New member with Early A! 1964 Barracuda... Rally Car?

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D_Matheson

D_Matheson

Matheson Sports Car
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
18
Reaction score
14
Location
Jonesborough, TN
Hello everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself and let you all know what I'm wrenching on. I've started a project to build a `64 Barracuda into a stage rally car. I have loved the MoPar brand for years; for my family it's always been Chrysler or Chevrolet. My other passion for years has been performance stage rally - in the US there are three sanctioning bodies for this form of Motorsport: Nasa Rallysport, Rally America, and the American Rally Association. You might think that this seems like a weird project, and you're right! It's definitely not your normal Subaru or Ford rally car, but like most MoPar guys, I like being different. ...And I already had the car... so that helped make the decision too!

Plymouth is no stranger to stage rally. Scott Harvey, a Chrysler employee, rallied a V8 Valiant in the Monte Carlo rally in 1964 where he did relatively well! He finished (that's a pretty big deal on its own) and placed mid pack with all the European fellas. He later rallied a second gen Barracuda in the Shell 4000 Canadian rally and won! There are also quite a few Fins that still use these early A-bodies in classic rallies.
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Anyway, there's my introduction and my project synopsis! I'm really glad this forum is here so I can bounce things off you guys and learn from all your years of experience. I'll start a build thread for the car soon to talk technical stuff with you all, and I'm also blogging the build on my website: MathesonSportsCar.com! Can't wait to really dig in and build a cool car!

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Welcome D_Matheson to group. I wish you luck on your Rally build of the barracuda.
What are those rims you have on the barracuda now and are they 4' bolt circle?
Dan
 
68 dart conv said:
Welcome D_Matheson to group. I wish you luck on your Rally build of the barracuda.
What are those rims you have on the barracuda now and are they 4' bolt circle?
Dan
Click to expand...
Dan, they're Ansen Slots. And yes, they're 4" bolt circle. I'll be going to a 4-1/2" bolt pattern, so I eventually won't need them anymore. They do a god job hold it up right now though.
 
D_,
Are they new wheels? What diameter is the wheel?
Thanks for getting back to me.

Dan
 
The red 66 looks like the style that i want mine to look like. Great idea for your 64 too. There's a ton of aftermarket support for the early a-bodies now which makes building a performance/rally car that much easier.
 
Lots to follow here, lots of knowledge, some wizards some warlocks, lol has been fun for me a s well
2-1966 Barracuda’s one auto one stick both formula s cars with AC
 
Capt46 said:
Lots to follow here, lots of knowledge, some wizards some warlocks, lol has been fun for me a s well
2-1966 Barracuda’s one auto one stick both formula s cars with AC
Click to expand...
Formula S 66 with AC and a manual would have to be super rare right..? Very cool!
 
I think very rare fish, Only found one other 4 speed with ac formula s hot rod mag sept 2010,
Thanks to the members here pointing it out. Some great options 4 speed, factory AC, factory Suregrip,Factory Disc,Factory 4 speed console,
 
Welcome!

Yes, in Europe, especially in Sweden and in Switzerland they used to race those fishes. In France they also used the 1970-1971 Chrysler France Hemi Cuda for Racing.

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The pic you posted are Scott Harvey and Gene Henderson in their Valiant. He raced also the 1st and 2nd gen Barracudas:
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Valiants and Barracudas were used at Rallyes in Europe - like Ford Falcons.
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In 1966, the Swiss importer (AMAG) of the Plymouth brand came up with something special to prove the suitability of the Barracuda for the Swiss everyday road.

Silvio Moser, Jochen Rindt, Joachim Bonnier, Joseph Siffert (all Racers) tested the first gen fishes at high speed.

"Their job was to hunt the Barracuda over bumpy roads, fast highways, and winding turns. They drove as sportily as the traffic situation allowed. Their superior driving skills allowed them to fully enjoy the possibilities of the Barracuda. It was a real experience to sit in the passenger seat. Striking was the lightning fast footwork, the full concentration, which also transferred to the rider and caused a crackling tension in the car. Also interesting is the fairness to other motorists. It was driven very fast, but safe. Advanced craftsmen were at work, you could learn something.
A surprising conclusion came at the end of the whole action. The Barracuda withstands even the critical judgment of such spoiled professionals."


They alse raced the first gen fishes. Arthur Blank started with a stock Barracuda at Hockenheimring (Race Track):
"Of course I was surprised when the Barracuda was still competitive. [...] When braking the thing, it did not go to his knees, the suspension felt pleasantly taut, yes European. The Barracuda is not a rubber car.
American brakes have been criticized for years. They were outdated and did not meet the demands of braking from high speeds. That was my opinion, too, and I was almost afraid to slow down the 1.4 tons from 200 km/h (~124mp/h). However, my competitors soon made long faces, but I managed several times to slow down the lightweight Europeans. The infamous fading effect remained with the disc brakes even after several laps at the Hockenheimring.
Steering with servo assistance for racing? I clenched my hands over my head. People wanted to kill me, what use was all my steering skills when I had to rely on the reaction of hydraulics. The Chrysler power steering responded as fast as I wanted. My skepticism about the unfamiliar turned into enthusiasm for technical perfection.

In my Barracuda S I had a fully synchronized four-speed gearbox, which was very well graded. Fast times in racing depend not least on how fast the driver works and reacts. English-speaking, short gearshifts and a precise guidance of the stick allowed me here to act in the usual manner. I was quicker than usual.
But I do not want to forget the most important point, the engine. If I always had to keep my revs within a narrow margin on my previous competition cars, I could allow myself to go back 2,000 trips and accelerate fully without having to change gear. "

Here you can find the info in german:
Die hiesigen Rennfahrer und der Barracuda (Oldtimer-Blogartikel vom 10.01.2012) | Zwischengas


"Arthur Blank switched to a '66 Plymouth Barracuda production car with bucket seats and wins 4 more races in addition to Siders Montana and Kandersteg."

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Arthur Blank 1967 at International Airfield-Race in "Olympiastadt" Innsbruck (Austria, Europe) in his Barracuda
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1970 and 1971 Chrysler France Hemi Cuda
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No posts since February from the OP? Curious to see how the project is going...
 
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