Newb from Florida (68 Barracuda)

[moparmaniac59]

Hi Tyler,
Welcome to the site!! Great car!! I am partial to the "A" body Cuda. I too have a '68, but not a rag top. Sounds like it will be a sweet ride when finished. You'll find yourself in good company here as we have several other "Young Guns" about your age working on projects. Your dad has a sweet Charger too!! Keep us posted on the project and if you have any questions, just post them on them on the site here!!



                                                                Matt B.

[Srobinson4]

Where in Florida are you from?  Daytona Beach hee!

SRR

Hi everybody.  My names Tyler, and Ive got a 1968 Barracuda convertible. (to be restored)  and, though Im only 16, me and my dad have been working on his 68 charger since i could walk, along with the other Mopars in our highly biased fleet.
If you want the story of how i got my car...my dad had a 1963 Fury that I used to play in when I was 6...and I came home one day to find it gone...later finding out he sold it.     well, as a reply to my sadness, he told me he was going to get me something better.  Well, one day a couple months later, here he comes pulling in the driveway in this barracuda.  Well, lets just say, I was in a much better mood...lol

Well, he got it for $100 from beside a barn, its Gold, black Int, black top.  Needs floors, quarters, and could use a drivers side fender.  Obviously, top and seats are gone, though the trunk and the paint in it look new.  Top hydaulics work beautifully, and hey, the old 318 with dual point distributer still cranks and fires right up
but, in its place, we have a 360 built up for it.  Swirl port heads, (supposedly best flowing stock heads and impossible to find), 340 cam, bored .30 with 10.5:1 pistons.  And shes sitting in the corner of the garage waiting to be dropped in, perhaps to be backed by a 4 or 5 speed if i come across the right parts, along with an 8 3/4 if we can find one, or we'll just build another dana like we did for his charger, because that 7-1/4 toothpick has to go.  (and Ill be keeping the original motor for originality sake)  but, for now, going to change everything over to be a replica Formula S 340.

Well, once again, hello, and its good to know I have a place to find answers the questions I may have.

oh, and Ill probably be buried in this car, so, no this isnt going to be a fix and sell. im in it for the long run

[lemming303]

Welcome. I'm only 26, not quite 16 but still young. That's gonna be a good looking car when your done with it.

[strang3majik]

Hi again after a long while, guys,

Been w/o a computer for awhile.  Now Im back up.  And, the garage is now cleaned out and the car is on jack stands, so, we're getting ready. 
First off is floors, so, as soon as I can order them (getting YearOne gift certificates for Xmas ) theyll be hear, and will be welded in.

Since this is a ragtop, has anyone else heard of welding rods between the door posts to keep the car from caving in?  Sounds logical, but, figured Id ask.


Also, Srobinson, Im from Englewood, FL, between Tampa and Ft Myers.

[NoMope Greg]

Welcome back Tyler.  Yes, putting a rod in between the door posts is definitely a good idea.  Since a convertible doesn't have a roof structure to hold it together, the doors perform as a critical structural element to tie the front and rear of the car together.  Without a support rod, the body can bend when you tear out the floors or other structural elements and mess up the entire structure of the car.

Check out ShelbyDogg's convertible restoration page for some ideas:

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=44869.0

[cudadave72]

Welcome Tyler!!! Great looking cars!

[flmopars]

Hi and welcome to the site. My fiancee sells cars and parts for a living and is from Orange Park,Florida which is near Jacksonville. Good luck with the project and feel free to ask about any and all parts that you might need or any help you might need. Once again welcome to the site.

[Oldschool]

Welcome aboard....        Nice to have another "A" bod on board...       Keep us updated as you move along with it....        

[AprilsPink72Cuda]

Glad to see you made it back.  Welcome and I look forward to seeing what you do to the car!

[strang3majik]

thanks guys.  I can't wait to start on it.  I have most of the stuff for a 4 speed swap now, except an A body tranny, and a bellhousing. (those 2 are kinda important...lol)

Been thinking about getting a tranny out of a 92-ish Supra twin turbo, because, I read somewhere, that you can take a bellhousing of of a boxy v-6 dakota, put it on that tranny, and bolt it right up to a small block Chrysler.  Then, Id have a 6 speed tremec.  Or a 5 speed from a normal supra, that supposedly is the same deal.  Has anybody heard of that?  Then I could run some tall gears since Id have OD.

If only this Conquest would quit nickle and diming me to death, though, could I start.

Darn Chryslerbishis...lol

[sleepychallenger]

wouldnt the 833 OD work from an 80s style pick up? or the 5 speed from the early 90s dakotas?

[Ghost]

Looks alot like the color my 67 was.  I'm a big fan of the 2nd gens, and 68 is my favorite year.  Welcome to the site.  Can never have enough of us A body guys here.

[426HEMI]

Welcome aboard to a great site.  I have had my share of A bodies as well.  You can learn a lot from the site keep tuned in.