66 cuda resto after 14 years of storage!

[Ericneu25]

Hey everyone here! I am new to FABO and love it! Ran across a member's resto page and it jump started my hunger to maybe have my Cuda meet the pavement again! SO here goes...i have had this baby since 1996, my freshman year of high school. i drove her til 1998 where since then she has sat. I went to college, she sat. I moved across country, she sat. I trailer'd her from NH to WI and she sat still. And finally, 14 years later i am deciding its time!

So here is a few Starter pics to show how she is sitting at my father-in-law's shop. Dug her out and now planning a route of attack. But i will definitely keep updating this as i love sharing as well as watching my own progress. Maybe she will one day be able to run the roads again!

Any advise, tips, thoughts, etc greatly appreciated to keep her swimming!

 

[72Plymouth]

Welcome and glad to hear! Thanks for sharing, definitely keep the updates coming!

 

[sireland67]

Looks solid, more pics please.
More info on drive train etc.
Welcome

 

[C130 Chief]

Nice car, don't paint it yellow. Looks like you have a fairly complete rust-free starting point, don't paint it yellow. What size engine is in there now? Don't paint it yellow. What was the original color? Don't paint it yellow.

 

[Ericneu25]

Don't worry it won't be yellow! That was back when i was all for changing everything (1998). I am going back to some form of red, most likely brighter than the stock color. As for the car, it sat stock with a 273 which she still has, only added a high rise manifold with four barrel. Automatic with console shift. I do have the floor shift assembly and would like to convert it. AS for the car, the front fenders are pretty rough (been patched in the past) but not sure if i will ever find a better set. Took them off the car today. The front floor pans are shot as well as the rear spare wheel well. The rear body work was done back in 02 by my brother while he was in auto school. At that time New rear quarters with new rear wheel wells each side then epoxy, still solid so he did great work!

I'll def post more pics, most likely every fri as this is when i will be free to work on it!

 

[Rocky65]

Hey, I have this weird voice in the back of my head, keeps saying "Don't paint it yellow"... LOL!! Dam that's funny! Nice ride Eric, I totaled my first 66, glad to see you held on to it! Good luck getting her back together...

 

[RedFish]

Orange is the safest color on the road. Yellow comes in second. This forum can be a great help answering your questions, but take the advise you asked for with a grain of salt. Otherwise you could end up with a fortune spent on a car you dont enjoy driving.
Build it as you like and paint it what ever color you like.
Happy moparing

 

[chryslerfat]

Nice to see another 66 being brought back. Mine is the sam color yellow under the hood and it came from New Jersey. Must have been a favorite color out there back in the day. My k-frame is painted green. lol

 

[PapstXX]

Welcome at FABO best place ever !!!!!!!!!

 

[canary runner]

glad to see another 66 coming back to life!!!!! mine IS YELLOW, not bright yellow but a
factory pastel canary yellow,273 auto. You will definately have a lot of fun & turn lots
of heads going down the street!!!!

 

[Denvermike]

Go easy on yellow. My first 66 Barracuda was yellow. I got it in the summer of 1968, just after I got out of the Navy. It was a 66 FS yellow, 4spd, black inside, full console, still had the factory Blue Streak tires, and get this it had a black vinyl. I repainted the car the summer of 1969, I hated too. Sure wish I had that one today.

 

[Rocky65]

No **** right? I realize this is NOT a Mopar, but before I went in the service I had a '68 Camaro convertible, 327 4 speed in that pastel yellow canary runner is talking about... Dam I had a LOT of fun in that car! Funny I hated that color then, but I LOVE it now, amazing how our tastes change as we get older...

 

[65 CUDA]

nice to see another fish on the forums. keep us informed on your build. oh by the way! DON"T PAINT IT YELLOW. unless it is a lemon twist yellow like some of the dusters, challengers, chargers, cudas, road runners had

 

[Darwin]

Welcome! Nice to see another '66 being saved. Give me a shout if you need a hand, we're practically neighbors.

 

[Ericneu25]

Sorry but not to much to report this week. Limited time cuz i was off to the milwaukee car show. But i did get the fenders off, and although they are really rough, finding new ones is near impossible. i will be sending these out tuesday to get acid dipped adn see what metal i have left to work with. I also pulled the hood, and to save what i got of the body before diving into the rest of the car, i stripped the hood, wired off the rust, did a bit of welding, and she is ready for epoxy and some filler work. Pretty clean overall though!

I am also going to need to floor pans for this baby. Any ideas on where to find replacements or am i better off making my own. thanks!

Will keep you posted next fri!

 

[383Duster]

Neat you kept it all these years and it looks like your father in law is maybe gonna be some help. AMD makes a lot of repo sheet metal but I don't know if they have anything for yours..... and I like yellow! Good luck and keep working, it will be worth it.

 

[66CudaJim]

I got my floor pans at Auto Body Specialties $120 each. Kinda expensive, but they fit real nice. Nice car you've got there, I'll be watching your progress closely as I'm doing a resto on my 66 cuda now also. Jim

 

[Ericneu25]

I got my floor pans at Auto Body Specialties $120 each. Kinda expensive, but they fit real nice. Nice car you've got there, I'll be watching your progress closely as I'm doing a resto on my 66 cuda now also. Jim

thanks jim, ill check into it!!! Love to see progress on your fish as well!

 

[66SBARRACUDA]

Glad to see it my 66 was in storage to it was my unks going thew it now its worst on them sitting than driving i live in FL and he lives in SLC Utah i drove it home and it was a great time i love it

 

[bkbond12]

Nice car, don't paint it yellow. Looks like you have a fairly complete rust-free starting point, don't paint it yellow. What size engine is in there now? Don't paint it yellow. What was the original color? Don't paint it yellow.

+1 lol!!

 

[2-66 Cudas]

Great to hear from someone else who has had one waiting for 15 years! My Green fish is a 273 2bbl. 4 speed with 76000 original miles. Interior is perfect except for the usual black carpet fade. The 273 was rebuilt 12 years ago and the tranny was also gone over. I have had a rust free driver side fender, door and deck lid from Arizona stored upstairs in my print shop for 14 years. I went to Chryslers at Carlisle 9 years ago looking for parts and came home with a freshly painted roller - shes Black. About ready to drop a mild built 318/904 in her for the Spring cruise season. I also picked up a REALLY solid 66 Signet out of Washington state last August. That one will be going in for fresh paint and an engine swap - I got a 44,000 mile slant out of a 66 post car in Ohio to put in and maybe build up the 186,00 mile one coming out. My wife has laid claim to that one - she thinks the Barracudas are ugly! My next project is pouring the 10 yards of concrete in my 26 x 40 garage so I can work on these babies at home instead of 7 miles away in my buddies garage. Good luck with your resto, and I don't think the soft yellow in 66 was that bad. I learned to drive in a 66 Soft Yellow Fury III 2 door - 383 auto.

 

[65dartcharger]

Great project. Keep the pictures coming.

 

[blackbomber]

I kept my high school car for 15 or so years (67 MGB), then sold it. Actually, I think it was scrapped. Made sense at the time, but I kind of wish I still had it.

Anyway, looks like a nice car in the making.

 

[65 rustyred]

Following your thread and cudajim's. I am stripping mine down. So far, floor pans, trunk pan are shot. Thanks for the excellent pictures and restoration tips.

 

[Ericneu25]

Sorry i missed last week guys....Awesome allergies with the weather. Thanks for the replies regarding floor pans. I think i will go the route of buying em instead of making my own. I snagged a few pics of my current floor pans. You can see where my father had previously patched the front driver's and passenger floors about 12 years ago. So that will get new ones. Also i will do both rears as well. The driver's side being the worst as the pics show.

In addition, i have an awful stress crack in the floor at the drivers seat mounting bolt holes by the tranny tunnel. Will need to do some fab work there, pic below.

Added a pic of the hood in epoxy, she needs a lot of tlc and mud work to finish but atleast sealed. Still waiting on the return of my fenders from the acid dippers to see if anything is left of em! lol

Also, if anyone needs, i am putting up for sale a rear window. I have two of em and i know they are rare. If anyone needs or knows of someone who needs it, may be able to work something out!

Thanks all will keep you posted. hopefully soon its not as much disassembly and i can start getting some former glory back!