steering, floor shift no air. am radio. it is in pretty good condition and seems very complete and relatively rust free.a little in the trunk and by the rear window. my question is do I mod it like 360 engine 727 trans and update suspension. or is the car collectible I have driven it is a fun car and handles pretty well . but I have been tempted to paint another color besides white I believe the mileage is original at 35k+ the car had a fender and front bumper replaced early in life and I believe it sat stored for many years. I have checked several things out since most the seals leaked I have replaced the trans pan seal it was very brittle but the inside of the pan was almost spotless very little material on bottom.oil pan some sludge nothing major .intake manifold I opted for fiber versus metal it was leaking I replaced instead of tightening.I am putting headers on it and dual exhausts but I know it needs shocks and I would like to upgrade the rear diff from the current 7-1/4.I know lots of info and questions I really think it is one of the coolest bodystyles I have always appreciated fastbacks growing up in the sixties.any info or suggestions would be appreciated and considered. thank sguys as a new member I love this site. here are more pics .i would appreciate help decoding the fender tag. and what should I do with the surface rust on the chassis wire wheel it and paint you can see the mouse nest in one of the pics. what would you coat it with? also anybody have an a-body 8-3/4.I was thinking about buying a 408 from jegs 375 horse 460 torque any suggestions on this power combo ? street wise. any other suggestions would be appreciated.larry

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i love the Barracudas. If it were mine, I'd leave it alone and build something else. But its your car, so do what feels right to you.
 
If it's a survivor and it sounds like it's in good shape probably be a good idea to do all the repairs needed and keep that way.273 is a good motor and you said it drives and handles well.Like arod says it's your car go with your gut feeling. Oh by the way i kinda like 67 fishies myself.8)
 
hey and welcome! I love 2nd gen cudas!!! i own a 68 fastback myself, although it is pretty beat up...id keep the 273 and 904....but also, upgrade to an 8 3/4 rear :)
 
Like they all say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Last week I met a guy that has a 66 barracuda,was a 273,3 speed now a 318 3 speed.I have a friend that has a 69 barracuda with a 5.7 hemi.I have 1 big block 68 and a 69 340 cuda,but I like all of them.It is yours,make it as beautiful or as radical as you want.Just dont put a bowtie on it!!!
 
I would restore it, they are rare like hens teeth around here and whats wrong with white?????????
 
I thank all of you for your input it is easy to keep seeing all the modded cars and be tempted I will be moving along the resto lines with just the headers and maybe an 8-3/4 rear diff . thanks for the suggestions .larry
 
believe me the last thing I will ever put on it would be a bowtie. just not a fan of bowties to each their own.
 
Much easier and less expensive to keep and fix it in stock form than to cut it up for go fast goodies, BUT go fast mods are cool.
 
cudaspaz said:
Much easier and less expensive to keep and fix it in stock form than to cut it up for go fast goodies, BUT go fast mods are cool.
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I am going to do a little more investigation I will also send some more pics of the chassis and fender tag as well as some of the things I have done so far. and sure I will be asking for more input. as far as a build sheet any suggestions ? where to look? thanks again for all the help. larry
 
They put buidsheets everywhere,check under the rear seat first then above the glove box.They even through them under carpet.Good luck with the search.:-D
 
The way I look at it is this - if you are going to spend the blood,sweat,tears, and $$$ on a restoration, make sure you'll be happy with the finished project. Are you going to regret going to every car show driving around in a stock-resto car that doesn;t necessarily look as cool as some of the other modded rides? Are you going to be unhappy with a smaller stock displacement motor with less power? What do YOU want to do?

I regard to originality, a car can always be put back the way it was if you retain the parts. Plus, although a nice car, the original 273 combo will never be worth the prices of the real 340 or BB cars.

If it were me, I'd set the original block and tranny aside and build a 340 or 360. At the end of the day I wouldn't be dissapointed that some Civic or Mustang blew my doors off because I'd have power to go with the image of muscle. But that's what's important to me - to be able to back up the image of vintage muscle. I'm just not a big fan of small displacement, small power, "muscle" cars.

PS - I'm sure someone will say it - you can also spend a bit more on the engine and mod the 273 to make decent power.

PPS - in regard to the paint - paint it the color you want. It will make ZERO difference in value if you change the color from white. it can alwyas be re-painted, and white isn't a special, desirable color for collectors.
 
Danmc77 summed it up well. Although the car is one of the survivors it will never be as collectable as a P or H code car. You can do a lot of modifications that can be easily reversed in the future if you should change your mind as to which direction you choose to go with the car. I think if you were to just restore the car you wouldn`t be happy with it, so go for what you want and simply save your original parts.
 
Yup I agree with Danmc77 you have to build what YOU want and will be happy with. More often than not the money and time we put into these cars is not recoverable even if it's numbers matching. I don't value my car on how much I can get for it if I sell it but rather how much pleasure it gives me to look at it ,drive it, show it....
 
MoparLvr said:
Yup I agree with Danmc77 you have to build what YOU want and will be happy with. More often than not the money and time we put into these cars is not recoverable even if it's numbers matching. I don't value my car on how much I can get for it if I sell it but rather how much pleasure it gives me to look at it ,drive it, show it....
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I dont value my car for its monetary value either it is truly about the joy of driving it.but I do not want to damage a vehicle that is historical so the advice that you and others have given about saving original parts is good . thanks again larry p.s. check p.s. please check out the new pics I posted .
 
Although rare, '67 fastbacks are certainly not exceptionly valueable. If you want to restore it 100%, go ahead. If you want to modernize it, go ahead. If you want to leave it alone and repair/replace, go ahead. I have been in the Mopar hobby/parts business since 1984 and in my experience you will NOT lose value if you restify your car. If it was a matching numbers B/B or a Super Stock or some other historically significant piece, then, that's a different story. DO YOUR THING to the best of your ability. Take PRIDE in yourself, your car and Mopars. GO FOR IT
 
Sounds a lot like my car: 273 Commando, 904, column shift, manual steering, manual disks, bench seat. Not really a collectible package like a Formula S would be, though if restored to stock condition it would always have some value. My approach has been to improve its driving qualities (for me, that's handling and brakes) without messing with the appearance. So, while I have changed some things, they aren't readily apparent, and it looks like a survivor.

Mods include: uprated torsion bars, front and rear sway bars, slotted crossdrilled rotors, 8.75 SureGrip 3.23 rear, Rallye wheels (soon to be replaced with vintage SBP TorqueThrusts), dual exhaust with factory-style tips and valance cut-outs.
 
Hey folks I actually have this car now. Bought it from Larry a couple years ago. He's a great guy, just didn't have the time for it and these fastbacks have always been my dream car as far as realistic affordable cars go.

I'm in the process of fixing it up somewhat original. I'm using all Mopar parts but not necessarily concerned with keeping everything exactly 1967. I have a rebuilt 340 and I'm currently painting and swapping all the accessories from the 273 onto it at the moment. I also have an 8 3/4 3.23 sure grip rear end and BBP disc brakes that are ready to go in. The seats and console have all been cleaned up and restored. Just needs paint, wheels, headliner and the trunk pan replaced and she'll be ready to go. I plan on driving the hell out of the car so I'm not going to worry about painting or detailing the undercarriage. I'm just going to get the exterior and interior looking good and then hop in it and raise some hell.

I'll start a restoration thread when I actually get pictures and information up that are worth sharing.
 
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