The Replacement 2nd Gen Barracuda

[Stumpy]

Installed new fuel sender. Looks like that was the problem.

It still reads low. This is with 5 gal. I might pull the sender and try bending it down a little or maybe messing with the gauge next time the cluster is out. I'm just happy I can at least monitor gas level at all at this point.

Also installed and tested new wiper and backup light harness.

All the electrics work now. When I got it home just the amp meter worked.

Just about ready to start taking it to shops for this and that.

Should be ready for up and coming cars and coffee in the spring.

 

[Stumpy]

Headlight bezels polished and back on and missing/wrong hardware replaced.

 

[Stumpy]

Time to address the exhaust system. It currently has headers with tailpipe delete.

I am not a fan of headers because heat/clearance/leaks but they work for now. I'd also like to quiet it down a bit. Eventually I'd like to replace it with actual stock type manifolds.

Since it is a 318 car with no valance cuts, I'm thinking that for now just putting some tailpipes on, no exhaust tips with a 45 degree turn down tucked under bumper. Nice and neat.

I'm more interested in quieter than hp.

 

[Stumpy]

This is the tailpipe set up I decided to go with. It's not a 340 so decided I didn't want to go with the rectangular tips. I've always favored modest over showy when it comes to exhaust so I went with stainless downturns tucked under the valance. Now at least it's not spitting exhaust condensation all over the bottom of the car. Quieted the car down quite a bit too.

I also didn't want to draw more attention to that poor beat up valance. :-( I'll have to address that someday.

 

[mygasser]

you know the best thing about that beat up valance compared to a rusty one? once you repair it the dents won't come back
neil.

 

[Stumpy]

Driver's side motor mount looked like a charred s'more. Fixed now.

 

[Stumpy]

While getting the new tailpipes, the shop's part-time welder guy took a crack at putting in the new door striker plate to address the terrible fix a P.O did on the old broken door striker. I'll do the finish work and paint this spring. Getting that done allowed me to finally address the misaligned and hard-to-shut door.

Door adjustment on these old Mopar A-Bodies is a PITA, but can all be done without shims by manipulating the hinges with the help of a floor jack and a shop manual. After about 4 hours of sweating and fussing, loosening and re-tightening, and losing a socket in a body panel that took another hour to retrieve with a magnet and my endoscope , and chipping a little paint off the fender and door that I'll have to touch up, I finally got it aligned. Shuts great now. Unfortunately since a P.O. put on that 69 stripe with a misaligned door the stripe doesn't line up right.

I'd rather have a working aligned door that shuts and won't trap me in the car, than a lined up stripe. Stripe is coming off eventually anyway.

 

[purplehazedart]

View attachment 1716511217

Did the exhaust ever rattle/hit the cross member when installed like this?

 

[Stumpy]

Did the exhaust ever rattle/hit the cross member when installed like this?

Not that I've observed in the short time it's been drivable. Not happy with that exhaust layout. The plan is to eventually replace the headers with manifolds and I'll redo the exhaust then when I find a round tuit. Right now bigger fish to fry on this fish.

 

[Stumpy]

Finally got around to puzzling out the non-working map light.

 

[4spdragtop]

Looking good! Fyi there are repop 340 hipo manifolds available now when you swap out headers.

 

[Stumpy]

Looking good! Fyi there are repop 340 hipo manifolds available now when you swap out headers.

I've read that the 340 exhaust manifolds don't quite fit the 318 heads without some port work. I haven't seriously researched it yet though.

I read the older 273 commando exhaust manifolds work though. I was considering going that way. Also 360 manifolds.

 

[Stumpy]

Did some detective work when I had a rear panel out. Turns out the cards were reupholstered white 67s. They were originally reupholstered again in white to match the recovered white with red accent seats. Then they were all painted black.

The window frame is super clean. California cars.

I'm probably going back to the original maroon with white vinyl interior.

 

[Stumpy]

First cars and coffee with the LACuda.

 

[Stumpy]

Decided to go with the repro bluetooth Antique Automobile Radio Inc unit and test installed it using the speakers that came with the car. I'm in the process of rebuilding the cut up bezel and am planning to fix and paint the cut up dash frame when I do the headliner this summer.

Some before and after pics adding 1" lowering blocks and raised the torsion bars a little to get a stance I like better.

 

[mygasser]

lol, the 'before' pic made me think you'd open the trunk and a load of rabbits would come out

 

[Stumpy]

lol, the 'before' pic made me think you'd open the trunk and a load of rabbits would come out

As my dad would say in the 80s..."Jacked up like a stinkbug". It was even worse with the larger tires.

The high center of gravity made it drive terrible. The KYB Gas-a-Just shocks are stiffer than I like but they do improve cornering a bit. I might later go with softer shocks and front sways but right now there more important things to do on it.

 

[Stumpy]

I hate aftermarket window tint. Could have been worse. Could have been the spray on type. Still, what a mess.

At least it's removable with non-toxic methods. 6-hours, patience, heat gun, steam cleaner and a utility knife blade did the trick. Still have hours of glue residue clean up to do.

 

[Stumpy]

Found a suitable replacement for the aftermarket shifter handle. The shifter mount was changed to a bolt-in instead of original bayonet style so I went with the later #7926 shifter. Luckily I had a white 4-speed small thread ball in my parts pile.

Clears the bucket better. Big difference in shifting. Longer throw but easier. I like that the shifter ball is now closer to the steering wheel.

 

[Stumpy]

Aligned the Cuda after adjusting suspension. Fixed electric choke on old Holley doublepumper. Turns out it was just disabled by PO like everything else on this car. Took it apart and re-attached the coiled spring, reconnected the linkage and wired it up to 12V. Works now.

 

[Stumpy]

Got up a few days ago and decided to delete the 69 Stripes put on by a PO. PITA but worth it.

 

[Stumpy]

First round of cutting and put on the custom centercaps I made out of internet parts. I like these better than the Centerline caps and they were inexpensive.

 

[Stumpy]

Finished cutting the Bacaruda. I need a few days off to recover. Ow. That was a workout.

 

[mygasser]

it may have been a workout but it was so worth it.
neil.

 

[qkcuda]

I just found your thread. The car looks great. I'm kind of partial to 2nd Gen Barracudas, I owned several.