Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

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He's cheating!!!! He has an army of trained gophers doing all the work. He just stands in the corner like Gen. Patton barking orders! :D

The gopher poison is just a ruse to throw us of the trail...............


That would explain some things LOL

I get the impression that some of you guys are not taking this seriously. When the great mole/squirrel apocalypse arrives how many of you will find yourselves unprepared?

Now is the time to take action. Don't wait until it's too late.

Rumor has it that they're trying to infiltrate the human population.

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From what I've heard, we may have lost Minnesota already!

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'Tis the season. Yesterday was a break from the garage as Teresa and I headed to Omaha to do some Christmas shopping.

I'm a hopeless romantic and decided to spare no expense this year on her. It's hard to sneak presents I get for Teresa to the car without her seeing them. - But I managed to pull it off.

I hope she likes the CRAFTSMAN tool set I got her. - If not I guess I'll have to use it myself.
 
I stayed up last night trying to get some progress done to make up for the time spent shopping. I put a second coat of orange on the rear frame rails and finished mounting the battery box.

Now and then I fixate on a song and loop it on the computer while I'm working. Last night it was KNOCKING ON HEAVEN'S DOOR by April Lavigne.


 
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The back end is almost done.

I need to clean the wheelie bars back up and re-attach them.
I need to get some new A N fittings yet so I can finish the fuel lines.
I also need to detail out the brakes. I wish they were disc but I hate to spend to convert them.

BEFORE & AFTER

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There are still a few paint drips that need cleaning off too. You can see in some of the pictures that I have yet to do much forward of the Dana.

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Man this garage is filthy! You can sort of make out the chute hooked to the bracket here.

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The buffing compound flying all over the place combined with paint over-spray, the sanded off rust and dirt, grinding particles and shavings. The car and garage need a thorough cleanup.


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After spending some time figuring out what fuel fittings I needed to order I thought I'd glue down the weatherstripping for the deck lid. Whoever had installed it last must not have used the correct adhesive. Putting any pressure on it made even more of it come loose. So I pulled it all off and decided to start over.

There was a combination of a hard adhesive and black silicone that needed to be cleaned from the drip railing and the seal. I couldn't get it off the car without scraping it. I'll sand and re-paint the area before I use new weatherstrip adhesive.
 
The car is looking good!
Funny how small changes can make a HUGE difference.
Now go clean up that shop so you don't get the paint mixed in the dirt. Or is that dirt mixed in the paint? Sometimes it's hard to tell which is which in my shop. L.O.L....
 
The car is looking good!
Funny how small changes can make a HUGE difference.
Now go clean up that shop so you don't get the paint mixed in the dirt. Or is that dirt mixed in the paint? Sometimes it's hard to tell which is which in my shop. L.O.L....


Thanks ariffle. The Duster was an impulse buy. I had been browsing eBay just to see what was out there when I came across it. The seller didn't have detailed pictures of the car but I knew there was a lot more money in it than what it was selling for. For years I had dreamt of getting back to a drag strip and the opportunity to purchase a turnkey race car at a bargain price was hard to pass up.

As with every vehicle we've ever purchased online, it had a lot of undisclosed issues. But even after seeing it I knew I couldn't replicate it for the price I was paying. They had over 10 grand in the motor alone.

The interior was ratty, the body had signs of rust, the slicks were almost used up, etc, etc... I can't take credit for building the car. The most I can claim credit for is the detail work. - And it's been on a shoestring budget.

I could have been miffed at the guy I bought it from for not being 100% upfront about flaws but I figured that I never got burned on the transaction. I try to send him updated pictures whenever I can so he can see the car as it changes. I know that he said he hated to see it go.

 
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I finished up gluing the trunk seal back down. The only weatherstrip adhesive I had was the yellow stuff. I don't understand why they make it in yellow. It's not really noticeable on the car but when the camera's flash hits it - it tends to light up.

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There was a seam between to mating panels inside the trunk that really was shoddy. They only had one pop rivet holding them together and they left a major gap between them. I drilled out their rivet and closed the gap. Then I installed a row of rivets.

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Once that panel gap was taken care of I went ahead and finished attaching the tank.

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I spent some time planning out the release cable for the parachute. I want to avoid any welding inside the car. I have no desire to gut the interior again. - So I've been devising a way to fabricate an addition to the roll bar that will bolt in place.

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I bought those car covers from JEGS. - 2 large and 2 extra large. When I went to put the large one on the Barracuda I was disappointed. Even though the car's dimensions were within the parameters for sizing, - it barely fit. It didn't come all the way down the sides of the car and was stretched as tight as I could. I can't return it because I made a hole in it for the antenna. Anyone considering buying one from them might want to consider buying the next size larger than what it calls for.

Before I did any polishing last night I took another of the car covers out. This time an extra large. It fit the Duster pretty good. I figured I'd cover it so I wouldn't have all the polishing debris all over the car.

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While I was working on the parts for the Duster I had another idea that (God forgive me) I should ignore. The dually isn't a bad truck as is, but it might look really cool painted to match the Duster.

I could set it up as a dedicated hauler. If I shot it black and gold, tinted the wheels copper, and did some graphics it might make the Duster look a bit more professional when I tow it.

Hmmm... I know I've got too many irons in the fire now but maybe...
 
While I was working on the parts for the Duster I had another idea that (God forgive me) I should ignore. The dually isn't a bad truck as is, but it might look really cool painted to match the Duster.

I could set it up as a dedicated hauler. If I shot it black and gold, tinted the wheels copper, and did some graphics it might make the Duster look a bit more professional when I tow it.

Hmmm... I know I've got too many irons in the fire now but maybe...

I am LMAO right now!!! You can't help yourself!!! It's a sickness.:D
 
I am LMAO right now!!! You can't help yourself!!! It's a sickness.:D

Ya, I know you're right. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now. Whenever I start browsing old photos of drag cars from the late 60's through the mid-seventies I can't help but notice how cool some of their tow vehicles were.

Teresa is too easy on me. She should probably keep a two by four next to the garage door to knock me across the side of my head when I tell her about the things I want to do.

I am reminding myself now that the Duster originally came back into the garage just to have the antifreeze changed.
 
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The chute release is mounted. My son's been giving me hell about all the weight I've added to the car so it's part of the reason I went with aluminum.

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In these first few photos you can see the bad headliner.

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I could have routed the cable under the trunk but I figured it would have to put up with more abuse down there.

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I had to drill another hole in that tail light panel for the cable to run through.

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Tying together nicely. Damn you're a sick puppy, lol. To do that detail on the tow truck to match, that makes you a madman.
 
Thanks Abodybomber. You guys are right. I need to start reining myself in.

FUEL CELL $128
AN FITTINGS AND BRAIDED LINE $200
BATTERY BOX $18
RIVETS AND FASTENERS $40
PAINT AND DYES $130
ALUMINUM , STEEL, & WELD SHOP COSTS $300
CHUTE RELEASE CABLE $50
VOLTMETER & OTHER WIRING $70
BELTS $42
WATERLESS COOLANT $200
DECALS $32
TRANSMISSION BLANKET $60
ADHESIVES $20
WIRE LOOM & OTHER SEPARATORS $45
SPARK PLUG WIRES $60
CAR COVER WITH LOCK $57

I'm sure that I left out some stuff. This last quickie makeover has run around $1500. - And that's not counting the cost of the chute, the wheelie bars, or the gauges I already had.

It is so easy for expenses to get out of hand. Most of the stuff seemed inexpensive, but it adds up fast.
 
I get the impression that some of you guys are not taking this seriously. When the great mole/squirrel apocalypse arrives how many of you will find yourselves unprepared?

Now is the time to take action. Don't wait until it's too late.

Rumor has it that they're trying to infiltrate the human population.

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From what I've heard, we may have lost Minnesota already!

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Everything is fine up in Minnesota, just go peacefully :D
 

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YOWZERS!! Them rodents seem to have more support up there than what I thought. Looks like all the pretty girls have gone over to the 'other side'. The boys are soon to follow.

It's looking pretty dire for humanity.
 
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