Resto Mod 1973 Barracuda round 2

[redo1973]

Glass is in, Stainless installed and interior trim is in.  Here are a few pictures of the glass install.  I decided to use the pinch weld primer.  I dry fit the glass with the provided rubber spacers, about 5/16. The rear glass needed a little more TLC for a good fit.  Both are original glass so I used the 5/16 butyl tape and it came out pretty good. I used tape to align the glass as well as suction cups so that both of us could guide it into place.  I also laid the glss on the tape before removing the backing.  You have to be careful on the corners because the backing paper needs to be torn to lay correctly.

[redo1973]

I spent the past week working many of the details and the car is finally registered, inspected and aligned!   What a feeling!

[70chall440]

Awesome, looks great. I am glad to see I am not the only one who thinks the front spoiler needs sides.

[redo1973]

I can't take credit for that.  I bootlegged the idea from a fellow member  but we used the plastic not metal. I'm not completely on the road because we have a strong pulsating vibration to deal with now.  We did the shakedown last week and there is a very noticeable vibration.  We can see the transmission shake rhythmically. We're thinking there is an issue with the drive shaft and possibly an axle (the flange seems tweaked).

[70chall440]

I can't take credit for that.  I bootlegged the idea from a fellow member  but we used the plastic not metal. I'm not completely on the road because we have a strong pulsating vibration to deal with now.  We did the shakedown last week and there is a very noticeable vibration.  We can see the transmission shake rhythmically. We're thinking there is an issue with the drive shaft and possibly an axle (the flange seems tweaked).

If the trans is moving around its more likely the driveshaft. I believe I am going to get a new one for my car rather than use the original; relatively cheap insurance.

[redo1973]

I wish that I had bought a new one or at least have it balanced  .  The shaft itself seems correct but there is quite a bit of slack in the piece that connects within the transmission (yoke?). I'm going to have it checked and balanced. 

I just bought two Moser axle shafts to check that risk off since both wheels had some wobbling (drum also) but one was really bad  .

[70chall440]

Well the axles should result in your trans moving, but having a bad axle will contribute to the vibrations you feel for sure.

[70chall440]

Just read my last post, it should have said; a bad axle "could" result in the trans moving. ...

[70chall440]

Have you installed the A pillar covers? If so, so the screws that go through the metal trim go into a hole in the body or is there a U clip on the cover? I was thinking there was a U clip but that area is pretty big/open which has be thinking there must be something on the body. I can peel up the headliner and look but I thought Id ask.

[redo1973]

The screws are a shoulder style. I believe that they go into the body but honestly I've not been successful hitting the hole for some reason.  My plastic is a little off so I switched to a standard flat screw which caught the edge of the plastic for now.

[redo1973]

BTW - I've done some more research and the vibration I have could be a tail shaft bushing/bearing or balancing weights. Alternatively, my motor came out of a truck and had a 727 connected to it.  I ended up using the flex plate from my 318.  My research tells me that I may have to buy a 340 flex plate to connect with the A904.  I also have an external balancing to consider.

[70chall440]

Is/was your converter balanced? Normally the flex plates are not balanced but the converter should be for a 360 I believe. This is a pretty common problem/mistake actually; I remember perhaps 40 years ago when I was racing there was a guy who dumped a 360 into an aspen and he was racing it. He keep complaining about the vibration but no one really said anything, I asked him if he used the 360 TC and he said no because he got a better one from some one who blew up their 340. I commented about the balance and he shrugged it off, the next run it destroyed his trans.

[redo1973]

We'll be checking that this weekend and I have the new axles ready to be installed.  I believe that the Hughes TC is balanced for the 340 but can't say for certain.  However, like I said, I put a flex plate from the 318 that came with the transmission on the 340 and I've read somewhere that this is not necessarily a perfect match.  I've also read that sometimes the tail shaft needs a little balancing.

[70chall440]

The 340 and 318 are internally balanced, the 360 is externally balanced. I have swapped many 340s for 318s and used the transmissions, TC, and flex plate without issue as well as flywheels, etc. When you go 360, then you need an externally balanced flywheel or TC as well as the externally balanced dampner.

I have had people say not to use a 318 flex plate with a 340 stating that it wasn't strong enough; I disagree.

[redo1973]

Thanks.  I have a stock crank shaft and have done nothing special to it.  The block casting date was February 1972 and based on the casting numbers is a cast crankshaft.  I have a harmonic balancer for external balance on it and thought that the 340 for the cast cranks was an external balance.  Do I possibly have the wrong harmonic balancer?

I'll see what shakes once I have the new axles in