Ooh Barracuda - The End of 'Christine' R.I.P
- Thread starter Barracuda
- 386 comments
- 33,315 views
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
There's quite a few I6s on craigslist around here that look to be pretty solid for $2000 with a bad motor/trans or something. Take 1 straight six car, take the 300 out of the truck and replace... Add turbo...
This place is bad for my wallets health
This place is bad for my wallets health
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
Nice new thread title, I agree with it completely
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
I seen one on the highway the other day.. My Mrs goes "Oh god, what an ugly box of crap" and i thought of you Diablo
At least It's not as bad as a Scion xB. Everyone has their own taste in cars, some just a bit more abstract than others (I love the 64-66 Barracudas obviously, even the Valiant wagons, and 60-62 Valiants and Lancers).
To be honest I think the sedan version is pretty ugly, I just have a soft spot for wagons for some reason.
- 3,401
- Pennsylvania
- Darkdeeds427
If it's any direct consolation I love it since it falls into my 80's/90's Performance Cars category (In fact I love most cars, exceptions being certain SUVs, Hybrids, etc.). She doesn't have much a soft spot for muscle cars either, depending on the presentation.
At least It's not as bad as a Scion xB. Everyone has their own taste in cars, some just a bit more abstract than others (I love the 64-66 Barracudas obviously, even the Valiant wagons, and 60-62 Valiants and Lancers).
To be honest I think the sedan version is pretty ugly, I just have a soft spot for wagons for some reason.
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
But then you wouldn't have 2 money pits either, and where's the fun in that??
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
Exactly
Although I've heard Subarus have a nasty habit of wanting new head gaskets, and the way I'd drive it I'm sure something would eventually need to be replaced.
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
Well in that case you'd be perfectly set
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
Finally got around to getting to the junkyard and was able to pick up a few things. Got a new rear wiper relay (which doesn't work 
), intake hose, blinker bulb holders (mine currently work by aluminum foil), and most importantly a new grill. I was going to get an L to make the rear volvo say lolvo but I didn't have anything good to get it off with and ended up messing it up.
There was nothing wrong with my old one but I always liked the chrome grill better. If only it had the turbo emblem on the bottom right like it should have. The only problem is now you can really notice how off my front end is. The plastic where the grill mounts is broken as well as the left lights surrounding plastic. I'm starting to think it may have been in an accident, but who knows, I have 16 carfax reports so now that I have a job I need to see what they are.
), intake hose, blinker bulb holders (mine currently work by aluminum foil), and most importantly a new grill. I was going to get an L to make the rear volvo say lolvo but I didn't have anything good to get it off with and ended up messing it up.
There was nothing wrong with my old one but I always liked the chrome grill better. If only it had the turbo emblem on the bottom right like it should have. The only problem is now you can really notice how off my front end is. The plastic where the grill mounts is broken as well as the left lights surrounding plastic. I'm starting to think it may have been in an accident, but who knows, I have 16 carfax reports so now that I have a job I need to see what they are.
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
The beetle isn't mine, both the grey and red one are my friends.
Unfortunately for the brick I think shes probably going to be sitting in a junk yard in a few years, or at least in the hands of another sucker like me. It's really a love hate type of thing. I've grown to like the looks, I love wagons, and despite not having too much power she can still be a ton of fun. On the other hand when she acts up I just wanna drive her into a tree and set her on fire. The main issue is she has a lot of problems that aren't worth the time, money, or effort to ever fix even if I magically had the money, It would save me thousands to just get a better 87 turbo if I wanted a good one that badly. In short she's just a beater, but I wouldn't have any other car as my beater even if she is a ton of crap. If I had the money though I would totally do a V8 swap and make her an epic sleeper or slam her to the ground and put some titanium blocks in the back
Plus the Barracuda is going to take more money than any 18 year old could legally obtain to fix, even if I do a good bit of it myself. One of my friends went to school for fabrication and worked on a bunch of panels for 40s and 50s cars so I could get the rust fixed well and decently cheap, but just the sandblasting alone is going to cost a good bit.
Speaking of the 740 I had a wonderful experience today. On my way to school (28 miles there mind you) about halfway there all my warning lights but the oil suddenly came on. It drove fine and didn't feel any different so I figured something must have gone wacky with the electrics (not surprising anymore) and kept going. I get to school, open the hood, and my alternator belt had fallen off (It's behind the ac compressor belt so it stayed on). It's a really old and crappy belt but I figured I'd put it back on and get another when I got back home. I get out of class, drive a few miles down the road, start to get going on the highway (It's more like a three lane 60mph road) then *thunk*. All my lights come on again, doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened, but luckily there was an advanced auto just a bit up the road. Open up the hood, one piece of alternator belt hanging on to the engine and the ac belt is gone, yay. I put a new one on and so far its been fine but it looks like the alignment is slightly off, the bottom of the belt shakes a good bit, and the ac is definitely out of alignment. I don't use the ac anyway so I'm thinking about not bothering with another belt because I don't know how I'll get it on anyway, they're all separate belts so they're all a big pain in the ass to get on.
EDIT: Going to the junk yard has slightly rekindled my love for the old brick though. Parts are so cheap, $260 for an entire engine, $60 for a turbo, and a 30 day warranty on anything mechanical if it breaks. I'm seriously thinking about doing a cam swap from a non turbo, although I'm probably going to blow my tired old engine having too much fun with all the low end. Just the grill has gotten me really excited, there's a bit of hope to make her look pretty decent, or dare say really good. Hell if it's cheap enough I might look into doing a painted bumper swap from the newer type 740 (called s80 or something like that but it still looks like mine) like the guy with the same year 740 he calls the Lolvette (google it, it's awesome)
Unfortunately for the brick I think shes probably going to be sitting in a junk yard in a few years, or at least in the hands of another sucker like me. It's really a love hate type of thing. I've grown to like the looks, I love wagons, and despite not having too much power she can still be a ton of fun. On the other hand when she acts up I just wanna drive her into a tree and set her on fire. The main issue is she has a lot of problems that aren't worth the time, money, or effort to ever fix even if I magically had the money, It would save me thousands to just get a better 87 turbo if I wanted a good one that badly. In short she's just a beater, but I wouldn't have any other car as my beater even if she is a ton of crap. If I had the money though I would totally do a V8 swap and make her an epic sleeper or slam her to the ground and put some titanium blocks in the back
Plus the Barracuda is going to take more money than any 18 year old could legally obtain to fix, even if I do a good bit of it myself. One of my friends went to school for fabrication and worked on a bunch of panels for 40s and 50s cars so I could get the rust fixed well and decently cheap, but just the sandblasting alone is going to cost a good bit.
Speaking of the 740 I had a wonderful experience today. On my way to school (28 miles there mind you) about halfway there all my warning lights but the oil suddenly came on. It drove fine and didn't feel any different so I figured something must have gone wacky with the electrics (not surprising anymore) and kept going. I get to school, open the hood, and my alternator belt had fallen off (It's behind the ac compressor belt so it stayed on). It's a really old and crappy belt but I figured I'd put it back on and get another when I got back home. I get out of class, drive a few miles down the road, start to get going on the highway (It's more like a three lane 60mph road) then *thunk*. All my lights come on again, doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened, but luckily there was an advanced auto just a bit up the road. Open up the hood, one piece of alternator belt hanging on to the engine and the ac belt is gone, yay. I put a new one on and so far its been fine but it looks like the alignment is slightly off, the bottom of the belt shakes a good bit, and the ac is definitely out of alignment. I don't use the ac anyway so I'm thinking about not bothering with another belt because I don't know how I'll get it on anyway, they're all separate belts so they're all a big pain in the ass to get on.
EDIT: Going to the junk yard has slightly rekindled my love for the old brick though. Parts are so cheap, $260 for an entire engine, $60 for a turbo, and a 30 day warranty on anything mechanical if it breaks. I'm seriously thinking about doing a cam swap from a non turbo, although I'm probably going to blow my tired old engine having too much fun with all the low end. Just the grill has gotten me really excited, there's a bit of hope to make her look pretty decent, or dare say really good. Hell if it's cheap enough I might look into doing a painted bumper swap from the newer type 740 (called s80 or something like that but it still looks like mine) like the guy with the same year 740 he calls the Lolvette (google it, it's awesome)
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- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
Like the title says I'm finally back in my Barracuda after quite some time. I should have been back in my cuda when college was over in May, but my parents kept complaining about how costly it would be even though they didn't bother to even look until a few weeks ago. It only took $50 to get the plate, and the insurance is actually going to be less than the Volvo
Not too many plans as of yet, I'm horribly lazy these days, but most of my time is spent working and chilling with friends so I'm always too tired to do anything else. Right now I need to change the oil, possibly change the tranny fluid, rebuild the carb (or get a 4 barrel, but the 4 barrel manifolds are apparently rare for a 273), get new tires, possibly look into the ticking issue, and start saving up to save the body before she rusts to hell and back.
Some great news pertaining to the Volvo, I'm going to be turning it into a redneck rally car of sorts. To explain I've been trying to sell it ever since school ended in May and have barely had any interest in it. I have it on craigslist for $700 and still haven't gotten any emails. So, talking with my parents today, I mentioned that there's really no way in hell I'm going to sell it. My dad told me I should just junk it for $150, but I could make a lot more than that just parting out little things here and there. I asked them if they were alright with that, and they said it's my car so go ahead, just not in the apartment parking lot obviously. I figured just parting it is boring, and I've always wanted to do this, so I'm going to to turn it into a fun car my friends and I can tool around with and sell the parts I take off (and eventually junk it when it finally dies).
The plan of action so far is to gut the interior, get some decent used all terrains for the back (my friend works for a tire shop, they get to keep used tires if they want), and give it a black offset racing stripe. So far we've taken the exhaust off before the cat (can you say LOUD!), stripped most of the interior in the back, and removed the roof rack (which didn't even hold on well in the first place). The only limitations there are going to be is that it's not registered, so very few places to go, and we have to keep it at my friend's apartment with a cover over it.
I'll hopefully be updating its progress by video if I'm not too lazy, and I'll try my best to stop by and update the thread with news and pictures when I can. Oh and I also ended up naming the Volvo Herbert. I was in a 'different' state of mind when my friends and I thought it up, but I think it fits
Not too many plans as of yet, I'm horribly lazy these days, but most of my time is spent working and chilling with friends so I'm always too tired to do anything else. Right now I need to change the oil, possibly change the tranny fluid, rebuild the carb (or get a 4 barrel, but the 4 barrel manifolds are apparently rare for a 273), get new tires, possibly look into the ticking issue, and start saving up to save the body before she rusts to hell and back.
Some great news pertaining to the Volvo, I'm going to be turning it into a redneck rally car of sorts. To explain I've been trying to sell it ever since school ended in May and have barely had any interest in it. I have it on craigslist for $700 and still haven't gotten any emails. So, talking with my parents today, I mentioned that there's really no way in hell I'm going to sell it. My dad told me I should just junk it for $150, but I could make a lot more than that just parting out little things here and there. I asked them if they were alright with that, and they said it's my car so go ahead, just not in the apartment parking lot obviously. I figured just parting it is boring, and I've always wanted to do this, so I'm going to to turn it into a fun car my friends and I can tool around with and sell the parts I take off (and eventually junk it when it finally dies).
The plan of action so far is to gut the interior, get some decent used all terrains for the back (my friend works for a tire shop, they get to keep used tires if they want), and give it a black offset racing stripe. So far we've taken the exhaust off before the cat (can you say LOUD!), stripped most of the interior in the back, and removed the roof rack (which didn't even hold on well in the first place). The only limitations there are going to be is that it's not registered, so very few places to go, and we have to keep it at my friend's apartment with a cover over it.
I'll hopefully be updating its progress by video if I'm not too lazy, and I'll try my best to stop by and update the thread with news and pictures when I can. Oh and I also ended up naming the Volvo Herbert. I was in a 'different' state of mind when my friends and I thought it up, but I think it fits
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
I approve of where this is going! I wish I could do this, aside from blowing the money on the brick to start with
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
I've been working on it with some friends off and on for a few days and this is what I've gotten done so far:
[Click for 1600 x 1200]
Front splitter (If that's what it's called) and fog lights are off for clearance purposes. I plan on drilling through the bumper and mounting the fog lights in front of the grill with some metal brackets. A friend of mine also wants to bring the air intake up through the hood so it can breathe better.
All the interior pieces that made it through the tear down. 80's plastic in the hot Florida sun doesn't fair too well, I had to throw away quite a few pieces.
For clearance and safety purposes we're going to be cutting out the spare tire tub and welding some sheet metal over the hole. Don't want the extra metal pushing into the gas tank in the event of a collision.
I even removed the center console. I figured who needs an arm rest when we're probably going to be holding onto the handbrake most of the time. Speaking of which I also need to remove the ratcheting mechanism on the handbrake so it goes up and down easily. The dash (for safety) and the door skins are the only interior left other than the seats. I want to take the door skins off really bad, but at the same time it'll be nice to have some driving music. I also want to get rid of the back seats but chances are more than a few of my friends are going to want to ride and drive it (which I'm worried about for both safety and the life of the car, I want to be the one that kills it in the end).
The hatch door plastic was surprisingly heavy. Without it and the window motor the door actually holds itself up instead of falling back down.
Figured I'd take the plate holder off for looks.
And my favorite modification so far. Absolutely no exhaust, thank god the oxygen sensor was before the cat. It has to be the loudest damn thing I've ever heard, but it sounds great. We might put a glass pack on it, but I'll have to see how it sounds before I make a final decision. The exhaust after that is still there, but I should be getting the sawsall out within the next few days to take care of that.
I have to keep reminding everyone that I'm not just going to be ramming it into a tree or whatever I can find. My plan is to try and keep it running as long as possible and make a decently fun 'rally' car of sorts until the engine or turbo finally go kaput. Oh well, whatever happens it should be fun, can't wait to get her on the dirt for the first time like this.
[Click for 1600 x 1200]
Front splitter (If that's what it's called) and fog lights are off for clearance purposes. I plan on drilling through the bumper and mounting the fog lights in front of the grill with some metal brackets. A friend of mine also wants to bring the air intake up through the hood so it can breathe better.
All the interior pieces that made it through the tear down. 80's plastic in the hot Florida sun doesn't fair too well, I had to throw away quite a few pieces.
For clearance and safety purposes we're going to be cutting out the spare tire tub and welding some sheet metal over the hole. Don't want the extra metal pushing into the gas tank in the event of a collision.
I even removed the center console. I figured who needs an arm rest when we're probably going to be holding onto the handbrake most of the time. Speaking of which I also need to remove the ratcheting mechanism on the handbrake so it goes up and down easily. The dash (for safety) and the door skins are the only interior left other than the seats. I want to take the door skins off really bad, but at the same time it'll be nice to have some driving music. I also want to get rid of the back seats but chances are more than a few of my friends are going to want to ride and drive it (which I'm worried about for both safety and the life of the car, I want to be the one that kills it in the end).
The hatch door plastic was surprisingly heavy. Without it and the window motor the door actually holds itself up instead of falling back down.
Figured I'd take the plate holder off for looks.
And my favorite modification so far. Absolutely no exhaust, thank god the oxygen sensor was before the cat. It has to be the loudest damn thing I've ever heard, but it sounds great. We might put a glass pack on it, but I'll have to see how it sounds before I make a final decision. The exhaust after that is still there, but I should be getting the sawsall out within the next few days to take care of that.
I have to keep reminding everyone that I'm not just going to be ramming it into a tree or whatever I can find. My plan is to try and keep it running as long as possible and make a decently fun 'rally' car of sorts until the engine or turbo finally go kaput. Oh well, whatever happens it should be fun, can't wait to get her on the dirt for the first time like this.
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- 10,620
- gtp_jimprower
Where nearby you gonna take it? and will she do Skyhill? X3
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
My friend's parents house has more tools then you could imagine, plus they live off of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, so that's where we're going to be taking it to mess around and modify. The only downside is his parents will bitch about it if we leave it there so at the end of the day we'll need to trailer it back to his apartment.
I wish there was a more 'legal' way of doing it on an epic trail or something, but all the trails around here are big truck territory. His road has plenty of space and no traffic, but the no plate thing is a bit of concern. Seems it will be more of a do a lap or two then get the hell back kind of deal.
If someone would pay me to trailer it there and get back I'm sure she'd do skyhill
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
Just put an old plate on haha
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
The main reason we took it off, aside from my long wait to hear it with no exhaust, was because the cat is clogged and it was causing a lot of issues.
I really want to do dirt racing events with it but I don't think Florida has anything like that except for maybe boring oval tracks for monstrous V8 tube frame cars.
I really want to do dirt racing events with it but I don't think Florida has anything like that except for maybe boring oval tracks for monstrous V8 tube frame cars.
- 3,770
- Boss-Barracuda
I don't even think she could drift, although I did do an epic drift, and I mean spot on perfect, while taking a corner after it had rained one night.
I haven't done much else but I did decide to finally take the seats and seat belts out of the back.
I plan on putting my name after the flag above the drivers door like a rally car (although I now realize that they put their name on the glass usually). A bit corny but I figured it would make a nice touch.
My old auxiliary was pretty outdated and couldn't hold anything in so I picked a new one up at walmart. It had its own bracket but I figured I'd see if it would fit in the correct housing and it did. Now I have a modern auxiliary that still looks stock.
The only problem is I just realized I put the positive for the auxiliary onto the dimmer switch wire. I was looking at the wires I tapped into for the tach and only saw a red and white so I assumed it was negative. There is a black apparently
I haven't done much else but I did decide to finally take the seats and seat belts out of the back.
I plan on putting my name after the flag above the drivers door like a rally car (although I now realize that they put their name on the glass usually). A bit corny but I figured it would make a nice touch.
My old auxiliary was pretty outdated and couldn't hold anything in so I picked a new one up at walmart. It had its own bracket but I figured I'd see if it would fit in the correct housing and it did. Now I have a modern auxiliary that still looks stock.
The only problem is I just realized I put the positive for the auxiliary onto the dimmer switch wire. I was looking at the wires I tapped into for the tach and only saw a red and white so I assumed it was negative. There is a black apparently
Rotary Junkie
Premium
- 9,810
- Canton, MI
- RJs_RX-7
