1966 Plymouth Barracuda

This car was purchased for $2000 in 2000. Like the Valiant, it was originally intended to be a car for my wife. The body and paint were in beautiful shape but everything else was in poor condition. I had to put about $2400 into the suspension before we could even drive it which didn't make her very happy. It also has serious carburetion problems, so one night in 2001 I had to be towed home, and the tow truck driver broke the front brake line. I got that fixed and rebuilt the carburetor, but it still didn't run right. I bought an Edelbrock Performer intake and carb, but when I took off the old manifold there was so much burned up oil in the lifter valley that I wasn't too sure about running it without pulling the engine and dissassembling it to clean it out properly. Of course, if I do that, I might as well build a 318 to replace the 273, and if I do that I might as well replace the 3-speed auto with a 4-speed overdrive unit, and if I do that I should put in a posi rear end, and... oh no!!! this is turning into a rerun of my Camaro project!!! At least I a garage to keep it in.

The hardest decision I've had to make regarding the Barracuda is how strong to build the engine. On one hand, I'd really like to drive a fire breathing monster that can rip off low 10's in street trim all day long. On the other, gas is getting pretty expensive so something milder could be driven a lot more, and I want this to be a driver, not a garage queen... What finally tipped the balance was the realization that I can't run a decent free flowing exhaust system without cutting the inner fenders, which I don't want to do. The engine will be a mild 318 follwing a recipe printed in Car Craft magazine. Transmission will be a Tremac 5 speed (I already have it), I'll be running 17" tires and a posi rear end with 4.56 gears. Body and interior will be restored to stock. I'm lucky it came from the factory with such a cool color.

Updated December 20, 2006