Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

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Yeah, John. I know what you mean about the software update. Just try to work through it. I find myself not coming here as often, but if it wasn't for this place I wouldn't have met great people like you. I too am bad about not backing up my files and pictures, I need to start doing as well.
 
R4Sedan said:
Yeah, John. I know what you mean about the software update. Just try to work through it. I find myself not coming here as often, but if it wasn't for this place I wouldn't have met great people like you. I too am bad about not backing up my files and pictures, I need to start doing as well.
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I wasn't one of the first members of FABO so I don't know how it originally looked. When I did join I was impressed with the way it was set up. There are tons of websites that were clunky, inconvenient, and didn't provide near as many features. The guys that created this site did a fantastic job. I don't mean to criticize the efforts they've made in this last upgrade and I do realize there have been some improvements. There are some bugs that still need to be worked out. It is really a shame that it's had such an impact on the old threads though.

I agree with you about having made great contacts with guys I wouldn't have otherwise. When you couple that with the site being a good source for finding parts and information, - it's no wonder why we've become big fans.

If the site were ever to close it would be difficult (if not impossible) to find another to replace the void. Although I tend to own Chrysler products I sometimes build others and will visit some brand X sites. I haven't seen any that compare in quality. I even like the fact that FABO doesn't try to run people off that make non-Mopar posts.

I guess I'll keep working on the back up of the info I've been storing here.
 
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Yesterday I received a bill from the shop in Grand Island that's been working on the Roadrunner. Hoping that the car was done I called them up.

Well, not yet.

The bill (which was over $500) was just a monthly statement. The guy performing the majority of the work has had some health issues so it's been taking longer than expected. According to the paper work I received they've replaced the MAP sensor, one relay, the spark plugs, and rechecked valve lash. - I imagine the fresh plugs we'd installed must have been fouled by the poorly running efi system. It doesn't sound as though there was a problem with our lash settings but they ran the check anyway. Also on the bill was a charge for new valve cover gaskets and carb gasket.

- Hoping I'll be picking the car up next week.
 
The funnycar may not have looked too bad in the pictures I'd posted earlier but it needs a lot of repair. The body has several cracks in the roof from vandalism. Some teenage vandals had gotten on top of the car and jumped up & down on it. That was several years ago. Needless to say, it's one of the reasons the funnycar project had been put on hold for so long.

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To aid in the repair I am planning on reinforcing the roof with 3/8" aluminum rod. I'll form it to match the original roofline and fiberglass it to the underside. These bodies normally have some reinforcing anyway.

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I hadn't gotten too far on fabricating the body braces for the funnycar when the phone rang. It was Teresa. She called to say she was stranded alongside of the road 20 miles away and needed me to pick her up. I guess it's a good thing I serviced the trailer and installed the winch.

I was supposed to pick up a sheet of lexan that I'd ordered from the local glass shop but I suppose it'll wait until Monday. I'd figured that installing windows in the funnycar would aid in maintaining the body shape while I did the roof repair. Oh well, - one step forward and two steps back.

Teresa wasn't sure what was wrong with the Sebring but thought the car was toast. When I got there she was pulled over into the center median of a 4 lane highway. All I know is that she said it started to run badly and then smoke began rolling out of the back off the hood. I could see oil on the ground beneath it. The old battery in it wasn't up to the task of running accessories with the engine off without draining itself. Trying to crank it over wasn't an option.

The truck & trailer worked flawlessly. The winch didn't struggle at all.

Teresa has been letting her daughter and son-in-law drive the Sebring while she babysits for them. Ever since she started that practice there have been constant indications that someone's been really rough with it. As I was strapping the car down I could see new front end damage. I bitched all the way home.

My first steps will be to give it a thorough look over and charge the battery. I think I'll leave it on the trailer for now. Tomorrow I'll see if it will fire up and hopefully find out what's going on. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Maybe it'll be minor. - And maybe pigs CAN fly.
 
Geez ,John. One step forward,two steps back.. At least, you're getting time in on the Funny...
 
I"M SO CONFUSED!!

After letting the battery charge last night I climbed all over the top & bottom of the Sebring's engine compartment. Visually I didn't see any sign of anything burnt. It was oily next to the valve cover around the spark plug area on this OHV 4 cyl, but not necessarily more than what might have been present if someone had spilled a bit when adding some. All of the wiring looked OK. Coolant level was where it was supposed to be. It was down 1 quart of oil.

I went ahead and hit the ignition. The car started right up, ran smoothly, and there weren't any indicators lit on the dash. I took the car out for a short test drive and it seems to run perfectly. - No shakes, rattles, smoke, etc...

Teresa had claimed that the car started bucking, - didn't want to stay running, and she pulled over to the side of the road when she saw smoke rolling out from beneath the hood.

I'm not sure what's going on. Whenever her low life son-in-law drives the car it comes back looking like he's been going off-roading in it. This is part of the new abuse that was evident when I saw the car yesterday.

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It may not be major damage but I sure take it as a sign they're not babying the Sebring when they borrow it. As far as the vehicle's running problem, - I'm inclined to suspect gremlins or that Teresa just wants a newer car.
 
SNKEBIT said:
I would punch the little sob in the gut....................
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He may be a sob but he's not little. Teresa always tells me that he denies responsibility for any of our car woes. All I know for sure is that he's an a$$hole and damages to Teresa's car appear when he uses it.

I suspect he may be involved with the thefts from the farm also but I don't have proof. Him & his brother ran a meth lab out of Omaha in the past and he's been involved with selling drugs within the past few years (maybe he still is). He's got kids from at least 3 women and somehow doesn't have to pay child support. He did get in trouble for beating one of Teresa's grandkids but the only thing that came out of it was that he had to go to counseling.

No matter how big a scumbag he is, Teresa's daughter won't leave him. Teresa doesn't want me stirring up trouble that might affect her daughter. Anyway, he claims to have connections with local law enforcement and that they leave him alone.

I could go on and on about crap involving him but you get the gist.

Sorry for the rant. Sometimes I need to unload when the subject comes up.
 
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If we could figure out a simple way to make women leave men when they should, the world would be a better place.
 
360DartGT66 said:
If we could figure out a simple way to make women leave men when they should, the world would be a better place.
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The physical engagement, and attraction (good or bad), is part of being a human being... It won't happen,it's pure instinct. (JHMO)...
 
360DartGT66 said:
If we could figure out a simple way to make women leave men when they should, the world would be a better place.
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I've never been able to grasp why it is that any person would be attracted to someone that seems incapable of respecting others. I can accept that there are a lot of sociopaths out there that have mastered the art of manipulation. - But you'd think that their partners would eventually wise up to what's going on.
 
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Abodybomber said:
The physical engagement, and attraction (good or bad), is part of being a human being... It won't happen,it's pure instinct. (JHMO)...
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I know what you're saying bomber. No one should ever discount the persuasiveness of the libido. Unfortunately, too few people keep it in check and they ignore all the warning signs that should keep them from getting into bad relationships.
 
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OK. Maybe I was overly optimistic when I hadn't found anything wrong with the Sebring on Saturday.

Sunday I was able to take it for a longer test drive and bad things happened. I drove it about 5 miles out of town when I first started smelling oil burning. I thought it might have been residual left on the exhaust from earlier but it got worse as I returned home. As I pulled into the driveway I started hearing a rattling knock, smoke began rolling out from under the hood, and the car died. For those first 5 miles it had seemed perfect.

I jacked it up as high as I could and crawled beneath it again. The new aluminum oil pan that was installed last year is pretty scraped up but not cracked. It's obvious that someone's been bottoming out the car. There was so much oil on the bottom & backside of the engine that I couldn't tell the source location. My guess is that it's the rear seal and it's being slung all over. If it weren't for the noise it's making I would have assumed a cheap fix.

The urgent need for transportation means we're best off looking for another vehicle. - Hard telling how long it would take me to get it fixed and if the motor needs replacing it would run into more bucks than it's probably worth. Teresa didn't want to drive the Dodge dually or the crew cab Ford. She needs something with better fuel economy.

We spent the past few days looking at minivans and Durangos. sigh...
 
I finally got around to picking up the sheet of Lexan today. My hope was that installing windows would restore the damaged & distorted roof to it's proper shape. It seemed the easiest way to prepare for the repair work needed.

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It is pretty much going according to plan but it's a bear trying to clamp the uncut Lexan to the body for marking. The distortion allows the shape of the window openings to vary. I do believe I'm getting it though and it does appear to be restoring the roof's shape as I go.

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First I marked the opening with a blue marker. Then I added a 5/8" mark around the blue lines to allow for the mounting lip. I chose to use 2 different colors to make sure I didn't screw up and start cutting the wrong line.

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1967 'cuda said:
OK. Maybe I was overly optimistic when I hadn't found anything wrong with the Sebring on Saturday.

[...]

The urgent need for transportation means we're best off looking for another vehicle. - Hard telling how long it would take me to get it fixed and if the motor needs replacing it would run into more bucks than it's probably worth. Teresa didn't want to drive the Dodge dually or the crew cab Ford. She needs something with better fuel economy.

We spent the past few days looking at minivans and Durangos. sigh...
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When people talk about getting a new car I always say the same thing: "There's no rational argument for not buying a Toyota".

Rational being the key word here.
 
360DartGT66 said:
When people talk about getting a new car I always say the same thing: "There's no rational argument for not buying a Toyota".
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360DartGT66 said:

Rational being the key word here.
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Toyota? Toyota? - Aren't those the folks that have defiled our highways with the Prius? :mad:

Actually I tried really hard not to influence Teresa too much on vehicle brand selection. I figured there was a good chance she'd choose a Chrysler because she wanted to get a minivan. The chances of having another Mopar increased when she expressed an interest in getting a Durango with 3rd row seating. She even thought about a Pacifica that was advertised. We called on a number of Durangos but every decent one that was priced low sold before we could get to them.

I'm not heartbroken but the best value she found ended up being a used Pontiac Montana. I guess I can buy her a car cover for it so it doesn't pollute the driveway's gene pool.
 
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360DartGT66 said:
Looks like you got that Lexan to fit pretty good!
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I think the fit is gonna be alright. With all of the running around looking for Teresa's vehicle replacement I haven't had time to get to the back window or sides yet. Those should be easier to fit.

We've been having a rash of nasty weather here lately and that's caused a delay too. Most of the really bad stuff has missed our home but I heard that part of Omaha had so much hail that they used snow plows to clear it.
 
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1967 'cuda said:
Toyota? Toyota? - Aren't those the folks that have defiled our highways with the Prius? :mad:
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Yes. And the Lexus. :D

Actually, the Chrysler Transporter was the number one car to fail first inspection (when three years old) in Sweden for many consecutive years. The three worst cars were all US cars.
Toyota, Volvo and Audi usually fight over the title at the other end of the spectrum.
 
SNKEBIT said:
NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Worked on a few of those, not good..
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- 'fraid so. The selection of used cars (that weren't totally roached) in our price range was pretty slim. No one was interested in one of my kidneys so I had to go with what we had in the bank. - Like I said before, I don't hate it but I'm disturbed by my newfound desire to attend soccer games.

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