Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

[1967 'cuda]

OK. My misery level has been less the last few days. Although I haven't finished cleaning the garage yet, I did manage to clear enough space to get the funnycar chassis inside.

Please don't laugh! I didn't build the frame. The guy that I'd bought the car from (back in the 70s) was setting it up as a 2 passenger bracket/show car. I'm not sure if I'll try to finish it out as is, modify it, or start over from scratch. It's spent the last few years out in the elements so I've got a lot of cleanup work to do.

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[1967 'cuda]

I've gotten most of the chassis cleaned up but there are several hours worth of work to go. Today I decided to move the body onto the driveway. It looks REALLY shabby right now but fiberglass repair isn't the hardest thing to do. It wouldn't be in this bad of shape except it was vandalized while out at the farm.

After all of the posts about house repair and tooth problems I guess this is (sort of) an A-body.


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[1967 'cuda]

The Ford truck I've been driving the past few years doesn't have a heater. I was going to replace the heater core at first. - (That is, I was going to replace it until I went online to look up the step by step procedure.) According to what I read, I needed to remove both air bag assemblies along with most of the dash. The heater hoses are almost impossible to access without a special tool. I really didn't want to put $1000 worth of labor into a $500 pickup.

With Winter on it's way I've decided not to freeze my b@lls off like I did last year. Instead I think it's time for another truck. After searching Craigslist I found a quad cab Ford that seems to be in pretty good shape. I would have preferred a Dodge but I couldn't find any within my price range that weren't really crusty. As soon as Teresa gets home we'll be on our way to check it out. It's in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

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[SNKEBIT]

Sorry John, one of the ugliest trucks ever built. I don't care how much you try, that is definitely lipstick on a pig.....

 

[1967 'cuda]

Sorry John, one of the ugliest trucks ever built. I don't care how much you try, that is definitely lipstick on a pig.....

It was even uglier in person, so I had to buy it.

Naturally it wasn't in as good of condition as advertised. It was supposed to be fully functional & mechanically sound.

The cruise control doesn't work.

The air conditioning blows warm.

The fan control only works on high.

One switch for the power windows doesn't work,

The sunroof needs work and is mechanically disconnected.

The rocker panels and one cab corner are rusted out.

Keyless entry keypad on door doesn't work.

The rear seat won't fold down because there's a subwoofer stuffed beneath it.

I didn't expect perfection on a truck this old but it wasn't as advertised. On a bright note, the heater works great (on high). I got the seller to knock off $800 of his asking price and figured it was looking like a better deal than the other trucks I'd seen. I wasn't really looking for a 4wd but maybe I'll be glad I have one once the snow starts flying.

For me it's just a truck. As long as it'll pull my trailer and get me by until I finish the 'Lil Red I'll be happy. I noticed that a lot of the controls it has seem to be similar to the ones in my old(er) Ford. I may scavenge parts off of it if they'll work.

 

[R4Sedan]

Truck looks good John, it will be nice for you to have another project.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Truck looks good John, it will be nice for you to have another project.

ANOTHER PROJECT? ANOTHER PROJECT? HECK NO!! I'll try to leave it as much alone as I can and just fix the essentials. Then I can beat it like a red-headed stepchild without worrying about scuffing the paint.

One of the worries I had if I'd bought a Dodge was that I'd feel obligated to fix it all up and give it some extra goodies.

I just needed transportation for parts and tools that had a heater and wasn't on it's last legs. On the plus side, the four doors means that I'll be able to have folks with shotguns ride in the back when the zombie apocalypse hits.

 

[sireland67]

Congrats on 4wd and a heater.
I know my Wrangler over time slowly the resistors burn out in the heater box, it starts loosing the lower speeds, I have changed out two of them over the years.
They are only like $20 at the local parts store, and about 15 minutes to change.

Look on the bright side, you can sell the old truck and get some of your money back.

 

[360DartGT66]

First pic of that funny (I mean really funny) car chassis had me thinking it was painted golden. Not so.

Maybe you should consider filling up those slicks a little? Sitting flat like that doesn't improve shelf life, I think.

Oh, and a friend of mine got an infected tooth that spread to his heart valve. Six months in the hospital and a transplant valve. You have a fever?

 

[03JeepJeep]

I was just in Omaha a few weeks ago. Didn't realize that I was close to you!

 

[1967 'cuda]

Congrats on 4wd and a heater.

I know my Wrangler over time slowly the resistors burn out in the heater box, it starts loosing the lower speeds, I have changed out two of them over the years.
They are only like $20 at the local parts store, and about 15 minutes to change.

Look on the bright side, you can sell the old truck and get some of your money back.

Thanks Sireland. If they do carry those at the parts stores I'm sure they'll be cheaper than having to go through Ford for them. I doubt I'll get much out of the old truck- especially with Winter this close. I may just end up parking it at the farm and let the vandals have their way with it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

First pic of that funny (I mean really funny) car chassis had me thinking it was painted golden. Not so.

That 'golden' hue is disappearing and I'm getting it back to nice shiny bare steel. I'll have to make my modifications and figure out a paint scheme before I put any color on it.

My son sees no point in building a car that can't be street driven. He'd like to see me figure out a way to license it and get it on the highway. I've lost enough brain cells over the years that I'm darn near tempted to try and do it. It'd be a ***** trying to crawl in and out of it when I'm at Walmart. LOL!!

Maybe you should consider filling up those slicks a little? Sitting flat like that doesn't improve shelf life, I think.

Those slicks got slashed when the car was vandalized so keeping them inside didn't matter. I'll be needing a replacement pair when the time comes.

Oh, and a friend of mine got an infected tooth that spread to his heart valve. Six months in the hospital and a transplant valve. You have a fever?

I've already had a pair of heart attacks so I have had an ongoing concern about these sort of things. No fever but I've certainly been getting the chills out in the garage lately.


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[1967 'cuda]

I was just in Omaha a few weeks ago. Didn't realize that I was close to you!

I'm about an hour's drive West of Omaha, - out in the boonies. Too bad you didn't stop by. I've still got beer in the fridge.

 

[360DartGT66]

Those slicks got slashed when the car was vandalized so keeping them inside didn't matter. I'll be needing a replacement pair when the time comes.

Bastards.

 

[03JeepJeep]

I'm about an hour's drive West of Omaha, - out in the boonies. Too bad you didn't stop by. I've still got beer in the fridge.

I reckon I can not rightfully turn down beer. I will be back through that area again. My brother lives and works there in Omaha

 

[1967 'cuda]

Bastards.

I simply cannot fathom why people vandalize property. If someone hates me and wants to do me harm, all they have to do is send their little sister to come beat me up?

When I was young I'd get an *** whooping by my folks if I ever messed with someone else's stuff or if I failed to say please and thank you.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I reckon I can not rightfully turn down beer. I will be back through that area again. My brother lives and works there in Omaha

Dang right! It'd be almost unsociable to say NO to a cold one! - Of course, there is my sparkling personality that has most folk less than anxious to visit.

 

[1967 'cuda]

OK, OK!! I know I said I was only going to fix the essentials on the Ford I just bought, but sometimes there's no one around to slap me on the side of my head.

I went ahead and ordered cab corners and rocker panels for the truck. Then I noticed how cloudy the headlights were. - I tried one of those kits that they advertise on the TV but it was a waste of $10, so I ordered a new replacement pair. Next thing you know I'm buying a tonneau cover, window switches, a replacement ashtray/drink holder, a brake controller, GPS, and other doo-dads. It's a disease!

 

[sireland67]

I think you could get enough out of the old truck to make it worth your while to put a gate up on the property.
Nail in 2x4's buried on the sides of the gates if they try to drive around it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I think you could get enough out of the old truck to make it worth your while to put a gate up on the property.

Nail in 2x4's buried on the sides of the gates if they try to drive around it.

I think it's like throwing away an old pair of sneakers. As unlikely as it may be that I'll use that truck again, I just hate parting with it. LOL. - Yah, I've thought about dumping the 'ol girl but I think I'll wait just in case I figure out that there are parts off it I could use.

 

[360DartGT66]

You know, that's how barn finds happen.

 

[Abodybomber]

Congrats on 4wd and a heater.
I know my Wrangler over time slowly the resistors burn out in the heater box, it starts loosing the lower speeds, I have changed out two of them over the years.
They are only like $20 at the local parts store, and about 15 minutes to change.

Look on the bright side, you can sell the old truck and get some of your money back.

A common problem,Sireland.. The Jeeps & Y2K era Chevs, need blower motor resistors/switches,even in so called "sunny CA"...

 

[Abodybomber]

I think it's like throwing away an old pair of sneakers. As unlikely as it may be that I'll use that truck again, I just hate parting with it. LOL. - Yah, I've thought about dumping the 'ol girl but I think I'll wait just in case I figure out that there are parts off it I could use.

Interesting F/C frame origins,John. Looks well put together,just different.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I know my Wrangler over time slowly the resistors burn out in the heater box, it starts loosing the lower speeds, I have changed out two of them over the years.

They are only like $20 at the local parts store, and about 15 minutes to change.

A common problem,Sireland.. The Jeeps & Y2K era Chevs, need blower motor resistors/switches,even in so called "sunny CA"...

Thanks for the advice, guys. I saw that I could get the resistor for $9 online but I didn't want to wait. - $25 at the local NAPA. Works great now. One more thing off of my 'to do' list.

While I was at it I noticed that my dome lights wouldn't come on when I opened the doors. I checked and saw that the interior light relay was missing. - Put in a new one and things are back as they should be. I noticed that the relay also controls the door buzzer. I suppose someone pulled it to get rid of the noise.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Interesting F/C frame origins,John. Looks well put together,just different.

According to the guy I'd bought it from, BLUE Engineering out of Lincoln, Nebraska built the chassis. They have a great reputation for building sprint car chassis. After I got the car home and further inspected it, I noticed that only half of it had been tig welded. The workmanship on the main frame looked great but the cage hoops must have been welded on by someone else after it left BLUE Engineering. Those welds were cobbly and they applied bondo over them to hide the flaws.

I know I'll have to chop that cage off because it's too tall for the body. I'm not certain if I'll keep the double hoops. I need to tack some hinges onto the chassis so I can hang the body first. Then I can assess the proper cage height.

I've got a buddy that builds race car chassis. I don't have a tubing bender so I'll need his help with fabrication. It'll be a long process getting this thing built.