Links to books, sites, posts, mostly referring to A-Body 60's Mopars, small blocks, suspension upgrades, etc. Also, some random stuff I figured out along the way...
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Check out the article:
Auto Week - 2006 Concept Challenger
IMHO it's MUCH cooler-looking than the new Charger, and MUCH truer to the original car it's based on. Maybe Chrysler is finally listening to all the grumpy Mopar guys who are going out and buying Mustangs because there's nothing else to choose from (the Charger is a 4-door, and only comes w/ an automatic).
Repeat this simple formula after me: "2 doors. Big V8. Rear drive. Manual shift."
If they really build it - and it's not ridiculously expensive - I'll really buy it! Hopefully they'll offer it in Alpine White like the '70 Challenger from the movie Vanishing Point. That would be way cool.
(click photo to read a review of the 1971 movie "Vanishing Point")
Concept drawing
My apologies to my readers, I was screwing around with my custom Blogger template and LOST it. So I've now lost my hit counter, links, etc. Hopefully I will figure out how to get all this stuff working again at some point. Oh, well.
My 1966 Plymouth Barracuda
July 5 2005
The Honeymoon Trip was a geat success! The car ran GREAT!! The new shocks (original equipment specs to replace the racing shocks) softened up the ride just in time. We camped all up and down the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway for10 days. The weather was perfect and the car was a blast to drive on the winding mountain roads, puttering along at 12-2000 RPM in 3rd gear. The new a/c worked well, though it had to compete with 95 degree temperatures plus a lot of excess heat coming from the engine compartment through the firewall and front floor. Also, I forgot to plumb the drain so ended-up turning the passenger floorboard into a decent-sized puddle. Fortunately there were sturdy rubber floormats to keep Beth's feet dry (mostly). Oh, and we broke the clutch. I'll post pics later and more details.
June 4 2005
ICE COLD A/C!!!! So sweet. And just when it's starting to get hot, here. I took it over to A1 Automotive in Arlington today. Justin is a super nice guy and he gave me a good rate, and put dye in the system in case of leaks. I'll be going back there. And the system works! Gets real cold. There were a couple of squeaks from the pulleys at first but they went away. I had to adjust the idle up about 1/8 turn to compensate for the load from the compressor. There's a slight hum when it's enggaged but it's only really audible at idle.
Mysteriously, my tach went dead last night. It was working great, we drove out to visit some friends in Reading, and then on the way home the tach stopped working. It's got a brand new circuit board so hopefully it's just a wiring issue. But the headlights are nice and bright - I have a new, oem style alternator and it seems to be charging a lot better than the Autozone rebuild I've been running.
June 2 2005
This last weekend I tackled the differential swap myself (3.91:1 ratio to a 2.94:1 ratio). Lots of cursing and anguish and sore muscles but in the end it finally went in with Beth running the jack. Note to self: transmission and third-member swaps are not really a one-person job. The car now drives quite differently - 1st feels like 2nd, and 2nd goes on forever. 3rd is an over-30 cruising gear. I guess it's more like a regular car now instead of a rocketship, but I sure miss the surge of power I used to get. Now the surge is still there but just in a different place - as soon as the tach gets over 1600 rpm it really takes off. It's just weird having to feather the clutch in first to get a smooth start. But on the 45mph and up roads it's awesome! It feels like there's no top limit on the highway, and on-ramps are real fun getting from 2nd to 3rd - it's hard not to chirp the tires a bit... "Sorry officer but I'm not used to my new rear-end."
- Just got 2 new tires for the front, to match the ones on the rear, Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus - say that three times fast. The tires originally on the car were 205/70/14, and still had some tread left on them, but they were kind of old, and rubbed slightly against the front fender lip on hard turns. I think that's because I have to run a 1/8" wheel spacer on the front wheels to clear the disc calipers, and this moves the wheels out just enough to cause the interference. Workaround was to get 195/65/14's, a little bit narrower (which also makes steering with the manual box a little easier), and about 1" less overall diameter. Seems to work and it's nice having matching rubber all around.
- One place I checked wants to charge me $150 just to put the new shocks on. Sheesh. Guess I'll tackle that one myself sometime soon. Should be straightforward but last time I couldn't get the old front shocks off, they expanded as soon as I released the bolt and got stuck inside the a-arms. I ended up having to drill the cylinders and ruined two working KYB shocks. I'm not drilling these spendy IAS's, so have to make sure I get them out immediately before they can expand. I also heard a trick where you jack up the a-arm to compress the shock then tie it up with straps and release the jack... I tried it last time to no avail. We'll see.
- Mystery leak in the driveway this afternoon. I went out and saw a bit of coolant on the ground but can't figure out where it came from. Maybe a leaky hose when it's hot.
- Still have to find a place that will charge up the a/c system for a reasonable price. So far I've been quoted $200 - way more than I expected. i figured, $90, $100. Everything just costs more these days.
- I received the Utah tri-axxial 12" speakers I plan to use in the back deck, and one of them was damaged in shipping. Crap! It seems nearly impossible to find a matching pair of these vintage triaxial 12" speakers. I have 4 working ones now and they're all different. Go figure. The search continues...
May 23 2005
Car is running again!
- New carb (Speed Demon 650 with vacuum secondaries and a manual choke) seems to work great right out of the box. I did some fine tuning of the idle and mixture screws, but haven't touched the floats. The choke cable is binding up, have to check into that (lube?), but I've barely needed it. The throttle is really crisp and the car feels zippier. We'll see what happens to that feeling once I switch from the 3.91 gears to the 2.94 gears.
Interior
- Overall the car is MUCH quieter internally now that I've replaced all the door and side window seals, and added FatMat to the floors and door panels. There is a mystery creaking sound coming from the passenger side of the dash on bumps - haven't figured out if it's the pillar trim rubbing against the new speaker wiring or the hoses onder the dash flexing or something, but it's the only annoying sound I notice now. Of course once I fix that something else will crop up.
- Even with the improvements, I still need to change out the shocks (Edelbrock IAS) for something softer: they're just too stiff for the rough roads around here. I have a pair of OEM front shocks for this car, old style oil shocks, and I also have a pair of rear Mopar 50/50 drag shocks. Maybe switch to those just to see what happens, then go to a suspension place if it needs more. I also hope to reinstall the sway bar once the suspension is softened a bit.
- The 50's AirGuide compass I installed on the dash has a very cool green glow at night but doesn't seem very accurate. It has adjusting screws on the bottom, but I'm not sure how to adjust them since I don't have the manual. I think they move little magnets around or something but I haven't figured it out, yet.
UPDATE: I found this calibration information on the web - for a different compass but I think it uses the same principles.
found at: http://www3.sympatico.ca/bkeevil/mercurymonarch/parts.html
***
ADJUSTING THE COMPASS
DO NOT USE STEEL SCREWDRIVER (THIS WILL AFFECT THE COMPASS MAGNETS) USE A DIME TO TURN REGULATOR SCREWS
1. Head North. Turn the regulator marked NS, very slowly, until the dial reads either N or S.
2. Head East. Turn the regulator marked EW, slowly, until the dial reads E.
3. Head South. If the compass does not read exactly on "S" -- Then turn the NS regulator just enough to remove only one-half of error.
4. Head West. Turn EW regulator just enough to remove only one-half of the error. Follow the same procedure as in step 3.
***
- The new a/c / heater / blower unit was working earlier but I think I blew a fuse so now it's dead. Maybe a bad ground. Still need to get the a/c system charged.
- The stereo setup sounds good. Still need to properly mount the head unit (held in by bits of carpet stuffed around it right now).
- Also need new tires. The front tires are too tall (very used 205/70/14 BF Goodrich Radial T/A's), and slightly rub on the inside lip of the fenders on tight turns (parking). This might also have to do with the 1/8" wheel spacers I used to clear the front brake calipers, and/or the offset upper control arm bushings. In any case I need a shorter tire in the front. I'd really like to get an all new wheel tire package but for now these wheels will have to do.
I found a great deal on a set of 14x7 Torq Thrust II's (4.5" bolt pattern), and 4 BF Goodrich Radial T/A's (P235/60/14) at http://www.newstalgiawheel.com/listproducts.asp?cat=2011. If you buy 4 tires and wheels together they mount and balance them and then ship them to you free. With the 1/2" wheel install kit the total comes to less than $1000. And the nice part is they just ship them to you ready to go and you don't have to sit around all day at the tire store just to find out they don't have your size. Maybe the wheel fairy will pay me a visit.
- The new u-joint type steering coupler (from Flaming River) works great. The coupler no longer bumps against the manifold, and there's barely any discernible slop in the steering. It's not rack and pinion, but it sure feels really tight and predictable along with the 16:1 ratio steering box.
- The new circuit board for the factory tach is working! And all the dash lights work again. I still need to re-attach the temperature sender wire, and replace the melted speedo cable.
- Shifting is a little tricky. It's hard to find 2nd and it pops out of first sometimes, so I need to spend some time re-aligining the shifter and shift rods.
- One annoying thing that's going on is all the new hoses for the a/c system are interfering with the wiper mechanism under the dash. I've spent way more time than I'd like standing on my head and wrestling hoses around to get them to fit, and they tear on sharp corners, and aren't ever quite long enough to snake around the way I need them to. Needless to say the a/c kit from Classic Auto Air is definitely NOT for a 66 Barreacuda. Probably works great in a 67, but my install has been hell from the start. Finally I decided to order 12 feet of new hose from JC Whitney, and attack it all in one go without compromise or mercy.
The fact that it's rained here 19 days out of the last 25 has slowed progress considerably, but it's great to be back on the road and the car drives awesome.
To Do before June 17 2005 (wedding day)
install new carpet and hold-downs - done
install speakers in new trunk panel - done
install front speakers - done
install head unit from Jeep - done
install ignition wires - done
stereo wiring - done
reinstall steering column - done
reinstall seats - done
reinstall shifter - done
replace wiper pivot seals - done
wheel alignment
replace windshield gasket - (temp fixed with silicone sealer)
mount fire extinguisher
new tires
change rear gears
change speedo pinion gear ratio
get a full-size spare and hold-down
repair/replace windshield squirters and hoses
New 5/16" fuel line and filter
Get rid of tall rear spring hangars
Re-arch springs
Change shocks
Re-install sway bar
Install hood pad
Get a/c system charged
March - May 13 2005 (been a busy couple of months!)
Installed "Perfect Fit" a/c system after LOTS of modifications to make things fit, e.g.:
- replaced water pump with cast iron unit with passenger side outlet
- installed a/c condensor
- replaced radiator with original radiator (had it cleaned and tested)
- installed original 2-piece metal fan shroud
- installed 7 blade fan with thermal fan clutch
- replaced water pump pulley
- installed Sanden compressor with custom brackets
- replaced crank pulley
- replaced alternator and alternator bracket
- lots of tweaking to get all the pulleys to line up
- modified under-dash a/c unit ducts to work under my dash
- installed a/c under-dash unit
- cleaned up under-dash wiring
- installed a/c vents and hoses
- installed compressor hoses and wiring in engine compartment
Installed replacement tachometer circuit board and wiring
Cleaned contacts on gauge cluster and installed working oem temp gauge
Installed Jeep stereo head unit
Cleaned floorpan and painted floors and trunk with POR-15
Lots of tracking down of leaks under dash and in doors
Silicone sealed windshield gasket (for now)
Replaced most weatherstripping on doors/windows
Replaced wiper pivot seals and gaskets
Adjusted side windows
Replaced missing rain shields inside doors
Added FatMat sound insulation to floors and inside door panels
Detailed engine compartment
Replaced aftermarket valve covers with original style valve covers
Installed oem battery tray
Replaced door locks and trunk lock
Replaced steering shaft coupler with u-joint style coupler
(I'll post some pics of this pretty soon)
July - October 2004
Installed Keisler Hydraulic clutch kit (still tweaking)
Installed new clutch
Repaired bellhousing bolt holes with helicoils
Installed new motor mount brackets from Schumacher
Installed clutch-type engine fan
Installed 195 degree thermostat (might go back to 180)
Installed new temp gauge
Installed Edelbrock IAS shocks on all 4 corners
Jun 20-28 2004
Uninstalled 2nd trans
Installed new trans from Passon
Partway through hyd clutch install
Apr 9,10,11 2004
Adjusted ride height (torsion bar adjustment)
drooping passenger door - removed shims - better but now too close in front
tranny swap
- pulled transmission
- opened up old and replacement trannies (pics of both transmissions)
- replaced gaskets on replacement trans
- changed front driveshaft yoke on driveshaft back to the longer one (trashed my new u-joint, re-used an old one with the new caps)
Mar 13, 14 2004
carb tuning
choke tuning
Mar 6, 7 2004
installed electric choke kit on Speed Demon carb
lots of carb tweaking (in progress)
changed plugs and wires
Mar 3 2004
replaced u-joints
replaced driveshaft yoke with shorter one
Feb 28-29 2004
pulled steering column
replaced inner steering shaft with (longer) manual steering type shaft
added insulation inside steering column
did some serious grinding on the steering coupler
quick spray-paint on steering column shell
re-installed steering column
adjusted tie rods to straighten steering wheel
removed shims from engine mounts and re-installed mounts
shimmed left z-bar mount to better align clutch linkage
The Logos (Tao) of Art, Mopar, and Software Maintenance
Good info about a 1966 Barracuda Formula S that's being souped up for Autocross
Specs for a 66 Barracuda Formula S
The Early Valiant and Barracuda Club good pages with good info
www.moparts.com Where I got started learning about this stuff. Very active forum and swap area.
www.bigblockdart.com I didn't used to go here much because I thought they were mostly focused on big blocks, but lately I've been hanging around because they added an Early A-Body section where small block projects are discussed. Now of course I've started having daydreams 'bout putting a Hemi in my car...
The 1962-1965 Mopar Site ... not sure why they left out '66 but it's a cool site nonetheless.
The Art of Carburetor Maintenance
Crank Up Your Carb
Properly tuning a carburetor can be one of the most cost effective things a racer can do to his engine
Carb Parts 101
Great carb tuning page, specifically for 4-corner Demon circuit: http://www.4secondsflat.com/demon101.html
Plus, they have great customer service! see: http://www.4secondsflat.com/fuelsystems.html (scroll to bottom to see their customer service blurb)
I am probably going to buy a re-curved distributor from them
Intakes and cfm: http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/intake-tech-c.htm
DIY EFI!: http://www.customefis.com/links.html
426 Hemi into a Dart - good pics
Cool page on reading spark plugs
Rebuilding
Performance Upgrades for Mopar 318, 273, and 360 engines
http://www.allpar.com/mopar/4bbl.html
Starting (1st Fire-up) of New Motor
Head Swaps
Swapping 360 or 340 Heads Onto A 318
Valves
http://www.4secondsflat.com/valvegeometry.html
Engine Size and Compression Calculator
http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/motor.html
Here's the spec on my engine
Cylinder Diameter (inches) = 4.080 (standard 4.040 plus the .040 overbore)
Stroke Length (inches) = 3.310
Number of cylinders = 8
Chamber in cc's = 70 (burette measurement)
Piston dome in cc's = 0
Gasket Thickness in inches = .039
So, my 340 displaces 346 cubic inches or 5.67 liters and I have a Compression ratio of 10.06:1. This means I usually run 93 octane gas (though I have gotten away with lower octane in a pinch).
FelPro gasket thicknesses: http://www.wisespeedshop.com/Fel-Pro.htm
Chrysler piston/bore info: http://www.beckracing.com/page39.htm
Chassis Dyno Locator
http://www.smokemup.com/utils/dynosearch.php
Reading spark plugs
Electric Superchargers - Build your own electric supercharger.
Narrow rear drums
My car has the 10" X 1.75" (narrow) rear drum brakes, which use some hard-to-find parts:
Raybestos drum = P/N 2932
Raybestos shoes = P/N 332PG
Front disc brake kits & info
http://www.ssbrakes.com/products/detail/143/?make=Plymouth&model=Barracuda&year=1966
Inexpensive front disc kit: http://www.scarebird.com/6928.html
Info on A-Body brakes
http://www.autohobbydigest.com/a-brake.html
Driveline Q&A: http://www.4secondsflat.com/drivelinetech.html
custom rears: http://members.aol.com/doctordiff/ "Doctor Diff"
Drawn by Rob McCall for the 1999 book "Chrysler Performance Upgrades", by Frank Adkins
Other good information about Mopar suspension:http://www.bigblockdart.com
Pinion Angle Setup articles
http://www.iedls.com/ptsetup.html
http://www.moparts.com/Tech/Archive/axle/8.html
http://www.carcraft.com/howto/91758/
http://www.drivetrain.com/driveline_angle_problem.html
http://www.baselinesuspensions.com/info/pinionangle.htm
Good parts site: http://www.nationaldrivetrain.com/
Fitment
Tire fitment with 15" rims on 65 Barracuda
More good stuff from this guy here
Wheel Selection
Measuring Wheel Backspacing and bolt circle
This page helps you calculate tire diameter based on various size specs
Here's another very nice tire size calculator
How To Measure For Wheels
This page has inflated/mounted dimensions of various bf goodrich tire sizes
Here's another couple of size charts for the BFG Radial T/A and Drag Radial
I eventually plan to get a set of 15x7 torq thrust type wheels w/ 225/50/15's.
HotRodder's Knowledgebase calculators and tech notes
How to Blow Up a Junkyard 350 Chevy
Great tech pages at www.4secondsflat.com
They also have a cool Q&A board: http://cuda66273.proboards23.com/index.cgi
1962 - 1965 Mopar Technical Tips and Links
Common Plymouth Duster, Valiant, Dart, Demon (etc.) Repairs
Great site on a Barracuda resto and tech info. What my site should look like, or would, if I had more time on my hands...
Steve Knickerbocker's tips
Cool site I just found with lots o' Mopar tech data: http://www.mymopar.com/tools.htm
Nice A-Body page
67 Barracuda raced in Historic Monte Carlo in Europe
1966 BARRACUDA RESTORATION
1964 Dodge Concept Charger
The D/Dart
Touching up car paint
http://www.allpar.com/eek/paint.html
Mopar Paint Codes 1960-1971: http://www.geocities.com/musclemopars/moparpaintcodes.htm
VIN Decoder: http://www.mopars.org/vin.shtml
Fender Tag Decoder: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=mopar+fender+tag+decoder
Paint codes: http://www.turbinecar.com/misc/paint_codes.htm
More paint codes: http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/paint65p2.html
Engine Colors
Mopar Engine Colors
Paint-ucation Forum: http://pub26.ezboard.com/fpaintucationfrm1
Floor pans: http://www.autobodyspecialt.com/
How To Photograph Your Car Like The Pros
Mopar sticker art
This is way cool - paint your car with rustoleum and a foam roller!!!
Stories about Mopar Squad cars from a mechanic who worked on them.
1964-66 "Gen 1" Barracuda History
the Chrysler 340 engine
Mopar logos
http://www.moparts.com/Tech/tech/wallpaper.html
Where did the word "Mopar" originate?
History of the Heim joint
Check out these 66 Barracudas in the 1966 Trans AM Series!
Side by side comparison of my 2 different 833 OD transmissions
(I am replacing A with B)
To Clutch or Not to Clucth?
How Does Synchromesh work?
Diagrams of clutch pedal adsembly, transmission installation, etc
833 parts
Passon Performance tranny rebuild kit
Speedo Pinion selection
Mopar Speedometer Pinion Numbers
833 Trans and clutch tips
Moparts Tech Archive 833 articles from moparts.com
More Moparts tips
Rebuild 833 / Overdrive
Great information about the Chrysler 833 4-speed transmission. Includes details on rebuilding an OverDrive 833 (bottom of page)
This guy rebuilt his 833: http://www.jefframin.org/restoJournalAug.shtml
Hurst Shifter setup & Rebuild information (from Hurst/Mr. Gasket)
.pdf of shifter alignment procedure
Passon Performance - where I bought my rebuilt 833 4-speed
Brewers Performance - knowledgeable on tranny parts, and they stock clutch pedal overcenter springs - no website, good paper catalog
BREWER’S PERFORMANCE, INC.
2560 S. State Route 48
Ludlow Falls, Ohio 45339
Phone:937-698-4259 10am-6pm Monday-Friday
Fax:937-698-7109
Thorough article on Mopar 833 transmissions
A-833 Front Bearing Retainer
Mopar Part Number Outside Dia. Bolt Circle Shaft Dia. Input Splines
3410395 4.354" 3.70" 1.248" 23
2892256 4.807" 4.16" 1.248" 23
2960122 5.125" 4.16" 1.248" 23
3878596 5.125" 4.16" 1.248" 23
2801892 4.807" 4.16" 1.417" 18
Retainer info from: http://texas-jacksons.com/garage/info_fourspeed.html
Basic A/C component breakdown
Automotive A/C Information Forum
Vintage Air in a '64 Valiant
Automotive Air Conditioning Conversion: Freon to R134a
Classic Air A/C install articles from Mopar Muscle
Bouchillon Performance - brackets for sanden compressors, etc.
Articles from Mopar Muscle on A/C resto:
Restore Your Mopar A/C System, Part I
Restore Your Mopar’s A/C System, Part II
Restore Your Mopar’s A/C System, Part III
R12 vs R134a
R-12 and R-134a vs. The Rest
A/C components
Misc Tips
http://members.aol.com/pwall5/cars/tips.html
How a torsion bar works:
http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/ml-mopar-torsion-aire-suspension
Front End Rebuild
http://warped.org/mopar/frontend.html
Vibration
The Shakedown on Vibration Issues
Suspension Parts Interchange
A-Body Suspension parts interchange
Torsion Bar Tango
http://www.arengineering.com/articles/tbartango.html
Tips and Tricks for Rebuilding Lower Control Arms
http://moparmusclemagazine.com/tipstricks/155_0306_control_arms/
Replace your entire front-end with a bolt-in rack and pinion setup with tons of clearance!
Bill Reilly's Alter-K-tion
...currently only available for 67-76 A-Bodies, but I just read in the forum on www.bigblockdart.com that Bill's just finished putting one in a 66 A-Body!
These headers might fit an early A-body: HOK-5208-1 and HOK-5208 (Summit stock #s), Hedman: HED-75110, and Doug's: D450
Also, I have heard that Spitfire Headers (Harold) early A-body design is being made by Layson's.
A tri-y design is probably the best use of the limited space, but I don't think anyone makes them to fit Early A's.
Early Dart exhaust
Tom at Accurate LTD is easy to talk to and very knowledgeable about Mopar exhaust.
HP 340 Manifolds
I see this question a lot: "Will the 340 HP manifolds fit into my early (64-66) A-Body?" The answer is "Yes, but..."
I have the 340 "HP" manifolds on the 340 in my 66 Barracuda. I have about 1/2"-3/4" clearance from each fender. I'm using the Schumacher conversion motor mounts, now, but originally had 318 mounts and they worked, too. I had to switch to manual steering - no way these manifolds will work with a power steering box. I still have clearance issues with the steering coupler but I'm switching to a Flaming River u-joint (smaller) which I hope will solve the problem.
(Note that I originally hadthe shorter p/s steering shaft with the "genie bottle" adaptor to extend to the manual box, and this actually provided MORE clearance than the longer manual shaft I have in there now. This is because the adaptor is smaller than the square coupler at the critical point where the manifold loops around the shaft.)
Oh, and you don't just want "A-Body 340 manifolds" - those will be basically the same as 318 manifolds in terms of flow. You want the bigger "HP" manifolds. You can tell by the last 3 casting #'s: Right ...549 and Left ...623. The beginning #'s can be different based on original application. There may also be some other casting #'s that apply - please drop me a line if you know.
Mainly, you can tell just by looking at them:
Non-HP:
HP:
Here is a chart of Mopar exhaust manifold casting #'s:
http://www.mymopar.com/extcastnumb.htm
Mopar distributor tech
Points Regulators to Electronic
Electronic Ignition Conversion info
http://www.moparts.com/Tech/Archive/elec/3.html
Instrument cluster
Early A-body Instrument Regulators Details how to use a '67+ type instrument voltage regulator to replace the one that is built into the gas gauge and always fails.
Factory Tach
I want to install a factory style tachometer in my 66 Barracuda, so I found one on eBay. it came with a separate sender that looks like this:
I looked in my Factory Service Manual for a similar car and I think this is how I will need to wire it:
- the D terminal on the sender goes to the negative post on the coil
- the + terminal on the sender goes to 12V switched
- the M terminal on the sender goes to the + side of the tach
- the remaining terminals on the sender and tach go to ground
I believe some tachometers have a third lead for a lamp. Also, I'm not sure
if this is applicable to vehicles that have been converted from points to
electronic ignition.
I haven't yet wired this in my own car, so if you try this let me know how it goes.
MORE:
This guy: http://www.rt-eng.com/mopar/TachBoardManual.pdf makes a board that replaces the electronics in a stock sender if it goes bad. The link describes the installation of the board. The board is $75 plus $10 shipping.
I saved a copy of this moparts.com thread which discusses testing and other good info re: factory tach sender: http://www.ultrajosh.com/images/barracuda/miscprojects/tachinfo.htm
AMP gauge trick
Here's a link to rewiring the problematic AMP gauge circuit: http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml
Battery
trunk mount battery
kill switch
One wire vs 3-wire alternators
Fixing A-body Electrical Problems
3-point seatbelts?
Adding Three Point Shoulder/Lap Belts to a 1964 Falcon Sprint Convertible
To a Porsche 912 (for some reason the text is black on a black background. Highlight the text to read it...
A 67 Mustang: http://www.indemandautoparts.com/mustang.htm
Integrated seat/seatbelts?
http://www.corvairkid.com/sebring.htm
Here's an on-going list of cars that have seats with integrated seatbelts...
04 Saab 9-3 convertible 03?
99-03 GM Chevy Truck Silverado etc
Chrysler Sebring convertible '95+
04 BMW M# (and some other years)
2000 BMW 323Ci
2001 Chevy Silverado
98 Dodge Ram Quadcab
2000 Pontiac Bonneville
2000 Buick LeSabre
2004 Ford F-150
Audi A6 Avant
2001 Cadillac Deville DTS
98 Dodge Ram (uuuugly)
(more to come)
Great book that I used to rebuild my 340: How to Rebuild Small-Block Mopar Engines: 273, 1967 & Later 318, 340, 360 V8
Good book on performance upgrades: How to Hot Rod Small Block Mopar Engines
Power Secrets: Smokey Yunicks Power Secrets
Misc Mopar books from Amazon.com: Search for Mopar @ Amazon
The Best Book Ever
Great private-press book with detailed instructions on upgrading suspension components and brakes using junkyard parts:
Available for $30 from the author, Tom Condran:
ACME MAIL ORDER
PO BOX 282612
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
94128-2612
This is a list of currently available (e.g. walk into a Chrysler Dealer Parts dept) part #'s for service parts that are still made and work on our older cars. These are typically identical to the original parts:
NOS MOpar Parts.doc
These are the same parts that sell on eBay for a ton of money. Thanks to Tom Quadrini from moparts.com for the hard work putting this together!
Other stuff I've found:
Windshield locking strip for $35: http://www.geocities.com/rickmazanec/accessories
Steering coupler clamp: http://www.mopar4sale.com/
Rebuilt, Curved and Phased Distributors
http://www.mrracingequipment.com/ good prices on used racing parts
Fiberglass hood and bumpers for 66 Barracuda
These guys have the best prices I have found so far for carpet sets: Auto Interior and Upholstry Lohrville, IA - their customer service is outstanding, and they sell the Auto Custom Carpet sets for a significant discount. For example, a complete 9-piece carpet set for my car, including the cargo area, costs $288 and I can get it in any color I like for no extra charge. ACC sells the same set for well over $500 and charges more for non-stock colors.
Engine - BEFORE: 318 2bbl - AFTER: 340 4bbl w/Hughes 3038 cam, 10.5:1 pistons, steel crank, RPM AirGap intake, Speed Demon 650 cfm carb 
Engine Bay 
Automatic -> 4-speed manual
(I haven't found a before pic, yet) 
rear suspension, 2.5" exhaust, 8.75 Suregrip differential w/ 3.91 gear ratio, Moser axles, new rear brakes, adjustable front spring hangars 
First Start-up: 
For tons of details on my engine swap project and some pics of other projects go here: http://www.ultrajosh.com/myshop.htm. Note that this hasn't been updated since 2002 and lots of other cool stuff has been done to the car since then.
Tweak Log
Here are some shops I've worked with or plan to work with. Just an ongoing list of #'s mostly for my own use...
Ideal Engine Rebuilders Inc
(617) 623-7740
49 Day St
Somerville, MA 02144
Skip knows Mopars
Accurate Automotive Inc
(617) 364-7430
1502 River St
Hyde Park, MA 02136
These guys put in my 2.5" exhaust w/ x-pipe (Mike has a pro-street 66 Valiant)
Arcand Spring / Suspension Specialists Co., Inc.
229 Brighton Ave.
Allston, Ma. 02134
617-782-1075
http://www.suspensionspecialists.com/
Here's Car Talk's Find a Mechanic page, very useful:
http://www.cartalk.com/ct/mechx/find.jsp
