The Replacement 2nd Gen Barracuda

[Stumpy]

Working out final new wiring bugs. Fixed both passenger marker lights and tested backup lights to make sure I've got the third harness wiring correct and the backup harness works.

Might be able to try to start the car tomorrow.

 

[Stumpy]

Decided to replace all the hoses. They were all old enough to drink and the fuel lines were extensively cracked. Along with all the electrical problems and the fuel lines it is pure luck the car didn't burn up with the PO. The last pic is the after new hoses installed. I know, I know, glass Edelbrock fuel filter baaad but I have a reason. The fuel lines from the sender to the fuel pump outlet was the original 5/16" while the lines to the Holley are 3/8". The car ran fine with this set up so I figured I'll run with it for now. The Edelbrock filter has multiple size fittings so I can run the correct sized hoses to the right size nipples. My other choice was to just tighten a 3/8" fuel line to a 5/16" nipple on a canister but went with this set up. Side benefit is I can see if there is a bunch of crud in the tank. Because of the awkward position of the carb lines I had to do a loop with the fuel line to avoid kinking, centered the filter in open space as well as I could and secured the fuel filter so it won't bounce around. I'll probably figure something else out later.

I topped off the radiator with water and let it sit overnight to test for any leaks at the fittings and fired it up today. Started right up and runs great with zero leaks in fuel or coolant with 6 pounds of pressure in the at the carb fuel line. Found out I'm missing the rear idle mixture screw on the secondary and ordered a replacement. I'll fine tune it when I get the screw.

All the gauges work now except the gas. Let it run until thermostat kicked in when it topped 180 and settled at about 1/3. Aftermarket mechanical Oil Pressure gauge I put in for now started out at 72 and settled warm at 60 at idle. The factory gauge looks high at 3/4 warm. I don't remember my 69 Barracuda dash running so high. Oh well, that's why I always run a secondary oil gauge.

Tomorrow I'll check for leaks again with pressure in the system, drop out the water and replace with coolant and distilled water.

Lot's of details to fuss over but at least it runs now. I'd like to find some clips for the heater hoses. What came on a 68?

 

[mpgmike]

Gosh darn I love those gauges! I did an series of articles for Nuts and Volts Magazine for a small engine ignition timing controller about 3 years ago. It used a touch screen. Here is what the "Gauges" screen looked like:

 

[S'cuder]

Decided to replace all the hoses. They were all old enough to drink and the fuel lines were extensively cracked. Along with all the electrical problems and the fuel lines it is pure luck the car didn't burn up with the PO. The last pic is the after new hoses installed. I know, I know, glass Edelbrock fuel filter baaad but I have a reason. The fuel lines from the sender to the fuel pump outlet was the original 5/16" while the lines to the Holley are 3/8". The car ran fine with this set up so I figured I'll run with it for now. The Edelbrock filter has multiple size fittings so I can run the correct sized hoses to the right size nipples. My other choice was to just tighten a 3/8" fuel line to a 5/16" nipple on a canister but went with this set up. Side benefit is I can see if there is a bunch of crud in the tank. Because of the awkward position of the carb lines I had to do a loop with the fuel line to avoid kinking, centered the filter in open space as well as I could and secured the fuel filter so it won't bounce around. I'll probably figure something else out later.

I topped off the radiator with water and let it sit overnight to test for any leaks at the fittings and fired it up today. Started right up and runs great with zero leaks in fuel or coolant with 6 pounds of pressure in the at the carb fuel line. Found out I'm missing the rear idle mixture screw on the secondary and ordered a replacement. I'll fine tune it when I get the screw.

All the gauges work now except the gas. Let it run until thermostat kicked in when it topped 180 and settled at about 1/3. Aftermarket mechanical Oil Pressure gauge I put in for now started out at 72 and settled warm at 60 at idle. The factory gauge looks high at 3/4 warm. I don't remember my 69 Barracuda dash running so high. Oh well, that's why I always run a secondary oil gauge.

Tomorrow I'll check for leaks again with pressure in the system, drop out the water and replace with coolant and distilled water.

Lot's of details to fuss over but at least it runs now. I'd like to find some clips for the heater hoses. What came on a 68?

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I think your stock oil pressure gauge is fine. 60 PSI reading 3/4 on a stock gauge is right where it should be.

 

[Stumpy]

The tail light wiring was pretty rough and scabbed together, and since I put in a new dash and engine harness, why not finish it up with a new chassis harness? Plus there was a chance that a correct pigtail connector would fix my fuel gauge problem. It didn't, though it did give me a chance to further inspect the condition of the chassis.

Overall, it looks pretty good, with just a little surface rust in a few spots. Looks like a PO had a bit of a problem with the pass side fuel tank bolt though.

 

[4spdragtop]

Good work, do yourself a favor and dbl chk the plastic clips in 1st pic that hold the festoon bulb(cargo light). These are known to disintegrate due to age and the heat from the bulb. Also chk the backside of those clips and maybe tape off the back. The metal clips come REAL close to touching metal when installed.
M&H sell new bulb holders.

The tail light wiring was pretty rough and scabbed together, and since I put in a new dash and engine harness, why not finish it up with a new chassis harness? Plus there was a chance that a correct pigtail connector would fix my fuel gauge problem. It didn't, though it did give me a chance to further inspect the condition of the chassis.

Overall, it looks pretty good, with just a little surface rust in a few spots. Looks like a PO had a bit of a problem with the pass side fuel tank bolt though.



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[RLF Cuda]

I finished the restoration of my '68 and have a number of gauges and speedometers that would work for your dash. I also have original wiring for the engine compartment and under dash that you could use to repair what you have with OEM wires. Not so sure the wiring harnesses are complete, but the individual wires are in good shape. Beats buying a brand-new replacement harness. Let me know what you need and I will see if I have the items.

 

[Stumpy]

I finished the restoration of my '68 and have a number of gauges and speedometers that would work for your dash. I also have original wiring for the engine compartment and under dash that you could use to repair what you have with OEM wires. Not so sure the wiring harnesses are complete, but the individual wires are in good shape. Beats buying a brand-new replacement harness. Let me know what you need and I will see if I have the items.

I already rewired the car and replaced or rebuilt the gauges.

 

[mosleyme]

Overall, it looks pretty good, with just a little surface rust in a few spots. Looks like a PO had a bit of a problem with the pass side fuel tank bolt though.

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This is the passenger side shock mount. PO probably ripped it out using air shocks.

 

[Stumpy]

This is the passenger side shock mount. PO probably ripped it out using air shocks.

I wonder if I should do something about that repair? Beyond the embarrassing welding. That mounting stud looks like a different size altogether than the other one.

This car is just full of "thatsgoodenough" repairs.

 

[matthon]

I wonder if I should do something about that repair? Beyond the embarrassing welding. That mounting stud looks like a different size altogether than the other one.

Maybe stronger than the factory mount at this point, ugly or not.
I always thought those were flimsy, maybe 'fix' both.

Different size mounting studs should be fun when replacing shocks.

 

[RLF Cuda]

Time to start digging into the Barracuda. On the short drive from plucking it off the truck, to the stable, I noticed that the only working gauge in the cluster was the ammeter. Even speedo is out. No dash lights either. Exterior lights good except for right back marker. So out came the dash. The dash electrical is a mess from aftermarket stereo install, aftermarket gauges, crispy ammeter wiring and fried rallye cluster gauges. In other words, the cluster is a cluster**k. Between the original cluster and another 67 Dash I had I think I managed to find a working ammeter and oil pressure gauge and think I can get one of the temp gauges to work. But both fuel gauges are fried beyond repair. To add insult to injury all heater/Def controls were disabled in various ways that I would describe as well... creative.

I want to keep the stock rallye dash so I put in an order for new gauges and harness but many parts are so far backordered I've got no confidence in getting them anytime soon. If anyone has a lead on an intact fuel gauge so I can get the car running, I would appreciate it. I'm intending to convert to external voltage regulator so it could be stock or already converted.

As for the dash harness, I've got to get the car running so I'm going to remove it and unhook all aftermarket connections and patch together a working harness that just runs just the original accessories. The plan is to reinstall a stock roller radio, converted to bluetooth, but for now I'm going to run stereo delete to reduce load on the poor electrical system. Given the crispy ammeter wires, I'll probably end up bypassing the ammeter for now and putting in a shunt system with fusible link. I just need to get this car running. I can worry about making it nice later.

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I have original wiring harnesses that can be scrounged to replace the damaged wires. Just have to retape after replacing the wire. The fix is to install a shunt wire of about 4 Gauge from the alternator post to the starter battery post that will divert most of the current flow away from the amp gauge. It will still show slight charge, but maybe 90% of the current will bypass the amp meter reducing the load on the spade connectors. Let me know if you want some factory wiring. I also have a number of original '68 gauges if needed.

 

[Stumpy]

I have original wiring harnesses that can be scrounged to replace the damaged wires. Just have to retape after replacing the wire. The fix is to install a shunt wire of about 4 Gauge from the alternator post to the starter battery post that will divert most of the current flow away from the amp gauge. It will still show slight charge, but maybe 90% of the current will bypass the amp meter reducing the load on the spade connectors. Let me know if you want some factory wiring. I also have a number of original '68 gauges if needed.

Again, I already replaced the wiring and the gauges. I am not doing a bypass.

 

[mosleyme]

I wonder if I should do something about that repair? Beyond the embarrassing welding. That mounting stud looks like a different size altogether than the other one.

This car is just full of "thatsgoodenough" repairs.

Maybe just clean it up. The shock stud should come out, you can then look at the repair verses the other side to make a judgement.

I do not like, never liked, that the shock is mounted on a single shear stud. I am planning on making a pair of supports to go over the mount and support the stud from both sides for my car. The piece would bolt on and use nutserts in the body. Would look something like this. The middle / top hole would go over the same stud (on the underside behind the differential.) This would help support the shock mount better. I would have to do some measurements and figure out what clearance is needed to not interfere with the shock.

 

[Stumpy]

Successful end of year test drive.

 

[Stumpy]

Broken studs fixed and new tires on. Replaced 235/60/15 fronts and 275/60/15 rears with 215/65/15 fronts and 255/60/15 rears.

Huge improvement in ride and drivability.

Can actually low speed steer with the 16:1 ratio now without feeling like an arm was going to pop out of a socket.

 

[RLF Cuda]

You will build up muscles appropriate to the task over time. I have had this combo for 57 years and still like the firm feel of manual steering.

 

[matthon]

235/60/15 fronts and 275/60/15 rears with 215/65/15 fronts and 255/60/15 rears.

What's the bs to fit a 235/60/15 on the front of a 67-69 Barracuda?

I've got 15x6 3.75 bs 215/65/15 on the front, any bigger and it's clipping the front lower section of the fender.

 

[Stumpy]

What's the bs to fit a 235/60/15 on the front of a 67-69 Barracuda?

I've got 15x6 3.75 bs 215/65/15 on the front, any bigger and it's clipping the front lower section of the fender.

I’m not sure what those front centerlines are, I didn’t measure them. but they must be offset. They are very shallow on the outside. They fit but it was close.

 

[racerdan80]

How tall are those rear tires? On what size rim?

 

[racerdan80]

Looks good by the way

 

[RLF Cuda]

I have 11.81" rotors from a Cordoba for brakes, and the width increase caused me to downsize from 235-60/15's to 215's. Still handles great, but I couldn't risk the tires hitting the fenders with 235's.

 

[Stumpy]

How tall are those rear tires? On what size rim?

255/60/15x7

 

[Stumpy]

For the next issue, decided to dig into why the speedo isn't working. Tested the speedo with trip odometer when I had the dash out and it worked so something else is going on. Figured I might as well change the gear oil too since who knows how long it's been in there and what it is. The current speedo appears to be a 67 since it has the threaded and not push on type cable connector. Drained the oil and pulled the pinion adapter. Pinion was badly worn. Needed the correct pinion anyway. The cable connector was cross-threaded on to the adapter and ruined the threads so need a new adapter. Doesn't look like the OEM type cable to me. The problem might be the cross threaded cable was too loose in the adapter since it wasn't fully tightened. We'll see when I get the new adapter and 67 cable. If it turns out the speedometer is hosed, I've got a tested speedo without trip odometer, with the correct connector for the year and matching cable.

It is easier to count the number of things done right than wrong on this crate.

 

[Stumpy]

Got the speedo working. Put in new pinion, adapter and cable. I think the old cross threaded adapter wasn't allowing the pinion to mesh with the gears. Or it might have been the old cable.

Drained the A833 and put in new gear oil. Shifts much smoother now. Who knows the last time the trans oil was changed or what was in it?