Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

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After spending the entire day in the garage I went inside the house to get a bite to eat. Teresa is gone. no, she hasn't left me (yet). She's away babysitting some of her grandchildren for a few days. One of them was sick and they took him to the hospital. The doctors say it's Kawasaki disease but not to worry. He'll be alright. I never heard of this Kawasaki disease before. Apparently it's a lot different than Mopar Madness.

I slapped a frozen pizza into the oven and let it cook while I cleaned off some of the grime from buffing. Then I took a look outside to see if the UPS man had dropped off anything for me. SNOW! SNOW! You've got to be kidding me! The ground outside is covered in snow.

It wasn't in the forecast. I hold SNKEBIT personally responsible for this! He must have jinxed me with his talk of snow in Wisconsin. I may have to put him on that ignore list. LOL.

By the time I recovered from the shock I received looking outside, I realized that my pizza was burning. It still looks like a pizza - just a lot blacker than normal. At least it didn't set off the smoke alarms. I tried to eat the first piece but the crust was so hard and dried out that it sort of shattered in my mouth when I tried to eat it. Broken glass would probably have gone down smoother. So I scraped what was left of the cheese and pepperonis off of it and tossed the rest.

After I take a break, I'll head back to the garage again. I need to do some interior work on the Duster. It had black carpeting that covered the floors and back seat area but it was faded. The rear seat area had holes in it where they had a bottle mounted for their air shifter. I'm planning on re-dying the carpet and replacing the rear seat portion with some Naugahyde. I had the leftover vinyl from another project. I'll stretch it out and use some 3M adhesive to hold it in place.
 
On the brown/ Dico " Tripoli" compound : It tends to load up hard, when you are impatient. If you are leaving residue on what you are polishing, you are using too much. It's the main cutting compound,it's your " get quick work done buddy". What is the speed RPM on your buffer ?/ diameter of wheel ? Yes, you need something softer than a standard cutting wheel. (P.S .: You are dressing the buffing wheel(s) , every time you change compounds ?

You're probably right about me getting impatient. I usually try to load compound on the wheels and buff until it seems as though progress slows to a snail's pace. Then I reload and repeat. But as time goes on it seems as though I have to reload the wheels more often. I haven't been able to locate my dressing tool so I tried using a stainless steel wire brush instead.

One thing that I noticed is that it seems to work best after I take a break. I was wondering if I was getting the wheels too warm.

I use 8" wheels. Normally I put 3 of the 1/2" to 3/4" ones on together to give me a wider surface. According to the charts I've read I should be correct on the SFPM (surface feet per minute) I've got a half horse 3450 RPM bench grinder.

Normally I switch wheels when I switch compounds. These were new wheels this time and I only used the tripoli on them. I'm using the spiral sewn bound wheels rather than the loose ones. I usually use the loose ones for the white compound.
 
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You're probably right about me getting impatient. I usually try to load compound on the wheels and buff until it seems as though progress slows to a snail's pace. Then I reload and repeat. But as time goes on it seems as though I have to reload the wheels more often. I haven't been able to locate my dressing tool so I tried using a stainless steel wire brush instead.

One thing that I noticed is that it seems to work best after I take a break. I was wondering if I was getting the wheels too warm.

I use 8" wheels. Normally I put 3 of the 1/2" to 3/4" ones on together to give me a wider surface. According to the charts I've read I should be correct on the SFPM (surface feet per minute) I've got a half horse 3450 RPM bench grinder.

Normally I switch wheels when I switch compounds. These were new wheels this time and I only used the tripoli on them. I'm using the spiral sewn bound wheels rather than the loose ones. I usually use the loose ones for the white compound.
At this point, are you happy?
 
At this point, are you happy?

I'm not sure. The results I get are pretty good but I believe that professional shops turn out better work. For a 'home grown' effort I know that I'm saving money over what I would if I farmed the work out. I'm certain that I'm improving the looks of most of the parts I do. I like the notion of being able to do as much of my own work as possible.

I think that I've got a lot of room for improvement. I think that there may be ways that are out there that would improve my efficiency and quality.

I appreciate all of the advice you've given me so far and hope you can give me more.

These panels that I've been working on do not have a uniform sheen to them. I think that more time spent would have yielded better results. But I suspect that I might be better off using an angle polisher rather than a bench grinder for this kind of application. The size of these panels made it difficult to handle.

I have never invested much money on equipment because I've only been doing buffing for myself and a few friends. Maybe I need more than what I have.
 
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This is a picture of some of the faded carpet in the Duster. If I get time I will try to make some form of console-like cover around the shifter.

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I was looking for cheap carpet dye but the least expensive online was still going to run me around $20 a can shipped. I think I'll need 2 cans. I want to do it in the car rather than pull the interior apart. My expenses are getting out of hand. Even when I try to get by cheap things tend to cost twice what I plan.

I would actually like to change the carpet color to gold but I don't think that a gold dye would cover the black. From what I've read you have to go at least as dark as the original color.

The carpet that covered the wheel wells was in pretty good shape so I left it alone. The rear package shelf and flooring where the seat had been needed replacing. I chose to cover those areas with vinyl because I had some scrap material in the garage that I was going to throw away otherwise. I'm hoping that the two textures will look better together than it did with all carpeting.

I'm putting the vinyl on in two pieces. The first will cover the package shelf and seat back area.

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The second piece will cover the rest. I need to fold the edge where the two pieces meet. If I knew how to sew I would attach a beading to the edges.

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With any luck I'll be able to smooth out the wrinkles. My plan is to get everything fit, cut, and glued down first. Then I will go back, pull it up, and stretch it to get the wrinkles to disappear. It's hard to fit it without gluing it down as I go. If I don't - it moves around too much. I'm not sure if I can dye those belts orange. They are out of date and should be replaced.

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The hardest part so far was trying to work around those roll bar tubes.

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It wasn't in the forecast. I hold SNKEBIT personally responsible for this! He must have jinxed me with his talk of snow in Wisconsin. I may have to put him on that ignore list. LOL.



It just sucks here. Foot of snow and cold................:protest::banghead:
 
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Refraining from swearing. :finga:


I can't wait to move south, winter just isn't my cup of tea anymore.:coffee2:

I want to be able to drive my cars whenever. :burnout:

Your avatar is awesome. Always liked that guys attitude, all business.
 
I finally found some inexpensive dye for the carpet. For about $7 a can Dupli-Color makes one that they were able to order for me at the local parts store.

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I used one can so far. It could still use another coat. I'm hoping to be able to finish with one more.

BEFORE & AFTER SO FAR.

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I still need to clean the rubber foot pad and detail the rest of the interior. I need to re-route the shifter wires under the carpet and do something to make the shifter more presentable.

I was able to find some orange belts.

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That stuff works great used it on my 67 dart to change from red to grey interior, sprays nice and only had to respray a few areas but dries fast. Nice build by the way.
 
That stuff works great used it on my 67 dart to change from red to grey interior, sprays nice and only had to respray a few areas but dries fast. Nice build by the way.

Was the grey that you changed to lighter than the red it had been? I haven't tried to go lighter on anything with it. I know that several brands of dye say you can only go darker. It got mighty warm inside the car this Summer while at the track. The windows have to be closed when making a pass. I had thought about going to a gold color on the carpeting because I thought it wouldn't show as much dirt and hoped it wouldn't absorb so much heat.
 
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I finally found some inexpensive dye for the carpet. For about $7 a can Dupli-Color makes one that they were able to order for me at the local parts store.

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I used one can so far. It could still use another coat. I'm hoping to be able to finish with one more.

BEFORE & AFTER SO FAR.

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I still need to clean the rubber foot pad and detail the rest of the interior. I need to re-route the shifter wires under the carpet and do something to make the shifter more presentable.

I was able to find some orange belts.

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Nice find. As a geezer parts guy, found the Dupli Color rattle can stuff decent. Hate, the touch up paint rattle cans. The last time I bought a rattle can of etch primer, Dupli Colors was 8 bucks, and the older green based zinc stuff. Next closest can. was over fifteen bucks.( and Mar Hyde, not really fond of.)
 
Its going to take me awhile to read this thread lol! Nice cars!

Thanks Hermaniac.

Prepare yourself. This thread tends to ramble through several projects.

Some guys have told me that I'd be better off getting rid of most of the cars and putting all of my efforts into one. I already regret losing all of the ones that I sold in the past. I still part with them after a while but it would be hard to choose what car to have if I only could own one.

I tend to buy project cars that someone else has made into daily drivers and try to fix whatever problems they have. I told myself that I was done buying any more about 3 cars back.
 
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Nice find. As a geezer parts guy, found the Dupli Color rattle can stuff decent. Hate, the touch up paint rattle cans. The last time I bought a rattle can of etch primer, Dupli Colors was 8 bucks, and the older green based zinc stuff. Next closest can. was over fifteen bucks.( and Mar Hyde, not really fond of.)

I know that some people feel that rattle can paint is a cheesy way to put a finish on parts but it's usually the most economical way to put a protective finish on small items. I try to squeeze every buck I've got to keep my costs down.

The most difficult decision I made was to go ahead with the purchase from MRL. I don't regret it but it's the most I've ever put into a motor.

I got a heck of a decent price on the belts. - Only $42 for two sets. I realize they aren't SFI approved but I should get by for bracket racing around here.
 
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I know that some people feel that rattle can paint is a cheesy way to put a finish on parts but it's usually the most economical way to put a protective finish on small items. I try to squeeze every buck I've got to keep my costs down.

The most difficult decision I made was to go ahead with the purchase from MRL. I don't regret it but it's the most I've ever put into a motor.

I got a heck of a decent price on the belts. - Only $42 for two sets. I realize they aren't SFI approved but I should get by for bracket racing around here.

Agreed , on all counts. Understand, on the engine purchase especially. For the amount of time to learn / spend/ wait /assemble, I was still 6500-7000 in the 408 project. You are money ahead, with a better finished product.( J.M.O) Everything else, I nave no choice : Have to do it myself, and prefer it that way for now.
 
There is a ton of detail work to do.

The door sills need to be polished.

There is no radio in the car and the hole has not been filled.

The bezel is still in place for the heater controls although everything else is gutted.


The previous owner did install a dash cap so it looks good but the dash frame could use a re-paint.

The headliner is missing a portion next to the rear window.

The inner door handles are pitted.

The windshield has a crack in it.

None of these issues by themselves are a big deal. - But when you look at the car as a whole, it just seems to be showing wear overall.

I decided to give some attention to the inner door Duster emblems. The passenger side is cracked and should be replaced but I don't want to have to buy another one. The nickels and dimes are adding up. I thought I'd play around with that cracked emblem just to see if I could make it look better.

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A lot of the stuff I've done on the Duster I might not have on a street car. I'm still trying to make things look borderline outlandish here. I thought that the orange paint was an improvement on the cage. I felt that the interior was pretty bland. - Black seats. - Black carpet. - Black everywhere.


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The new plug wires and holders came by mail. When I make a custom set of plug wires I strive to keep them as orderly as possible. That means cutting off excess so that there's only enough play to rotate the distributor about 40'.

I must be losing my mind. I disconnected the left bank first and routed my wires. When I went to run the wires on the right bank I re-checked the order of the left - and they were wrong. Because I had already cut those to length I had to rob some of the uncut wires reserved for the right side and re-purpose them on the left.

After getting them ready to be cut again I checked the order once more. WRONG AGAIN.
If I really believed in gremlins I'd say they were screwing with me.

I honestly scare myself at times when these things happen. I thought I'd been super careful the first time. I was certain that I even more careful the second time.
I memorized firing order over 40 years ago so it's not like I don't know the sequence.

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I ordered two 8-AN 45' fittings for the carb. The lines had been directed down towards the intake and had to curl up over the valve covers. I can't re-plumb things until I get the inner fenders finished but I knew I'd need those fittings.

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I formed the panels today and had issues with trying to fit them. I should have constructed the inner fenders in multiple pieces instead of the way I did. I'll have to modify them in order to install.

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I did spray the second coat of dye on the carpet and it looks good.

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LOL How many times have you done a tune up and were scratching your head because it wasn't running quite right??? Recheck the wires. recheck the timing. Get a bad plug? Cap? Rotor? Check the plug wires again, make sure the order is correct. Damn...... Screw around for an hour or so checking and rechecking everything only to have your brother walk up and say " you didn't get 5&7 backwards on the cap, did you?"
Me: "No. I checked the firing order about 6 times."
Brother: Reaches over and swaps wires out and runs like a top................. grrrrrrrrr
How the hell do ya miss that? THAT MANY TIMES!?!?!?!?!

Just another day. :blob:
 
LOL How many times have you done a tune up and were scratching your head because it wasn't running quite right??? Recheck the wires. recheck the timing. Get a bad plug? Cap? Rotor? Check the plug wires again, make sure the order is correct. Damn...... Screw around for an hour or so checking and rechecking everything only to have your brother walk up and say " you didn't get 5&7 backwards on the cap, did you?"
Me: "No. I checked the firing order about 6 times."
Brother: Reaches over and swaps wires out and runs like a top................. grrrrrrrrr
How the hell do ya miss that? THAT MANY TIMES!?!?!?!?!

Just another day. :blob:

I always knew I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but lately I'm questioning whether or not I'm 'special'.
 
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With all of the work I'd put into these aluminum panels, it seems a shame to cut them up. I'm still going to try to make them work after cutting them apart. Worse case scenario - I have to start over.

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After checking and re-checking my plug wires I'm confident that I won't have them screwed up now. They're all cut to length and attached. I still have to dismantle them and do a final crimp on the distributor ends. I guess that there are some of you that find it hard to understand why I hadn't finished these days ago.

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I've said before that I'm really anal when it comes to the wire routing. For me putting together a set is a long process. Until I had each of the components here I couldn't be confident I had the lengths I wanted. I try to keep as many of the wires from overlapping as I can. My bracket/holders need to be in place. After each wire is cut I lightly crimp an end on it and attach it to the cap. Then I proceed one after another until I'm satisfied that they look orderly. The holders that I use have to be taken apart each time I add another wire. I imagine that I ran those screws in and out dozens of times. I'll have to do it once more for the final crimp in the vice. I prefer to use the jaw set that MSD sells instead of the handheld crimpers.

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I found another product from Dupli-Color that I think I'll be using. It's called METALCAST and it has a candy-ish finish to it (it's translucent).

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I experimented with some of it on a scrap of aluminum that I had and I think it'll work for the inner fenders. I am going to test to see how it looks over a silver base. If it looks OK I'll use it on the firewall.

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With all of the work I'd put into these aluminum panels, it seems a shame to cut them up. I'm still going to try to make them work after cutting them apart. Worse case scenario - I have to start over.

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After checking and re-checking my plug wires I'm confident that I won't have them screwed up now. They're all cut to length and attached. I still have to dismantle them and do a final crimp on the distributor ends. I guess that there are some of you that find it hard to understand why I hadn't finished these days ago.

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I've said before that I'm really anal when it comes to the wire routing. For me putting together a set is a long process. Until I had each of the components here I couldn't be confident I had the lengths I wanted. I try to keep as many of the wires from overlapping as I can. My bracket/holders need to be in place. After each wire is cut I lightly crimp an end on it and attach it to the cap. Then I proceed one after another until I'm satisfied that they look orderly. The holders that I use have to be taken apart each time I add another wire. I imagine that I ran those screws in and out dozens of times. I'll have to do it once more for the final crimp in the vice. I prefer to use the jaw set that MSD sells instead of the handheld crimpers.

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I found another product from Dupli-Color that I think I'll be using. It's called METALCAST and it has a candy-ish finish to it (it's translucent).

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I experimented with some of it on a scrap of aluminum that I had and I think it'll work for the inner fenders. I am going to test to see how it looks over a silver base. If it looks OK I'll use it on the firewall.

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[/QU Looks good. The Metalcast metal tint/ candy look,seems to lay down nice. Have you researched,if this will hold up to engine compartment temps ? Those fenderwell headers could hammer that unprotected. ( Just my thoughts...)
 
Looks good. The Metalcast metal tint/ candy look,seems to lay down nice. Have you researched,if this will hold up to engine compartment temps ? Those fenderwell headers could hammer that unprotected. ( Just my thoughts...)

The can says 'HEAT RESISTANT' on it and the fine print says that it's good to 500'. I was wondering about that area that's going to be closest to the headers too. I might be OK if I can leave an inch or so air gap.
 
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