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

[1967 'cuda]

I need to put some more time in on the Barracuda. Now that we're down to one vehicle I can't put the 'Cuda off any longer. I haven't licensed the dually and I'm not sure that I want to start paying insurance and taxes on another vehicle. There's no way I can license the Duster. The 'Lil Red won't be done for another month. Yup, - time for the 'Cuda.

I need to get a vacuum gauge to determine if the power valve is correct. I'm definitely going to focus on the fuel system.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Well I made 0% progress on the 'Cuda. I love living in a small town but when you do - you have to expect to be unable to find a vacuum tester when you go to your local parts store.

Instead I worked on the engine for the 'Lil Red and the dually. Every nut and bolt bracket and sensor that's going back on the motor are still being stripped, cleaned, and re-painted. I still need to go through the torqueflite also.

I got a wild hair and decided that I was going to install my spare MSD box on the dually. In the years that I've been running the MSDs I've never had one go bad yet. So it's time to tempt fate by putting it to use. - Watch, now one of my other boxes is bound to fail afterwards. The dually is running a 2 barrel Holley and I'm tempted to put on the 4 barrel intake that's sitting out at the farm. There are plenty of spare carbs sitting around so other than the cost of gaskets and time it wouldn't be putting a big dent in my pocket book. The motor is pretty greasy and should be power washed anyway. It doesn't burn oil but it looks like it could use a few new gaskets and detailing.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I've got to keep pushing myself to get the Barracuda done. Before I start messing with the carb I want to make sure I've got all the tools necessary to get it dialed in. I hate tearing something apart and having to put it back together without having gotten anywhere.

My builds seem fairly tame next to the Pheonix. As much attention as the wild paint schemes seem to get I still like that 'subtle mean' look of the gray/black.

I heard that the new front fenders for the 2010 Challenger are expected to arrive next Saturday. We hadn't originally planned on changing them but they've got an arch in them from when the car was wrecked. It makes the hood look like it lays too flat. They were repairable but when new ones are only $170-ish, it's more practical to replace instead.

I'm still hoping back and forth on these projects. I'm hoping that the 'Cuda, Challenger, dually, and 'Lil Red will all be done soon so that I can start focusing on the Duster and Charger again.

 

[jerrysdustydog]

John, glad everyone is OK. Looks like to me, the reciever probably was vertical and tried to lift the car. Only way it could put that kind of dent in the floor. good thing they are as short as they are, could have been a hell of a ride.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I finally had a chance to take some pictures of the underside of the floor pan of the Sebring.

This is the oil pan.



This is a pic or the front passenger side floor board.



And this is a photo of the rear passenger floor from the underside.



There was more damage on the undercarriage, but nothing that would have to be fixed. (like a dented exhaust resonator, etc...) It even put a dent in the K-member.



Their insurance company is dragging their heels. They have refused to accept responsibility for the accident so far. It's a no-brainer though. But if we want the car fixed asap we'll have to pony up for the bills ourselves right now.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I couldn't stand all of the pits, nicks, and surface rust in the engine compartment of the dually so I did some more sprucing. It's hardly a professional quality job but my objective was to clean it up without spending a lot of resources on it. I painted the underside of the hood and everywhere I could get to in the engine compartment that didn't have undercoating on. I still have to clean up my over-spray. - And I still haven't mounted the MSD box yet.

BEFORE............................................ ................................................AFTER


BEFORE............................................ ................................................AFTER


BEFORE............................................ ................................................AFTER


BEFORE............................................ ................................................AFTER

 

[1967 'cuda]

POOF-CAN MADNESS! The old door panels were faded and chipped, so I figured that they were expendable. I bought a can of KRYLON FUSION paint from the hardware store and thought I'd give it a try. The Fusion paint is supposed to be flexible and adhere to plastics. There weren't a lot of colors available here in town. I had a choice of a dark forest green, a bright yellow, white, or black. I decided to play it safe and go black. If it doesn't turn out well I've got an extra set of door panels that I can revert to.



The arm rest pad was bad on the driver's side so I robbed one of my extra ones from the 'Lil Red. Maybe I'll end up using all of my spare parts one of these days.

 

[1967 'cuda]

The Krylon Fusion paint seemed to work well on the hard door panels. - But on the soft arm rests, - not so much. It's been over 14 hours since I painted them and the paint is still soft (gummy). It's strange that it would set up quickly on the harder panels, but not on the soft. I imagine it will eventually dry but if not I'll strip it off and get some vinyl dye.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Friday's road trip was a kick! Doug (my buddy from Seward that was interested in the car) showed up around 9 am. We stopped in Rising City to pick up another Mopar fanatic friend (Ken) before heading to Norfolk, Nebraska an hour and a half away. Ken is well versed on Chrysler production numbers and has a wealth of info on most everything Mopar. With his background in restorations he's good to have along.

The '68 R/T was a lot rougher than what we had been led to believe. Even though it had been a well optioned car (rear defrost, air conditioning, power brakes, power steering, posi, Magnum 500s, 440, console shift, deck stripe, etc...) the condition was too poor to justify the price. Most of these b-bodies that you find are vinyl top cars and this one came from the factory without. The factory black exterior with factory gold interior is a neat combination but... The transmission crossmember was rusted out and so were the rear frame rails. Both quarters, both fenders, the front and rear inner fenders, trunk floor, and passenger side floor pan all had rust holes too. There was no transmission, radiator, or brake booster. A date correct 440 block came with the car, but no other engine components. They were wanting $7000 for it.

The seats were there but going to need new upholstery of course. Mouse holes all over the headliner. No carpet. Bumpers were there but pitted and not as straight as you'd want. Only 2 of the Magnum 500s were with the car. The fuel tank had been modified with a rear sump.

Even though Doug is most likely going to pass on this car he had at least started his quest to find himself a '68 or '69 Coronet 440, 500, R/T, or Super Bee. While we were at that farmstead we were able to check out some of the other gems that were stored inside. None of their 'restored cars' were there but they did have some other cool cars that needed finishing. The first I saw was a '70 Shaker hood 440 Sixpack 'Cuda. Next to it was a 383 4-speed Dart GTS. There was also a '70 Fury convertible and a Hurst edition 300 letter series car.

On the way back we stopped to check out a '70 Challenger R/T that we spotted sitting on a trailer a few miles away. Although the owner wasn't home, the neighbor gave us some of the history. Apparently it had a barn fall in on it earlier this year when a tornado passed through Pilger, Nebraska. It had gotten some major roof damage but survived. There was no drivetrain in it and it still needed a total restoration (quarters were rusted out).

So the day was full of general Mopar bullshitting as we each discussed the cars we'd tortured in our youth. Over all it was a good time. It would have been great though if we would have been pulling another one back home.

 

[1967 'cuda]

More pictures.

 

[1967 'cuda]

The new vacuum gauge arrived from JEGS. It was waiting in the mailbox when I returned from yesterday's road trip.

The first thing I adjusted was the fuel levels on the bowls. I had thought that the mid-point of the sight plugs was where they should have been set, but after talking with my buddy Ray, I was told that I'd be better off with the fuel levels at the bottom edge of the plugs.

I used the vacuum gauge to adjust the idle mixture screws. I had questioned whether or not they were set correctly because they were only around 1/4 turn out from seated. My highest vacuum was achieved very close to that setting.

Next I re-adjusted my timing. This time it read around 24' @ 850 RPM. Why it read so different from the last time I'd read it, I don't know. So, I bumped the timing back to around 14'. I had felt that it cranked a little hard after the engine was warmed up and wanted to try retarding it anyway.

I am hearing a very slight exhaust 'tic' from the driver side header. I believe it's from the spot that we'd welded up before. It's barely perceptible. - But we'll have to re-check the weld. The location is behind the steering gear and can't be seen. I think that rather than pull the header off I'll remove the steering box if we have to re-weld.

Well, it's time to give it a test drive. I don't want to make any further adjustments until I see how it's running now. My fingers are crossed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

After having made the adjustments the 'Cuda starts easily. I'd already gotten it up to a decent temperature and drove across town. The change in the behavior was obvious. It didn't feel like it was loading up anymore. No popping back.

I took it out to the highway and ran it through the gears a few times. I can't say that the performance improved but there no longer seemed to be any issues. I kept the RPM under 5000 but it is a very short stint in between 1st and 2nd gear. I hadn't made any attempt to warm the tires up first so it didn't hook well but I had my attention on the engine and not on potential 1/4 mile performance.

My temperature gauge still doesn't read correctly so I'd ignored the fact that it topped itself out. It was reading hot before I had even warmed it up.

When I got back into town I pulled into a gas station to add some 91 octane. Everything seemed fine. It started OK again and I figured that any adjustments I'd made had been an improvement. I decided to putt around town a bit more to see if it would keep behaving. After a quick stop for some groceries I headed back home. There had been no signs of the running problems that I previously experienced.

To be on the safe side I decided to check the temperature reading on the radiator's thermometer after shutting her down. It was at 210'. The temperature outside is only 76'. So although it's not running rough it's running much warmer than it used to. I guess I'm not done tuning yet.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Maybe this isn't the correct forum to vent my complaints but I have been having a real problem with one of my neighbors. He works as a groundskeeper of the county courthouse (he mows the lawn). The guy lives across the alley from me and tends to block the alley whenever it's apparent that I need access.

A few years ago I tried to get his family to stop parking on my property and blocking the alley by leaving a polite note on one of his vehicles. The crumpled note along with a few empty pop containers ended up thrown into my yard the next day.

Because he works in proximity with local law enforcement he has been able to use his influence to make our life miserable if we complain.

Not only did they not stop blocking the alley but I found that my son and I were stopped by the Sheriff's department 4 separate times during the next couple of weeks. My son was ticketed for speeding and swears to me that he was under the limit. I was pulled over and ticketed for having an expired operator's license. I had gone to the courthouse the day before to have it renewed but failed my test (because of idiot questions about what the penalties are for certain driving offenses). There had been no reason to pull me over. My son was stopped for his Chevelle being too loud (even though it idled rough, - it was NOT loud). We were fined about $500 for having an open fire without a permit out at our farm that we had nothing to do with. We were told by the Sheriff's department that they had a witness who was willing to swear that my son's stepside truck was out there at the time. Apparently it didn't matter that the truck had been out of commission sitting in town for over a month with a bad starter. I was given a warning when I put the PLYMOUTH license plate on my Barracuda the day before taking it to a car show. I have a friend with a police scanner that informed me that the cops must have gone onto my property to read the VIN numbers off of the dashes of my cars. He heard it being called in.

I found out last week that one of the Sheriff deputies had been polling my other neighbors to find out if they had any complaints about me or my vehicles.

Growing up, I used to like this town. It seems like a sh*thole to me now. I really want to get moved. - And I'm not sure if I still want to restore our old farmhouse even though it's been in the family name for over 100 years.

I realize that there is no nirvana I could move to where I wouldn't possibly ever have to put up with crap from somebody. But when the sight of law enforcement stops making you feel secure and instead feels like a threat to your security, there's a big problem.

There are probably some of you out there that suspect that I've upset these people by making a lot of noise with my vehicles. But the truth of the matter is that I don't believe that there has been more than a few minutes per week that I've had any of the loud ones running here on my yard. - And I don't fire them up after dark. Meanwhile we still have issues with them blocking our alley and throwing trash onto our yard. The access is necessary if I want to be able to get to the lot we own behind our house. - And we use it to park our cars and trailer.

 

[1967 'cuda]

OK. I know I should have stayed home today and tried to make some progress on one of the cars. - But there was another car show about 28 miles away in Prague, Nebraska and Summer will be over before long. With the 'Cuda running much better I felt it would be good to attend. - Don't worry, my record is still intact. Rodney Dangerfield got more respect than the judges show my cars.

The forecast yesterday said that it was supposed to rain all day today. So I had loaded the car on the trailer and figured I'd tow it there behind the dually. I was prepared to just stop and check out the other cars without unloading mine. But after arriving I was told that the forecast had changed and the rain wasn't supposed to come. So, what the heck. I lowered the trailer and backed the 'Cuda off.

It sounds really good now that I've gotten it to stop loading up. - And it does tend to get a lot of positive attention when people hear it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

They are running a Geezer Drag event at the Mid America Motorplex (Rolling Thunder 1/8 mile Drag Strip) in a few weeks. I'd love to take the Duster and the 'Cuda. Until I get some real time slips I won't know their capabilities. I don't want the year to pass by without some stats. Now, how in the heck can I get them both there? The track is 95 miles away.



It'd be even cooler still if we could get my son's Roadrunner and Challenger there too. I SO want to be able to show him that I'm still the big dog in the fight. LOL. I better start using that practice tree.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I know that the 'Lil Red won't be done by the 22nd of the month, so I won't be able to tow with it yet. - But I do have the dually and the Ford. I figure that if I can borrow one more car trailer I should be able to have transport for the Barracuda and the Duster to the drags. Teresa will not drive a tow vehicle though. So I found a buddy in Columbus that said he'd gladly burn a day of vacation to be able to spend 3 days racing.

Maybe if I borrow an enclosed trailer it'll double as sleeping accommodations.

I still need to change the front wheel studs on the Duster and weld some support brackets across the frame for seat belt mounts. I'm hoping they'll let me get by with outdated belts and a DOT helmet. The side bars are too low to meet spec on the car but I don't know if I'll be able to get them changed in time. I have one bad wheel stud on the front of the 'Cuda that needs changing too.

I'll try to continue progressing on the 'Lil Red as I prep things to go racing. After over a 30 year hiatus from a strip, I'm really stoked. The last run I ever made was in my '70 Roadrunner at Kearney, Nebraska and I spun a rod bearing. Hopefully I won't break anything this time. - And hopefully I can get some video.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I've got the transmission back together for the 'Lil Red. Although I did not attempt to polish the case I did try to take off the casting seams and smooth the outside. I realize that it may not be the best practice on these housings, but I dislike the way that the cast surfaces hold dirt. It might have been better to seal the surface with just a clear coat but I decided to hit it with some red first. Hopefully it will wipe down easier now that it feels smooth. I avoided painting over the factory 'high stall' sticker that was on the converter but I did change the color from blue to black.



I'm still cleaning nuts and bolts for the re-assembly.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I think I need professional help. Every time that I have one project that I should be focusing on I find three others that distract me. A buddy called me up a few days back asking if I'd be interested in buying his Warlock. I DON'T NEED ANOTHER STINKIN' TRUCK!! - But I still want to go take a look at it anyway.

I'm like one of those serial killers that pleads for someone to stop them before they kill again. Maybe I'm a serial Mopar fanatic. It sounds like it's another project vehicle. I'll post pics when I can.

On another related note, I'm finding it hard to leave the dually alone. I keep having visions of it as a dedicated hauler. I'm thinking about ordering this rear window artwork for it.




I already purchased a pair of 400 MAGNUM emblems that I want to install on the hood.



I think that these early Dodge hoods are screaming for a black out treatment in those indentations. - Combined with the 400 emblems, it ought to be purdy!





And if that all wasn't bad enough I'm considering doing a black checkered stripe treatment to the sides similar to the ones here:




SOMEBODY!! STOP ME BEFORE I START ANOTHER PROJECT AGAIN!!! AAAAAGH!!

 

[1967 'cuda]

Today I received a letter from the insurance company of the driver who's hitch struck our car. They are denying the claim. The driver of the pickup truck changed his story from "I thought that I had put the locking pin in the night before" to "I know I did have the locking pin in place." He went further to claim that the hitch was lying clearly visible in the middle of the highway and Teresa would have been able to avoid it easily if she had been paying attention to the road. Prior to the police showing up he had said that the last he'd seen of the hitch was when he saw it 'tumbling' behind him in the rear view mirror.

Teresa had just crossed a railroad intersection when the accident occurred and knows that she had just looked both ways for any trains. She didn't see the hitch before it struck.

Between the damage to the car and the medical bills we are stuck for about $5000.

On a further note, the county Sheriff that had stopped at the accident site had a massive heart attack a few days ago and has since passed away. So, we are unable to talk with him to find out anything said other than what might be in the police report.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I debated between 2 different designs for the rear window of the dually.

The one I ordered. $49.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231112474196...84.m1497.l2649



And the one I considered. 59.95

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111002500476...84.m1423.l2649