Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

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The 727 that I'd picked up in Texas had a relatively rough cast housing. Before I install it I'm going to overhaul it first. - And before I tear into it I've decided to polish the case.

I used a flapper disc on a 4" electric hand grinder to smooth down the casting. Once I'd gotten all of the easy to get to areas, I used a dual action sander to further smooth the surface. From there I used a buffing wheel with the white compound to start bringing out some shine to the surface. This will not be a professional show finish when I'm done, but it should have a fairly clean appearance.

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THEWHITEZOMBIE said:
I see you plan on eating off it just like i did mine hahaha
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I don't know if anything sucks more than buffing aluminum. Did You polish yours yourself? How good did you get it? I'm not planning on doing all the crooks and crannies by the valve body area. - And if this sumbitch leaks I'll be pissed.
 
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1967 'cuda said:
I don't know if anything sucks more than buffing aluminum. Did You polish yours yourself? How good did you get it? I'm not planning on doing all the crooks and crannies by the valve body area. - And if this sumbitch leaks I'll be pissed.
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I didnt get to crazy with mine seeing how i have a blanket over it now. Pretty much just like yours just used some old polish i had laying around a few beers an a night alone in the shop
 
The roll of 'chrome' vinyl showed up today. I went ahead and edged the hood. I didn't bother spraying the areas that the vinyl will cover. I figure that if I don't like it and have to peel it back off, it'll probably damage any new paint underneath it anyway. After it's had a chance to dry overnight I'll apply the vinyl tomorrow.

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Well, the 'chrome' vinyl does not stretch like regular vinyl. I had expected it to conform to the varying contours. But, unless a surface is perfectly flat - wrinkles form. I thought that heat would help but it didn't seem to make any difference. I put warm water in a spray bottle to wet the surfaces of the hood and the adhesive side of the vinyl. Without it I was unable to position the overlay. I'm not impressed by the end results but it's still a vast improvement over the rough fiberglass finish the hood had before. It'll be interesting to see how it looks when it's back on the car and can reflect the engine compartment.

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Mike called from MRL today. The 408 was scheduled to go on the dyno this week but he hit a snag. He had allowed me to send him my old Edelbrock valve covers to save a bit on the engine build. - But when he went to put them on this week he found out that they won't clear the aftermarket rocker arms. Unfortunately he didn't have any in stock but is trying to get a set shipped to him this week. So, the engine will go on the dyno next week instead. As always it's been a pleasure dealing with Mike. I appreciate his efforts towards saving me money wherever we could. :thumbup:
 
275/60 DRs fit perfectly on my 68 fish but I have a 8 3/4 and 8" wheel Vintique rallys. I am jelly over that Dana 60 you put in with those Wildwoods!

Ditch the over axle exhaust and get a 3" X pipe kit and a pair of 8" x 3" dia cherry bombs that you put before 3" flowmaster 40's. Then dumps after the mufflers. You will love the sound.
 
airwoofer said:

Ditch the over axle exhaust and get a 3" X pipe kit and a pair of 8" x 3" dia cherry bombs that you put before 3" flowmaster 40's. Then dumps after the mufflers. You will love the sound.
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I know I have to do a bit of revamping on the exhaust. I've got a brand new set of ceramic headers that I'd purchased for that '74 e-body hanging on the wall but never used. - And I know I'll have to weld in a bung for the air/fuel gauge. I was toying around with adding in an X-pipe or even an H-pipe. It's been a while so I don't remember the average HP gain you're supposed to get. I think I may have a pair of 3" Flowmaster 40s sitting around. They came with the '72 Duster when I bought it.

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I finally started on the torqueflite today. Now that the outside case is clean it's time to go through it and make sure everything looks kosher. It's been over 30 years since I've had one apart. My memory's not the greatest but as I recall the overhauls were pretty easy. One thing that I am concerned about is the valve body. When I'd bought it an extra valve body came with it. Both were manual but one was a forward pattern and the other was a reverse pattern. The guy I bought it from wasn't sure which was in the transmission. It had belonged to his Dad. I have to figure out how to identify the differences between the two so I'll know what I'm installing.

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airwoofer said:
You don't need no stinkin power steering.

TTI headers worked out great for my 416.
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LOL Ya, I always said that power steering and power brakes were for girly cars. But the Barracuda already had the power steering setup on it when I bought it. I'd love to be rid of the pump and potential future leaks but it seems as though the list of parts I need keeps getting longer. I just got my 3/8" fuel line ordered yesterday and that was another $100. I thought I'd be able to keep from getting upside down on this project but I think I passed that milestone some time ago. I cheaped out when it came to header selection. I had bought them for my '74 as an upgrade from the exhaust manifolds and was trying to stay within budget. They're JEGS.

I kept the brakes manual even though I did upgrade to 4 wheel discs. Maybe I'll still swap out the steering box some day.
 
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There is a difference between a manual and power steering shaft. An adapter is made to allow PS steering shaft to work on a manual box.

Budget? LOLOLOLOL!
 
I went from power to manual steering before the big block an picked up an adapter from firm feel i belive. Simpe swap if you have 10 minutes haha
 
I'm sure there's probably another thread that covers the conversion. But because the topic has already come up here, maybe I should ask a few questions. To do the swap from power to manual, do I need anything other than the other steering box and the adapter from FIRM FEEL? Is the pitman arm the adapter? Is the steering column length the same?
 
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Steering box and adapter is all it takes. The adapter takes up the extra room the power box needed over the manual.
 
When I'd bought the tranny off Craigslist from a guy in Texas a few years back I was told that it was relatively fresh. I had always assumed that they had stretched the truth and planned on kitting it.

As I tore into the torqueflite I was impressed by how clean everything was. It was so clean that I realized it didn't need a rebuild. So I decided to just replace any seals that might have worn or shrunk and re-assembled it.

I looked up the numbers that were on the Cheetah valve body but couldn't get them to cross reference with any numbers online. Then I went ahead and looked up the numbers that were on the torque converter. I was a bit disappointed. Apparently it's a Mopar Performance 2400 stall. It's a definite step up from a stock converter but I was hoping for more stall speed.

Overall I think I made out like a bandit on the deal. The valve body must be worth around $300 and the torque converter listed out for about the same. The internals were in great shape. It already had a deep pan with the filter extension and brass filter. I think I paid $200 for it but had to drive to Waco to get it.

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Actually, that's why I ended up with that black '69 Chevelle. I didn't want to make a trip that far for a transmission that was questionable so I searched for any reasonably priced muscle cars in the area. At the time that Chevelle was my best option. I trailered down empty and brought it back.

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It was the road trip from hell when I went for the Chevelle.

Although I was supposed to pick up the transmission by Waco (726 miles away), the car was located in McAllen, Texas. (1136 miles away) It was going to be a long drive. I had borrowed my son's '85 short box Ford stepside to pull the trailer. It has a 300 six with a 4-speed. - Not a ton of towing power but plenty of rust.

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Like most eBay car auction purchases, there was not a lot of planning involved. You never know for sure you're going to road trip until the auction ends. - And then you usually have only a few days to pick up the vehicle. As luck would have it I was unable to find a co-driver.

OK I prepared the best I could. I took along a pillow, a blanket and an assortment of tools. The day before leaving I stopped at the bank to get the money for the car plus extra for emergencies. We had recently purchased a sliding axle open car trailer. Instead of using ramps, the tandem axles would be pulled forward hydraulically and the back of the trailer would lower to the ground. It was possible to adjust the tongue weight by where you positioned the axles. The evening before leaving I contacted the guy with the transmission and the guy with the car. I wanted to make sure they'd be available when I arrived. I inspected the trailer lights, chains and brakes. Everything seemed good to go.

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At 4:00 in the morning I hopped into the truck and tried to leave but the trailer wouldn't budge. The brake controller was malfunctioning and it was locking the trailer brakes. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on. And it was several hours later before one of the local parts stores would open. I was able to contact the tranny guy to let him know I'd be running late but the guy with the Chevelle didn't answer. As quick as I could switch brake controllers I was on my way.

I made it about 25 miles when someone flagged me down in Seward, Nebraska to tell me I had a flat tire on the trailer. No big deal, but it set me back another hour while I had it repaired. It was already seeming like a long day.



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But I was optimistic. I love road trips. - Granted, they're usually with someone else along but what the heck. I continued driving the rest of the way through Nebraska down highway 81 into Kansas. Everything seemed OK but I was still unable to contact the guy with the Chevelle. I still had to let him know I'd be late. About an hour's drive through Kansas the cell phone rang. It was the guy from McAllen. I had been bucking a strong headwind and the truck rattled and it's windows leaked air so bad that I couldn't hear him. So I pulled over to stretch my legs and to talk to him. "BAD NEWS" he said. He wasn't sure he was going to be around when I came by for the car. He said that relatives were flying in to visit and he wasn't likely to be home. This wasn't good. But he wasn't sure yet and I still had a transmission to get. I got back into the truck and continued heading South.

When I hit Concordia, Kansas I decided to stop at a Pizza Hut to grab a personal pan pizza to eat. When I went to pay for it is when I noticed my wallet was gone. I went back to the truck and searched but it wasn't there. It must have fallen out when I'd pulled over to talk on the phone. I had $800 cash in it plus my license and cards. The rest of the money I kept under the floor mat. I had no idea exactly where I had pulled over. - And it was a long way behind me. Unsure if I'd ever be able to recover it I decided to go on. There was still enough money under the mat to cover expenses.

I think the trip stopped being fun when my billfold disappeared. But I couldn't turn back now. (almost famous last words) The rest of the journey through Kansas was uneventful. But I was running so late that the sun was going down as I entered Oklahoma. I had been trying to contact the guy with the Chevelle to get an update but he wasn't answering his phone. I kept driving.

 
I was about a half hour South of Norman, Oklahoma driving down I-35 when the truck broke down. It was pitch dark outside when I lost all power. No engine, no lights, no anything. I coasted to the side of the road using the lights from other vehicles to show me the way. I managed to get the truck and trailer about a foot off the highway before it stopped. It was dark. And it was cold. The temperature had dropped into the 30s. I wasn't sure how well people coming up from behind could see me. The trailer was black and the truck was dark blue. - Neither were lit. I don't know how many of you have driven that stretch of I-35, but traffic is crazy. Most drivers were going between 80-85 mph. Every time someone sped by the truck would shake. I could tell that many were just inches away as they passed me.

I had neglected to bring a flashlight. I popped open the hood and used a lighter to try to find the problem. The wind was strong enough that I could only get a few seconds of visibility at a time. I waited for about an hour expecting someone to pull over, but no one did. So I called a friend back in Nebraska that had internet access. He found a 24 hour towing company in the area that would be able to get to me within a few hours. After walking a half mile to find a mile marker so that they would have a location I returned to the truck and bundled up inside.

Eventually I was taken back to Norman where I spent the night inside the truck outside of a shop that would hopefully get me back on the road in the morning. Although there were motels in the area, I no longer had any ID or credit cards.

3 hours after they opened, the garage was finished with the truck. There were a number of wiring issues including a burnt fusible link. $300 for the repair. $250 for the tow.

 
I continued trying to contact the guy with the Chevelle. He still wasn't answering. Before leaving Norman I had talked with the tranny guy. He seemed dumbfounded by the fact I was still coming after all the problems. It was a new day. The truck was behaving and I was beginning to thaw out from the night before. 35 continues all the way to Waco. I kept counting the miles as I went South. Shortly before reaching the truck stop where I was to pick up the transmission, the guy with the Chevelle called me. He said he would meet me in Killeen, Texas which was only another hour away if I would pay him an extra $100. He had decided to visit another relative that lived there if I agreed. It would shave almost 700 miles off of my trip and I needed sleep. I agreed.

The tranny guy was on time. He even loaded it for me. (I think because I must have looked like death warmed over) I thanked him and headed to Killeen. I planned on picking up the Chevy at a 24 hour Walmart parking lot. But I would have about 5 hours to wait there until the car arrived. - Good time to buy a flashlight, more tools, and some snacks. It was hard to sleep with all of the traffic but I managed to get a few hours worth.

(As a side note: people sure were polite down in Texas. The Walmarts in Nebraska are full of uncontrolled screaming kids and people in Nebraska might not be rude, but they're not near as polite)


It was late when the Chevelle showed up. He had driven it to Killeen from McAllen. I took it as a sign that the car was roadworthy. It was dark enough that it was difficult to do much of an inspection, and this road trip had drained me. We exchanged cash for title and I loaded the car.

 
Because we hadn't owned this new trailer very long we were still experimenting with where to position the axles. I decided to pull it down the highway a few miles to where I could get some gas and re-adjust if necessary. It seemed to be a little tongue-light going down the road, so when I stopped I slid the axles further back.

I had a full tank of gas. I'd already gotten both the car and the transmission. I survived the loss of my wallet and the truck breaking down. Now I just needed to get home. I was on my way. The worst was over and I was in the home stretch. - Sort of like in the movie Dirty Larry Crazy Mary.

I drove for hours with that six cylinder struggling to maintain the minimum speed now that the car was loaded. On level ground it did fine but it hated the hills. When it came time to stop for gas again I took an off ramp that curved upward and then turned sharply at the top. I didn't suspect there was anything wrong. I was probably doing 65 when I'd turned off. The sharp curve at the top of the exit wasn't visible from the bottom. When I went to apply the brakes I couldn't stop. The trailer brakes weren't working and the trailer was pushing me up the off ramp at too high a speed. I could see the steep drop off looming ahead as I approached the sharp turn at the end. I was sure things were going to hurt really bad. The truck brakes locked when I tried to use them so I started to hit and release and hit and release them as quick as I could. I was slowing down but still moving too fast. When I reached the top of the exit I bounced the trailer against the curb as it tried to keep going. Fear must be incapable of making me crap my pants otherwise I would have done it then. From the stop sign I crept the truck to the nearest gas station.

 
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