Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

-
Well I made it to Des Moines. I hope it's not a bad omen but I saw 4 patrol cars pulling people over within the first 8 miles into Iowa.

img_0836-jpg.jpg


img_0837-jpg.jpg


img_0838-jpg.jpg


img_0839-jpg.jpg


img_0840-jpg.jpg




I unloaded the car after I got here and drove around a bit. I had some errands I needed to accomplish. One of my amber lights went out on the christmas tree so I ran to Home Depot to buy another. Then I went to Target to pick up some cleaning supplies. I haven't had a chance yet to go to the fairgrounds but I have noticed a bunch of pre-WWII vehicles driving around town.

That rear end noise is still present. My guess is that one of the brake pads is cocking between the disc and caliper. - The noise still goes away when the brakes are half applied. I cannot get the sound to replicate when I have it running on stands though, so I'm not sure.


View attachment IMG_0836.jpg

View attachment IMG_0837.jpg

View attachment IMG_0838.jpg

View attachment IMG_0839.jpg

View attachment IMG_0840.jpg
 
Last edited:
Before leaving for Des Moines I finished sanding the pickup cab. My painter buddy stopped over and told me the box is in primer and ready for paint. We pulled the hood off the truck so he could take it with him. He wanted an example to use for comparison with the new paint and the underside of the hood seemed like the best sample I could give him. AfterI get back home I will have to work on swapping out the bent fender and straightening the inner. I still need to install the carb, battery, and fuel pump. With any luck I'll be able to drive it onto the trailer instead of having to use a come-along.
 
What a day. I towed the Barracuda to the fairgrounds with my son leading the way with his Roadrunner. He had to work overnight so we got a late start. That was fine with me because I was pretty pooped from the day before.

Maybe I'm too small town to appreciate shows as large as this one. It seemed disorganized to me. When we got into the show area we were in a long line of cars moving (stop & go) at about 2 miles per hour. There was a route that snaked through the fairground with no discernible pattern showing where to park. After almost an hour of playing follow the leader we found ourselves back at the entrance we had started at.

Neither one of our cars seemed to be enjoying the heat. So when we finally spotted a corner area that was concrete we thought we'd try to shoehorn our cars there. It took us about 10 minutes to unload our stuff and assemble the christmas tree. As soon as we finished we were told we couldn't park there. 10 minutes later we were packed up again. That's when the Roadrunner decided it didn't want to start. He probably shouldn't have messed with it but my son thought he could do a quick reprogram of the EFI controller to get it to start. We most likely would have been better off waiting for it to cool down instead. After fighting with timing adjustments for 45 minutes we gave up and decided to check out some of the other cars there.

The number of cars here was impressive. Most of the owners abandon their vehicles while they check out the other rides, so we didn't have much of a chance to chat with anyone. After we'd walked around for a half hour or so we returned to our cars. The Roadrunner fired off and we found another route to check out. - This one had parking openings.

Once again we unloaded and set things up. With that done we did a second trek through the sea of cars. All day long there was a slow procession of cars driving around. I'm sure it's fine for the milder builds but we saw a few of the more radical pissing coolant onto the pavement. A sustained 2 MPH is awfully slow when you want to get some air through that radiator.

Well tomorrow is another day and at least now we have a better feel for how things are laid out. I may take a pillow along so I can take a nap.

img_0919-jpg.jpg


img_0920-jpg.jpg


img_0921-jpg.jpg

img_0922-jpg.jpg

img_0842-jpg.jpg


img_0843-jpg.jpg


img_0844-jpg.jpg


img_0845-jpg.jpg


img_0846-jpg.jpg


img_0847-jpg.jpg



View attachment IMG_0919.jpg

View attachment IMG_0920.jpg

View attachment IMG_0921.jpg

View attachment IMG_0922.jpg

View attachment IMG_0842.jpg

View attachment IMG_0843.jpg

View attachment IMG_0844.jpg

View attachment IMG_0845.jpg

View attachment IMG_0846.jpg

View attachment IMG_0847.jpg
 
Last edited:
- Just a note for anyone considering buying a relay kit from Crackedback. It really does make a big difference having the electric fan and headlights wired this way. No more charging fluctuations. I'm glad I decided to get a kit from him. It's actually one of the most sensible upgrades I spent $$ on. You will notice the difference and your car's electrical will be much happier.
 
It rained until around noon. - Even though the sky never really cleared at least the rain had stopped. Once again I followed my son to the fairgrounds. The weather had left the trailer area pretty muddy so I unloaded on one of the access roads.

I was surprised to see so many different cars on this second day. I never heard what the total number of entrants there were but it was a bunch. After we set things up again we went walking through the show. I grabbed a bacon wrapped rib (on a stick) that the vendors were serving. - Anything that sounds that unhealthy had to be pretty tasty. It lived up to it's name.

Things were going pretty good. Most of the folks we met were eager to talk cars. When we decided to go watch the autocross things didn't go as well. There was about a half dozen people wearing DICK'S HOT ROD SHOP (of Minnesota) that were real jerks. Amongst the people they decided to single out to harass were my 2 sons. Although we had done nothing to provoke them they said that we had to go elsewhere to watch the racing. The douche bags were claiming that area as theirs and they weren't about to share. They tried pushing the boys around a bit and continued to try intimidating us while we were there. I made the comment to my son that it's a shame to have gone through a couple of tours of Iraq and then to come home and be treated like this. The creeps (and their girlfriends) thought that comment deserved mocking. Throughout it my sons kept their cool and tried to ignore them.

It put a damper on things and we decided to leave. - Hard to enjoy yourself after putting up with stuff like that. I tried to file a complaint with a couple different GOOD GUYS representatives and was blown off. I told them we weren't coming back. I had still wanted to check out the swap meet and had intended on buying a rear bumper for the 'Lil Red that one of the vendors was selling but said to hell with it and left.

I did run into one FABO member on the way out. - Nice guy with a red '69 Barracuda convertible. Turned out he was a fellow Nebraskan. I wish I'd gotten his name. He asked me if I was going to a car show in St. Paul, Nebraska next weekend. They're doing street drags there I guess. It'd be a blast to have both the Duster and the Barracuda there.


Before we left the show my sons and I were able to get a lot of good pics and videos. I'll post them when I get a chance.
 
Man, that's a damn shame to be treated like that! Sorry to hear. Dicks is only about 20-30 minutes from where I live. Never heard of them before, though. They sound like they live up to their name!
 
Man, that's a damn shame to be treated like that! Sorry to hear. Dicks is only about 20-30 minutes from where I live. Never heard of them before, though. They sound like they live up to their name!

I assume that they were with that shop. - Not only were they wearing the DHRS shirts but their vehicles had it painted prominently on the sides. I didn't blame the GOOD GUYS officials for the actions of those guys but I was upset with them for blowing off the complaint. It wasn't as though just a few words were exchanged between 2 parties having an argument. This went on for over 10 minutes while I was there and I don't know how many others got the same treatment.
 
Last edited:
Where did you order the front fender for your truck from?
I have a 78 and the fenders are not rusted but banged up slightly.
 
Where did you order the front fender for your truck from?
I have a 78 and the fenders are not rusted but banged up slightly.


I haven't had a chance to test fit that fender yet. I bought it off eBay.

New Fender Front Driver Left Side Primered Ram Truck Van LH Hand Dodge CH1240112


$176.61 plus free shipping.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/350878885456?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I should have it on within a few days if the weather behaves.
 
Last edited:

Day 3 of the GOOD GUYS show in Des Moines.

After the experiences of day 2 we did not go back. Instead we stayed up late Saturday night doing a marathon viewing of FARGO.

I left for Nebraska in the early afternoon. I don't get a chance to see my boys that often so I wasn't in a big rush to leave. - But it was a good feeling to be headed home.

I really don't like offending people but my sarcastic sense of humor is insisting that I comment on the way Iowans drive. I'm not sure but there may be an IQ limit you have to stay below in order to get a license.

I told one of the locals that Iowa roads would be safer if it wasn't for all the Iowans. He looked at me funny so I told him not to take it personally, I say the same thing back in Nebraska. He said "So the people in Nebraska drive just as bad, huh?" And I replied, "No. Nebraska roads would be safer without Iowa drivers too." - Just kidding.. Actually most of the drivers in Iowa were pretty decent.

On the way back home I saw some pretty serious accidents on I-80. One semi truck off the road on the eastbound lanes and one big Greyhound style bus in the same shape. At the point half way home I stopped at a gas station to take a break and stretch my legs. I wasn't tired but the Ford truck has no radio and my GPS only talks to me if I need to turn.

I continued West after checking the trailer straps and tires. Iowa must have their law enforcement doubled up over the holiday weekend. I haven't seen this many cops since the last time I fired up my Duster.

img_1116-jpg.jpg


I got to within 25 miles of the Iowa/Nebraska border when the truck began to shake violently. I was doing about 65 at the time with both hands on the wheel. Even so it was hard to keep from swerving back and forth across the traffic lanes. After about 10 seconds of fighting the wheel as I eased off the gas the shaking stopped. I was trying to maneuver over to the right hand shoulder to see what was wrong, but cars kept zipping around me as I slowed. The trailer was whipping slightly and I had cars passing me on the right shoulder as I tried to move over. (this is why I had to make comments about Iowa drivers earlier)

As I pulled to a stop I saw a red SUV pulling in behind me. I assumed he was stopping to give me assistance. The truck and trailer tires looked good on the driver's side but as I walked around the front of the truck I could see that the right front truck tire had come apart. As the folks behind me exited their vehicle they asked if I was alright. And then they said that the only damage seemed to be on the car. I looked at the Barracuda, cringing of the prospect of needing to replace fiberglass panels. That's when they pointed at their vehicle. Apparently the tire remnant skidded across their hood. - Probably scared the SH&%t out of them too. They were nice about it all and we exchanged insurance info as I apologized. They offered to help me get the truck roadworthy but I was sure I was well enough prepared to change the tire. The folks from the SUV told me that I just missed a really bad accident (most likely when I pulled over to take that break) Apparently some woman had rear ended a semi truck and they could see her arm dangling out of the drivers door window as they went by. Emergency vehicles were just then arriving.

img_1106-jpg.jpg

img_1107-jpg.jpg

img_1108-jpg.jpg

img_1110-jpg.jpg

img_1111-jpg.jpg

img_1112-jpg.jpg

img_1113-jpg.jpg

img_1114-jpg.jpg

img_1115-jpg.jpg


No Nebraskan that's ever driven through Omaha would ever seriously criticize Iowa drivers. (Great! Now I've managed to offend the folks from Omaha too!)

The rest of the trip home was without incident. I hope you all had a safe holiday weekend.


View attachment IMG_1106.jpg

View attachment IMG_1107.jpg

View attachment IMG_1108.jpg

View attachment IMG_1110.jpg

View attachment IMG_1111.jpg

View attachment IMG_1112.jpg

View attachment IMG_1113.jpg

View attachment IMG_1114.jpg

View attachment IMG_1115.jpg

View attachment IMG_1116.jpg
 
Last edited:
sorry to learn of your time at good guys,,,from your videos,,thats a very small good guys event,,,still no matter what should not have to pput up with that crap,,,im sure good guys main event people would want to hear of your experience,,,as you can see there looks to be more muscle cars then rod and customs,,,,good guys as well as nsra entries are down in numbers,,, i belong to both,,, i would e mail them,,,tell them what happened,,, and that you were brushed off by good guys officials,,,and remind them the internet is a powerfull tool,,,
 
sorry to learn of your time at good guys,,,from your videos,,thats a very small good guys event,,,still no matter what should not have to pput up with that crap,,,im sure good guys main event people would want to hear of your experience,,,as you can see there looks to be more muscle cars then rod and customs,,,,good guys as well as nsra entries are down in numbers,,, i belong to both,,, i would e mail them,,,tell them what happened,,, and that you were brushed off by good guys officials,,,and remind them the internet is a powerfull tool,,,

The videos only show a very small portion of the vehicles that were there. On the first day when we registered we were somewhere around 3500th to do so. The second day I would say that I didn't recognize 50% of the cars we saw, so I'm pretty sure there was a large number of added entrants.

I know I shouldn't hold hard feelings towards the GOOD GUYS association but what happened really put us off from being able to enjoy the show. I only gave sketchy details about the incident because it's difficult to describe the situation without pictures.

It's a shame because we had been looking forward to attending the show for months and we really struggled to get the cars roadworthy in time.
 
Last edited:
Before returning home I had stopped off at Home Depot to pick up some replacement bulbs for the christmas tree. It had fallen over when we were setting it up and 2 of them would no longer light. While I was there I saw they were having a sale on tool boxes. 40" 10 drawer for $288 with ball bearing drawers. Hopefully it will help me organize the garage a little better.

img_1118-jpg.jpg

img_1119-jpg.jpg


Today the delivery guy dropped off a new receiver hitch for the 'Lil Red.

img_1123-jpg.jpg


View attachment IMG_1118.jpg

View attachment IMG_1119.jpg

View attachment IMG_1123.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm continuing with the 'Lil Red in hopes that I can use it as my tow vehicle later this year. Well the receiver hitch lined up great but I did need to drill a couple of extra holes. I'm not sure yet but I think it may interfere with the factory spare holder.

img_1128-jpg.jpg

img_1129-jpg.jpg


The cowl vent panel had to come off in order to expose one of the hidden fender bolts.

img_1127-jpg.jpg


I'm wondering if I shouldn't have torn the entire truck apart. There was a lot of debris behind this fender. I still need to straighten the inner fenderwell and do some major clean up work.

img_1125-jpg.jpg

img_1124-jpg.jpg

img_1126-jpg.jpg


View attachment IMG_1128.jpg

View attachment IMG_1129.jpg

View attachment IMG_1127.jpg

View attachment IMG_1125.jpg

View attachment IMG_1124.jpg

View attachment IMG_1126.jpg
 
Last edited:
Where did you order the front fender for your truck from?
I have a 78 and the fenders are not rusted but banged up slightly.


I fit the fender today and it's pretty decent. It fit so well that I decided to replace the right hand side too. I had hit a deer with the truck years ago and there was some bondo in it too. I still haven't bolted it in place because I want to clean up the inner wheel well some more first but I will to make sure everything bolts OK. Then I'll have to re-pull it so we can edge the fender.

The second fender was even cheaper than the first. Only $140.70 shipped from the same supplier. You couldn't pay to have yours straightened for less than that.

img_1130-jpg.jpg


img_1131-jpg.jpg


img_1132-jpg.jpg


View attachment IMG_1130.jpg

View attachment IMG_1131.jpg

View attachment IMG_1132.jpg
 
Last edited:
Other than sanding down the cowl, radiator support, and inner wheel well I didn't get much else accomplished today. Too many other personal errands that took me away from the projects. I did talk with my painter buddy and the box is already finished and painted red. I've really got to kick things up a notch to get the rest of the truck to him asap.
 
Back in the 70s I sometimes ran header mufflers on the 383 in my Roadrunner. I know it was not a quiet running car but I don't think it was nearly as loud as this 408 with the Purple Hornies. I tried researching online for who made a quieter header muffler (flanged bolt on design) but couldn't find any definitive answer. I don't want to silence the car but I don't want the decibel level this high either. I know that others have already suggested I run the exhaust all the way to the rear but I've started to think that this header muffler look befits the drag car style I was shooting for better. So now I need to figure out a quieter replacement or a modification to cut the noise in half. Anybody got suggestions or recommendations?

I just checked out the thread that was talking about Thrush Turbo mufflers. Unless someone has a better suggestion I may give those a try but I'm not sure if they sell a header flanged version. I guess I can always weld some up.
 
I had always thought of getting purple hornies....and also herd how loud they were...I know it might not be the look your after but I was thinking I would hook straight pipes on the headers and buy two collectors put them on backwards then bolt the hornies up to the pipes moving them back to the rear axle....or would they still be to loud?
 
I had always thought of getting purple hornies....and also herd how loud they were...I know it might not be the look your after but I was thinking I would hook straight pipes on the headers and buy two collectors put them on backwards then bolt the hornies up to the pipes moving them back to the rear axle....or would they still be to loud?

Thanks, bkd. My problems are twofold. The first is that it's too loud inside of the car to be able to enjoy the radio, conversations, etc... The second problem is that the sound level is loud enough outside the car that local law enforcement is unlikely to leave me alone. If I were to move the mufflers back farther it might quiet the cab noise level but I don't think it'll be enough (if any) difference outside to satisfy Joe Law.

I'd like to figure out some way to modify these Hornies to quiet them down. The screen I'd stuffed inside blew out right away. Maybe there's some type of baffle I could weld into the inlet side?
 
Last edited:
RAIN! Rain again today. We had a break from it yesterday and I wish I could have gotten more done then but I had to focus on other things around the household. Most of the work I'm doing on the cars is still out in the driveway, so the rain is really cramping my style. There are a few car shows scheduled for this coming weekend that I'd like to go to but there's rain in the forecast. I guess my best course is to concentrate on cleaning the garage some more so I can get the truck inside. It hailed on the Barracuda Wednesday while I was away but it wasn't large enough to do any damage. I'll have to get in the habit of (at least) parking it under the trees whenever there's rain forecast. I'll have to check into the local building codes regarding carports.
 
-
Back
Top Bottom