65 Barracuda w/500ci RB, Stage VI Max Wedge Port Heads, 6-speed, and 5.38 Dana

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Keep up your work bro.
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Thanks. I need motivation. Don't feel like I'm making much progress. Been traveling a lot with this job so its difficult to find time to devote to it.
 
Nice little snug fit. Headers going out the firewall I guess. Looks good man

Thanks. My best friend offered me a set of worn out Proparts headers. I plan to take him up on it. Even if I don't get them, I plan to fab up semi-chassis headers similar to them; ie.: two pipes inside and two pipes outside the frame rail on the driver side and 3 pipes in and 1 pipe out on the passenger side. I'm going to try and keep as much of the inner fenders as possible.
 
Thanks. I need motivation. Don't feel like I'm making much progress. Been traveling a lot with this job so its difficult to find time to devote to it.

Any progress is better than no progress. Your doing what you can, when you can and it looks like your doing it the right way. You mentioned Travis ....I got out of the Air force back in 1990 and back in the reserves in 1991 to 1995 for (Desert Storm) then back out till 2006 till present and this time I'm staying, till they kick me out....although it is my full time job now as a Civilian Technician and weekend Reservist.
 
Once again, it's been a long time since I posted anything or had time or motivation to work on the Barracuda. However, after working on vehicles the last 3 days, I finally decided to get under the Barracuda tonight and drill out the last few spot welds I could see on the rear shock crossmember. I can't find any of the spot welds on the forward lip, so tomorrow or Thursday I'll get underneath it with my grinder and a cut-off wheel and cut the front lip out of it. I'll post some updated pics once I get the coil over shock crossmember installed.

While I was at Carlisle, I snagged an E-body pistol grip for the T-56 and my best friend hooked me up with the ProParts headers I mentioned previously. However, they were better than I thought; they weren't wore out at all, just modified and a few pipes cut. I also picked up a set of spot weld bits that I used to drill out the last few spot welds on the rear shock crossmember this evening.
 
Well, this afternoon I got the shock spacers and additional shock supports cut out and ground down what was left of the spot welds from the rear shock crossmember. Tomorrow morning I plan to yank the BBP 7 1/4 with SS springs out of it and shove the narrowed Dana with the ladder bars under it. I may take some pictures tomorrow morning for posting.

I won't have time for working the coilovers tomorrow; my car club is coming over to our home in the afternoon for the annual picnic. I spent this evening cleaning the pool and setting up a volleyball net. Hopefully I can find some time on Sunday to get back at it.
 
Dana is back underneath her. Thought I'd snap a quick pic before I pull the slicks, take measurements, hang plumb bobs, mark the floor, and determine the correct positioning of the coilover shock crossmember.

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Thanks. My best friend offered me a set of worn out Proparts headers. I plan to take him up on it. Even if I don't get them, I plan to fab up semi-chassis headers similar to them; ie.: two pipes inside and two pipes outside the frame rail on the driver side and 3 pipes in and 1 pipe out on the passenger side. I'm going to try and keep as much of the inner fenders as possible.


I am building a low deck 64 Dart and I have a set of modified Pro Parts headers for it. I haven't mocked it up yet but I have plenty of pics from Pishta who I bought them from. I would get them and mock them up before you go to the expense of custom fenderwells.

I am following your build closely.

Mike
 
One more photo. Sorry the lighting isn't better. I'll be glad to get the rear suspension done so I can roll it outside and get some better photos.

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I am building a low deck 64 Dart and I have a set of modified Pro Parts headers for it. I haven't mocked it up yet but I have plenty of pics from Pishta who I bought them from. I would get them and mock them up before you go to the expense of custom fenderwells.

I am following your build closely.

Mike

Sounds like a cool project Mike. I look forward to seeing your build thread so I can get some ideas from your header install. I plan to work on the headers after I finish the rear suspension.
 
Well, on hold for parts. I didn't notice till right now, but the lower shock mounts I ordered from Bears Performance a year ago by describing them to the sales person, he obviously didn't understand the ones I was refering to as they sent the wrong ones. I needed the offset style and received the non-offset style. I described the ones on Brad426's Valiant and the salesman acted like he knew the ones I was talking about. I don't understand why he didn't refer me to their website, that I didn't know they had until now, to verify I was getting the right ones. Let's see how this worksout.

I can keep working though. I'm fabbing my own brackets for the shocks to bolt to. I can cut them out on the band saw and drill out the holes on the drill press. Then it will be time to weld them on while I'm waiting for the offset lower mounts.
 
I decided to move to exhaust. I have not welded anything, just cut and mocked up before welding. I've only finished #2 and #8 pipes down to the collector, but I think it looks good. I know; #2 and #8 are the easiest to do, but I wanted to keep myself motivated so I did the easy ones first. I believe #4 and #6 are going to be a bear since I will have to probably have some pipes bent to clear the lower control arm. I'm not even looking forward to the drivers side; trying to clear the manual steering box and the bellcrank once I get it built.

You can't see from the photo, but there is actually clearance between the #2 pipe and the torsion bar. You can see in the one photo that there's 1/2" between the tire and the #8 pipe when the wheel is turned fully to the right. However, that was with the exhaust hanging as low as possible. I've since jacked up the right lower control arm to where the weight of the vechicle is on it and held it where I plan to weld it; there is 1" with it held in the position I intend to weld it after I finish the #4 and #6 pipes. The only dimple I had to make was on the #2 pipe where it comes near the rear upper control arm mount. I did have to massage the inner fender some and plan to do it a little more just in and forward of the shock. The pipes not against the fender, but it's close. There is probably an 1/8" between it and the valve cover.

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If it was a low deck...........
 
I can't believe I didn't notice it before, but there is no reason I can't lengthen #2 and bring it closer to #8 so I can have the possibility of taking #6 out into the fenderwell as well. My best friend mentioned it to me over the phone that I need to consider running more that one pipe on the passenger side into the fenderwell. He's not even here to see it and can think of that stuff; I wish I could do that. That was wasted effort dimpling #2 and cutting the inner fenderwell at the UCA mount bracket; darn it!

I'm out cutting the drivers side inner fenderwell for #3 and #5 pipes now. I'll post pictures later of how it comes out.

Last night I ordered brackets to mount the coilovers to the Dana; I decided I'd rather order them instead of making them myself so I can make more progress in other areas. It showed they will arrive today or tomorrow. My goal over the next two weeks is to get the rear suspension completed and start building my rear wheel tubs. After that I'll remove the 4-speed and scattershield so I can install the T-56 and its scattershield. That will allow me to start fabbing my T-56 transmission crossmember and bellcrank assembly so I'll be able to figure out the rest of the routing of #1 and #7 pipes.
 
I'm not quite as happy with my cutting on this side. I took a little too much at the bottom, so I will weld some of it back in. Unfortunately, those photos won't upload; they must be too large. #3 comes extremely close to the washer on top of the shock, so I will probably dimple that tube a small bit. There is 5/8" distance between the tire and the tube.

You can see from inside the fender where I've marked in pencil to trim a bit more just forward of #3 tube. I've been using my fingers as a guage with the holes on both sides; I try to get exactly a fingers width between the tubes and the holes I've cut in the fenders.

I'm done with headers for now. Time to get back to the rear suspension.

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Well, I learned something today. When shortening a diagonal link, cut the RH thread end off and shorten from that end. That way, when the threads cool down after welding, you can run a tap through them to clean them up. Otherwise, if you shorten from the LH end you are stuck having to buy a 3/4"-16 LH tap that you will probably never use again in your entire life and have to wait a week to receive. Lesson learned.
 
I know I'm nowhere close to ready for exhaust, but look what I just scored on Ebay:

[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/54-Chrome-Side-pipes-/191040182508?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=qjJuLQp3uKGvIPsR%252F4RdiksTIr0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/54-Chrome-Side-pipes-/191040182508?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=qjJuLQp3uKGvIPsR%252F4RdiksTIr0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc[/ame]

I know some people think they are "too corvettey", but I've always loved side pipes and they were too cool to pass up. I'll be picking them up tomorrow. It works out well; I have to go through Louisville, KY so I get to visit my sister and brother in law tomorrow around dinner time.
 
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