1966 Plymouth Barracuda

It's almost done. After 6 long years of not running and over a month in the shop, I'm expecting to have my Barracuda back sometime next week. I'm glad I put it in the shop to have the work done. I can handle an engine R and R myself, but the transmission conversion had me a little concerned. Turns out my instincts on this were correct. The first problem was the engine. I'd always thought that all Mopar 273 and 318 engines had the same motor mounts, so replacing the original 273 with a 318 should be easy... NOT. Sometime between 1966 and 1986, Chrysler decided to change the passenger side mount on the Mopar 318. The motor mount is the same, but the bracket that connects the mount to the frame is different. If I'd been trying to do this myself it would have been a big problem. Since I'm having it done at a shop, it is only costing me an hour extra labor for them to fabricate/weld a new bracket. The second problem was the transmission kit. I checked the kit when I got it, but I didn't check it close enough because they sent me a kit for a '67 - '69 A body, not the '64 - '66 like I'd ordered. Since I bought the kit 4 years ago, it's out of warranty and Keisler wouldn't fix it for me. B&T was able to do it, again for just an hour of labor. Not too bad considering they had to modify the trans mount and completely rebuild the shifting mechanism to make it fit my '66 correctly. Besides all that, they also installed my Flaming River steering box and coupler, fixed the broken trunk hinges, installed new (matching) door and ignition locks, and installed TTI headers. It's not finished yet but the trans installation (with Pistol Grip shifter) looks like it came that way from the factory. I can't wait to get this on the road and try it out. My sister has a 64 Mustang and it would be fun to have them both in Bishop some time to cruise our old stomping grounds. I'm thinking about asking her to race for pinks, but I don't know what I'd do with a Mustang.

Updated November 5, 2009