Getting to it too!!! 1967 Barracuda Coupe

[Hyper_pak]

Here is the 65 dimension. And a 67 Valance. Hope this helps you.
Super nice job you are doing with your notch!

 

[Hyper_pak]

Here is a picture of a Ronnie Sox Barracuda. This car was built by Bob Reed for Ronnie and they used a 67 273 Commando body. You can see the cut out in the white paint.

 

[FJRdoc]

It looks like Mike is done with my bros 67 Barracuda and we should be making a trip out to Ohio to bring it back to my house for assembly. I have some questions for my fellow FABO members. What was the factory finish on the 67 trunk lid finish panel? It appears to be a dull aluminum color with a irregular surface. Was this painted argent or left as a aluminum? What is the finish detail of the hood inserts? Chrome, argent and /or black detailing? I would like to get these trim pieces as close NOS appearance as possible. Pics would be very helpful. The "Cuda is looking great! I will leave it up to my brother to post the most recent pics of the car. Time for me to get rocking on assembly.

 

[Mattax]

What was the factory finish on the 67 trunk lid finish panel? It appears to be a dull aluminum color with a irregular surface. Was this painted argent or left as a aluminum?

I beleive all three pieces of deck lid trim were annodized, but can't point to documentation to support that.
The upper and lower trim strips had a matte or semi-gloss black stripe painted in them.

What is the finish detail of the hood inserts? Chrome, argent and /or black detailing? I would like to get these trim pieces as close NOS appearance as possible. Pics would be very helpful.

The hood inserts are chromed. edit Between the fins may have had argent paint or ?
Don't think I have a good pic of the hood-serts. I need to take the car for inspection Monday so will get a photo before then.

IIRC the inserts were featured in some of the dealer pormotional and/or color ads. That would be pretty good reference, although some cars used in ads may have been pre-production??

@Cuda Al is very knowledgable on '67s. Maybe he'll see this and have more insight and examples.

edit. Here's a photo of one on my car.

 

[FJRdoc]

Hello everyone. I just wanted to give you all an update on progress on Gary's car. We made the trip out to Mike Ross in October of last year. I didn't make any headway on the car over the winter. My garage is not heated and I spent a lot of time in the woods deer hunting.
Now that the weather is nice, I'm trying to make headway on the car. A couple of weekends ago, I installed the vinyl stripes. Installation got tricky around the front header panel but I'm happy with how it turned out.
My next project is to assemble the motor and try to run it on a test stand.I would love to break the engine in on a dyno but I haven't been successful locating one in the area. Fender emblems have been polished and the background repainted.

 

[FJRdoc]

Some emblems installed.

 

[FJRdoc]

Got some mechanical work done on the car this weekend. Piston ring end gaps have been checked and installed. Also got the crankshaft installed. That's enough for today.

 

[JDMopar]

Looks nice! What kind of pistons did you end up getting? I'm building a 273 for my 65 Barracuda, and bought a set of custom pistons from Race Tech. They should be here any day now....I hope!

 

[FJRdoc]

We bought slugs from Egge. I'm trying to duplicate the Commando engine as close as possible.

 

[FJRdoc]

I've been making progress on the 273. Crank, cam, and timing set installed. Installed pistons 1 and 2 in order to degree the cam. Tried to spin the assembly and was unable to budge it. I automatically went into panic mode and loosened #1 conecting rod cap.... no movement. Tightened #1 up again and loosened #2.... no movement. Loosened both #1 and #2 ..... smooth movement. Disassembled and made measurements. Connecting rods and crank mains were machined .010 under but the shop gave me .030 connecting rod bearings! Funny how much difference .020 can make.
With the correct bearings in hand, I installed pistons 1 and 2 and degreed in the cam. Lobe center is listed at 108 and my measurements came in at 107. The rest of the slugs went in last night without issue.
I opted for the Isky 390144 E-4 solid lifter cam for this rebuild. Specs are .283 cam lift, .425 valve lift, 260 duration, and 108 lobe center. I think this cam will be close to the original Commando bumpstick.
My machine shop had a A-engine windage tray collecting dust in the corner and I was able to locate a set of attaching hardware from Bill Rolick. A trial spin shows no interference with the rotating assembly.

 

[FJRdoc]

IMG 4984 - YouTube

IMG 4983 - YouTube

 

[JDMopar]

Looks great! Do you recall the thickness of the hardened washers you used under the main cap bolts for the windage tray? I will be assembling the 273 for my 65 Barracuda soon and will be adding a windage tray. 273-318 windage tray bolts are unobtainium, so I will be using some from a 340 with hardened washers. Keep up the good work!

 

[FJRdoc]

I bought original, used windage tray hardware from Bill Rolick. I spoke with him at Carlisle. He said that he had a few sets back in Jersey. They are not listed on his web site. No additional washers are needed with original hardware. You might want to give him a call.
Bill Rolik Enterprises - N.O.S., Reproduction, and Replacement Chrysler Parts

 

[FJRdoc]

Here is a factory windage tray crank cap bolt. It measures 3/4 inches from the underside of the hex head to the top of the spacer, Measurement from the top of the hex head to the top of the spacer is 7/16 inch.

 

[FJRdoc]

It's starting to look like an engine again.

 

[FJRdoc]

Gary picked up a really nice sway bar for the fish at Carlisle. We were looking for one to add to the car. We already have the lower control arms with tabs. I wire brushed the bar and sanded any pitting (there was very little). The bar and brackets were painted with chassis paint. I ordered bushings from Summit and had a chance to install them today.
I thought that I would share with you all an easy way to install the bushings (as long as you have a shop press) without cutting or welding the brackets.

1. Cut a piece of 4x4 and bore a 1" hole in the center. Drill for 2 long drywall screws. Remove the screws and cut the wood down the center. This is labeled upper in my pics.
2. Cut a second piece of 4x4 but angle the cut as shown. This will help to position it because of the bracket angle. Drill for screws and cut in half. This labeled lower in the picture.
3. Screw the lower portion around the sway bar. Slide the bushing over the eye. Lube it and locate it on the bracket.
4. Screw the upper piece of wood around the bar and position everything on your shop press.
5. Use a piece of pipe that is big enough to slide over the eye of the bar. Pump the hydraulic press until the bushing pops into place. Easy Peasy!

 

[FJRdoc]

Worked on the engine more today. I did need to space the windage tray main bolts in order to get the tray away from the oil pan rails. This also helped with allowing the tray to sit properly on the special bolts. Worked on the intake manifold as well. My brother purchased the correct intake and AFB a couple years ago. The surface on the manifold where the thermostat housing bolts onto looked rough and pitted. I was concerned about a possible leak in this area in the future.
I used a Dremel and a burr to clean out any contaminated material. Thoroughly cleaned the area and then applied JB Weld high temp epoxy. Cured the intake in the oven at 250 for an hour. Today I sanded the excess and finally trued the surface with an industrial diamond flat hone. I feel better about the surface now.

 

[sireland67]

Take the intake to a machine shop and have them mill it flat.

 

[FJRdoc]

Finished most of the 273 this weekend. I'm waiting on the carb to come back from restoration. A couple other odds and ends are on the way. Once everything is together, the engine will be going off to Godfrey Racing for dyno break-in and numbers. I'm anxious to see how this little 273 performs. Afterwards, I will need to make a make-shift paint booth to lay on some red paint. We have Commando covers which will need some repainting. Still have lots of work to do.