64-65 Barracuda Pictures

[rapom65]

I'll throw mine into the ring - 65 Formula S. Motor and A/C were missing when I got her. Replaced 7 1/4 with an 8 1/4, sure grip & 3.55 gears, low gear set 999 w/ manual reverse valve body, '89 318 Police motor, front disk brakes out of a Duster, plus more mods than I can remember. Goal is to upgrade all mechanicals with bolt in Mopar parts keeping with the original design concept: example is factory design 2 into 1 exhaust except mine is 2.5" into mandrel bent 3" out the back with resonator & tip. Still have tons of work to do to her. Let me know if you need any info or help with anything you want to do to yours.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

I'll throw mine into the ring - 65 Formula S. Motor and A/C were missing when I got her. Replaced 7 1/4 with an 8 1/4, sure grip & 3.55 gears, low gear set 999 w/ manual reverse valve body, '89 318 Police motor, front disk brakes out of a Duster, plus more mods than I can remember. Goal is to upgrade all mechanicals with bolt in Mopar parts keeping with the original design concept: example is factory design 2 into 1 exhaust except mine is 2.5" into mandrel bent 3" out the back with resonator & tip. Still have tons of work to do to her. Let me know if you need any info or help with anything you want to do to yours.

Wow you have done a lot of work. What kind of wheels are on your car? I define will be asking a lot of questions. Right now I am trying to get all the bondo out and the interior back together.

 

[rapom65]

It has been a lot of work but well worth every minute and bloody knuckle. Wheels are $60 Pick-a-Part find off a 4 door diplomat. Made by Western Wheel back....? Same dimensions as a cop car rim 15x7 with 4.25" back spacing. Tires 225-60-15 front 245-60-15 rear. Used a Mopar offset shackle kit to move the springs in 3/4" each side and swapped and flipped the front spring mounts to lower the back about 1 1/4".

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

It has been a lot of work but well worth every minute and bloody knuckle. Wheels are $60 Pick-a-Part find off a 4 door diplomat. Made by Western Wheel back....? Same dimensions as a cop car rim 15x7 with 4.25" back spacing. Tires 225-60-15 front 245-60-15 rear. Used a Mopar offset shackle kit to move the springs in 3/4" each side and swapped and flipped the front spring mounts to lower the back about 1 1/4".

Thanks for the information. I have a lot of changes in mind for mine but mostly in the braking and wheels. I have a /6 in my car now but it might go away still undecided.

Here is a link to more pictures of my car if you would like to see more. I am trying to get it together again so I can see what is what. I got it in pieces.

http://s150.photobucket.com/albums/s102/old_tired_rebel/1965 Barracuda/

 

[rapom65]

Looks like you got some sheet metal work to do! I've taken just about every removeable part off my car and have rebuilt, reconditioned or refinished it so if ya need assistance with anything just ask. What are your plans for it?

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Looks like you got some sheet metal work to do! I've taken just about every removeable part off my car and have rebuilt, reconditioned or refinished it so if ya need assistance with anything just ask. What are your plans for it?

I would like to make a nice DD out of it. I got a lot of parts that have been taken off. Tomorrow I will be working on putting the dash back in except for the dash pad it's in bad shape. With a little luck I can get it started this weekend. I would like a V8 but with gas prices going up the /6 might keep it.

 

[rapom65]

Most guys would dump the six and hot rod the begeezes out of it. My suggestion would be keep the six and enjoy it as a driver. You'll end up replacing the entire drive train when a v8's power starts showing you a sucession of weak parts. You can always hop up the six when everything else is done and you "feel the need for speed".

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Most guys would dump the six and hot rod the begeezes out of it. My suggestion would be keep the six and enjoy it as a driver. You'll end up replacing the entire drive train when a v8's power starts showing you a sucession of weak parts. You can always hop up the six when everything else is done and you "feel the need for speed".

That is what I was thinking. I have found a 8.25 open rear with 3.23 gear that I want to go ahead and put in. I also wan to do a disc brake swap and power steering swap. at the same time and get rid of the manual steering box.

 

[rapom65]

Those would all be fantastic additions and would be needed preparations for a future v8 or... TURBO /6! Is that 8 1/4 out of an A body? If so it should bolt right in. If not you will have to move the spring pads in to A body specs. I think you would have to mod & rebalance the driveshaft but not sure as don't know that much about the /6 drivetrain.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Those would all be fantastic additions and would be needed preparations for a future v8 or... TURBO /6!

If I can learn how to do it i would like a nice street Turbo /6 car I already have the 904 since it is factory and someone was kind of enough to put a Super Six intake and Carb on before I got the car. So I guess I will be learning how to rebuild the carb.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

BTW do you have a part number for the shackles you put on? and a picture of the front spring mounts? Looks like I can do all that at one time.

 

[Oldschoolcuda]

Nice looking build rapom. This is great info. Love threads like this. Keep it coming & any info. or parts you need rebel send me a pm. Agree with keeping /6 & beefing up mechanicals first. Can always add power later.

Oldschoolcuda

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Nice looking build rapom. This is great info. Love threads like this. Keep it coming & any info. or parts you need rebel send me a pm. Agree with keeping /6 & beefing up mechanicals first. Can always add power later.

Oldschoolcuda

Thanks Oldschoolcuda. I sent you a pm.

 

[rapom65]

Make sure you get the spring plates and u bolts with that 8.25 rear as they're different than your stock 7.25. The offset front hanger brackets are Mopar PN P4120077 and shackles P4120075, you will also need a new set of spring pads as they will need to be moved inboard the same amount as the shackle offset (0.825"). Be aware that most aftermarket spring pads have a 1/2" hole for the locating pin and that is larger than stock. Find some that have smaller holes and save yourself the hassle of making bushings to take up the slop. The best way to remove the old spring pads (if you don't have a torch or plasma and then maybe you can reuse your originals) is to cut them down the middle with a cutoff wheel or recip saw and then pry the halves back and forth until the welds break. Do one side at a time and you can use the original spring pad to set your pinion angle for the new pad. I remember some kind of issue with the front brackets being set up for the larger 5/8" bolt of the super stock springs but that can be rectified with poly bushings (99% yours will be shot anyway) and 2 new bolts.

I don't know how to do links but if you go to moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/suspension there is a good article and pics that walk you through the install. Sorry I don't have any pics of the front hangers.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Make sure you get the spring plates and u bolts with that 8.25 rear as they're different than your stock 7.25. The offset front hanger brackets are Mopar PN P4120077 and shackles P4120075, you will also need a new set of spring pads as they will need to be moved inboard the same amount as the shackle offset (0.825"). Be aware that most aftermarket spring pads have a 1/2" hole for the locating pin and that is larger than stock. Find some that have smaller holes and save yourself the hassle of making bushings to take up the slop. The best way to remove the old spring pads (if you don't have a torch or plasma and then maybe you can reuse your originals) is to cut them down the middle with a cutoff wheel or recip saw and then pry the halves back and forth until the welds break. Do one side at a time and you can use the original spring pad to set your pinion angle for the new pad. I remember some kind of issue with the front brackets being set up for the larger 5/8" bolt of the super stock springs but that can be rectified with poly bushings (99% yours will be shot anyway) and 2 new bolts.

I don't know how to do links but if you go to moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/suspension there is a good article and pics that walk you through the install. Sorry I don't have any pics of the front hangers.

No problems on the pics. The info you have just given me will be a big help and I will look up the article you posted and save it with what you just posted. Thanks for all the help.

 

[rapom65]

Thanks Oldschool. I've started a writeup to do a build post on the car just been to lazy to finish it and get it posted. Maybe helping Oldreb here will get me motivated to finish it.

Just remembered another issue with the front hanger brackets. These are made for '67 & up cars and for some reason Mother M changed the placement of two of the four bolts ever so slightly so that the hangers won't slide into '66 and earlier cars. If I remember correctly the top two bolt holes in the body mounts have to be elongated a little to get the brackets to fit. Yeah its a pain but can be done with a carbide bit or round file and elbow grease. Hey its the price we pay being the "goofy" part of the A body crowd.

And I was wrong - the hangers aren't flipped side to side, they come with the spring bolt hole already 1" higher in the bracket. That was some stray bit of technogarbage floating around in my skull. See article. Yes, all this work is worth it to get some big meats in the tubs. Car takes on a whole different attitude with some "fatties".

 

[rapom65]

The longer I sit here the more I remember. Hoping your 8.25 is out of an A body as it will not only save you relocating the spring pads (unless your going to install the offset shackles then it doesn't matter) but you will find an A body 8.25 is about 1.5" narrower than the stock 7.25! This lets you use cop car rims or any other 15 x 7 4 1/4" BS rim (pretty common). That 8.25 is also large bolt pattern as will be a latter A body disk brake set up. Makes finding rims much easier.

Couple more pics of my baby. Spring to tire and tire to wheel well- inside and out, is perfect at 1" Might have squeezed a 255 in there on an 8" rim but didn't try.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Thanks Oldschool. I've started a writeup to do a build post on the car just been to lazy to finish it and get it posted. Maybe helping Oldreb here will get me motivated to finish it.

Just remembered another issue with the front hanger brackets. These are made for '67 & up cars and for some reason Mother M changed the placement of two of the four bolts ever so slightly so that the hangers won't slide into '66 and earlier cars. If I remember correctly the top two bolt holes in the body mounts have to be elongated a little to get the brackets to fit. Yeah its a pain but can be done with a carbide bit or round file and elbow grease. Hey its the price we pay being the "goofy" part of the A body crowd.

And I was wrong - the hangers aren't flipped side to side, they come with the spring bolt hole already 1" higher in the bracket. That was some stray bit of technogarbage floating around in my skull. See article. Yes, all this work is worth it to get some big meats in the tubs. Car takes on a whole different attitude with some "fatties".

I will look up this article, is it in the tech section?

The longer I sit here the more I remember. Hoping your 8.25 is out of an A body as it will not only save you relocating the spring pads (unless your going to install the offset shackles then it doesn't matter) but you will find an A body 8.25 is about 1.5" narrower than the stock 7.25! This lets you use cop car rims or any other 15 x 7 4 1/4" BS rim (pretty common). That 8.25 is also large bolt pattern as will be a latter A body disk brake set up. Makes finding rims much easier.

Couple more pics of my baby. Spring to tire and tire to wheel well- inside and out, is perfect at 1" Might have squeezed a 255 in there on an 8" rim but didn't try.

Yeah the 8.25 is out of a 73 Duster I know wide meats in the rear might slow it down but right now I am going to go for looks maybe a V8 later. Cop wheels are hard to find here. But I do have a set of Dodge truck or van wheels. Sorry for the bold letters my eyes have been bothering me badly today.

 

[lou3500]

Those are some fine lookin cudas lots of potential with the unfinished ones those that are done nice job.I too am in the process of gathering parts for my 66 shes a weekend driver for now.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Those are some fine lookin cudas lots of potential with the unfinished ones those that are done nice job.I too am in the process of gathering parts for my 66 shes a weekend driver for now.

I just looked at your gallery and really like it. There is a lot of great looking Barracuda's here.

 

[oldwirebender]

Ok, here's mine. Mine the closest one.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Ok, here's mine. Mone the closest one.

TWINS!!!! They both look great.

 

[oldwirebender]

One thing I want to add, thanks to daves66valiant, I have a letter "p" for my trunk deck.

 

[lou3500]

Thank's had a amiture resto. done by an old guy in colorado in 1996,i haven't touched the body or interior at all,just rebuilt the entire suspension and brakes, converted to SSBC stainless disks,timing chain replaced,formula S manifold, 500 cfm edelbrock,and ralley wheels.Soon going to lower rear 3 inches and adjust torsions in front to give it a rake but lower than now,new exhaust true duals instead of the single in dual out it has now,paint and body is in a holding pattern till i can afford it [my sons and i are diong the paint and body] till then i'm drivin her.

 

[Old Tired Rebel]

Thank's had a amiture resto. done by an old guy in colorado in 1996,i haven't touched the body or interior at all,just rebuilt the entire suspension and brakes, converted to SSBC stainless disks,timing chain replaced,formula S manifold, 500 cfm edelbrock,and ralley wheels.Soon going to lower rear 3 inches and adjust torsions in front to give it a rake but lower than now,new exhaust true duals instead of the single in dual out it has now,paint and body is in a holding pattern till i can afford it [my sons and i are diong the paint and body] till then i'm drivin her.

What color is yours? Mine is a med red poly but looks more like a rust brown with a red tint.