1966 Barracuda 440 build

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Badawg

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I guess any normal person would start a build thread at the begining of their build, makes sense right? Well, normal is 1 thing Ive never been accused of being. The fact of the matter is that while Im pretty good at taking pictures as things progress, Im flat out lazy when it comes to uploading them and keeping them organised on my computer. My dear friend Memike has been ... ummm..."encouraging" me to get my act together so here it is.

**DISCLAIMER** I have a tendency to be more than a little long winded so if you arent into reading a book you may just want to stop reading now and scroll down to the pics:-D

1966 Barracuda non Formula S bought without an engine. The previous owner had started the restoration and then gave up. Its an e-bay find that I bought sight unseen, other than in pictures. Id have to say that I for sure got lucky because despite the fact that there are always some little details that get left out on the condition of a vehicle the car was in great condition for the price paid.

After spending a TON of time going through this site and reading old threads and posts(FABO really has been a godsend for me) I decided a BB build is what I wanted. For the life of me I cant remember who told me to talk to Abodyjoe about doing the BB in an Early-A, but it was GREAT advice! I cant thank him enough for really filling me in on all that was going to be involved and all the little things that I probably would have learned the hard way if not for his knowledge. I came across a GREAT deal on a 440/727 package being sold on here by WW2 (Wally) and hes another person that I cant thank enough for sharing his years of experience and knowledge. The deal was for a rebuilt 440, rebuilt 727 transmission, Schumacher Tri-Y headers, aluminum radiator with hoses, trans cooler and lines, ECU unit, voltage regulator, battery with both cables, Lokar kickdown cable, oil pressure and water temp gauge with hardware and a few other goodies. We also worked out a deal for an A-body 8 3/4 suregrip 3.55.

The first 5 months or so has been spent completely going over the front end. Suspension, disc brake conversion, under body cleanup, engine bay cleanup, etc. Along with hunting for parts and stockpiling them as I came across them.

Enough typing for now. Ill start off with some before and during pics and will be adding more as I work through the mess that I have in the "my pictures" file on the computer.

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Very ambitious project! I have often wondered how close to fitting the Schumaker headers were in an early A. What motor mounts are you going to use? I have a set of Street Master mounts that worked great. I just gave up on getting exhaust on my 383 Valiant.
 
Sounds like you,ve gathered all the right stuff for your project?Also a BB to boot!More pics. Badawg as you progress!!
 
What inspiration! I just bought a 66 barracuda in pretty good shape and I could already see it with new paint, rims and tires. Seeing yours makes me feel alot better!

Skullz
 
BaDawg,our builds are very similar(except yours being BB)and sounds like you got quite the package parts deal with the BB!!Way to go,carry on with your progress and PICS!!!HAHA!!Hey MeMike,good for you kicking BaDawgs butt on posting pics.Thanks!=P~
 
i will be watching this thread. i have been curious to see the process of someone actually putting a big block in an early a. please take lots of pictures and mention all you problems and solutions. i dont mind reading as long as im learning something i enjoy. i have already been thinkging of how cool it would be to put a 383 or 400 into my 63 wagon. good luck!
-aaron-
 
Well its about time Ron :cheers: I have not herd from you for a while and know I see why:happy10:, I looked at your picture dates and you got started just one month before I got Victoria. Glad you finally started a thread.
I sure have missed your pm's. Keep up the good work and let us know if you are in need of anything, Tell Trevor I said hello. Nice 66 Barracuda Big block build =P~
 
Well Badawg, I for one will not pull your chain about uploading pics, but it sure is good to see them. I love the way it looks now, but of course I'm just a little biased!!! She was lookin' a little dusty and unloved in the before pics, but she sure is looking good now. I have all the confidence in your ability to tame the beast and get it nestled in those REALLY narrow inners, but it's gonna take a mighty big shoehorn!!! Of course you know, we'd all like to see your progress in pics, so just post them when you can. You got about 14 pages to go before you catch up to Tony's thread though!!! Oops, I said I wasn't going to pull your chain, that one sort of slipped. Happy Easter and keep up the good work there my man!!! Geof
 
A few update pics. The engine bay has color and has been cleared as well, just havent gotten the pics off the camera yet.

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Excellent progress Badawg!If your like me,once you get going can,t stop til she,s done!Keep up the great work.Are you going with the fenderwell headers?
 
Thanks Pettyblu, Its getting there! Im going shumacher tri-y's.
 
That looks awesome Badawg!I was gonna ask about what colour under the hood?But I figured you weren,t gonna do it black.LOL!Looks better than my job,and I like the console also!Now the fun begins,shoehorning that 440 in there!Keep up the progress!
 
YOU DOG DAWG
I am so proud to see you do good work brother :cheers:
That sure looks great :cheers: Trevor must be proud :love7:
The day will come when I send my head to 66aCuda and do my engine bay and make you proud :-D



DAMN THAT LOOKS GOOD
 
Looks pretty nice so far.

I'm anxious to see how that 440 fits. I have access to one, but not sure I'd want to go this route.

I noticed you went with stripping the silver paint on the console. It looks great, but I'll tell you, you might change your mind down the road. The sun light flashes I would get from mine when I did it the same way drove me crazy. I finally panted it silver again.
 
Thanks guys, its getting there and things are for sure moving faster now. I did think about the possible issue regarding sun glare on the console. I was going to ship the whole thing off to Leanna to powder coat, but shes still working hard at getting a bigger oven so I decided to give it a shot this way for the time being.

Mike, Trevor sends a big "Hello Papaw" your way and you know he loves those smiley faces lol
 
Looks awesome Ron!!! Keep up the great work. Thanks for thinking of me.

... I was going to ship the whole thing off to Leanna to powder coat, but shes still working hard at getting a bigger oven so I decided to give it a shot this way for the time being...

Okay, enough secrets. This is the scoop straight from the horse's fingers.

The new oven -- 4' x 4' x 9' -- is under construction right now. I am personally helping build it but my good friend Richard is doing the majority of the work ... I'm jes' a welding / fab up assistant :-D. Without going into all the boring details, just know that work is proceeding ahead of schedule and it should be done, installed, tested and fully operational within the next two to three weeks.

Belieeeeeeeeve me, I'll let everybody know (probably more often than you wanna hear) when it's crankin out big stuff. Been working towards this for a lonnnng time now so I'm as anxious as ya'll are. It's almost time and I can barely wait.
 
Thanks Leanna. I cant wait to be able to send some stuff your way so PLEASE keep me posted!
 
A few more before and after pics. Just plugging along as best I can.

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Nice work BaDawg!Now that all mechanical are done on my 66,it,s time to hit the interior!Everytime I take the car for a ride,I,m getting pine needles and rat crap and nesting crap all over the floor!Vacuumed 4 times and driven 6 times.I,ll also post some before and after pics.Mines bad and needs lots of attention!Yours is looking great so far,keep it up!
 
A 440 should fit,but it'll be tight for sure Can be done though.
i've seen a 392 Hemi shoehorned into a first gen a body.Header clearance was ridiculous.
 
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