'65 Barracuda Project

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bluenotefan

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Well, this is going to be a slow, work as I can afford resto, but I figured I'd start a project thread to help keep me honest. :grin: I'm thinking about not painting it yellow.

Here's the 411: VIN Decodes as a 1965 Valiant Barracuda from the Taxi price class, manufactured in St. Louis, MO. Motor is the 273 V8, backed by a console shifted auto tranny...haven't done much research on the car yet so I'm not sure what transmission was common for the 273. Info on that would be appreciated

I didn't originally anticipate going with an A-body as a project vehicle, but I saw this car, drove it around a bit and fell in love. Just picked it up today, and got home with it a few hours ago. :supz:

The important part:

AK016.jpg


AK009.jpg
 
Nice looking 65 to start a resto on. You'll find a lot of help and parts on this site. The transmission should be an A904.
 
Welcome to FABO! Looks like you've got a real nice car to do a resto on. You'll be amazed at the wealth of knowledge here on FABO. Can't wait to see all the progress you will make. What are your plans for the car? Good luck! Jim
 
Looks like a solid car. Welcome. I have a 65 Barracuda also that I plan on restoring soon.
 
66FormulaS273 said:
Nice looking 65 to start a resto on. You'll find a lot of help and parts on this site. The transmission should be an A904.
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Thanks FormulaS. So far I've been surprised how little rust there is on the car. I keep expecting to uncover some terrible rusted out spot, but so far so good. Thanks for the tip on the transmission!

66CudaJim said:
Welcome to FABO! Looks like you've got a real nice car to do a resto on. You'll be amazed at the wealth of knowledge here on FABO. Can't wait to see all the progress you will make. What are your plans for the car? Good luck! Jim
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Thanks Jim! My immediate plans are to get it going well enough to pass inspection, so I can enjoy it some this summer. Long term, I'd like to either install a 340, or if possible, a 5.7 Hemi. Aside from those changes, I just want to restore it to it's muscle car glory.

Badart said:
Looks like a solid car. Welcome. I have a 65 Barracuda also that I plan on restoring soon.
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Awesome Badart! We'll have to compare notes as we go.
 
Another 65 in the saved files... good deal! The wife and I gave the go ahead to our 15 yr old son to drag home a 65 B'cuda this past July..... It was really more of a parts car than anything with the amount of rust in what was left of the 1/4s.... but we are saving it.
:cheers:
We'll be following your progress.
 
That is a clean body, should be an easy restore.
 
ragtopfury said:
Another 65 in the saved files... good deal! The wife and I gave the go ahead to our 15 yr old son to drag home a 65 B'cuda this past July..... It was really more of a parts car than anything with the amount of rust in what was left of the 1/4s.... but we are saving it.
:cheers:
We'll be following your progress.
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Awesome! Best of luck on your son's B'cuda resto. I wish my parents had been supportive of my muscle-car aspirations when I was that age.

sireland67 said:
That is a clean body, should be an easy restore.
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Yepper, it is pretty clean. Worst cancer on it so far is the very well hidden passenger side floor pan. Someone cleverly hid it with a thin coat of fiberglass. I just noticed it this evening when I was climbing around underneath it. Aside from that the other worst spot is the DS rear fender, near the trim, and a few holes in the trunk pan. Oh, and one rogue hole at the very front of the hood. I have no idea how it got there, as everything else on the hood is rock solid...so strange.
 
Looks like a fun project! I think that was the craziest looking body-style of all the Mopars! I'd hate to have to replace the back glass on one of those. lol
 
Hey,
I just picked up a 65 like yours. slant six, auto. Not nearly as nice. Can't locate source for floor pans, any help appreciated. Thanks alot!
 
Nice car!!

QUOTE "not sure what transmission was common for the 273. Info on that would be appreciated"

The transmission in your car will be a cable shifted 904 Torqueflite. They were cable shifted with pushbuttons through 1964 and cable shifted with the console lever in 1965. These torqueflites until 1966 had a rear pump so they could be push started. In 1966 they went to mechanical linkage and dropped the rear pump.
 
Very nice early A Barracuda saved :cheers: looking forward to this restoration
Congratulations :cheers: Looks like a solid car for sure :glasses7:
 
Is better than no progress right?? It's not much but I'm trying to take pleasure in the little things. Over the last three weeks I've worked on the 'Cuda a little here and there.

I won a small victory on the interior by picking up a phillips-head bolt that fit my glove box knob:

Cudapics008.jpg


And pulled the fuel tank. No photos, but the old tank is toast. Stupid rust.

Last weekend rebuilt the carb which was desperately needed as seen in these photos:

Cudapics009.jpg


Rust soup, and some more rust soup...

It's hard to make out but if you look in the bowls to the right of the photo, you can pick out the nasty, rusty gasoline sludge that was in this carb.

Cudapics011.jpg
 
PapstXX said:
Welcome to FABO!
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Thanks PapstXX! I read through your build thread and have to say, very nice job on your Barracuda. Love the battleship gray!

My B'Cuda represents a lot of firsts for me. First car I've owned with more than 6 cylinders. First car I've owned, that's older than I am. First car with a back glass big enough to use for building a green house! I love it though, and look forward to learning the tricks and secrets from you and everybody else here, on how to make it a great car! :bounce:

- Dan
 
Great looking car! I have been working on mine for 10 months and really do enjoy the 65.
They don't bring the money the newer ones do but they sure turn heads when you have it out. You will find ton's of info here, don't be afraid to ask. Keep us up on what your doing and if you need parts we will try to direct you on which way to go.
 
Hi there! What a great project you found. Those Cudas are nice street cars. Let me know if you need any help or assistance. Good luck with the project and keep those pictures coming.
 
Tadams said:
Great looking car! I have been working on mine for 10 months and really do enjoy the 65.
They don't bring the money the newer ones do but they sure turn heads when you have it out. You will find ton's of info here, don't be afraid to ask. Keep us up on what your doing and if you need parts we will try to direct you on which way to go.
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Thanks Tadams! The fact that they're not highly sought after is kind of what I like about the '65. Mine is the first early Barracuda I've ever seen in person. I like that it's not a dime-a-dozen ride, like Mustangs and Camaros.

65dartcharger said:
Hi there! What a great project you found. Those Cudas are nice street cars. Let me know if you need any help or assistance. Good luck with the project and keep those pictures coming.
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Thanks for the well-wishes and offer to help. I'm brand new to this so I guarantee I'll be picking everyone's brain around here. So glad I found this place. It makes the hobby that much more fun! :supz:
 
Welp, nothing earth-shattering to report as I'm pretty much in "acquire parts" mode right now. However, today I got some parts! :cheers:

Many thanks to Waggs, as he sold me some great parts. Picture turned out crappy for some reason, but they're really solid parts.

WaggsParts.jpg


In this mix of parts are two front-door handles, one with pad (in great shape) and one without; two rear window cranks, and a pair of door-lock knobs.

This was a great bunch of parts to receive because it inadvertently solved a mystery for me. From the start, I had thought the door handles in my car looked weird. After comparing the door handles Waggin' sent, I understood why. The ones that came with the car were out of some other car, and were too long to be mounted correctly. The previous owner mounted them the only way he could, on the wrong doors. So they were essentially backward with the passenger handle on the drivers door, and vice-versa, lol.

One part of the package really caught my eye. The door-lock knobs were taped shut...no big deal, but the tape had a note on it that I didn't quite get at first. Then I looked closer.

DoorLocksLOLOLOLOL.jpg


Frickin' Chebby/Furd parts, haha. Oh well. They thread on perfectly and look exactly like my OEM stuff, except they're made of metal instead of brittle, 47 year old plastic. :thumleft:

Big thanks to Waggin' for the parts!

Only other news I have, is that I located everything I need to do the front disc-brake conversion, and will be picking up the parts sometime this month. :D
 
Nice project. Myself and others here are eager to help any way we can.
 
RedFish said:
Nice project. Myself and others here are eager to help any way we can.
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Hmm. Well I worked on the car a bit last night, and finally got the throttle cable fine-tuned so there was no more lag between pressing the gas pedal, and actuating the butterflies on the carb...and then the throttle cable snapped :banghead:

So do you know a good source for throttle cables? :D I found a seller for them on ebay, but I'm hoping to find something cheaper than $100 + shipping.
 
Well, I think I've finally settled on a direction for my B'Cuda. Ever since I bought the car at the end of February, I've wrestled with what I want from it.

Here are my goals:

Big block that runs respectably and reliably on pump gas
Modern car handling, or close to it
A car that's just fun to drive on the street

I don't know what I should call this direction, because it feels kinda like a mix between Pro-Street and Pro-Touring.

Honestly, I think my plan is a hybrid of both. Here's what I'm planning. Thoughts/opinions are welcomed. Here goes...

383 Big Block (Schumaker mounts, go!)
TF727 (Trans tunnel, enhance!)
Alum. Radiator w/Electric fan(s) (Baby needs her cooling)
8 3/4" rear end (or Ford 8.8 if you guys think it'd handle a 385-425HP 383)
MP Spring Relocation Kit
Mini-tub
Black American Racing Torque Thrust 17x8 Wheels front/rear
B7 Jamaican Blue w/blacked-out trim (except for the Plymouth hood-latch assy.)
Charcoal gray as the primary interior color (haven't decided on the highlight colors)

Really, the only part that is pro-touring about this is the larger wheels that I want to run. I'd like the stance to be closer to pro-stock with the back of the car sitting a little higher than the front.

Thoughts?
 
It's not much of an update, but I figured I should at least touch this thread once during this calendar year.

As stated above, this is a slow, go-as-I-can-afford build. Two months ago I purchased my first big piece of the upgrade. It's an 8.8" 31-spline axle out of a '98 Ford Explorer. Disc brakes!

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Up next is the 383 I bought...well at least I thought it was a 383. Turns out that externally, 383's and 400 BB's are 100% identical. It wasn't until I got the engine out of the cramped storage it was in, and into my garage that I was able to see the casting numbers and realize that the "383" the PO sold me was actually a 400. Oh well, hoping I can do something with this:
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