Matt's 67 Barracuda: The Story

 

Car as purchased, Spring 1989                                      Blue over red slant 6 with a/c                 Little  front drums. Left over from '66?
                                                                                                                                                   By '68 even slant 6 cars had big front drums.
First, Mechanical Makeover:
    When purchased in 1989 this was very tired car.  The engine had the wrong color and was probably  rebuilt or replacement, The seat cover was worn, as was the one underneath.  On the floor, two sets of worn carpets related the same story, but it was essentially rust free and intact.
   Originally sold by Town & Country in Pheonix Arizona, the car apparently spent most of its life there until purchased by a couple of parts dealers in Michigan from whom I purchased the car. The original Certi-card was still with it, and the card holder remains fastened to the inner fender to this day.  Two faded window stickers suggest the owner was a member of The Bola Tie Society of Arizona, a rather novel sticker in its new home.  It was then rust free, but had suffered from the effects of sun and sand.  Fortunately, inside vynil had been kept shaded under a carport and is fine.  The only finish underneath was some undercoat/sound deadner in the fenderwells.

Second, Body & Interior:
    After selling my beater (a '74 Nova), and moving to Philadelphia in 1993, the body started to take some real abuse.  Besides a few dents I gave it, the salt and condensation started in as well.  The underside was well protected with one part marine epoxy paint, but the quarters are water traps.  Then the car got gently rear ended at a stop light. About 2 years after having the whole car redone, it got rear ended again pretty hard on I-676.  Joe at ASG Body Art in Plainfield, NJ fixed it all up both times, and it looks great.  The main thing I would do differently today is spraying the inside of the wheelwells with Waxoil.  We used POR-15, but that really needs a super clean rust free surface.  Even Coroless, the only paint I've had long term success with on rust, would be unlikely to succeed applied blind.

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Before body work (1994), and  repaired after being hit a second time.
Don't judge by these photos alone.  The old paint was faded - the rear stripe literaly down to the primer.   The new paint still gets complements today, over 5 years later.

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Hard to see in the previous photos, but the car was a little dinged up!  It also had some pin hole rust that Joe cut out.

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The cutouts were then welded up and smoothed out as good as new.  On the right is the car after it got painted.
 The pictures you don't see are that the whole body was sanded down.  The paint work was so smooth even before wet sanding, it looked better than many final products I've seen.

 This Site:
Matt's Vehicles Page
    Grand Wagoneer Page
'67 Barracuda..one curve to another
    What's It Got? Handling & Performance Tech.
    Improving Forward Lighting on the Plymouth
    Pictures from Autocrosses 1989-92 in NJ, Other cars including my old  '74 Nova 250 cid 6 that I ran in H Stock.
 
 

Disclaimer:
    If you take advice, or copy something I have done, you are on your own.  I'm just trying to be helpful. You need to make your own decisions, and know about or discover the risks before barging ahead on any endevour.
Claimer:
    If you steal something I have written, or a picture I have taken or drawn, you are a thief.  Plain and simple.  If you wish to quote something, you are free to do so.  All I ask for is proper credit.  If you wish to quote or copy more than a couple of lines, then you must get my permission.

mgcudas Dec 31, 2001 rev3, February 9, 2003