1965 Plymouth Barracuda

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8 - Cyl.

Manual

V855159557

Gasoline

1965 Plymouth Barracuda project car. Was an original 273 with a 4 speed, now has a 360 crate motor and other modifications that make it a fun project, but probably unsuitable for stock restoration. Body is solid, with only very minor surface rust where the primer patches didn't weather well. Glass is good, chrome is fair but the front bumper is very slightly bent on one corner. Tranny and drivetrain are good, and the motor is a beast. If I haven't messed the wiring up too bad, it should start and run strong. It was running and driving fine before I started looking for a short that was draining the battery. Just last year I had the front and rear seats reupholstered, the car has not been driven since. Title is clear, registration is current, and I've owned it for 16 years . I estimate the motor has about 3000 miles on it (odometer has not been connected), mostly from when I used the car as a daily driver for a month about 10 years ago. It made one long trip from the SF Bay area to here with no problems. That was 9 years ago, it hasn't been driven much since. Actual miles on the car are unknown. Modifications: 360 crate motor, 380hp edition, with a Holly 650 double pumper, Mopar Performance Ignition, single wire alternator CUSTOM made Tri-Y headers with dual exhaust with crossover & 2.5” pipes to the back Aluminum bellhousing from later A-body, Mopar Performance clutch & pressure plate, minor mods to clutch linkage Front disc brake conversion with the 4.5 bolt pattern 8.25 rear end from later model A-body with 4.5 bolt pattern, new 3.73 gears & posi 17x8 Centerline Coronas with 235-45s all around Stock radiator was rebuilt with 4 core Fuel cell from Summit with electric fuel pump Raised & flattened rear parcel floor to make room for the fuel cell Custom guage panel in dash with Mopar Performance branded tach and speedo The problems: The Fuel Cell: It works fine, but I'm not happy with the whole project. It is too difficult to fill, and my workmanship just isn't very good. Where the floor of the rear parcel area drops about 4”, I raised it to clear the cell. I modified the flip down panel between the trunk and passenger compartment, so it still works, but the hinge mounting could use improvement. And since I hacked a giant hole in the trunk floor, it is the biggest change if you wanted to revert to stock. It's been sitting outside for the last several years with nothing over the gas filler hole, so a little water has gotten into the trunk down in the crevice at the bottom of the rear quarter, so there is probably some hidden rust down in there. Nothing visible externally. The front track is a little wider than the rear. The front tires rub on cornering, and the rear tires have rubbed at least once on a combination of hard cornering and dips. My solution woud be, at the rear get wheels with an extra half inch of backspacing (to 4.5).  That would fit with the current 8” width and eliminate any rub even with a slightly bigger tire. In the front I think you will need to reduce to 7” width, probably also with the 4.5 backspacing, maybe even 5, to narrow the track width. And an inch smaller in diameter to get a better stance. When I got the car 16 years ago, the rear end was smashed (the collision was above the bumper). I had it repaired, and I had an extra trunk lid with a little rust, but I told the repair man not to deal with the lid, I would just replace it (you could still find them back then). I think the repair of the opening came up a hair short of stock dimensions, so he hammered my “throw away” trunk lit a little to fit. The trunk lid is probably very usable, but will need work. It has no key cylinder.  It was draining the battery, so I started pulling things apart looking for the problem. I ended up getting a new chrome single-wire alternator, but now that I put everything back together the ignition key is not turning the starter. It turns over when I short across the starter relay, so hopefully I didn't screw it up any worse than that. But it still seems to be putting a drain on the battery. I don't want to mess with it anymore. One of the exhaust header gaskets needs to be replaced, I allowed a bolt to get loose and it burned the gasket a little before I got to it. The 8.25 rear end was from a junkyard, and it seems to have an odd size brake shoe (11x2?). Maybe I just mismeasured, but the old shoes were fine so I just left them. The dash pad has big cracks in the middle. The interior panels from the rear seat back are not installed, but I have them all. There are a couple of small tears in the headliner, and the armrest pads are breaking down. I replaced the carpet with a kit that was supposedly for the early years, but it clearly was not an exact fit (not many parts available for the early A-bodies, as you probably know well). I did my best.  The new shift boot I put in with the carpet was stretched a little too much and tore immediately.  The tail light lenses are cracked (one has a hole right over the bulb, a potential ticket). Speedo is not connected. And I haven't found a good way to connect the crankcase vent hose to the air cleaner. If you are really a glutton for punishment, I have the original gas tank, filler tube, parcel floor, and piece of the trunk floor that I hacked out (minus a couple inches of trimming). You'll need to come and get it. If you can start it, you can probably drive it home, but of course entirely at your own risk. If you want to see it in person I'm promoting on CL so you can find me there.