6.1 Hemi 69 Barracuda Fastback Father Son Project

[Hellcat Cuda]

Just saw your new home and property. Beautiful place and land nearby. Congratulations on your new home!

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

Is there anyone who could share their wisdom regarding my question about hood hinge tension? Post #500 in this thread. Thank you very much.

 

[75slant6]

So glad I found your thread again after being gone for so long! You’ve come such a long way and are doing very neat and clean work. I stopped (for now) reading after your hood strut install. Very clean and nice and yes, the correct way for installing the struts is piston downward, for the reasons you described. I’m going to be doing this mod shortly and have couple of questions if you don’t mind. When you grind or drill the swedged end of that pin to remove the old spring, is there any tension still in that spring that could cause it to jump out and injure my poor old body? Also, I’m going to run a fiberglass hood, so I’m thinking the 150 force lb. struts would be plenty? (Your hood is steel?). Thanks in advance for your great build thread and your willingness to help others…

If you take the two star/retainer washer things off and take the entire hinge assembly off, you can grind those spring retainers off without issue.

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

Yes, I’ve already got the hinge assemblies off the car. I should be able to grind out or drill out the swedged end of the post or pin (whatever it’s called that retains the spring in place). The concern I have is whether or not there is some spring tension there that, when I go to pry the spring from its post, the spring could come flying off with force and cause bodily harm to wherever it may hit me.
Am I making any sense here?

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

So glad I found your thread again after being gone for so long! You’ve come such a long way and are doing very neat and clean work. I stopped (for now) reading after your hood strut install. Very clean and nice and yes, the correct way for installing the struts is piston downward, for the reasons you described. I’m going to be doing this mod shortly and have couple of questions if you don’t mind. When you grind or drill the swedged end of that pin to remove the old spring, is there any tension still in that spring that could cause it to jump out and injure my poor old body? Also, I’m going to run a fiberglass hood, so I’m thinking the 150 force lb. struts would be plenty? (Your hood is steel?). Thanks in advance for your great build thread and your willingness to help others…

Thanks HC, it's all been learn as I go and I have been helped along by many others here and other forums too.

I'm pretty sure there are others with fiberglass hoods that could tell you what struts they are using.
150 seems like it may be a bit much IMO. I started with 150 and moved up from there.
As for drilling out the pin on the hinge, no danger. When they are off the car there is not nearly as much tension as when the hood is closed and those clock springs are at max tension. The spring stays wound and on the part that you remove. You don't remove the spring itself.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Yes, I’ve already got the hinge assemblies off the car. I should be able to grind out or drill out the swedged end of the post or pin (whatever it’s called that retains the spring in place). The concern I have is whether or not there is some spring tension there that, when I go to pry the spring from its post, the spring could come flying off with force and cause bodily harm to wherever it may hit me.
Am I making any sense here?

Drill baby drill!
The part with the spring on it gets tossed, recycled or donated to someone in need.
I suppose it could break but not likely. There isn't really any real load on them off the car.

 

[Hellcat Cuda]

Ahhhh, I see. I thought the arms were to stay in tact and both used with the strut. So it’s just the upper bracket of the assembly is used. WOW, that’s real simple! So the mounting location of your struts is working well? I can experiment with a few struts. The new gen Challengers have an aluminum hood. Their struts might work, or a different length of those struts. I’ll get that part figured out. Thanks so much for your input. Keep up the good work. Your car is beautiful and well worked out!

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Been in our new home for 6 months and finally getting close to starting our shop build. WooHoo!

Steel Structures America is local to us (Kind of Local) they manufacture and build Steel Post Frame building and all steel buildings in our area of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and Montana too I believe.

We chose to go with Post Frame/Pole Barn style. 40x60x16, with 12x60 open lean to on each long side.
All 26g steel for roof, walls and trim. House wrapped with Tyvek. 2 12x14 insulated overhead doors on the North Gable end. 2 man doors on the East facing long side. 5 4x3 windows, for some natural light. 2 foot overhangs with soffits all the way around. No gutters or downspouts, we don't get much rain here.
Floor will be 6" 4000 psi fiber reinforced concrete, #4 Rebar on 18" grid. Designing it to be heated with Radiant in floor heat. 2x6 Commercial Girts (Bookshelf style). Perma-column Concrete piers that keep the posts above ground. No wood posts in ground for us. Laminated 3 ply 6x8 posts. Engineered 4:12 pitch Roof Trusses, 40lb Snow Load, + 7lb Bottom Load. Having it built with White metal ceiling, will blow in R-60 worth of cellulose on top of the ceiling to help keep the heat in in the winter and help keep the heat out in summer. All of the roof metal will be manufactured with "Drip Stop", the main building will have MBI (Metal Building Insulation) blanket (not the lean tos) installed before the roof steel goes on. The 2x6 Girts, 24"OC open spaces will get filled with
R-19 to R-23 insulation and then covered with foam board to form a continuous thermal break from floor to ceiling and between the posts. Will be left with minimal thermal bridging through the posts. Should give an effective R-25 for the walls or there abouts. Attic will be vented with Gable vents with an automatic exhaust fan.
Adding a separate 200A 120/240 Service for the shop since our house panel can't support another 200A Panel.

Contract signed, Down Payment, Check, Materials ordered, Check, Building Permit process is moving along without any complications, Check.
Building Engineered Drawing set in hand. Quotes for Site prep, Trenching, Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, Concrete, Multiple Bids for all, are all in process, some complete.
Weighed/Still weighing doing some myself. Some will be DIY but more and more I've decided I would rather not! Save my energy for the cars and other projects. I could do much more of it but it would take more time than I am willing to sacrifice.
So I'll write checks instead. That's part of why we worked our asses off for all those years.

Came close to using a local builder but in the end SSA offered much more for close to the same or even less $$.
Steel Structures America currently has 35+ crews building for them exclusively.
The mild winter we have had here in the Northwest has allowed them to keep on schedule without weather delays.

Breaking ground in the Spring is only weeks away now!
Similar layout to this one they built in Idaho but without the front timber feature or eyebrows over the garage doors, but with a lean to on each side. Different colors too. ;-) Ultra Low Gloss Charcoal Gray Roof,
Textured Charcoal Gray Walls, Textured Black Wainscot, Black Trim, Black Garage Doors.

Once all the dust settles, I'll be ready to get back to work on the Project Barracuda.
It's packed away in the garage, patiently waiting.

The shop is going next to the retaining wall, the shed is about 4' from the wall.
The West Lean-To side of the shop will be parallel and next to the retaining wall.
The Front (North Gable end with the garage doors) will sit about where the wheels of the boat trailer are sitting now. The total footprint will be 64' wide x 60' long, overhangs not included.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

A couple links to Steel Structures America
Spokane WA and Post Falls ID
We visited and toured their manufacturing facilities in Post Falls
They manufacture all their own Roof, Siding and Trim in their facilities in Post Falls
They manufacture their own Perma-Columns too. Many styles, colors and Gauge thickness to choose from.
They offer other options to Steel Siding and Roofing if you want to go with something other than Steel.
Pretty much any way you can build a building, they will engineer, supply and build it.
They will sell you all the materials in a package if you want to DIY all of it yourself.
I priced it that way too but want to have it close to turn key, plus they build way faster than I ever could.


POLE BUILDINGS – GARAGES & SHOPS

Perma Column System - PermaColumn Precast

 

[85glht]

That's fantastic!! Good luck with your build!!

 

[DionR]

Perma Column System - PermaColumn Precast

View attachment 1716514690

My one regret with my shop (besides not having enough land to build a bigger one ) is doing a pole building with posts sunk into the ground. They are treated and encased in concrete, but I am sure that someday they will rot. I actually work for a metal building company out of Houston, but couldn't figure out a way to make one of those work due to costs and such. So I just gave up and took what I found at the time.

I had seen construction like that, but nothing that was in my area that I knew of. I am pretty sure SSA was in the area at the time, but they weren't on the radar and no idea if they were doing that style of construction 7 years ago when I bought my kit.

My point being, I very much like the way you are going. Should be a very nice building.

 

[75slant6]

Idk if you’ve addressed this already but what are you doing for PCM and harness and where are you mounting the pcm and fuse/relay box?

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Idk if you’ve addressed this already but what are you doing for PCM and harness and where are you mounting the pcm and fuse/relay box?

I have the Holley Terminator X for 2003-2006. Mounting Location is TBD
Fuse/relay box will be in the factory location, unless I am misunderstanding which fuse/relay box you are talking about.

 

[75slant6]

I have the Holley Terminator X for 2003-2006. Mounting Location is TBD
Fuse/relay box will be in the factory location, unless I am misunderstanding which fuse/relay box you are talking about.

The fuse/relay box I was referring to is the one that will run all the Hemi stuff. Fuel pump, fans, etc.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

The fuse/relay box I was referring to is the one that will run all the Hemi stuff. Fuel pump, fans, etc.

Ah, I have American Autowire Classic Update #510603 full harness for the car with updated fuse block and additional relays and outputs. I have not started the wiring yet. I'll add additional relays if needed.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

A little shop progress. Posts getting concrete.
After a 3 and a half day delay for post setting due to high winds gusting in the 20s...

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Making Progress on the Shop.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Thursday Night's storm was pretty gnarly.


After the storm.

After the cleanup.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Thursday Night's storm was pretty gnarly.


After the storm.
View attachment 1716549748After the cleanup.
View attachment 1716549749

Now with the roof on and one side with siding.
Posts are 12' OC