Happy I found this 73 in a old garage owned by a old man...now what??

[73inCanada]

Hello, just though i would share my dream with the guys...wife is not interested at all...  So I have this car...73 Barracuda kinda rough but an original 318 that runs and drives ( i dont want an original).  Eventually i want it to be a different color with a 440.  Not show shape I just want a driver for myself.... I have limited funds....where do i begin...any comments welcome.  I have found nothing good as far as books etc...  Parts are very expensive to get to canada...but i would like to start slowly.  Thanks newbie from Canada.  Here is some pics

[asm74]

Nice find! 
Limited funds = more do-it-yourself. 

I'd start by pulling the trim, engine, the interior, the wiring, and the fuel system.  Store and label everything very carefully.  Keeping a photo journal helps a ton.   Some of the smallest things seem to cost the most on these cars.  Trim especially.  You can probably spend the same amount on really nice wheel opening trim for the cost of a running 440 out of a new yorker, so be careful pulling some of that stuff off.

Then take stock of what you have left on the body. Look at the frame rails, the floor pans, the inner fender walls, the door jambs and decide if you can afford to send the car out to a body shop, or do the rust repair and body blocking yourself.  I chose to send mine out, even though it did not have nearly as much rust showing as yours seems to have.  It's not impossible to do this yourself, but I'm going to guess you will need a replacement fender, rocker panels, some quarter patches and I'll also bet your inner fender walls will need some lovin'.  Don't skimp on the body.  Seriously, the body is the rarest part of any of these cars, and if your going to put even any money into a project like this, make sure that it will last as a long as possible.  A strong 440 will be worthless if the car is rusting away around it. 

While the body and paint work is being done, you can start mulling over your power train, suspension and handling options.  This is where you decide how much you can or want to do yourself.  I made spreadsheets of every option I wanted and did some web research for the cost of each option package.  Older 440 engines can be had pretty cheap on ebay or craigslist, but shipping will hurt, and then you will probably want to do a lot of work on it before dropping it in.  And going from a 318 to a 440 means a lot of upgrades along the way: new suspension, bigger brakes, different transmission, sturdier rear end, different engine harness, different fuel system, different accessories... a lot changes with the power plant. 

My 2cents. 

     

[Moparpena]

 

Do you have a welding machine and place where work with your car?

First strip her a part and then take her to mediablaster, then you can be sure there is no rust monsters hiding (exept inside of body beams and other boxed areas) and you can cordinate wich places need new sheet metal.

Look up the projects here at c-c.com, lots of pictures wich will help you and people who are willing to help you out with your problems. As you have limited budget, do it yourself, it helps alot too if you have any buddies up there who have some skills in metal work.

I understand you said its gonna be a driver for you, so do it from mask to tail with patience and time. It feel nice to go sleep at night when you know there is no "hided" spots/places in your car.

Just my 

[hemiken]

You will have to jump on and place an intro in the section................

Can you copy down the details on the fender tag and we can decifer the tag for you

[RDF]

Welcome and good looking car!  This is the right place to be for learning and working on your car.....you'll find TONS of information here and people who know how to do just about anything to these cars.

I too have limited funds so I know where you are coming from.....take your time and do things right.  If you find you need new brakes, take the time and money to do them right, otherwise it may come back to haunt you later on.

You'll learn lots about your car and do things to it that you never thought you could do.....post anything you need/want on this board and someone will usually answer quickly.  There are no stupid questions so don't be affraid to ask.

Welcome aboard!   

[Super Blue 72]

I don't have much to add to the great advice the guys have already given but just wanted to say you have a cool little project! 

Love those hubcaps!  Mike Brady from the Brady Bunch TV show in the 70's had tose same hubcaps on his Barracuda. 

Did you get the car from Canada?  The plates look oddly like Massachusetts... 

Make sure you check the frame out as others have mentioned.  Never know what's lurking under there!.    I don't have much $$$ to spend either.  I would get it running as best as possible then do body work, but that's just me.  You may be surprised how many parts MIGHT be able to be found at the local car parts store, like plugs, wires, ECU (I paid like $20 for a new one at VIP Auto Parts), altenator, etc......

How's the interior?  Seat covers, my fried, seat covers for now.... 

As far as "helpful" books go... these are helpful to some degree, they aren't really resto guides but I feel they are more like history guides of these cars, of how they came from the factory.

http://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Barracuda-Restoration-Motorbooks-Workshop/dp/0760302073

This one has nicer pics: http://www.amazon.com/Original-Challenger-Barracuda-1970-1974-Schild/dp/0760314691/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Factory shop manuals are invaluable for working on these cars.  Can be found on CD or paper.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Plymouth-Shop-Manual-CD-ROM-Barracuda-Duster-Fury_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1419Q7c39Q3a1Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem160287304507QQitemZ160287304507

I know for a '72 Challebger it requires 2 books, Chassis and body.  This looks combined into 1 book, I think... 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-73-BARRACUDA-ROAD-RUNNER-VALIANT-SHOP-MANUAL_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQitemZ160270686259

This one is ONLY the BODY manual
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-PLYMOUTH-CHRYSLER-CUDA-DUSTER-BODY-SERVICE-MANUAL_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQitemZ150301339539

This one is ONLY the CHASSIS manual
http://cgi.ebay.com/1973-PLYMOUTH-BARRACUDA-ROAD-RUNNER-SERVICE-SHOP-MANUAL_W0QQitemZ110108335311QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

[70shaker6pk]

Congrats on your find,, you'll have a very nice car  when your done

[Chlngrcrzy]

Nice find. We will enjoy watching your progress.

[73inCanada]

Thanks to you all....I think i will stay away from the big engine $$$$ for now (sounds like a lot of upgrades....is the motor mounts the same?  will watch for a deal down the road (canada has the bargain finder). 

I will focus on step one stripping and blasting??? and see how much i have left...

[Super Blue 72]

Thanks to you all....I think i will stay away from the big engine $$$$ for now (sounds like a lot of upgrades....is the motor mounts the same?  will watch for a deal down the road (canada has the bargain finder). 

SB to BB looks like motor mounts, extend dist wiring as dist up front on BB, possibly torsion bars/rear leaf springs, radiator, wider tires... 

Yeah, it'll take a couple of bucks.  A 318 can be peppy with the right gearing.  A member here, goodysgotacuda, has a 318 that'll do high 13's in the 1/4 mile I believe.  Don't get too tall a rear tire.....

Look around on the local craigslist.org up in canada for some parts locally cheap.  You might find some SB headers, 4 barrel intake/carb (if it already hasn't been done) and it'll open up the top end a bit without going into cam/heads.  The headers/carb/intake, depending if new or used might cost you somewhere between $400-600, again, depends where you look/new/used. 

I had a 2 barrel 318 in an '81 5th Ave and the 4 barrel made a big difference if you still have the 2 barrel carb.

[Moparal]

hey 73incanada   Dont get disapointed when you take your car apart and loose interest. As you see by the external rust holes, the inside will be much worse. On a limited budget this will take a very long time. Be sure to check the frame very good. If you keep searching and asking here for info and parts, many of us would be glad to help out. I see a trememndous amount of serious rust. Keep it safe and remember to use safety stands when under your car

[73inCanada]

I posted the frame pics @ the body shop...FYI

[e-tek]

Damn wives eh!!! No wonder we build shops and live in there! Where are you? I'm in S'toon. I'm doing a 74 Chally 318. Decide if you want to learn to weld or if you want to pay someone a REDICULOUS amount of money to do it for you. If you want to learn, you can - it's not hard. Plus, what you would have spent for someone to sit on in their shop for 5 years, you can buy tools and have them forever. All kinds of forums on bodywork too (autobodystore.com), plus car mags always have articles, plus yearly issues devoted to boyd and paint. Subscribe to MOPAR ACTION and MopAR MUSCLE). That's how I started and now I have a dream shop. Plus, the longer you are married, the more you'll like your shop! Don't chuck the 318 so fast! There are good articles on doing 318's to 400HP!! It's EASY and WAY less expensive and hassle than swapping in a 440 - IMHO!! Once you get the body apart and into the fame and inners work, watch out for parts. Year One does 15% OFF Sundays, plus 10% OFF over a grand, so you can get your parts list for 25% off. TAKE PICS - MAKE LISTS - ENJOY THE PROCESS - or you'll get tired of it. Take time off, come back to it. MAKE YOUR SHOP COMFORTABLE! Lots of LIGHT, Heat, benches, an OLD Stereo...check out GarageJournal.com too!
The hard part is taking a running, driving find and tearing it apart and then slowly realizing it'll take YEARS and SWEAT and TEARS and MONEY to get it back to running and driving....ooops that was right outa my wifes mouth - SORRY!!!
Great find and have fun!

[73inCanada]

Good info...thx....

[thenuke1]

when looking for parts ... dont just grab the first thing that looks cheap... wait a bit and see if the price drops ... ebay is good for parts but some sellers take over price stuff ...

i remember i was looking for a set of 71 Challenger taillights and people wanted 140 for one or 250 for the set ... some peopel wanted 90 for one used ... others wanted 100 for a beat up one ... then finally about 2 months into my search i found a nice drivers set for 40 ...

i also was looking for the 71 Challey Grill and MAN was that hard to come by ... i mean people had them but they wanted a freakin arm and a leg for it ... until i searched craigslist and found a kool dude in atlanta that let his go for 350 ... now that might seem pricey but go on ebay and search "71 challenger grill" you'll get some for 500 - 1,500 lol its a struggle but the deals are out there