Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

[1967 'cuda]

Spencer came back home Monday morning. We took the Roadrunner out for a spin and it wasn't sounding too healthy. It popped and banged as we drove it out of town. Not sure what was going on but it ran fairly well other than the occasional backfire. Outside of town he ran it through the gears a few times. I was shaking my head. After dishing out the cash for the tune I was really thinking we'd gotten ripped.

When we turned around and headed back home the problems disappeared. It ran smooth, seemed to have plenty of power, no backfiring or any other issues. Why it had ran so rough at first... - I dunno?

Spence decided to take the car to Columbus for the day. I think we were both still leery about whether or not it would run OK. After he left I went about mowing the yard. While I was at it he phoned but I missed the call. I tried calling back but he didn't answer. I assumed he had car trouble.

He came back home around 10 p.m. When I asked why he'd called he told me he had an accident. I'd already drifted off to sleep but was fully awake as soon as he said that. He said a semi-truck had hit him.

He'd made it back here so I knew the car was still drivable but I assumed it was mangled pretty bad if a semi-truck hit him.

He told me he was stopped at a light and the truck in front of him decided to back up. He layed on the horn but those Roadrunner horns aren't very loud. As the truck continued backing he tried to get the car into reverse but was struck while he was still between gears. I suppose it took a few seconds for him to make sure no one was behind him before he made the decision to go into reverse. By the time he floored it backwards it was too late.

I cringed as I walked out to see the car figuring that he wouldn't be taking it back to Des Moines now. It was dark but we had a flashlight. THERE WASN'T ANY DAMAGE! I couldn't believe it. He said the semi trailer's tires barely biffed the bumper at about 10 mph. It probably helped that he was in neutral at the time. The bumper doesn't appear to be bent but it is pushed in about 3/4" on the driver's side. - Looks like we'll be able to readjust the bumper bracket to correct it. I couldn't see any other sign of damage either but I'll give it a more thorough look tomorrow when it's light outside.

 

[Abodybomber]

How weird,John....
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ok8HGn6V-uL6UO4hQ&sig2=hqv9sxlN2tTc0GuZ9FVGqg
For some reason,saw this & thought of you....

 

[1967 'cuda]

How weird,John....

I'm not sure why the dang thing was backfiring. With that ECU controlling the ignition & fuel it's hard to diagnose. Because it's supposed to be 'self-learning' I assume the computer corrected the issue before we got back home.

 

[Abodybomber]

I'm not sure why the dang thing was backfiring. With that ECU controlling the ignition & fuel it's hard to diagnose. Because it's supposed to be 'self-learning' I assume the computer corrected the issue before we got back home.

Maybe,should still have a "limp home " mode,to still be in place,until block learning starts.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Maybe,should still have a "limp home " mode,to still be in place,until block learning starts.

When he came back from Columbus (and after I ascertained the car wasn't damaged) I asked him how it ran. He said it ran perfectly all day long. I'm hoping the bugs have been worked out. He's still debating taking it to another shop on Friday where they'll tune it again with a dyno. Not sure if they'd change much but we'd at least have some numbers on power output.

We can 'save' the current tune on my laptop and if the car starts getting screwy as it 'self teaches' we'd be able to input this setup again. We already saved the tune that the shop in Grand Island had programmed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Plans for tomorrow include swapping out the leaky power steering pump on the Roadrunner for a new one that had been intended for the Charger. We may drop the gas tank to fix a leak in the top panel. We also need to pull that instrument cluster and replace the white face on the speedometer. The progress on the funnycar may be idle for awhile.

 

[360DartGT66]

Close call there for sure! You would think that them semi boys were pretty cautious when they revers but I guess anyone can screw up now and then.

I missed out on the resolution of the Grand Island tune episode. Did it end up costing you an arm and a leg?

 

[1967 'cuda]

Close call there for sure! You would think that them semi boys were pretty cautious when they revers but I guess anyone can screw up now and then.

I missed out on the resolution of the Grand Island tune episode. Did it end up costing you an arm and a leg?

They billed us for around $525. They replaced the MAP sensor, an O2 relay, spark plugs, and the carb gasket. It's about what we'd expected to pay (with a dyno tune).

 

[1967 'cuda]

We didn't get everything done we wanted today.

Changing out the power steering pump wasn't too bad. The chrome one was identical except for the low pressure line inlet. An additional 6" of rubber hose took care of that. We did run into a problem with the pulley. Although I hadn't noticed it before we swapped it onto the new pump, it had a horrible wobble to it.

We pulled it back off and saw that the key hadn't stayed in the shaft groove. I hoped that was all that was wrong but it still wobbled badly after replacing the key. My guess is that the pulley was bent before and the wobble may have caused the seal to go out. We ended up putting the new billet aluminum pulley on that had been slated for the Charger. The original pulley was 6&3/4" in diameter. The aluminum pulley was only 6". We had to run to the parts store for a shorter belt.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Before dropping the gas tank we disconnected the feed line to the throttle body and used the electric pump to transfer the fuel into 5 gallon jugs. Everything was going OK until I pulled the rubber return line hose off the tank. I was lying directly beneath it and gas gushed out straight up my nose and into my eyes. I'd been cautious when I disconnected the feed line and stayed off to the side. There wasn't even a single drip when it came apart. I guess I let my guard down on that second line. I stumbled to the house as fast as possible and flushed my eyes out at the kitchen sink. The burning stopped after about 5 minutes. I thought the damage was going to be much worse.

The rest of the tank removal went smoothly. Even though we'd used the electric pump to empty it there was still a few gallons left below the pickup filter. We added the rest with the other gas in our jugs.

It was hot & muggy so we carried the tank into the garage where we ran the air conditioning to fix the leaks. There wasn't any sign that gas had been coming from the sending unit opening so we concentrated on the top cover plate. Whatever sealant Spence had used last didn't seal and the cork gasket he made was too thin (1/16") to make up the height of the nutserts. We went back to the parts store and picked up some 1/8" cork and a tube of #80016 Permatex. It's the only non-hardening sealant we could find that was resistant to fuel.

The high pressure fitting on the tank wasn't tight enough to ensure a decent seal so we tightened it before re-assembling the cover. I'm fairly confident we've got a good seal there now.

Next we checked the filler tube gasket and found that it had cracked from age. We didn't have a a spare but we ordered a new one from JEGS and are hoping it'll be here in a few days. Meanwhile the tank will have to wait.

I think we'll tear the cluster out tomorrow.

 

[69_340_GTS]

I don't know if that Permatex can take extended exposure to gas. I have been using
Permatex 85420 "Permashield Fuel Resistant Gasket Dressing" for quite a while with great results.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I don't know if that Permatex can take extended exposure to gas. I have been using

Permatex 85420 "Permashield Fuel Resistant Gasket Dressing" for quite a while with great results.

Thanks GTS. Maybe we should have researched sealants better. This was one of those cases when we went to the local parts stores searching for whatever fuel resistant sealers we could find. The #80016 was the only option here. I might make a run to Columbus today to see if they've got any of the #85420 there. I hate having to re-do repairs but it'd be a lot easier to do it now while the tank is still out.

 

[1967 'cuda]

The heat is miserable. The flies are miserable. I'm miserable. No matter how many flies I kill there are ten gazillion more driving me out of my mind.

Instead of working on the instrument cluster we started the day measuring the Roadrunner for a different set of wheels. My son has decided he wants a set of American Racing grey centered torque thrusts and would like to increase the width on the rear. The factory wheels on his car are 7" wide with a 4" backspace. We've got enough room to go an inch to inch & a half wider without clearance problems, I like to keep enough space to allow for rear end movement and sidewall flex. Pushing the limits usually results in some tire rub sooner or later.

He hasn't decided on which tires to get but the size will probably be 275/60s for the back. We fit the spare from the 'Lil Red Express on the back because it was the same size combo as what we were thinking about. There was some extra room but not a lot.

He ordered a billet front yoke for the T-56 from Mark Williams today. We'll probably have Spider Prososki (out of Duncan, Nebraska) make the driveshaft.

Still no blower parts ordered yet. Spence has been trying unsuccessfully to contact Ken Black for the head/intake manifold specs so we'll be sure to get the right stuff.

We started looking at the kits from Painless Wiring so we could determine whether or not I need to weld up the factory hole for the harness. Then the discussion turned to an argument about whether or not I should modify the original heater box for ducting vents. He's determined that the Charger won't have air conditioning or a heater but willing to concede the need for a fresh air vent. My plan was to cut down the factory enclosure and use it to connect the various duct-work to the defrost vents and the dash outlets. I'd also like to see a multi-speed fan setup incorporated.

He thinks I should start from scratch and just have a single speed fan motor. No matter how much I stressed the difference in difficulty of starting from scratch compared with taking advantage of existing parts, he wouldn't listen. Finally I told him that if he wanted to design a system I would build it.

I don't see why he can't understand that I'll have to copy much of what is already there in order to tie into the cowl inlets and the dash outlets. It's frustrating when someone not doing the work is telling you how to do it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Well, we came to a resolution in the dispute over the vent system. After researching options online Spencer saw that Vintage Air's evaporator kit (for factory air cars) is supposed to tie into the existing ducts. If he didn't buy the complete system ($1449.99) that included the compressor and other engine compartment components he could save $615. It's still going to be much more expensive than fabricating it ourselves but I guess it'll save me a bunch of headaches.

I wasn't able to find the Permatex #85420 that GTS has suggested. Spence thought we'd keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best with the sealant we'd used. If it starts to leak again we'll definitely make sure we get some though.

The filler neck grommet showed up via FedEx this morning. It didn't take long and we had the tank back in.

In an effort to shield ourselves from the heat of the sun I moved the pop up canopy over the car. It's surprising how much difference a little shade makes. It doesn't take much wind to knock it over. The canopy is badly bent from past times when it blew over.

Here's a picture of the old filler neck grommet.

With the tank back in we headed to the gas station to top it off with fuel. So far - so good. - Still keeping our fingers crossed but it's looking good now.

Here's a pic of the new power steering pump after installation.

One thing we noticed when we got the Roadrunner back from Grand Island was that the emblems on the valve covers had melted. It must have sat idling in one spot for a very long time because we had a lot of miles on the car without showing any signs of distortion.

 

[1967 'cuda]

With the power steering & fuel tank leaks taken care of we finally focused on the instrument cluster. Here's a picture of the wrinkles in the white overlay on the speedometer.

I removed the cluster and had Spence dismantle it.

The speedometer face was rusty and had flaking paint before putting the last overlay on it. Even though I'd cleaned it up with lacquer thinner the paint beneath continued to flake off. I knew I had to prep it better this time. In this picture you can see the way it looked as I was in the process of sanding it completely clean.

With the face sanded smooth and down to bare metal the new decal looks pretty spiffy. We painted the perimeter white instead of leaving it black like before. It may help reflect light better this way.

Before re-installing the cluster we painted the needles black. The dash is running red L.E.D.s and the fluorescent red needles were hard to read.

No matter how careful we've tried to be when removing the gauges it seems we add a few more nicks in the black paint on the surrounding plastic. One of these days we'll have to re-do it but maybe we'll wait until the car goes in for paint in the future.

After buttoning everything back up we took it out for a road test to make sure all the gauges and dash lights were working. It seems as though the car is now ready for it's trip back to Des Moines.

 

[1967 'cuda]

How weird,John....

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRgjLXrUebw&ved=0ahUKEwivpNqz4rPOAhUS22MKHWnfCXsQtwIIHjAB&usg=AFQjCNH3Fkwn6bwYdok8HGn6V-uL6UO4hQ&sig2=hqv9sxlN2tTc0GuZ9FVGqg
For some reason,saw this & thought of you....

When I first saw your reply I thought you were commenting about the running behavior of the Roadrunner. I finally noticed the link. LOL. I think I'd need more of a machine gun or grenade launching style to combat the creepy crawlers around here.

 

[1967 'cuda]

After dragging my heels for so long I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a transmission adapter from HOT HEADS today. I was on the fence about which kit to get. The idea of mating a GM transmission to the old Hemi had occurred to me. I thought that I'd probably have more access to cheaper race transmissions. But, I started to worry about any problems I might encounter with starters, driveshafts, and other stuff. There are concerns about 727s exploding but I don't think I'll be thrashing this thing once it's done.

Good or bad, I went with the 727 adapter. I've got far more Mopar parts around here than GM. The kit was $410 plus shipping.

 

[1967 'cuda]

This 1971 Challenger 340 car popped up for sale yesterday here in town. They're asking $5000 for it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Today on Facebook I saw my old '74 Cuda being advertised for sale. There was no price on it. It was the red AAR clone when I had it. The AAR exhaust and spoilers are still there but they swapped hoods when they had it repainted.

 

[Wheel Chock]

I've got to say that I'm really enjoying this thread and as for those guys complaining about you switching back and forth between projects, pay them no mind. us old guys with ADD need to stick together.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I've got to say that I'm really enjoying this thread and as for those guys complaining about you switching back and forth between projects, pay them no mind. us old guys with ADD need to stick together.

Thanks Irazor. I think it gets confusing though when things are jumping back & forth through the various cars. I have a hard time sitting still why I wait for parts for each project. Usually I'll try to find something to keep me busy.

I don't think there will be many more new posts about the Roadrunner until Spencer is ready to start bodywork or possibly buys a new set of wheels. We've been scoping the Charger out in an effort to figure out any engine compartment mods that will have to be made.

He ordered the new wiring harness earlier today from Painless Wiring after I told him I needed to plan out where the wiring was going to pass through the firewall. I'm sure I'll be welding the old bulkhead hole shut. Once the new harness arrives I'll have to make a new hole somewhere.

As we were looking the car over I noticed that the battery tray was going to be really close to the valve covers on the Hemi. We don't have them yet but we know they'll be taller than stock to work with the valvetrain. At first we thought about modifying the tray and moving it forward but after taking some measurements we still weren't sure it'd clear those heads. My son refuses to consider a trunk mount so we scratched our heads for awhile trying to come up with another viable option. Finally we decided to downsize the battery. BRAILLE makes a carbon fiber battery with 550 cold cranking amps that measures 6.6" X 5.2". It's about 17 pounds lighter than the Optima we had planned on before. We would have to make a custom tray for it but we should have plenty of extra room when we're done.

The next issue that I'm sure we'll have a problem with is the space between the front of the motor and the radiator support. When I measured the 4 core radiator we have and the water pump assembly I saw that it's unlikely we'll have room for the 3" blower drive. My son also wanted a pair of electric 'pull style' fans in that area. NO WAY there's enough space!

Right now we're still trying to figure out how to get it all to fit together. We're still using the plastic mock up block for measurements but we don't have the new blower drive setup yet. Although we can't make exact measurements we can definitely tell that we need to gain some room.

 

[1967 'cuda]

With the Roadrunner road worthy and because we're waiting for parts for the Charger, I turned my attention back to the funnycar.

We ran out to the farm and picked up an old fiberglass seat and old parachute I had out there. I hoped I'd be able to use the seat as a guide for legroom. The seat is still in fairly good shape considering it's been outside for years. There was a lot of dirt and overspray on it that I had to clean off. I did a quickie job on it with thinner and furniture polish. It didn't turn out great but it'll have to do for now.

Before Spencer leaves next week I thought I'd have him give me a hand fitting a torqueflite behind the Hemi. I used the 727 that's from the 'Lil Red. It's been collecting dust ever since they made me move the truck out of town.

Without the adapter we couldn't bolt it up but I wanted to see where I needed to cut the frame. I also had to cut out the center bars where the seat needed to sit. Once we had the transmission on the chassis I marked it where it needed cutting.

I used a cut-off wheel to chop the frame. With the bars out I was finally able to put the seat in place. The transmission adapter should be here next week. I won't cap any of the tubes or build any new reinforcement until I have everything bolted together.

I'd still like to gain more legroom. Although I can fit in there, I'd be in a world of hurt if I ever got a leg cramp.

 

[famous bob]

permatex ultra black sets up like hard but pliable rubber, don`t know the # of it, but is some good stuff, and is gas resistant. are you running resister type plugs in the roadrunner? the instructions that originally came w/ my fast 2.0, said not to. I was on a site researching the dist tuning process (lost my destrustions) and read where they recommend resister type now.! ??? the pests, (beasties) haven`t been bad here this yr., thank GOD ! haven`t seen but 2 mosquitoes, ( not out at night tho) and a hand full of flies, and the bagworms (webworms) aren`t near as bad as the last 3 yrs. !! think it`s too dang humid for them ! I can go out in the garage w/ fans on , and still be soaking wet in about 10 min., really sucks trying to work and sweat running all over my glasses. ready for fall-football and firewood . keep the posts coming, enjoy ur posts. Oh yea, what # of plugs are you running in the roadrunner/ I`m running 7 ngk, and think I might go 1 step hotter.

 

[1967 'cuda]

permatex ultra black sets up like hard but pliable rubber, don`t know the # of it, but is some good stuff, and is gas resistant. are you running resister type plugs in the roadrunner? the instructions that originally came w/ my fast 2.0, said not to. I was on a site researching the dist tuning process (lost my destrustions) and read where they recommend resister type now.! ??? the pests, (beasties) haven`t been bad here this yr., thank GOD ! haven`t seen but 2 mosquitoes, ( not out at night tho) and a hand full of flies, and the bagworms (webworms) aren`t near as bad as the last 3 yrs. !! think it`s too dang humid for them ! I can go out in the garage w/ fans on , and still be soaking wet in about 10 min., really sucks trying to work and sweat running all over my glasses. ready for fall-football and firewood . keep the posts coming, enjoy ur posts. Oh yea, what # of plugs are you running in the roadrunner/ I`m running 7 ngk, and think I might go 1 step hotter.

We had used the PERMATEX Ultra Black before on the tank and it failed for us. The number on the tube was #82180. It says 'Maximum Oil Resistance' on the label but does not mention fuel.

The shop in Grand Island installed Champion RC12YC plugs which were the recommended spark plugs for the Edelbrock heads and were what we had in there before.

WE'RE CURSED!!! CURSED!!! There's a car show about 15 miles away tomorrow and I talked Spencer into taking the Roadrunner to it and entering it in the PROJECT class. The interior and drivetrain were done but we still had bodywork to do. I figured I'd take the funnycar and enter it into their RACE CAR class.

Everything was going fine. I installed the seat in the funny and was working on the parachute mount. Spencer was working on cleaning up the Roadrunner.

After washing his car he sprayed the motor to clean it too. When he went to move it - it wouldn't start. We spent all afternoon and into the evening working on it. I pulled the distributor cap off to see if it had gotten wet inside. We charged the battery thinking that we might not have had enough voltage. He said the glove box had been left open and the light may have drained the battery. It still cranked over fine but if I'm not mistaken a low voltage problem will disable the ECU.

It smelled gassy. I thought he might have gotten the plugs wet when it wouldn't start initially. Even after sitting an hour it didn't start. After 2 hours I did get it to fire up but it wasn't hitting on all cylinders. My son started pointing at the right side of the engine. I thought he wanted me to shut it down so I did. We haven't gotten it started since. I still suspect wet plugs.

My son thought he'd load the tune he'd saved on my laptop from when we got it back from Grand Island. When he brought the laptop outside and hooked it up, the hard drive crashed.

Right now I don't know what's going on with it but unless we can figure it out in the next few days - it's not going to Des Moines.

Well, at least I got the chute mounted.

 

[360DartGT66]

Man, you really ARE cursed.

Will you be able to see over that engine?

 

[R4Sedan]

John, it's getting close to Halloween. I always look forward to your thread and what you will do to your house.