itsdiz
Active Member
During the last two weeks of May, my wife and I went on a trip. On our way through Kansas, I got off the freeway at Wamega to go see the boyhood home of Walter P Chrysler. Took some photos, though I would share with this group.
Work is progressing on my 1965 Barracuda, installed new carpets in the rear, the fronts had recently been replaced, headliner felt and headliner. The rest of the interior including the rear seat I just cleaned up, but did replace the carpet on the back of the rear seat. Also re-dyed the seat belts as the were faded to pink in places. I discovered the RF fender had up to 3/4" bondo on it to cover up damages on the front corner, this body man should have been a sculptor! I have managed to acquire a new front bumper and RF fender - in Minnesota of all places. The inside of the bumper was getting pretty rusty so I covered in Rust Encapsulator from Eastwood then sprayed it with so-called chrome paint which we all know doesn't look anything like chrome but it covered the black rust encapsulator very well. Today I replaced the shift cable, which had become damaged from lying against the exhaust and cause fluid leakage from the trans. Got that at a salvage yard in Minnesota also. Replacing the cable is quite a task, especially with the exhaust in the way, took about 2-3 hours with a few cuss breaks in between. My goal is to leave the car as stock 'barn find' looking as possible, while only replacing those things that need it. I do have to recover the front seats, as they are beyond repair, and I also found some bondo'ed over rust in the rear quarters, just behind the wheels. I didn't expect to see rust on this car, as it spent its entire life in southern New Mexico. It was bought new in El Paso, Texas and the original owner lived just over the border in NM. He owned it until 2020 when the second owner, also in NM purchased it, and I purchased it from him. I believe the rust came about from inside the trunk, as there was some junk and rusty tools that had fallen in between the trunk floor and quarter panel, probably held water in, OR the drain hole became plugged. The plastic body plug has a small indentation that should act as a spout to let water drain out, but it is quite small and could easily become clogged with dirt and debris. Mechanically, I have not had to do much, but I did rebuild the carburetor and I made a splash shield for the front of the bellhousing as the original was missing. The previous owner replaced the plugs and wires and did a complete brake job including all new hardware and drums on all four wheels. He also replaced the master cylinder and fuel tank with new units. I also found a decent set of hubcaps on eBay which I did refurbish a little bit. It still needs a dash pad, and I also got a couple of the dash vents at a Minnesota yard, just need to paint them the right color and get those in. I'm getting a little antsy, I want to start driving her, but patience will pay off in the end. I'll send more photos later, here's the old vs new rear carpet. Also replaced the rubber seal around the perimeter of the trunk, even found a new (reproduction) "Jack Instruction" sheet decal for inside the trunk lid. Also replaced the windlace on both doors, as they were worn through to the metal core.
Work is progressing on my 1965 Barracuda, installed new carpets in the rear, the fronts had recently been replaced, headliner felt and headliner. The rest of the interior including the rear seat I just cleaned up, but did replace the carpet on the back of the rear seat. Also re-dyed the seat belts as the were faded to pink in places. I discovered the RF fender had up to 3/4" bondo on it to cover up damages on the front corner, this body man should have been a sculptor! I have managed to acquire a new front bumper and RF fender - in Minnesota of all places. The inside of the bumper was getting pretty rusty so I covered in Rust Encapsulator from Eastwood then sprayed it with so-called chrome paint which we all know doesn't look anything like chrome but it covered the black rust encapsulator very well. Today I replaced the shift cable, which had become damaged from lying against the exhaust and cause fluid leakage from the trans. Got that at a salvage yard in Minnesota also. Replacing the cable is quite a task, especially with the exhaust in the way, took about 2-3 hours with a few cuss breaks in between. My goal is to leave the car as stock 'barn find' looking as possible, while only replacing those things that need it. I do have to recover the front seats, as they are beyond repair, and I also found some bondo'ed over rust in the rear quarters, just behind the wheels. I didn't expect to see rust on this car, as it spent its entire life in southern New Mexico. It was bought new in El Paso, Texas and the original owner lived just over the border in NM. He owned it until 2020 when the second owner, also in NM purchased it, and I purchased it from him. I believe the rust came about from inside the trunk, as there was some junk and rusty tools that had fallen in between the trunk floor and quarter panel, probably held water in, OR the drain hole became plugged. The plastic body plug has a small indentation that should act as a spout to let water drain out, but it is quite small and could easily become clogged with dirt and debris. Mechanically, I have not had to do much, but I did rebuild the carburetor and I made a splash shield for the front of the bellhousing as the original was missing. The previous owner replaced the plugs and wires and did a complete brake job including all new hardware and drums on all four wheels. He also replaced the master cylinder and fuel tank with new units. I also found a decent set of hubcaps on eBay which I did refurbish a little bit. It still needs a dash pad, and I also got a couple of the dash vents at a Minnesota yard, just need to paint them the right color and get those in. I'm getting a little antsy, I want to start driving her, but patience will pay off in the end. I'll send more photos later, here's the old vs new rear carpet. Also replaced the rubber seal around the perimeter of the trunk, even found a new (reproduction) "Jack Instruction" sheet decal for inside the trunk lid. Also replaced the windlace on both doors, as they were worn through to the metal core.
