Rum Runner (1973 Barracuda)

[SBDave]

Here's my pile, a 1973 Barracuda. It's got a 318, 904 slap stick auto, 8 3/4 rear end, disc front, drum rear. The car came with shaved side lamps, smoothed dutchman panel (?), and smoothed rear lower valence. Also has HID head lights and flowmaster exhaust. Custom "Cuda" hockey stick. The engine sounds like it has a little cam, but not sure what exactly. Car was originally Rallye Red, then Plum Crazy and now In-Violet...I think (those purple paint names confuse me). Never thought I'd own a purple car, but after looking around for a year this was the only car that wasn't in too bad of shape or a show car.

I've done some work on it myself. I installed an XV level 1 suspension kit (Afco shocks, stiff torsion bars and leaf springs, adjustable strut rods). I have yet to install the sway bars from XV. I also rebuilt the whole front suspension, new poly bushings and ball joints, steering links and joints, machined rotors, machined the pads, rebuilt one of the calipers, installed new wheel bearings and gusseted the lower control arms. I also reinforced some of the frame in the front (rust damage).

My to do list and ideas:

-fix redneck modifications and rust
-subframe connectors
-tie the front frame together by a boxed radiator support
-larger diam x wide wheels (17x9 front and back?)
-275 wide rubber front and back
-stiffer steering box and gusset steering box mount
-manual trans (5 speed OD?)
-new rear end gears, add sure grip diff
-upgrade brakes
-engine mods (turbo? ...I want something unusual since I'm already a mopar black sheep)
-interior (nothing fancy, just functional)
-black out the chrome trim
-black & yellow license plate(?)
-flush mount windows(?)
-front bumper color match to car
-pre 1973 bumperettes (still can't believe they are called that)

This will be a slow project. I'm doing as much of the work as I can myself in my drive way. The car will get driven and will not be a show winner. Might take it to the track for an open track day a couple times a year but it will mostly be a cruiser. We call it the Purple People Eater or just The Purple Car. The guy that aligned it called it a rum runner. I'm not big on project names but liked how that sounds (hope there isn't another RR project).

I'm 25, live in Santa Barbara, CA and work for an off-road racing transaxle company. Oh and this is my first project car. Hope that didn't bore you.

-Dave

[70rs]

I like the name too. That looks like a great start to a really cool project. I like the future plans for it and that you're doing it yourself too.
Be sure and post a lot of pictures and details about everything you do to it.
:cheers:

[73chally]

Looks to be a good start and great plan. looking forward to following the progress.

[tones2SS]

Nice car. I'm digging the Mopars!:thumbsup:

[SBDave]

Thanks! The car looks alright from the outside but pretty much everything needs work. I'm planning on stopping by El Toro Saturday morning for a couple hours. If anyone else sees me there I'd love to meet some Lat-g folks. I'm not gonna recognize anyone but hopefully I'll recognize some of your cars. I'll wear an Oakland A's hat so you can find me! haha

Shiny side up!
Dave

Was I supposed to post this in member/project/vehicle introduction? oops

[SBDave]

I'm heading to Santa Paula this afternoon for what I hear is an amazing get together. Then next weekend (5/16) my car will be in the Wheels & Waves show in Santa Barbara. I know there are a few people on this web site in the area.

Nothing new on my car, I've just been driving it every chance I get. After Wheels and Waves I'm going to rebuild my axle and upgrade, it freakin howls! I might make some subframe connectors and fix the floor while the car is off the road.

-Dave

[HWY Nova]

I'm heading to Santa Paula this afternoon for what I hear is an amazing get together. Then next weekend (5/16) my car will be in the Wheels & Waves show in Santa Barbara. I know there are a few people on this web site in the area.

Nothing new on my car, I've just been driving it every chance I get. After Wheels and Waves I'm going to rebuild my axle and upgrade, it freakin howls! I might make some subframe connectors and fix the floor while the car is off the road.

-Dave

Dave,

I work by the SB Airport right off Hollister Ave. I'd like to hook up sometime and check out your car!


--Eric

[SBDave]

Hi Eric! haha, I work on Hollister down across from Costco/Baja Fresh. Some buddies and I bring our old cars out to El Pollo Rico in Old Town Goleta on Thursdays for lunch at noon. If you don't make it to Wheels and Waves you can usually catch me there....but I'm planning on taking the car off the road for a little while right after W&W for some upgrades.

-Dave

[HWY Nova]

Hi Eric! haha, I work on Hollister down across from Costco/Baja Fresh. Some buddies and I bring our old cars out to El Pollo Rico in Old Town Goleta on Thursdays for lunch at noon. If you don't make it to Wheels and Waves you can usually catch me there....but I'm planning on taking the car off the road for a little while right after W&W for some upgrades.

-Dave

You must be in the old ABLE ENGINEERING building. I know where that is.

I can't come this Thursday, but maybe I'll meet up with you at W&W. Are you aware of CRUSIN' IN THE GROVE on June 5th?

--Eric

[elitecustombody]

cool cuda,everytime I see someone's cuda I want to start on my 71,but still have too many projects on top of it all I picked up a 69 firebird. post pics of the work

[SBDave]

Yep, I'm in the old Able Engineering building. I can't find out any information about Cruisin' in the Grove for June 5th and I believe I will be in Mexico for the Baja 500 race around that time. So I don't think I can make it, but post a link to more information about that show if you have one, just in case I don't end up going down to Mex.

A 71? I'm jealous! ...and a 69 Firebird to boot! I've taken pictures of everything I've done so far, I just need to get them on the computer. This is my only automotive project, but I've got so many hobbies that sometimes it's hard to dedicate time to it.

thanks,
Dave

[SBDave]

I've taken the axles and 3rd member out for upgrades. Going to a 3.55 R&P with a True Trac diff. Also replacing all bearings and seals in the rear end and upgrading to disc brakes. Here's a crappy pic of the old diff coming apart.

Dave

[SBDave]

3rd Member rebuilt. 3.55 truetrac, crush sleeve eliminator, new bearings, seals, new axles, new axle bearings, rebuilt drive shaft u-joint, cleaned up drive shaft, drilled and tapped the axle housing for a drain plug.

Everythings all back together, I just need 10 lug nuts and another Qt of gear oil and I can test it out.

Hoping to cruise up to the Bay Area tomorrow via Hwy 1. Wish me luck!

-Dave

[HWY Nova]

Thanks for the update!

Was the pic taken at work or at home??!!!???!!

Hopefully Hwy 1 isn't too foggy..... It sure is nice today.



--Eric

[SBDave]

Pictures are from work...my second home. I wish I had all those tools and room for myself. Fortunately my boss's and coworkers are interested in anything automotive related and are very helpful.

For those who don't know I work for an off road racing transaxle company.

-Dave

[SBDave]

I put about 2,000 miles on the car this summer. Drove HWY 1 up to the Bay Area and down to LA twice (Venice and Newport Beach). Just last week on my way to work I broke a lower shock mount because the shock was bottoming before the bump stop. I've got a new mount but need to go through and figure out how to get clean travel (probably shorter shocks).

I've also picked up a set of four polished Cobra R 17x9's. They were cheap and I'll be able to get some better tires, although I'm not sure I'm gonna like how they look on the car. Hoping to fit 275 wide rubber all the way around. I haven't mounted them yet and will need to figure out spacing to get them to fit right. I think I'd like them better if they were satin black and just kinda disappeared on the car.

I'm going to Willow Springs Raceway tomorrow to ride along in my friends 68 Camaro. It's an all out track car that he just started racing in VARA. He also races Lemons with some guys so we'll have that car out there too.

I've attached two pictures from the drive north on HWY1 through Big Sur, one picture from driving South on HWY1 across from Neptune's Net in Malibu and the last picture is from working at the Vegas to Reno desert race. I got to ride in this Class 1 race car.

-Dave

[autoxcuda]

Dave, might want to check out this new Small Block Mopar road race pan Milodon just came out with. Extra capacity, full oil control, stock height under K-member.

http://www.lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=28803

[SBDave]

I saw your post on c-c.com. I'll keep that pan in mind, but I'm a ways off from engine work.

Thanks,
Dave

[SBDave]

I bought a used mid 1970's Dodge 360 complete with "RV" cam for cheap a couple months ago. Disassembled it and dropped off the block at a local speed shop this morning. My thoughts are to build a 408ci stroker. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. I'm planning on having the speed shop do all the machining and balancing and I'll do the final assembly myself. Haven't done it before but I'd like to learn.

Still can't decide on a transmission. I've had two TKO's come up for sale but this being a Mopar complicated the issue and both fell through. Now there's the new RS600 and there is another mopar specific 5 speed coming out. So hopefully those are released and get good reviews in the next couple months so I can pick one to go with the new engine.

Here are three crappy pictures, first of the engine, second is of a friend of mine with a Camaro dirt dragster I saw down in Loreto, Baja Mexico and the third is of my dream car if I lived in that town. Are bad pictures better than no pictures? I was in Loreto during the SCORE Baja 1000 back in November... I just wanted to add more pictures than just the engine. haha

-Dave

[SBDave]

Well it's been a few years since I finished the engine/trans swap. Here's a quick run down of the specs.

-408" small block stroker custom built (K1 crank, JE pistons, Edelbrock heads reworked with solid roller lifters and rockers, Voodoo cam, Edelbrock intake, Holley double pumper carb) about 10.5:1 compression
-TTI headers to a single 3.5" pipe back to a Flowmaster race muffler
-old school mopar 4 speed re-geared w/ 0.80 4th gear and pistol grip shifter
-3.55 rear end with true trac
-upgraded torsion bars/leaf springs/sway bars/Hotchkis(Fox) shocks
-American autowire kit
-Sparco Pro 2000 front seats
-Wilwood front discs (12" rotors), rear disc kit
-VTO 16x8" wheels with 255/50R16 Toyo R888R's
-Borgeson quick ratio power steering

A little different build than most on here but the idea was to make an old school trans-am style race car for the streets. I do road rallies (back roads drives) around Sonoma/Napa and around San Luis Obispo.

I'm glad you guys have kept this website going all these years! Let me know if you have any questions.

-Dave


PS The sideways photo is upright on both my phone and computer and when I tried rotating it and re-uploading it on the computer its still sideways. I guess I'm officially an old guy now. lol

[syborg tt]

Beautiful car I’m happy to see you’re out driving it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[camcojb]

Turned out great!

[WSSix]

Congrats on getting is finished and putting miles on the car. It looks great!

[HO455]

Here's a flip for the beautiful car. My friend Lance had one in high school and I've loved Cuda's since. The MiniLites are perfect!

[SBDave]

Hey thanks for doing that! A lot of people get drawn into the car when they see those wheels with the Toyo tires... "hold on, whats going on here?!" I've always liked a more subtle satin black wheel but I couldn't bring myself to paint these when they were brand new. These are a very reasonable $225/wheel but my only complaint is they designed them with a really thick pad (hence the spokes are out towards the face of the wheel)... I assume so that they can machine lots of different offsets.

Cheers!
Dave