Georgia, On My Mind.

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go-fish

go-fish

FABO Gold Member
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A few months back I put out a want ad on all the "_"-Bodies .com websites looking for an Early-A Barracuda for my daughter. She is a smart and wonderful kid so for her 19th birthday I decided to get her the Mopar that she has always wanted. @jeff alder responded to the ad and a decision was made pretty quick that ol' Georgia would be the one. Jeff and Karrin are so very gracious and accommodating to Emma's dreams. She literally has been having dreams about driving it!

First things first is safety with my girl so the tires are being replaced with BFG T/A's. The wheels have been widened by the original owner, nicely done. I dropped the wheels off at the tire shop already but backspace measurements will be coming soon. Sizes are 215/60r14 and 225/70r14. They fill the wheel wells very nicely. While the wheels are off I am planning to completely redo the brakes. The front left adjuster was all the way messed up and it took forever to get the drum off. I don't know how the car even moved. They are drums all the way around and for the sake of starting fresh I ordered up all the springs, retainers, adjusters, shoes, RH thread wheel studs and wheel bearings.

Eventually we will be getting into the large bolt pattern conversion. I just upgraded my 73 Duster's front suspension to adj. UCA's and QA1 LCA's. I also have an 8-3/4 for the Duster so the Barracuda can get the Duster's 8-1/4. I'll be asking questions on the best method to go LBP in the front. I mean, I have a complete 73 front suspension including K-frame but thinking about just using the upper ball joint tapered adapter and new ball joints.

Here she is for now. Should have the new tires on by Thursday. We'll see how she drives having just cleaned and adjusted the brakes but then it will be Emma's first brake job over the weekend when the parts arrive.


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(She doesn’t like her picture taken, apparently! LoL!
 
Congratulations to you and your daughter, anytime we can get a younger generation into this automotive hobby it’s a win, but the fact you can get a young woman into it is over the top!:thumbsup:
 
I'm not a big fan of first-generation Barracuda's but, that is a sharp looking car just as it sits. I've seen them modded for road racing & I like what I see. They are starting to grow on me. And yeah, some of us aren't fans of having our picture taken. I'd be pretty proud to own that car. Nice choice.
 
go-fish said:
A few months back I put out a want ad on all the "_"-Bodies .com websites looking for an Early-A Barracuda for my daughter. She is a smart and wonderful kid so for her 19th birthday I decided to get her the Mopar that she has always wanted. @jeff alder responded to the ad and a decision was made pretty quick that ol' Georgia would be the one. Jeff and Karrin are so very gracious and accommodating to Emma's dreams. She literally has been having dreams about driving it!

First things first is safety with my girl so the tires are being replaced with BFG T/A's. The wheels have been widened by the original owner, nicely done. I dropped the wheels off at the tire shop already but backspace measurements will be coming soon. Sizes are 215/60r14 and 225/70r14. They fill the wheel wells very nicely. While the wheels are off I am planning to completely redo the brakes. The front left adjuster was all the way messed up and it took forever to get the drum off. I don't know how the car even moved. They are drums all the way around and for the sake of starting fresh I ordered up all the springs, retainers, adjusters, shoes, RH thread wheel studs and wheel bearings.

Eventually we will be getting into the large bolt pattern conversion. I just upgraded my 73 Duster's front suspension to adj. UCA's and QA1 LCA's. I also have an 8-3/4 for the Duster so the Barracuda can get the Duster's 8-1/4. I'll be asking questions on the best method to go LBP in the front. I mean, I have a complete 73 front suspension including K-frame but thinking about just using the upper ball joint tapered adapter and new ball joints.

Here she is for now. Should have the new tires on by Thursday. We'll see how she drives having just cleaned and adjusted the brakes but then it will be Emma's first brake job over the weekend when the parts arrive.


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(She doesn’t like her picture taken, apparently! LoL!
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That's not the same look she had on her face when she first sat in Geogia girl and fired up the little 273. LOL All I remember is a big happy smile.
 
mygasser said:
she's a very lucky girl and you're a very cool dad :thumbsup:
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Go-fish and I shared quite a few private messages to make this happen. I could tell he was a good guy and a great dad from some of the pictures he shared with us when his children were much younger in the engine compartments of their family cars. He definitely got them started out young and with Emma it surely stuck. That's an awfully long drive from Oklahoma to Illinois to pick up a car for a daughter's birthday! We got to know each other a bit more during breakfast and especially during the course of the tour of our little slice of Mopar Heaven. When John, Emma and I were loading the car I think we all knew this was a perfect car for her. (Karrin was taking care of our little pointer "Georgia Bean" or she would have been in the mix as well) We can assure all of you Go-fish is a standup guy doing a great job on his daughter's birthday. Thanks FABO!
 


Got the wheels back from the tire shop. Stuck with the 215/60 front & 225/70’s in back. BFG is the only manufacturer of a 215/60r14, btw. Measuring as best I could it looks like b.s. is 3-1/8”. The front measures 3-1/2”. The extra width was added to the front side.
I adjusted the brakes and they seem to work good for cruising around the ol country road. Definitely going to put the brake parts on this weekend though.




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jeff alder said:
That little 273 2 bbl sounds nice and "throaty" I one saw a you tube video of an old 273 fish with the factory 273 exhaust. The owner had the camera and the mic rigged under the car and the video was entitled "The sound of the "mythical" 273...LPL
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The exhaust looks like 2-1/4? Mufflers are a a turbo style. The original owner's notes stated Flow Masters. I'm glad they aren't! I love the exhaust.

Here are some things I am having daydreams about: LD4B intake, late model LA 318 swirl port heads, and 340 manifolds. Hmm.

We're going to focus on the wiring, lights, and a radiator repair.
 
There were 4 or 5 Ld4b at the last swap in Indy. One was a guy that is there every year for $150.00. I bought the nicest one out of the bunch that another member here turned me on to for 250.00. The one for 150.00 was very clean. It just needed a little resurfacing where the thermostat housing bolted on. The most expensive one was 400. Just an FYI Mexican Spec has the tail lamp lenses for very reasonable prices. The rectangular ones and the round ones. Classic and mega parts have really nice replacement round ones. @Mexican Spec
 
jeff alder said:
Just an FYI Mexican Spec has the tail lamp lenses
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Done. They’ll probably be here in a few days. Those were the first things I ordered.
We’ve got cold weather coming and a good chunk of parts on their way so stay tuned.
If you find an LD4B let me know. The only one I’ve seen is on eBay and of course overpriced.
 
go-fish said:
Done. They’ll probably be here in a few days. Those were the first things I ordered.
We’ve got cold weather coming and a good chunk of parts on their way so stay tuned.
If you find an LD4B let me know. The only one I’ve seen is on eBay and of course overpriced.
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(just in case) If you use the heads that are currently on there you will need a D4B...If you change heads to 1966 and up LD4B
 
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