'65 Barracuda Interior moldings under rear window

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Bob Jasinski

Bob Jasinski

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When purchased, my '65 Barracuda FS did not have a plastic molding over the center rear support member for the rear glass. It only had the plastic covers in the bottom corners (see picture). I have been under the belief that there was no plastic cover for the center piece, instead the center steel piece was just painted interior color, allowing air to flow through the open vent slots. However, in studying interior pictures of some, not all, but some, I am seeing a cover of sorts that has several round screens allowing air flow. I'm starting to think there was a cover over the center section. My car is an early production (12/4/1964) built in Los Angeles, could it be the cover was added later in production, or is mine just missing? I could not find a cover in the parts book.

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I've owned 3 early Barracudas and have never seen a plastic cover over the rear vents. It's always been body color. I've had a 64 and 2 65 cars in the past and none of them had that plastic cover. Don't know the production date of the 64 so I can't help in that way.
 
Bob, my '65 Barracuda does not have elongated slots in that area as does yours. Instead of slots, mine has 4 round holes (maybe 1" dia.) in that center area. They are plugged with round plastic caps which snap into the holes. While mine has the same plastic covers as yours in the corner areas, there is no plastic cover for that center area other than the plastic caps I describe. The caps are solid with no screens. That center area on mine is painted interior color.

As a side note, I also have two '66 Barracudas that show that area being the exact same as my '65.
 
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Keith Mopar said:
I've owned 3 early Barracudas and have never seen a plastic cover over the rear vents. It's always been body color. I've had a 64 and 2 65 cars in the past and none of them had that plastic cover. Don't know the production date of the 64 so I can't help in that way.
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Thanks Keith, I've thought all these years there wasn't a cover, but its in the shop now getting ready for paint and my painter had another customer look at my car and said his had holes with screens saying it was a cover and the vent bar metal should be body color, not interior color. I'm going with interior color (Black) and that's all I need to do. The body is gold.
 
DC 340 said:
Bob, my '65 Barracuda does not have elongated slots in that area as does yours. Instead of slots, mine has 4 round holes (maybe 1" dia.) in that center area. They are plugged with round plastic caps which snap into the holes. While mine has the same plastic covers as yours in the corner areas, there is no plastic cover for that center area other than the plastic caps I describe. The caps are solid with no screens. That center area on mine is painted interior color.

As a side note, I also have two '66 Barracudas that show that area being the exact same as my '65.
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I'm scratching my head. If the holes are covered with a solid plug, how do you get flow through ventilation?
 
Bob Jasinski said:
I'm scratching my head. If the holes are covered with a solid plug, how do you get flow through ventilation?
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I can tell you there was never an intended vent in this location on my Barracuda. Nothing when the rear bulkhead is closed. There are some elongated slots inside this frame channel you can feel thru the rear rubber flaps. They are not exposed to the interior however.

The plastic plugs I referred to are simply covering the required access holes to mount the exterior rear center molding.
 
DC 340 said:
I can tell you there was never an intended vent in this location on my Barracuda. Nothing when the rear bulkhead is closed. There are some elongated slots inside this frame channel you can feel thru the rear rubber flaps. They are not exposed to the interior however.

The plastic plugs I referred to are simply covering the required access holes to mount the exterior rear center molding.
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I'm pretty sure those elongated slots you can feel through the rubber flaps are the same ventilation slots shown in my picture.
 
Bob Jasinski said:
I'm pretty sure those elongated slots you can feel through the rubber flaps are the same ventilation slots shown in my picture.
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No, I do not think so. I think you have something different as yours are exposed to the interior as I see in your picture.
 
My 65 has plastic covers only over the end caps. The center is painted metal with the slots described above. The center piece is painted black. Mine has its original paint. (The rest of the interior metal except for the dash has been repainted, but the center rear piece is the original paint.) As far as I know NONE of the interior metal of ANY 65 or 66 Barracuda was originally painted body color; it was always painted the interior color (my Barracuda originally was white with a black interior). I have seen "restored" 65 and 66 Barracudas, though, with body colored interior metal.

I have owned my 65 since August of 1968, when it only had 35,000 miles on it.

I used to have a gold 66 Barracuda, with a white and brownish/gold interior. The back piece was painted metal to match the rest of the interior metal. Can't remember now whether it had the slots or the plugged holes.

This is my 65:



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All interesting. My Barracuda does not have those slots. Plastic plugs are out on mine now and you can see the color change I did to my interior.

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65 Cuda 340 said:
My 65 has plastic covers only over the end caps. The center is painted metal with the slots described above. The center piece is painted black. Mine has its original paint. (The rest of the interior metal except for the dash has been repainted, but the center rear piece is the original paint.) As far as I know NONE of the interior metal of ANY 65 or 66 Barracuda was originally painted body color; it was always painted the interior color (my Barracuda originally was white with a black interior). I have seen "restored" 65 and 66 Barracudas, though, with body colored interior metal.

I have owned my 65 since August of 1968, when it only had 35,000 miles on it.

I used to have a gold 66 Barracuda, with a white and brownish/gold interior. The back piece was painted metal to match the rest of the interior metal. Can't remember now whether it had the slots or the plugged holes.

This is my 65:



View attachment 1716212690
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Thanks for the photo. My car was originally gold exterior/gold interior, so in that case they are the same color. I am keeping the gold exterior but changing to a black interior, so I need to paint it black. My painter is not real happy about it because he has to paint it a different color than the rest of the body, can't remove it and do it at the same time as the black pieces. He's a good guy, I just have to convince him there's no cover and it remains visible once completed.
 
Here's page 28 from the owners manual on unique features of the Barracuda, including ventilation under that big window.

Pg 28 op manual rear vent.jpg
 
Mine appears to have the "Interior Fresh Air Ventilation" through slots shown in the "65 Cuda 340" picture. On top of the side metal trim on each side under the big window. FWIW.
 
I found this picture (not my car) of the later style; that center support definitely changed. Why the plugs? Where's the flow through? Were the long vents overpowering or something? Did these cars still have rubber flaps at the top of the trunk opening? How does the air escape? A Barracuda mystery.


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DC 340 said:
Mine appears to have the "Interior Fresh Air Ventilation" through slots shown in the "65 Cuda 340" picture. On top of the side metal trim on each side under the big window. FWIW.
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Closeup picture please
 
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Bob - I now am confused on this fresh air ventilation in my car. The "slots" I incorrectly referred to above is only one slot on the pass side metal trim. I now believe that slot was for the optional rear window defogger. In the absence of that defogger, I am not clear whether it provides an adequate ventilation path or not. It clearly vents to inside the trunk so assuming air can find its way out of the trunk, it is a vent. I retrieved my plastic plugs just to make sure my memory is correct in that they are solid plugs. They indeed are.

IMG_20240227_082655.jpg
 
DC 340 said:
Bob - I now am confused on this fresh air ventilation in my car. The "slots" I incorrectly referred to above is only one slot on the pass side metal trim. I now believe that slot was for the optional rear window defogger. In the absence of that defogger, I am not clear whether it provides an adequate ventilation path or not. It clearly vents to inside the trunk so assuming air can find its way out of the trunk, it is a vent. I retrieved my plastic plugs just to make sure my memory is correct in that they are solid plugs. They indeed are.

View attachment 1716213412
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I'm confused too. I know about the vent opening in the metal trim piece above the optional rear window defogger. I thought that was there to pull air through to circulate air across the rear window, but not exhaust it. The exhaust would have to come out through the rubber flaps, not go into the trunk, there's no outlet other than the flaps that I am aware of.
 
From my copy of February 1965 Hot Rod. You can barely see the crossmember uncovered.

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My 66 has vent slots on the side of the rear window…not the rear. 4 round holes in the rear
 
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