1969 Plymouth Barracuda (ModCuda) FAQ

1969 Plymouth Barracuda (The ModCuda) FAQ

What would you like to know a little more about?

Tell me more about the 15 X 7 police wheels that you (used to) have on your car! What year(s) were your wheels produced? Large or small bolt pattern? How do I get my hands on a set?: We don't exactly know what year they were, because we picked them up (used) in the swap meet in the Music City MoPar show in Nashville, TN in 1995. A couple of them were a little bent at the rim, so they went for a whopping $5.00/ea! They are the large bolt (4 1/2") pattern. We had to get some C-body axles for the rear, (there are specific ones, not all are acceptable) and have them cut and resplined by Moser Engineering (260-726-6689) for our B'cuda, and we used a Wilwood disc brake kit for the front (it comes the large bolt pattern).; We'd suggest heading down to your local junkyard to find a MoPar Cop car; most of them have police wheels. Or, try a swap meet at the next MoPar show. Year One 800-932-7663 sells new ones, but they are expen$ive ($120/ea, if memory serves). You also might want to try Harden's Muscle Car World in MO (800) 633-4690 and also Hemming's Motor News Magazine.

Tell me more about the C-body axles!

On the rear, we headed to the junkyard to find our axles. There are only certain (8 3/4") axles that can be used, though, because Moser Engineering, (260) 726-6689, needs specific ones to be able to cut and spline them properly for our Barracudas (for about $100). The axles you find must be at least 28" long (no less!) from the outer flange edge to the undercut/taper feature near the splines. I have an article out of special edition MoPar Action (called MoPar Tech Special, dated 1994), that says these axles are the only ones that will work properly, and you still need to verify that they are the proper length, even if you find ones on the following vehicles:

'69 or '70 C-body wagon (Chrysler/Polara/Monaco/Fury)
'71: same as '69-'70, plus any B-body wagon (Satellite/Coronet)
'72 or '73: Any B-body wagon or ANY C-body
'74: B-body wagons only
'71-'74 Dodge and Plymouth vans (B, PB 100,200)
'72-'74 Dodge pickups (D 100)

You'll also need to get the backing plate, shoes and hardware from the axle donor car, if at all possible. We don't have any clearance problems front or rear, although it is close on the rear to rubbing the outside of the tire against the wheel well, and the front tire comes real close to the front fender when turning.

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I decided that I would like to put FlowMasters on my truck and I'm not to sure how much they cost. Can you tell me about how much the cost so I can have a cost range.: We really like the FlowMasters on our ModCuda - they sound great! You can expect to pay anywhere from $50/pair to $100/pair. Ours were closer to $100/pair! We ordered them through Summit Racing and have always had good service with them. You can reach them at (800) 230-3030.

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How 'bout those grilles? Mine's cracked/busted. Where can I get new or restorable ones? Or how do I fix the ones I have?

Tom Frenchek, 1041 Orchard Ave, Greensburg, PA 15601, (724) 837-9030 - evenings, 7-11pm EST. Tom is an expert in '67-'69 Barracudas, and has or can get most all parts (not just grilles!) for that generation B'cuda, new and used. He's always at the MoPar Nationals at Indy in the Swap Meet area. Here's how he told me to repair the cracks in my non-Formula S grille. My grilles are a dull aluminum color, Formula S cars had black grilles. This method worked pretty good - I have one crack that's opened up again, but it was my doing, not Tom's advice! Warning! The paint that I used does not bring the grilles back completely to "stock" dull aluminum color, but it is pretty close!

Using a pencil-type soldering iron, melt the area all along the crack so that you fuse the grille plastic together again as best you can. Make sure you go deeply into the plastic, all the way through is OK. If the crack is all the way through, go ahead and melt it from both the visible and the non-visible sides. Don't worry if the fused area is not smooth or if it's depressed below the grille surface; it will be filled with epoxy as explained below.
Clean the melted area well with Simple Green or Wax and Silicone Remover or a thorough cleaner of your choice. It must be clean for good adhesion of the PC-7! Using PC-7 Epoxy (available from Eastwood, (800) 345-1178 for ~$13.00), cover the fused crack completely, both visible and non-visible side of the grille. Spread it well on either side of the crack, for example, if the fused area is 1/8" wide, apply the epoxy so it's 3/4" wide or more.
Follow the directions on the PC-7 can and let it set up well. It's probably best to let it set up overnight.
After the epoxy has cured, the next step is to sand it down so your grille has a smooth surface again. You don't have to sand the non-visible side, unless the crack goes all the way to the outer edge of the grille and will interfere with the chrome trim ring studs or with the fit against the front of the car. Using more coarse sandpaper at first (180 grit or higher), remove the excess PC-7. Keep using finer sandpaper until you've smoothed out the repair area. This will take some doing to get it perfectly smooth with the contour of the grille surface! I ended up with dry 400 grit paper. I'm not sure if you can sand this stuff wet; I didn't because I wanted to avoid water absorption by the epoxy.
Now, clean the repair area again with wax or silicone remover or other cleaner to remove any sand particles. Spray sandable primer on the repair area to help fill any sandpaper marks, and lightly sand it again with 400 (or higher) to smooth out the primer.
After repairing all of your cracks, and applying the primer, wipe the grille down again in preparation for the final paint. You'll probably want to tape off the chrome trim on the grille. I used "Dull Aluminum" indoor/outdoor paint by sparVar. I've since heard that Krylon has a metallic enamel dull aluminum that is probably closer to the "correct color". Both paints are made by Sherwin Williams. Spray your grille lightly with 4 or 5 coats and let it dry for a couple of minutes between coats. Congrats! They're good as new! (Or a least better than they were, right?)

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Your tires. How do they fit in those wheelwells?: Back when I had 15x7 police wheels, I used to run 215/60R15's on the front (which is the widest I could get and still be able to make turns without scrubbing the tire on the wheel well lip!) and 255/60R15's on the rear C-body axles on 15x7 police wheels all around. You'd be able to stuff wider tires on the rear, because I still had room - quite a bit actually, so you might could get 275's back there. The wheel offset is something you'd need to examine carefully to make sure you'll clear the leaf springs with the 275's. My 15x7's wheel offset is about 4 1/2". And don't forget about clearing the fender. My 255's cleared with about 3/4" to spare.

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I need more info on the Wilwood Brake Kit!: You can reach Wilwood at: 461 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA 93012, (805) 388-1188, (805) 388-4938 (FAX). To install the kit, just follow the directions carefully that come with it! The directions are clear, and we had no problems at all. You may want to install the recommended safety wire, so you'll need some of that, too. You can get safety wire and tool from Eastwood (800) 345-1178. We actually ordered our the disc brake kit from Summit: (800) 230-3030. It set us back $671.00 in 1995! We also needed a brake proportioning valve, which we got a MoPar Performance one thru Mancini Racing: 800-843-2821.

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I have a beautiful 68 Barracuda Convertible same color as yours I am in the process of restoring. But I need parts to get her on the road can you guys give me a hand?

Check with Randy Gann at Dixie Restoration Parts in Ackworth, GA. I bought my ModCuda from Randy, and I recommend him as a reputable, knowledgeable MoPar nut.
Check with Harden's Muscle Car World, 1-800-633-4690. They're nice folks, and have a pretty good selection of parts. And they're usually cheaper, but not less quality, than Year One, 1-800-950-9503. Year One has a huge inventory, also with very helpful people, but their prices are typically higher (not by much, though) than other places.
Tom Frenchek, 1041 Orchard Ave, Greensburg, PA 15601, 724-837-9030 - evenings, 7-11pm EST, 724-516-4230 CELL. T_FRENCHEK@HOTMAIL.COM Tom is an expert in '67-'69 Barracudas, and has or can get most all parts for that generation B'cuda, new and used. He's usually at the MoPar Nationals in Columbus, OH in the Swap Meet area.
Legendary Interiors can help with not only interior stuff (seat covers, carpet, etc) but with a new convertible top. 1-800-363-8804
First Place Auto Products
6495 Chesham Dr. N.E.
N. Canton, OH 44721
(330) 493-1420
Fax: (330) 493-0241
If you have a cracked dash cap, (I've never had this done), but I've heard good things about "Just Dashes." They take your old dash cap, and apply a new vinyl type shell to it so it looks just like new. You can contact them at (818) 780-9005. They're in Van Nuys, CA.
You can also look for new dash caps (and all the other parts you need) at your local MoPar show swap meet, or at your favorite junkyard.

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