Cuda Capers: update

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FASTBACK340

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While nothing major has happened in the last few weeks due to a hectic social schedule, progress has been inching along. It should be painfully obvious that this season is out of the question for cruising in my car. At this point, I can wait. Here's some of the things I've been working on:

Powermaster Alternator & Edelbrock heads w/ sheet metal valve covers:

Here's my current pain in my ***.... getting everything to work. The alternator hits the heads if I mount it in the stock location. Needless to say, I've been bending brackets and shaving spacers almost on a daily basis. I *think* I may it worked out.
Barracuda004-vi.jpg

While the belt adjustment bracket appears to be on a radical angle, it will work. I have to mount it this high to clear all the neat stuff I bolted on without changing pulleys or trying to add speacers.
Barracuda006-vi.jpg

Here you can see what the problem is.
Barracuda007-vi.jpg

Damn thing hits the head/valve cover in the stock location. I still may do a little trimming on my alternator housing. I'll find out a little later today.


Nissan parts in Plymouths:

Yup. Send the Made In America Police to my house... I just found an inexpensive, and nice, way to add trunk lights to my Barracuda. I had a set of license plate lights from a Nissan Xterra in my toolbox at work and had planned on modifing them to mount in my trunk. To my surprise the damn things snapped right in place using exsisting openings stamped into the trunk opening structure!
Barracuda002-vi.jpg

They literally snapped right in. All I had to do was fabricate a harness and wire it to the pin switch!
Barracuda001-vi.jpg

I ran a power supply wire and drilled a hole for a grommet. Done. The wire tie-wrapped to my trunk hinge is for the power trunk release. I still may do something different for this as I'm not happy with the way it looks.

Today I plan on finishing the alternator fitment and am going to give the headliner another shot before I bail out and bribe a Pro to come to the house and do it for me. Today is a short work day in the yard due to the fact I have 9th. row seats for Alice in Chains/ Velvet Revolver at Jones Beach tonight. Tomorrow will be a full day of wrenching. Promise.

Barracuda004-vi.jpg


Barracuda004-vi.jpg


Barracuda006-vi.jpg


Barracuda006-vi.jpg


Barracuda007-vi.jpg


Barracuda007-vi.jpg
 
Nissan parts? John, IMO, thats just fine by me. Adding lights in the trunk with a little out of the way part is going not only light up the trunk well, but it'll cause a small curious stir of questions and people thinking.

It's what Hot Rodding is all about.

On the Alt. problem, have you tried a longer belt?
 
I got it.... The last go-around of spacers and moving everything UP a bit worked. I tied a string around the pulleys and found a co-operative parts counter man at my local parts jobber. Belt fits perfect and everything lines up without taking a Sawzall to my cylinder head.

Barracuda379-vi.jpg


Barracuda380-vi.jpg


Barracuda381-vi.jpg


I'm also making headway with that %$#@*&^ headliner. I'll tighten up the edges tomorrow. I think I might be real close to being done with it, which means next weekend I can install the glass (finally...). I know there's a few wrinkles, but I'm hoping they'll pull out a bit under tension.
Barracuda385-vi.jpg

I'm hoping the interior trim panels that go along the edge will pull the headliner up a bit, which would be perfect!
Barracuda384-vi.jpg

This has been a huge pain for me, getting this done. I'm much closer today than I was yesterday. Tomorrow I'll do even better!

Too bad I only had a few hours today. The weather is absolutely gorgeous! More of the same for tomorrow.
 
just a question. didn't moper muscle do an article on how to install a headliner? wonder if light use of a heat gun would help when stretching the material onto the tacks?
 
I like the trunk light idea. Good thinking.

Didn't you install a electric trunk release also?
 
I like the trunk light idea. Good thinking.

Didn't you install a electric trunk release also?


Yup. And I installed an electric release from a Dodge Diplomat, and an inside hood release from a `74 Duster.

Thanks for the compliments guys. Now I just gotta finish the car before I grow too old to power shift it.....
 
You've just got to love it when when something unexpected just "snaps in to place"! I'm guilty of using an old OE mud flap from my '89 4Runner daily driver to make a gasket for my Ramcharger steering column firewall bracket. Are our vehicles somehow tainted? I should think not! LOL! Good job John, and keep us updated.

I'd send those pics to Powermaster and ask them "what's up with this?". Spacers would just push the Alt. pulley out alignment I think.
 
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