1968 Barracuda fb 318 4spd

[kbsouers]

.....I got this car back in 1985. I was 20,going to community college and working for my Dad. I was painting Duranautic alluminum boats for him.
He drove this car into the driveway one sat afternoon, said he had just deliverd some boats to NJ. and it was sitting at the boat dealrs house or shop. He tosed me the keys and said I thought you could use a new project. WOW! He never did anything like this before?.....I was verry excited.. I drove it all night that evening . the following day I pulled the valve covers, Doho... packed full of sludge!
I mean... FULL Packed tight..oh my! Ok needless to say I did a full engine rebuild. I had alot of fun with this car for about 3 years till the front suspention got so loose I couldnt steer it safely.
I parked the car and moved on to other things. It sat from 1988 to 2000. I brought the car inside in 2000 and compleatly dissasembled it. Bought floors wheel tubs and quaters plus some suspention parts. and by 2001 it went back outside .(now compleatly exposed to the weather)Sheetmetal fitted nothing welded. By 2002 I decided to save the car. I built a large carport off my garage to help protect the car . This is ware my progress realy starts. Ive wanted to post this build for 3 months now but keep getting sidetracked reading everyone elses builds. LOL:razz: The car is on a rotissorie I built at the time. it is in a 10x20 tent in preporation for blasting.

 

[kbsouers]

I now have my new compressor, sandblasting will go much better now.
I used white DP Epoxy right after blasting .

 

[Rocky_JS]

nice, looks like a recovery - just in time. cleaned up better than it looked like it would!

 

[chryslerfat]

Nice build. Glad you never gave up. Most times cars like this end up junked after they get stripped and sit.

 

[Tony Fields]

Lookin' good!

 

[kbsouers]

The car is now completely Blasted and in Epoxy prime. I had Just closed down my Bodyshop of 13 years , I built the carport so I could do some side work. It made it easy to blast. Once it was in Epoxy it could sit untill I could do some real work to her. She will now sit untill 2010.
shortly after sandblasting my car my Dad age79 wanted to build a workshop nextto his house, so I spent 2005-2009 Building the shop and helping him take care of my Mom who has advanced Alzhimers.
With the shop done and my Dad now age 85 able to use it year round for his wood turning, I was there every day helping with things. So in 2010 I instaled a lift moved my tools and car over to his shop. Oh my I was in heaven , a heated shop with a lift.... I think he liked his new shop..... but I think he just like to wach me work on cars.
All the pics after this post are taken in the new shop. I started on floorpans and then rear rails and trunk floor.

 

[kbsouers]

I had to buy new floor pans as the new ones I bought 12 years ago have rusted out and they wernt even welded in.:banghead: Oh well.. Man right after I bought the 2nd set of floors they started making full floors.:violent1:Now it is on to the rear rails. If I get to long winded with the history and or stories about this build forgive me. Ill try not to get off on too many tangents. :coffee2:
Thanks Kevin

 

[CUDACOX]

Looking good! Very nice work also! Keep us up to date..

 

[kbsouers]

This work on the rear rails was done january of 2011.
Once I cut out the spare tire well and exposed the rear rails I was not happy with the amount of scale inside them.
I fabricated LT and RT Full rockers from purchased patch panels, I dont seem to have any of that on the camera. I was
getting tired of all the metal work .....(Heavy Metal work) as I call it.

 

[kbsouers]

Getting the rear rails finnished up and the Trunk floor welded in was a big relife. after that.
I took some time to off to build a 69 camero for a friend that took 9 months.

I welded in a little extra metal under the trunk floor over top of the rear spring shakle mounting boxes. dont know if it will help or not?

 

[smlveightis]

Nice work!

 

[Cudainashed]

Neat build. My Barracuda build has stalled right now. I am getting ready to get it going again.

 

[CUDACOX]

Keep up the hard work!

 

[340sFastback]

Excellent metal work. What color is it going to be?

 

[mopardude318]

very, very nice!

 

[QuintinMotorCompany]

Cool! nice work! keep us up to date with those pics!!

 

[kbsouers]

Thanks everyone, I will put up mor pics tonight. I have to say this sight can motivate ya pritty good. Ive been puting about 20 hrs every weekend for the last 2 months. What color ??? Im undesided. The car was a metalic forest green with 2 stripes between the wheels. Iwill be sticksanding this car 3 to 4 times before painting .then blocksand clear,so I might go black on black. with 4 bucket seats . I am skim coating the quaters now and getting them ready for first prime.

These pics are from Dec 2012 and Jan 2013. Instaling rear body panel and welding on quater skins plus fabing up trunk extentions.

 

[kbsouers]

I got these front aprons for christmass.:blob: '
I decided to reinforce the upper controll arm mounts and shock mount , I cut up some 1/8 inch plate and wraped both muomts plus welded ware ever it made sence.

 

[kbsouers]

Now that 99% of my welding is done its time to get this ol girl back on her wheels. time for suspention !

Oh yea these are the controll arms and spingles I got on this sight from Steve Musslecarparts.for my disk convertion.

11:47 now good night all. :coffee2:

 

[Woods74]

Good job sir, I will be following this build! :blob:

 

[kt340sport]

Talk about building a new car . Very nice and neat job .Well done.

 

[kbsouers]

Thanks , Ive wanted for a long time to build this car back to new. With some reasonable mods.

 

[kbsouers]

Pritty straight foward here, seamseal and frame paint.

 

[kbsouers]

Finely , I get to work on suspension. I am just fitting parts as I blast and paint them both new and old parts. I am buying items as I need them . this way I dont spend money on things I cant use right now. :coffee2:

 

[kbsouers]

I coulnt wait to get her setting back on its susspention. It seams to take me for ever to get all my front end parts togeather. Ive enjoyed cleaning parts and painting them, kinda theraputic. I think I put the frontend togeather 4 times before I had it all figured out, being apart for solong.
I have the original 318. 30 over with a mild cam. I also have a set of 340 X heads. I will be useing a local machine shop who specilizes in mopar race engins
can anyone tell me from there experiance what it might take to get about 400 hp or more out of my engine.