My first Mopar

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sprue

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Hey everyone! Last week I parted with my old BMW motorcycle and bought a 66 Barracuda S in ok shape. I have a mechanical background as a motorcycle mechanic and I got into cars with a 73 VW rat rod So I'm very excited to be working on this Barracuda.

So the story with this car is that it was being set up to be a drag car and then the project was abandoned for over a decade. I was told that the rear differential has been welded which I may leave in place for a bit if I like it. The records show that in 1984 it got a 254 HDP "BPR Compu-Pro" Crower cam. I haven't looked into what kind of cam that is yet but it appears to have a bit more lift than stock. Wilwood front discs were installed as well as a new mastercylinder in 2003 but the lines were never connected. All of the gauges are aftermarket VDOs but none of them have been wired up. It also has new torsion bars and a HUGE sway bar. It has some very large headers. Some of the engine bay was modified to make room for the exhaust. Lastly, it has an edelbrock carburetor though I don't see any documents regarding it so I cant say what model it is.

So this weekend I'll be setting up the brakes and installing the gauges and then we'll see how it goes! Aside from that I think all it needs is some mirrors to get it road legal.

If anyone has any info on the carb, header, cam combo and what to expect that would be much appreciated.
 
Look for the 4 digit number on the lower left front of the carb stamped into the mounting flange.
That will tell what basic carb it is.
 
Welcome to FABO... :welcome:

Crower makes nice cams, you may want to hang onto that one... Degree it to see what it is...
 
Ok I discovered a few things today. The master cylinder lines were never installed because the m/c wont fit. Its a longer style about 8" or so and it hits the exhaust header. I put in an order for a 1970 dart m/c. I hope it fits.

Thanks for the suggestion krazykuda i will definitely do that. Just becuase a slip of paper is in a folder doesn't really mean it's still in the engine.

The carb is a 1405 edelbrock proformer. How does that stack up with the original 4 bbl?
 
The carb is a good, solid 4bbl carb, but you may run into some heat boiling issues. I had the 1405 on my Dart and it ran fine but it would boil fuel too much so I switched to a Holley. But the Eddy is very easy to tune and adjust.

And one suggestion, with that new master cylinder, you might want to clear coat it. Otherwise, it will develop surface rust very easy.
 
Thanks for the advice. I will probably wrap the exhaust to protect the master cylinder from the heat, so hopefully that will also reduce carb boiling too, or is it caused more from the engine heat?

I went to pick up the dart dual master cylinder and it is also too long. Any suggestions on a M/C that's around 6.5" from the mounting point to the end?
 
Don't worry about the extra length, you can correct that with new lines. A dual circuit master cylinder will always be longer than a single circuit master cylinder.
 
Don't worry about the extra length, you can correct that with new lines. A dual circuit master cylinder will always be longer than a single circuit master cylinder.
Its definitely an issue. The long master cylinder is practically touching the exhaust. There would be about a 1/8" of clearance. I did find one that is only 6.9" and is much less expensive than the 6.5" wilwood.
Some pics!

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My bad, nevermind. That definitely is an issue, I forgot you had fenderwell headers.
 
Welcome aboard!...I was eyeing that '66 on CL for a while contemplating getting a stablemate for my '66...Good luck with it!
 
A small spacer will help with that.

I actually went up to a 1" phenolic spacer and it didn't stop the heat boiling issue.

Thanks for the advice. I will probably wrap the exhaust to protect the master cylinder from the heat, so hopefully that will also reduce carb boiling too, or is it caused more from the engine heat?

I went to pick up the dart dual master cylinder and it is also too long. Any suggestions on a M/C that's around 6.5" from the mounting point to the end?

My heat boiling was coming from the fact that the heat crossover in the intake passes directly under the carb. With the fuel bowl on an Eddy in the bottom center, that crossover just cooked the gas. With the fender headers, that might add to the problem, but can't say for sure.

Its definitely an issue. The long master cylinder is practically touching the exhaust. There would be about a 1/8" of clearance. I did find one that is only 6.9" and is much less expensive than the 6.5" wilwood.
Some pics!

You might want to see what RockAuto has in terms of different master cylinders.
 
My heat boiling was coming from the fact that the heat crossover in the intake passes directly under the carb. With the fuel bowl on an Eddy in the bottom center, that crossover just cooked the gas.
I use intakes without the crossover so I don't have that problem. I've mainly gotten spread bore intakes while having square bore carbs. Cheaper for me to swap to an aftermarket intake.
 
Crower 254 ?..... Close to a Mopar " Baja Beast..." ... Check it out, on Crower's website... Runs really good , like a stock 340 cam... Idle is mellow, it works "REALL WELL" with a factory high stall converter( Road Runner: is rhe nicknamed) "); any decent dual plane... Low compression engines, love these cams...... Dont toss it, unless wiped out... :)
Welcome , to not a Chevy land...
 
First of all, welcome!
Secondly, I love that you said "first" Mopar! More will come!

Jeff
 
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