MA MOPAR BIT ME AGAIN or SO MANY MOPARS, SO LITTLE TIME

[1967 'cuda]

I'm continuing with the 'Lil Red in hopes that I can use it as my tow vehicle later this year. Well the receiver hitch lined up great but I did need to drill a couple of extra holes. I'm not sure yet but I think it may interfere with the factory spare holder.




The cowl vent panel had to come off in order to expose one of the hidden fender bolts.



I'm wondering if I shouldn't have torn the entire truck apart. There was a lot of debris behind this fender. I still need to straighten the inner fenderwell and do some major clean up work.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I fit the fender today and it's pretty decent. It fit so well that I decided to replace the right hand side too. I had hit a deer with the truck years ago and there was some bondo in it too. I still haven't bolted it in place because I want to clean up the inner wheel well some more first but I will to make sure everything bolts OK. Then I'll have to re-pull it so we can edge the fender.

The second fender was even cheaper than the first. Only $140.70 shipped from the same supplier. You couldn't pay to have yours straightened for less than that.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Other than sanding down the cowl, radiator support, and inner wheel well I didn't get much else accomplished today. Too many other personal errands that took me away from the projects. I did talk with my painter buddy and the box is already finished and painted red. I've really got to kick things up a notch to get the rest of the truck to him asap.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Back in the 70s I sometimes ran header mufflers on the 383 in my Roadrunner. I know it was not a quiet running car but I don't think it was nearly as loud as this 408 with the Purple Hornies. I tried researching online for who made a quieter header muffler (flanged bolt on design) but couldn't find any definitive answer. I don't want to silence the car but I don't want the decibel level this high either. I know that others have already suggested I run the exhaust all the way to the rear but I've started to think that this header muffler look befits the drag car style I was shooting for better. So now I need to figure out a quieter replacement or a modification to cut the noise in half. Anybody got suggestions or recommendations?

I just checked out the thread that was talking about Thrush Turbo mufflers. Unless someone has a better suggestion I may give those a try but I'm not sure if they sell a header flanged version. I guess I can always weld some up.

 

[1967 'cuda]

RAIN! Rain again today. We had a break from it yesterday and I wish I could have gotten more done then but I had to focus on other things around the household. Most of the work I'm doing on the cars is still out in the driveway, so the rain is really cramping my style. There are a few car shows scheduled for this coming weekend that I'd like to go to but there's rain in the forecast. I guess my best course is to concentrate on cleaning the garage some more so I can get the truck inside. It hailed on the Barracuda Wednesday while I was away but it wasn't large enough to do any damage. I'll have to get in the habit of (at least) parking it under the trees whenever there's rain forecast. I'll have to check into the local building codes regarding carports.

 

[1967 'cuda]

All of the rain and high humidity has really really made the grass grow. I tend to wait as long as possible before mowing. It never gets terrible but because I don't bag it there tends to be clumps of mown grass on my yard. So this last week was filled with rain, garage cleaning and mowing. It's a good thing I picked up this last tool box. Everything was already crammed full in the old ones. I'm really Jonesing for some car time.



The second fender showed up today for the pickup. I should be able to get the truck inside soon.

 

[1967 'cuda]

7/12/14. Car show in St. Paul, Nebraska. Although the Barracuda has yet to be totally completed, it's roadworthy. - And with car show/drag racing season here I'm hoping on hitting as many events as I can. The 'Lil Red has become the larger priority of the two vehicles and I'll be doing my best to get it in for paint (hopefully Tuesday). But for today it's time for a road trip.

St. Paul is about 75 miles away. I still am not 100% comfortable with driving the 'Cuda more than locally. The 4.10s have definitely affected the highway RPM and I don't like the idea of a sustained 3000+ RPM run on the new motor. I can see seriously considering an overdrive in the future. For now I'll trailer the car there. I don't think that makes it a trailer queen yet. After all I am still driving the car daily on shorter trips.

The event schedule calls for some form of 'street drags' after the car show ends. I'm not sure what it is exactly that they have planned. It would have been great to have taken the Duster but it needs a lot of detailing before it will be any sort of real show car material. - And I can only haul one car. I think I'll try to take both of them to some of the shows closer to home. I'll try to capture pics and video if I can.



I've never been to St. Paul before. I didn't even know where it was at. With the help of my trusty GPS I should make it there with no problem. Of course, I never bothered to replace the tire that went bad coming home from Des Moines so a flat would be semi-disastrous. Teresa is going with me this time. She tends to be a nervous back seat driver. Maybe I'll take along some Ativan.



I've got the christmas tree loaded along with the generator to power it. I think that I had mentioned long ago that one of the main reasons for it's purchase was to use it as a car show display. Although there is still rain in the forecast it sounds like it may not arrive until the show is over. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

The St. Paul car show was fun. It wasn't huge but the crowd was nice, trophies were big, and they had a variety of food vendors to satisfy various tastes. The rain stayed away and although it was hot and muggy there was at least some cloud cover to keep the sun from baking us.



I didn't win anything but that's OK. - Met a lot of nice people and chatted car stuff. Teresa said she had a good time and seemed to enjoy the attention the Barracuda was getting. The main question asked was about what year the car was.

The fee to enter the drag races was just $5. I still wanted to take it pretty easy on the car but figured I'd run it through once just to see how it would behave. I'm not sure what was going on but the 'Cuda developed a miss on the way there. I checked the simple to get at stuff like the spark plug and coil wire and couldn't see anything loose. Without tools with me there wasn't much else that I could check.

They had set up a christmas tree on a road leading out of town. Although there were no staging lights or sensors they used it to run a Sportsman style start. I debated whether or not to run the car but before getting to the starting line it smoothed out so I went ahead and warmed the tires.

The late model Mustang that I lined up against was running a supercharged 6.1 with nitrous, a ten point cage, and drag radials. He was a regular at Kearney Raceway who ran in the 10s. I knew I didn't want to flog the 'Cuda but I was hoping on looking respectable against him.

I was surprised to see how many spectators there were. They didn't charge to watch so a couple thousand people showed up. They even had grandstands. That's a lot more folks than at the actual drag strips around here.

The crowd really seemed to like the Barracuda. I got a lot of cheers with the burnout and I could hear folks yelling "Beat that Mustang" as we lined up.

I was late off the lights and the Mustang was actually early. - But without sensors there was no red light to indicate a false start. He ate me off the line pretty bad and stayed ahead all the way down. The miss came back when I hit second gear. I continued into drive but I pedaled out of it before the end of the strip. It's probably good that I'd lined up against a heavy hitter so that I wasn't tempted to stay on it in a close race. They didn't have ETs for us but did try clocking us with radar. I was already off it and braking when they read me at 75. Not exactly impressive but the car still has issues to work out.

After each six cars ran through they had it set up so you would return back down the track. Although I was trounced pretty badly, I got a standing ovation as I drove back past the crowd. It was fun but I decided not to make any more passes. Next time I take it out to a track I hope to have it running better.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Another car show tomorrow. It's just 10 miles away in Brainard, Nebraska and I always try to go to it because my uncle lives there. Historically Mopars don't do well there. It's more of a Chevelle/Mustang shootout for trophies. But I've resigned myself to being filler in between the contenders. I may take the Duster and the Barracuda both simply because it's so close. I realize the Duster has absolutely no chance of winning because it needs a lot of work but the sound of that 440 never fails to impress the crowd. The two cars with the tree between them is still a cool sight.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Another weekend shot down the tubes. The Brainard show was OK. I towed the Barracuda there and dropped it off first making sure that I reserved 2 spots side by side. They promised to reserve the second opening for me. Then I ran back home, loaded the Duster and towed it down.

After unloading Dusty I found out that they didn't save my second spot and I had to seek out another place to park. A T-top Firebird was sitting there instead. - Not a huge problem but I was disappointed. The whole reason I had chosen to bring the Duster was so I could park the two cars side by side with the tree in between. Many of the same cars show up each year at this show and a lot of the same cars are repeat winners. This year they said they were going to have judges from outside the sponsoring car club because they have had so many complaints about their own members winning so often. It didn't seem to make a lot of difference.



Even though I hadn't expected to win today I was still disappointed by the judging. They chose to start the grading with the cars that had shown up last. I was still setting things up and hadn't had a chance to do any cleaning when they looked at my Barracuda. I should say 'glanced' because - of the three that came by only one of them barely broke stride as he made a few marks concerning my car on his clipboard. They didn't even bother to give me the time to put my owner information in the Duster before sailing past it. It would have been nice to have had the illusion that my cars were in contention.


Although we were promised a free meal with our entry fee they said they ran out of food shortly after we'd arrived. Bummer.

I'd set up the tree next to the 'Cuda and ran 150' of extension cord to it from my generator. There was an empty lot behind where I'd parked that kept us from having the generator's drone close by. As soon as we left to look at the other cars some guy came by and shut our generator off (and my christmas tree with it). He was there with a 50s Ford and a big chip on his shoulder. His demeanor suggested to me that he didn't like loud cars at all, nor either one of my Mopars in particular. Although I realize that the generator wasn't silent, it wasn't very noticeable where we'd placed it either.



The rain started around 4:00. The show was pretty much over by then except for the awards. It goes without saying that my string is still unbroken. But there was sort of a close call. The '74 Cuda I sold last year did win. Funny, I had the car here last year and didn't get squat. Oh well, things could've been worse. Instead of losing in a Mopar I could have won in a Chebby.

 

[1967 'cuda]

It's Monday and time to hit the truck hard. With the 'Lil Red finally in the garage rain shouldn't be a factor anymore. It's a beautiful day. The heat, humidity and rain that were so prevalent the last few weeks are gone. It's almost too nice a day to be working on cars. But unless I want to piss off my painter buddy I've got to make progress. The passenger fender is coming off first.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Taking off the left fender was just way too easy. Despite the fact it was bent none of the fasteners gave me any trouble. I'm not so lucky with the right fender. Three of those tin nuts are spinning and one other snapped off. The 3" air grinder should eventually take care of them.

My painter called earlier to get an update from me. If I have to I'll be working into the wee hours tonight. I still need to tear the brakes apart to see if I can get them to free up more. It's a real pain to push this thing around the way it rolls now. I'm still holding out hope that I'll get it running before taking it to him but it will be a while before I can get to the motor.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Fender #2 is off. The cut off wheels that I'd bought were from Campbell Hausfeld. One of them exploded on me while I was cutting off the bolts. - First time I've ever had that happen. About a half dozen shards cut into my arm and caused some small bruises. I won't be a whiny cry baby about it but I suppose if I wasn't such a cheapskate and had bought better discs I wouldn't be enjoying that burning sensation in my arm pit now.







You can't say us Mopar fanatics don't put our blood, sweat, and tears into these projects. - Still a lot of clean up work to go.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I know that it seems I take a lot of breaks when I post. Although I've got a decent compressor (a 5 horse Quincy), the tank gets warm after a while so I try to give it a rest. Plus I do have the attention span of a gnat.

After removing the right fender I took the DA to the inner fender and knocked off as much corrosion as I could. Now I'm re-sanding the rest of the cab. The rain we'd had sort of took the shine off of all those raw body panels. I don't think that the patina is what the painter wanted to see.

A complete restoration of this truck should have entailed sand blasting everything. But this will be my tow vehicle and be driven year round so I'll stop shy of tearing it down much further. Originally I wasn't going to have the jams re-shot but I noticed rust showing on the inner door structure so...

Well, - time to get back to it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I HATE MICE. I HATE MICE. I HATE MICE. I HATE MICE. I HATE MICE. I HATE MICE.

As I've been prepping the truck for the paint shop I've found a lot of damage that wasn't present two years ago when the 'Lil Red went into the farm's shop for storage. I had totally de-moused the truck before putting it away. Underneath the cowl vent was huge cushy nest. They had been in the doors too. The most damage was to those doors. Two years of battery acid strength mouse piss has eaten through the drivers side inner structure and the bottom edge of the door skin is showing signs that it's started to corrode also.



I had to order parts for the rear brakes today. - They didn't have them in stock. One of my adjusters wouldn't spin anymore due to rust. My shoes and cylinders look OK but I most of the hardware was still original, 35 years old, and rusty.




A car buddy of mine (even though he's suffering from bowtie-itis) stopped over yesterday and asked if I'd be interested in a 360 with around 20,000 miles on it. It's supposed to have a bit of a cam and running J heads. They want $1000 for it. I'm tempted to buy and install it in Red while I rebuild the original motor. I can see that this project is going to be another one to get out of hand.



One of the neat features that I have on this truck is the back window. It's made out of a tempered glass that flexes (no, it's not plastic). I don't think they make these anymore. It was made by a company called Le Van and called a FLEX-THRU window. I've seen a few pictures of these installed on mini trucks before. But the thing that makes it really cool to have on a 'Lil Red Express is that the exhaust exits pretty close to them so when you really want to hear that 360, it can go from quiet to loud inside real quick.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I'm on my way to check out a pair of doors for the truck. - Keeping my fingers crossed because I need to come up with some quick. Meanwhile I came across my old license plates that I used to run on the 'Lil Red. I don't know if I can restore them and have them re-issued like normal old plates or not. They are the age appropriate ones for a '79.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I struck out on the doors. Although there were several trucks out there that I looked at, they all had rust or dents except one. That last one had the large towing mirrors on it, a chrome beltline strip, and 3" trim along the bottom. By the time we'd have filled all the extra holes I'd be better off repairing the door I already have. We tried a ha;f dozen other locations that had Dodge donor trucks sitting but they weren't in good shape either.

I did manage to snap a few photos of the progress being made on the Challenger though. There were a lot of structural pieces that had damage beneath the replacement parts that had been installed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I finished the rear drum brakes but I will still need to have the drums turned when I get the truck back. I then turned my attention to the front discs. My right caliper is hanging up. I wish I had checked it sooner. In the morning I'll have to check at the parts store but I'm not expecting them to have any replacements in stock. Larry (my paint guy) is not going to be happy. I wish I had more time but I may have to take it to him as is.

Our county fair is starting. This year they're going to have a car show associated with it right here in town. The fairgrounds are only about 10 blocks away so I'll try to take a couple of cars there. I may even tempt fate by driving the Duster there. - How much can they fine me?

I tried re-arranging my plug wires on the Barracuda to see if it would take care of that miss. - No such luck. I did notice that I didn't see any fuel in the rear fuel bowl through the sight plug when I had the air cleaner off. For the most part I've been ignoring the problem with the way the car is running while I've been working on the truck. As soon as I can get Red into the body shop I can focus on the 'Cuda again.

 

[1967 'cuda]

One other thing that I noticed when I had the front of the truck jacked up is that I need to rebuild the front suspension. There's a lot of play in those ball joints. I'll try to order those parts online so that I can change them out after the truck is painted. I sure wish the cost at the local stores was more competitive. I give them a lot of business but if I have the time to wait for shipped parts to arrive I can often save over 50%.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Amazing! They actually stocked the calipers I needed. I finished the front brakes and all I need to do is bleed the system now. Larry called today to let me know that he's going to be tied up with errands for the next 4 or 5 days. He wanted to make sure I didn't haul the truck down yet. That's great for me. Now I have a little more time to sort out other problems.

I did check and the truck rolls around pretty easy now.

I bought a new battery from one of my neighbors today. I figured I'd need it to try to see if the truck will fire. Even though I don't have the carb on it I dropped the new battery in to see if it would crank over. - Nothing. My dome light came on but I must not have power down to the starter. The lights didn't even dim when I hit the switch. I'll look at the starter first and if it's OK I'll check out the neutral safety switch. I'm hoping those %7*&ing mice haven't chewed through anything. (excuse my %7*&ing language)