1969 Barracuda Fastback

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Finally, new driveshaft:
The postman delivered the most expensive T-shirt I ever bought..., but it came with a driveshaft :).

After almost 5 months trying to find an original driveshaft in good condition, I gave up and ordered a custom-made driveshaft from Dennys Driveshaft and Driveline Parts High Speed High RPM Balanced Steel and Aluminum Drive Shaft Specialist with Free Shipping on parts orders over $99.00 - very friendly and competent customer service.

Considering the time and costs (buying, shipping, new u-joints, sandblasting, paint/powder coating, and balancing) to restore an original driveshaft still a good price.

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Started the car today, shifted through all gears and checked fluid levels. Rolled a few meters back and forth, but there are still issues that need to be addressed before it can go on the open road.

Even though I tried to wire up everything according to the SM, I know already that there are somewhere faults in the wiring system:

-The map light goes on as soon as the battery is connected, no matter ignition switch on/off, doors open/closed

-I bought the wrong sender for the oil pressure (need one for the oil pressure gauge – not light):BangHead:

-The indicators don’t flash but rather stay on (must have done something wrong when I switched the manual steering column back to the original power steering column)

Since electricity is not my favorite, I guess I won’t get bored…
 
Looks good Wolfgang. It won't be long now. Is there a separate map light switch under the dash? I can't remember.
 
qkcuda said:
Looks good Wolfgang. It won't be long now. Is there a separate map light switch under the dash? I can't remember.
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Good Evening,

No there is no map light switch, or at least I could not find one. The 1969 SM contains 3 different wiring diagrams regarding map and glove box light. Well, non of those diagrams do exactly represent the stock looking wiring under my dash. Today I tried to sort out respective wires, but more vital than those two lights is the wiring for the indicators.

Cheers,

Wolfgang
 
Wolfgang,

Super nice job on the interior.

Electrical gremlins can be a pain in the arse to find. I hate it and I am an electrical engineer! Many lights are turned on by fully completing the ground circuit, so if there is something bad with the wiring (like insulation broken off or pinched) then you could have that type of situation where the light never goes off.

Good luck!

Hawk
 
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Thanks, Hawk, an electrical engineer...hmm, that is exactly what I need. I can offer free beer as much as you can drink :)
 
Electrical issues:
After reading a few related threads here on FABO, the search and fixes were quite easy. Thank you, to all members who tirelessly share their knowledge and useful information FOR FREE - your posts were a great help:thankyou:.

-Blinker lights stayed on - new light bulbs (1157A) and adding ground to the front parking light sockets/pigtail solved this problem. The lamp sockets/pigtails had no, or poor ground.

-Map lamp stayed on- cleaning up both door switches and replacing the broken insulation on the connectors to the door switches solved this problem.

-4way emergency flasher did not work - dissembling and thoroughly cleaning the in- and externals of the switch solved this problem.

-Rear blinker stayed occasionally on - the stoplight switch needed new adjustment (built back from manual to power brakes - different pedal end position) and replaced old light bulbs (1157)

Other than that, two connectors in the fuse box were misaligned and dangerously close to each other. I just needed to bend them back a little bit. Apart from the ignition switch, all the switches in the car are now cleaned and rebuilt. I also got me a new AGM battery and ran an additional ground wire from the left cylinder head to the brake booster/firewall studs (black may look better, but blue is what I had left at home).
Et voila - windshield wiper motor and every light on the car works as it should.

Once the lights were fixed, it was time to pack a board bag (fire extinguisher, tools, spare parts, etc.) and go for a first test drive on public roads.

It runs, steers and brakes - next on the list is getting the front wheel alignment done.


Cheers,

Wolfgang

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Headrest “upgrade”:
The 1969 headrests are not really a safety feature, nor are they comfortable, but to me, the bucket seats looked incomplete without them.

Tan colored headrests are not available on the aftermarket and finding original ones is obviously quite hard - I tried several weeks. So, I ended up purchasing a pair of original black headrests in good driver quality – as the rest of the interior appears to be. FABO member @blewbyoutobad described in his “How to article” the restoration of vinyl headrests very well – Thank you very much, quite helpful!

For the chrome trim I used a product made in America (liked the quality):
1/4'' Chrome Half Round Trim Molding

For testing purposes, I ordered a pair of headrest chrome bezels from Mopar Plus Restoration Parts
The bezels looked ok, apart from the fact that one had a tiny scratch. The screws, which came with the bezels are an insult, the cheapest junk I have ever seen. On one screw half of the threads were missing. I tried to call Moparplus and send them a message but till now no answer.

So, I ordered the second pair from PG Classic - Dodge and Plymouth Restoration Parts, the same packing, same bezels, and same cheap screws. Someone may conclude that both vendors get their parts from the same manufacturer.

Again, I had to invest additional time to find proper screws. Got lucky at the local ACE hardware store, they carried some nice shiny and straight screws. I just needed to remove the sealing washer.

I am happy with the outcome, the vinyl paint matches the color tone of the seats quite well.

Here a few pictures:

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Wheel alignment and more test-drives:
Well, another lesson learned! Confident to have the ride height perfectly set, I drove to a well-established shop to do my wheel alignment. I told them not to change anything on the ride height and provided specific wheel alignment specifications. They did a very good job and treated the car properly.

Ok, me excited went immediately for a longer test-drive. When I got home, I performed a general check including the ride height – on both sides 1 inch too high! :BangHead:

Since I didn’t drive much before getting the wheel alignment done, I was not sure, if the ride height changed on the way to the alignment shop or during the test drive. Anyway, I made another appointment, paid again, and this time we set the ride height at the shop and constantly checked it during the alignment procedure. So, in case the front suspension still settles a bit and changes the height again, I will just bring it back to the initially set ride height and can be sure to have a correct wheel alignment.

Was it necessary to do it twice? Yes, I need to support Ohio's economy :)!!! The alignment turned out not to be much off but on steering and brakes no compromises. Plus, I invested in a Firm Feel Stage II power steering and didn’t want to run the risk to lose any of the advantages of this upgrade.
So far, I really like the power steering upgrade, immediate responses and the steering wheel/car/road connection feels quite good – thank you Hawk for suggesting this upgrade.

First I was not sure about the speedometer gear I selected during the transmission rebuilt. Comparison between GPS and speedometer on the dash showed an almost perfect match +/- 3-5mph (at least up to 75mph) - happy about that.

Currently, I am slowly extending the radius for the test drives and working on a satisfactory kick down linkage, choke, and throttle cable setting – my initial setting provided not enough kick down pressure. I also need to locate and eliminate some annoying rattle noises in the car.

So, still a never-ending story…

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Awesome job as usual Wolfgang! The headrests look super on your car.

I am happy that you like the Firm Feel box. I have been very happy with how my Road Runner drives and steers overall. Nice new front end parts and the steering box made a HUGE difference.

The car looks great!

Hawk
 
Awesome job, the car looks Amazing. What ride height did you settle with ? The factory numbers or did you just measure at the wheel openings ?
 
Fresh air vent filter prototype:
Well, I don't have an AC yet so I do like to have the fresh air vents wide open. Unfortunately, dust and insects come with that fresh air into the passenger cabin.
Did some arts and crafts and fabricated a removable filter frame prototype - if it works I gonna make me a nicer pair.

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I noticed that the original oil pan on the just recently rebuilt transmission started leaking. Replaced it with a Mopar performance oil pan with drain plug - should have done that right away.

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Test drives:
I didn't ask for a racehorse, just wanted a quite reliable cruiser and therefore built the car close to stock.
Well, obviously I asked for too much, after around 250mls of test drives the result is quite sobering. The allegedly rebuilt radiator has a little leak, the alternator needed replacement, the new transmission neutral safety switch, which came with the rebuilt kit leaks through the switch, the new ignition coil leaks oil too. Apart from a few nice rides, this is very disappointing and means back to the table again. Especially annoying is that all those Mexican and Chinese junk parts mostly don't fit nor last one season. I wonder when people will wake up and restart to manufacture quality parts in their home country - I would definitely pay for quality.
I had already plans for an AC system, but with all those issues, I am back to the basics.


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Machmeter1 said:
I didn't ask for a racehorse, just wanted a quite reliable cruiser and therefore built the car close to stock.
Well, obviously I asked for too much, after around 250mls of test drives the result is quite sobering. The allegedly rebuilt radiator has a little leak, the alternator needed replacement, the new transmission neutral safety switch, which came with the rebuilt kit leaks through the switch, the new ignition coil leaks oil too. Apart from a few nice rides, this is very disappointing and means back to the table again. Especially annoying is that all those Mexican and Chinese junk parts mostly don't fit nor last one season. I wonder when people will wake up and restart to manufacture quality parts in their home country - I would definitely pay for quality.
I had already plans for an AC system, but with all those issues I am back to the basics.


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Your quote by Mr. Niebhur says it all
 
Sorry to hear about h leaks and issues. These little small things add up to a big pain in the butt.

Hopefully you get these solved quickly and get back to driving and doing the A/C upgrade. Send me a PM on FBBO if/when you need me to ship out the A/C compressor.

Hawk
 
Neutral safety switch:
The faulty new neutral safety switch came with the transmission rebuilt kit from A & Reds |. I replaced it with the old original switch - no leaks so far.
I was still curious about the deficiencies of this new switch and took the patient apart. There was no sealer, glue, good press-fit whatsoever between the metal housing and the black plastic core. It's no wonder that this part leaked:

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