Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

[1967 'cuda]

The bodywork on my buddy's 1930 Dodge sedan is nearing completion. Although I've only played a minor role in the work on it I thought I'd post some pictures of how it looks now. He's having the same guy paint it that did my 'Lil Red and Barracuda.

One interesting thing about the car is the front windshield. Most cars that I've seen of that era had windshields that tilted out at the bottom to let in fresh air. On this car the windshield slides up about 3" via a crank handle.

 

[360DartGT66]

Apparently Fastenal ships between their branches all the time and accept cargo to ride along for a fee. Great business model if you ask me. Probably makes their internal shipping of orders back and forth virtually free.

 

[Abodybomber]

The bodywork on my buddy's 1930 Dodge sedan is nearing completion. Although I've only played a minor role in the work on it I thought I'd post some pictures of how it looks now. He's having the same guy paint it that did my 'Lil Red and Barracuda.

View attachment 1714945214 View attachment 1714945215 View attachment 1714945216 View attachment 1714945217
One interesting thing about the car is the front windshield. Most cars that I've seen of that era had windshields that tilted out at the bottom to let in fresh air. On this car the windshield slides up about 3" via a crank handle.

That looks,. really nice... About 20 years ago: Saw a 70's style version ,of a 34 Plymouth four door sedan..( Burgundy metallic paint,Tru Spoke wires/70 series white letter B.F.G.'s,stunning interior..) Set up for LA/904 ready to go,6500 in 1994 .... Had 3k burning ,in my pocket,Went Rat Chevy instead.. That was such a sweet,classy car...

 

[1967 'cuda]

Apparently Fastenal ships between their branches all the time and accept cargo to ride along for a fee. Great business model if you ask me. Probably makes their internal shipping of orders back and forth virtually free.

I'll have to give them a call and see what their shipping procedures and rates are. The last large item I sent was a hood via Greyhound and I know they had size & weight limitations.

 

[1967 'cuda]

That looks,. really nice... About 20 years ago: Saw a 70's style version ,of a 34 Plymouth four door sedan..( Burgundy metallic paint,Tru Spoke wires/70 series white letter B.F.G.'s,stunning interior..) Set up for LA/904 ready to go,6500 in 1994 .... Had 3k burning ,in my pocket,Went Rat Chevy instead.. That was such a sweet,classy car...

It kills me every time I look through old HOTROD magazine sale ads and see how cheap cars sold for in the 60s and 70s. If only a person had had a crystal ball and could have seen into the future. - About the only thing I'm certain of is that 20 years from now we won't be wishing we'd cornered the market on Prius parts.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Yay! Transmission arrived today. I'm still waiting for the bellhousing so I can bolt it to the mock up motor. Hopefully it'll show up about the same time we get the K-member back from Denny.

I could tell that the transmission had been shifting back & forth during transport. Although it appears to be OK, I snapped some photos showing how the input and output shafts had been hitting the ends of the box.

NOT so yay. I called the shop in Grand Island about the Roadrunner and was told the guys were on vacation for the rest of the week. I stepped up the rhetoric by saying that we're wondering if we need to take it to another shop to get it finished. It's a good thing I've got other things to work on here or I'd have been really pissed off a long time ago. I can't help but suspect that these self proclaimed experts might not be as bright as they claimed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!! As much as I've still tried to get stuff done in the garage, this heat is beating the crap out of me. The weather forecast doesn't look too promising either.

I've decided to break down and put a window air conditioner in the shop. - Craigslist shopping tomorrow!

 

[1967 'cuda]

The body shop started experimenting with color on that '30 Dodge. My buddy is committed to a green/black theme but thinks the green they tried on this door is too bright. He asked me my opinion. It's difficult for me to comment without seeing the car complete but I'd tend to agree with him because I know he wants the car to look 'rich' when done. He isn't going for original accuracy.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Yesterday I'd tried buying a window air conditioner here in town. The recent heatwave caused a rush on them and all of the reasonably priced ones had sold the day before. Today I struck out on my Craigslist search. Although there were several advertised, nobody answered or returned any of my calls.

After realizing I'd been pursuing a bunch of dead ends I went online and checked prices at various retail outlets. Even though places like Menards and Walmart sites show a bunch of different models, - in store stock was depleted on most.

Eventually I found a 10,200 btu unit at a Menards but it was the last one they had. The garage could've used one twice that size but I wasn't looking to be comfortable as much as wanting to drop the temperature to a tolerable level.

That puppy was heavy! (and awkward when you're lifting it above your head) According to the manual it was supposed to weigh 75 pounds but I think they left the 1 off of the front of that number.

The bottom of my only shop window is almost 5 foot above the floor. Originally I'd asked Teresa to give me a hand but then I had second thoughts about it. I knew I'd be hearing her scream about how we're both gonna die throughout the process and I didn't want her saying "I told you so" at my funeral.

The tricky part was balancing it as I walked up the step stool. Surprisingly enough I managed to get it into the opening without the need for paramedics. Sucks, but it was too late in the day to make it to the local lumber yard for wood to finish closing off the rest of the window opening. (- It's a crank out window that doesn't have a sliding sash) Tomorrow I'll tackle the rest of it.

I temporarily hung a towel around it and secured it to the frame with a few screws. The garage thermometer showed close to 100' during the installation. A few hours after plugging it in the temp had dropped to 82.

No more waiting for the ice cream truck to arrive when it gets hot!

 

[moparmat2000]

Damn the red green show i almost forgot about that. Glad your able to cool down a bit. I still dig your writing style.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Damn the red green show i almost forgot about that. Glad your able to cool down a bit. I still dig your writing style.

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

 

[1967 'cuda]

364 days out of the year I focus on projects that benefit myself. - Or I sleep. But there's usually one day each year when I figure I should fulfill some civic duty by doing something charitable. Last year I petted a stray dog.

In an effort to increase my civic cred I agreed to donate time making signs for the local historical museum. Obviously I shouldn't have gone off my meds.

I started by mocking up a design on my computer with the built in paint program. After playing around with a few different layouts I showed one to the museum committee and they approved it.

A few days later I had two 3' X 5' sheets of aluminum to work with. I set one in front of the basement movie projector and projected the image onto it. Using a pencil I transferred the design onto the panel.

I no longer have any of my good sword brushed so I picked up a variety pack of camel hair from ACE Hardware - they'll have to do. I'll put some sandstone color down first, - followed by red and then the black.

The UPS man dropped off the K-member from Denny as I was painting. As soon as I unpacked it I checked to make sure the plastic Hemi block lined up properly with the mounts. - Everything looks good so far. I'm still waiting for the new bellhousing to arrive. With the sign project in full swing I'll wait to install the K-member until later.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I had to revise my plan to apply the red paint after the sandstone. That tan color is taking forever to dry. To prevent dragging my arm through the wet stuff I decided to put the black on around the perimeter next. I know I could have waited longer but I'm trying to knock this thing out asap so I can get back to the Charger.

 

[1967 'cuda]

S..l..o..w..l..y making progress. I used an ACE store brand paint for the tan & black. They really sucked as far as trying to do any lettering goes. For the red I used some of my 1-SHOT Lettering enamel. It's amazing how much better it flows and covers. With any luck I'll have the first sign done in another hour and can start working on the second one. They haven't decided what date to put on the top yet. The county was created in 1856 but Nebraska wasn't a state until 1868. At some point it was established 'officially'.

 

[1967 'cuda]

It's after 2 a.m. and I'm still at it. One down and half of the other one to go. - Of course that doesn't include the dates on top, pinstriping, or laying a few coats of clear. It turned out pretty close to the design I'd submitted. I did simplify some of the lettering to make it easier to read from a distance.

 

[Abodybomber]

Nice work...

 

[1967 'cuda]

Nice work...

Thanks bomber. The difference between using 1-shot and other paint is night & day. The brush strokes stand out terribly with that ACE paint. The stuff just doesn't want to level out, dries slow, and I found that I had to lay it on awfully heavy to get full coverage.

I'm pretty sure they'll be fine with it but I wouldn't want to use it for lettering a car. I hope the clear will smooth it out some.

 

[Abodybomber]

Thanks bomber. The difference between using 1-shot and other paint is night & day. The brush strokes stand out terribly with that ACE paint. The stuff just doesn't want to level out, dries slow, and I found that I had to lay it on awfully heavy to get full coverage.

I'm pretty sure they'll be fine with it but I wouldn't want to use it for lettering a car. I hope the clear will smooth it out some.

Yes,there is a HUGE difference,in paint quality there....Have used a dab of "Japan drier " to help those slower enamels kick off quicker... Supposedly,even One shot,can be catalyzed nowadays....

 

[1967 'cuda]

Yes,there is a HUGE difference,in paint quality there....Have used a dab of "Japan drier " to help those slower enamels kick off quicker... Supposedly,even One shot,can be catalyzed nowadays....

I used to use linseed oil with the 1-shot and had good results controlling flow but I've had hit & miss luck trying to add forms of solvents with odd paint brands. Some have curdled. Some refused to dry. Some developed adhesion problems. I would have done the entire signs with all 1-shot if I hadn't had the bulk of my supply stolen from the farm.

When it comes time for lettering/graphics on the funnycar I'll avoid these cheaper paints.

 

[Abodybomber]

I used to use linseed oil with the 1-shot and had good results controlling flow but I've had hit & miss luck trying to add forms of solvents with odd paint brands. Some have curdled. Some refused to dry. Some developed adhesion problems. I would have done the entire signs with all 1-shot if I hadn't had the bulk of my supply stolen from the farm.

When it comes time for lettering/graphics on the funnycar I'll avoid these cheaper paints.

Forgot,all about the linseed....

 

[69_340_GTS]

Hindsight is everything, but if I were to make this sign I would have sprayed the tan area, masked it off and sprayed the black, then done all the lettering with One Shot. There is nothing else to use for lettering!

But they are turning out nice, regardless.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Hindsight is everything, but if I were to make this sign I would have sprayed the tan area, masked it off and sprayed the black, then done all the lettering with One Shot. There is nothing else to use for lettering!

But they are turning out nice, regardless.

- Totally agree with you about the way I should have done it but I barely had enough free garage space to work. I'd have had to move a bunch of stuff outside and made myself a temporary partitioned booth. The driveway is already looking like I'm permanently having a garage sale with all the stuff on it now. If this hadn't been such a 'spur of the moment' project I'd have prepared better. I'm just glad I installed that air conditioner before I started on it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I finally completed the second sign and added the pinstripe to both. I think the pinstripe is really a nice touch and helps to give a more 'finished' appearance. The only thing still needed is to do the date and I need more research to make certain I get it right.

 

[Abodybomber]

Nice work! That extra stripe,extra shading,,makes it pop....

 

[1967 'cuda]

Whoo-Hoo! The bellhousing showed up today. I'll be busy cleaning the garage and moving the funnycar back into the driveway today. Now that the signs are done (I got the dates put on them last night) I can concentrate on cars again.

I wish we had the headers and intake system here but at least we'll be able to start making headway with what we've got.