1968 Barracuda Notchback; Plano, TX

[68Cuda]

Hello Michael from Plano here.

Plymouth Barracuda 2 Door Hardtop (Notchback)
440cid with a EFI six pack tunnel ram. T56 Magnum.

Falken Azenis RT615k Front 255/40-18; Rear 295/40-18
Front wheels are 18x9; rear are 18x10
Car was mini tubbed and has enough room to run 345/30-19 in the rear and 275/35-18 front.

3.90 Rear Axle Ratio

Disc brakes on all four corners. Suspension modifications are underway. Brought it home after metal fabrication and paint in June, took July off, and will be getting back to the car this weekend.

[69coupe]

Very nice!

[DBasher]

Looks great, I like the color.

Interested to see what suspension and stance you end up with.

Dan

[BMR Sales]

Welcome Michael!

[chichirone]

Very cool. Michael. The color is awesome. Hope to see you out at Cars and Coffee at Classic BMW Plano and some other events when that beast is done.

[214Chevy]

I like the color too...nice. Welcome Michael. I'm right up the road from you in Mesquite.

[Sonar Chief]

Nice car, brings back some memories .... cruzed around in friends 67 Barracuda during HS days, I can't tell you all the stuff we did in that car! lol

Nice color .... welcome to the site!

[syborg tt]

Welcome to the BB and what an awesome car. I can't wait to see more pictures of this car coming together

[Motormouth]

Lookin good man. Cant wait to see some more pics. Gotta love the notchbacks!

[tones2SS]

Very nice!
Love the notchbacks.

[tubbed69]

Very nice color choice,great job on this one:trophy-1302:

[tarheels15]

beautiful looking color and awesome build.

[RCC]

nice car any updates ?

[68Cuda]

The engine is in!

[Justin@EntropyRad]

The color is legit, and the motor doesn't stink either!

[68Cuda]

The color is legit, and the motor doesn't stink either!

Thanks! I am a big fan of it myself.

[68Cuda]

Progress on brakes and suspension...

[waynieZ]

That's some beefy calipers right there! Motor looks great in there.

[68Cuda]

That's some beefy calipers right there! Motor looks great in there.

Thanks! Ran into an issue with the wheels. That big nose on the hub interferes with the inner bore on the wheel. Inner bore would need to be about 0.080" deeper to clear. Alternatively I could radius the nose of the hub with about a 0.125" round and it would probably clear also. That may be the easier option. Would probably run me about 1/2 hour on the lathe to do both hubs. Other choice is to run a small spacer. I had a cheap set of 8mm spacers laying in the bottom of the tool box. They will work for now while I am rolling the car around in the garage... also points out the fact that I can easily run a little wider tire...

[68Cuda]

Hmmm… June 11th. Power Tour.

I have about 250 hours of vacation time saved up at work. About 120 hours off, a day at a time between now and then + about 2 weeks off starting about June 9th.

https://goo.gl/maps/a9ZZx29gJ7G2

Stranger things have happened.

OK… looking up E85 fuel stations. 201 miles is the longest stretch between fill ups and that is downhill. I have a 32 gallon tank, EFI, and a 6 speed with 2 overdrives. Driving from Round Rock to Plano I got 12 mpg with gas, carb, and an automatic. I think I’ll be good! I’m expecting to get better mileage. I plan to setup the EFI to be “flex fuel” so I could use Super Unleaded in a pinch.

[WSSix]

Good luck making Power Tour Michael. You can do it!

[68Cuda]

Worked on window alignment Saturday. Spent an hour or so tweaking the passenger side windows. I was starting to feel a bit inept, each adjustment affecting position a bit in ways I did not expect. Took a while before I was happy with the outcome, still may tweak the up stops on the rear to let the window come up a hair more. Tested the fit with a dollar bill in several places along the top of both windows and the seal between, pretty tight.

[68Cuda]

Sunday I took a dremel to open the ignition switch hole up a bit, then a flat file to make the hole almost a square. Start button fits snugly. Still need to sand down and paint the dash frame. With the lower dash pad in place the button will be a subtle change. I have a few more modifications to the dash to do... parts are a little dusty stored in the garage, definitely some clean up to do when it comes to final install. The maroon dash pad in the picture is a spare I had lying around, my "good" one is black.

[68Cuda]

Hmmm… June 11th. Power Tour.

I have about 250 hours of vacation time saved up at work. About 120 hours off, a day at a time between now and then + about 2 weeks off starting about June 9th.


Not looking like power tour is going to happen for me this year. I took 4 hours off last week and I thought my boss was going to have a heart attack. I have too much going on at work, that is for sure. Add to that I do not have any real extra money. Car needs 3 big money projects to be finished. AC, Exhaust, and shocks. I might be able to do one of them this year. Strange enough the AC allows me to get farther with everything else, so I may do it first even though it does not get me to a place where I can fire the engine. I have a lot of little projects also which take some money but mostly time.

[68Cuda]

Worked on AC ducting today. There is no easy way to add AC ducts to my dash and keep the factory dash bezel. I really dislike the aftermarket plastic bezels that hang under the dash and have a hose snaking under to them. Then you put a dress up or billet vent on the plastic bezel...

I do have an idea though. I took my old cut up dash frame and some old dash pads and mocked it up today. Need to pull it up 1/2" and maybe in 1/2" deeper, but here is the idea.

[68Cuda]

Very little progress as of late, too busy at work and no money. I rolled it out of the garage for a wash and wax. Rolled it back in and took a few pictures. Need to get lowering blocks for the rear but looks pretty good. Plan for the air cleaner is black base, hemi orange top with the 440 6bbl sticker. Suspension, engine and transmission are all in place. Trying to get myself motivated to do what work I can on it. Took a few pictures.

[randy]

get your A$$ moving.

[68Cuda]

get your A$$ moving.

Are you driving yours yet? I think Rodney wants my car done also. Problem is that I am the one paying the bill and I'm short on cash.

I'll take some time off over the next several months and get some more stuff done. But, in the end, there are a few parts that cost a lot of money that I still need to buy.

[66fury]

i need that intake on my car,its wicked!

[68Cuda]

i need that intake on my car,its wicked!

I have wanted one since the late 80's. I helped work on a '70 'Cuda that ran one. Mopar discontinued them a long time ago. They are a pain to tune with the carbs, but considered the "best" cast aluminum intake ever made for a 440. They were developed by Mopar and Weiand specifically at the request of Paul Rossi to run on the 440 for super stock racing in the mid 70's.

Here is some info:
http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/weiand-c.htm

Don Dulmage made a 2x4 top for one, his best intake ever on his car:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/big-d/2X4.htm

Ray Meyers (won his class in drag week one year with a 440 in his '67 Barracuda) loves this intake "a victor jr with a 1000hp holley lost 4 mph in the 1/8th to this intake with a six pack in my testing on a standard port 493" see post #330194:
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/330195/re-weiand-cross-tunnel-ram-intake-manifold.html

I am circumventing the shortcoming of running carbs on this intake by running port EFI.

[randy]

Are you driving yours yet? I think Rodney wants my car done also. Problem is that I am the one paying the bill and I'm short on cash.

I'll take some time off over the next several months and get some more stuff done. But, in the end, there are a few parts that cost a lot of money that I still need to buy.

Nope. Waiting on insurance to go any further.

[jeff71]

What brand wheels are you using?

[68Cuda]

What brand wheels are you using?

https://lmr.com/products/Black-SVE-Drift-Wheels

18x9 Front, 18x10 Rear. Front is +35mm for 2005-16 Mustang. Rear fitment is +22mm for 1994-04 Mustang. Front 255/40-18, rear 295/40-18, both are Falken Azenis RT615k.

My rear axle is narrowed and my car is mini-tubbed with relocated springs. I can tuck a 325/50-15 drag radial under, so a 325/30-19 or 335/30-18 would be no problem w/ the right wheel. Front is "stock" spindle '73-'76 A-body with an aftermarket brake package from Dr Diff. I could go with a 18x10 on the front w/ a 275/35-18 if I so desire. The current tire/wheel combo is relatively cheap and I bought them so we could do the body mods with the tallest tires I would likely ever run, I "tuned" the width with spacers for clearance checks. We ended up modifying the front fender slightly to gain turn in clearance that this body style does not lend itself to naturally. I also plan on abusing these tires as I tune the car and maybe use them permanently as track use wheels / tires.

[Grimmey71]

That's gonna be a lot of fun

[DBasher]

"18x10 with a 275 on the front"....is the car not lowered at all? Like you said these A bodies don't make it easy for bigger set ups, especially in the front. I'd love to know how you're able to get this to work without it looking like a swamp buggy.

[68Cuda]

"18x10 with a 275 on the front"....is the car not lowered at all? Like you said these A bodies don't make it easy for bigger set ups, especially in the front. I'd love to know how you're able to get this to work without it looking like a swamp buggy.

Current tire is 255/40-18, which is 26". The 26" tire is too tall for the factory fender without mods. It will not clear the front corner on turn in so I changed the fender slightly to accommodate. I have 1.12" Firm Feel brand torsion bars, '73-'76 spindles, and QA1 lower control arms. Not all manufacturers of the bars get the indexing correct, larger bars need a different offset to get the height right and still have preload. I have yet to install bump stops, but may not need to with these T-bars, they are very stiff. It took 2 attempts to get the bars installed with the correct indexing, the first pass looked like it was ready for the Baja 1000. As it sits now I can go lower, a 275/35-18 is 25.6", so it is less than 1/4" different, so maybe 2 turns on the adjuster down. If I let the adjuster all the way out the fender is about even with the wheel lip and it is still not quite to the bump stops. Too small a diameter tire would not fill up the wheel well the same, that is for sure. It also has more ground clearance than it appears which is a nice side effect of the larger tires. The car sat a little lower with 165R15 front runners and 0.990" bars.

I need to drop the rear an inch or more, but I figured I would address that once all the interior, glass, and a half tank of fuel is in the car.

Picture from a different angle:

[DBasher]

Thanks Michael. The car looks great in green and you've got a heck of a motor. I've been helping a buddy with his notch and for the height he's after I just couldn't see that wide of a tire working.
In the last pic, have you got full turning radius?

:cheers:

[dukeboy_318]

looking good. So I may have missed it, what'd you end up with for suspension?

[68Cuda]

Thanks Michael. The car looks great in green and you've got a heck of a motor. I've been helping a buddy with his notch and for the height he's after I just couldn't see that wide of a tire working.
In the last pic, have you got full turning radius?

:cheers:

Yes, it will turn lock to lock without touching the frame. I think somewhere around 275 you will start to rub the frame, not that it really affects the turn radius that much. I have seen 285 with clearance notched into the frame rails.

Dukeboy - suspension is just modified stock. 1.12" T-bars, tubular control arms, aftermarket strut rod on the front. Rear is monoleaf with Caltracs for now. After I get it running I will increase the front sway bar, see if I need a rear bar and go from there. I have heard good and bad regarding Caltracs. I'll see how it fares before I pass judgement, this is not a car that I am looking to compete at the pro or national level with. I just want it to work well, behave predictably, and have fun with it at the local level.

Following is a series of pictures of the fender modification.

First picture - no clearance, literally rubs on turn in. Second picture is the first cut of the pie cut, silver sharpie mark shows where second cut will be. Third picture is after pie cut is removed and lip is pushed forward. Fourth is after tack welds. Fifth is after rough body work is finished. And the last picture shows the minimum clearance after. The rear of the tire is close to the fender bolt, but running a button head there takes care of that issue along with good strut rods.

[syborg tt]

Wow what a difference. Nice work

[dukeboy_318]

Yes, it will turn lock to lock without touching the frame. I think somewhere around 275 you will start to rub the frame, not that it really affects the turn radius that much. I have seen 285 with clearance notched into the frame rails.

Dukeboy - suspension is just modified stock. 1.12" T-bars, tubular control arms, aftermarket strut rod on the front. Rear is monoleaf with Caltracs for now. After I get it running I will increase the front sway bar, see if I need a rear bar and go from there. I have heard good and bad regarding Caltracs. I'll see how it fares before I pass judgement, this is not a car that I am looking to compete at the pro or national level with. I just want it to work well, behave predictably, and have fun with it at the local level.

Following is a series of pictures of the fender modification.

First picture - no clearance, literally rubs on turn in. Second picture is the first cut of the pie cut, silver sharpie mark shows where second cut will be. Third picture is after pie cut is removed and lip is pushed forward. Fourth is after tack welds. Fifth is after rough body work is finished. And the last picture shows the minimum clearance after. The rear of the tire is close to the fender bolt, but running a button head there takes care of that issue along with good strut rods.

looks good, i'll probably mod my dart fenders as well in a similar fashion.

as to caltracs, i think they'll be just fine for you. They dont do great for corner carving but seem to be very good straight line at hooking up. Also, have you decided on shocks? If you havent, I run vikings on everything now, no complaints and the dual adjusting shocks are a fair price and American made.

[68Cuda]

Wow what a difference. Nice work

Thanks - goal was to make it imperceptible. Even my 67-69 Barracuda friends don't notice unless you show them so I believe we succeeded.

[68Cuda]

looks good, i'll probably mod my dart fenders as well in a similar fashion.

as to caltracs, i think they'll be just fine for you. They dont do great for corner carving but seem to be very good straight line at hooking up. Also, have you decided on shocks? If you havent, I run vikings on everything now, no complaints and the dual adjusting shocks are a fair price and American made.

Do the Darts have the same clearance issue? I know the opening is shaped a little different.

I was considering the Viking Berserker shocks.

Why are the Caltracs bad? How do they negatively affect handling?

[dukeboy_318]

Do the Darts have the same clearance issue? I know the opening is shaped a little different.

I was considering the Viking Berserker shocks.

Why are the Caltracs bad? How do they negatively affect handling?



They're just a mono leaf spring with what is essentially a ladder bar or traction bar to help them hook. And they do hook in the straight line. Having driven my buddies duster with them on, they do OK on the street, bout like stockers but go to push the envelope of a corner and they don't do so well. Kind of un predictable. Bout like stockers really. They won't hurt your handling much, but they won't help it much either. At least for corner carving. But that's just my 2 cents. I'm no suspension expert, just going on my experiences with them. I will say this, they do hook much better than stockers if you're going straight