Rymanrph Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 I've been working on the rear spring relocation to fit the fat rear tires from the red car. Everything is mocked up. I'm just waiting on a helping hand to measure everything so that its all square before I weld it up. In the mean time, I started cleaning up the 360. I still need to strip and repaint the oil pan, the pulleys and several brackets. I'm also going to repaint the valve covers. Here is the before: And here's the halfway done: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 What made you choose the blue over the red? My opinion The red looks great and aggressive.... Sorry, I didn't see this before. The blue one is in MUCH better shape than the red one. The only rust on the blue car is the floor patch I showed and a softball sized hole on the rear quarter that can be patched pretty easily. The red had been hit on the driver rear which would have been a lot of work. The floors on both side needed to be replaced. There was rot in both rockers, the truck, pan extensions and there was some damage to the rear valence. The front fiberglass fenders were cracked. It was so un-original that working on it was sometimes a lot of guess work since parts changed every year. The blue car still needs work, but it will save me a lot of money in the long run. Its a lot less molested too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 I got ready to send the blue car to the paint shop to have the engine bay painted and some rust repaired and then I discovered a major problem. I found out that the VIN tag on the dash does not match the fender tag or the serial numbers on the rest of the body (radiator support and under the trunk weather seal). The reason this is a problem is because I have already applied for a title, but I have not received it yet. Since the car was purchased from out of state, the North Carolina DMV License and Theft Bureau has to complete an inspection of the vehicle. You have a year to complete this and they won't issue the title until that happens. The title that I turned in matches the dash and not the rest of the car, so I foresee some major headaches in the near future.Needless to say, the car did not go to the paint shop today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpnjim Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I got ready to send the blue car to the paint shop to have the engine bay painted and some rust repaired and then I discovered a major problem. I found out that the VIN tag on the dash does not match the fender tag or the serial numbers on the rest of the body (radiator support and under the trunk weather seal). The reason this is a problem is because I have already applied for a title, but I have not received it yet. Since the car was purchased from out of state, the North Carolina DMV License and Theft Bureau has to complete an inspection of the vehicle. You have a year to complete this and they won't issue the title until that happens. The title that I turned in matches the dash and not the rest of the car, so I foresee some major headaches in the near future. Needless to say, the car did not go to the paint shop today. Sh*t!!! Don't panic, do all the body numbers match each other? First thing I'd want to do is run the body numbers & make sure the car is legit/legal/etc. Any chance you can contact the seller? It 'could' be an honest mistake, maybe a previous owner changed the dash to swap interior colors & never gave a thought to the VIN (it's possible). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 After some more research, those numbers aren't supposed to match until 1969 and mine is a '68, so all is well. Whew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirborneDeth Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 After following your MJ build, i will be anticipating updates on the Cuda. I love old Mopar muscle. I can also lend a hand from time to time if you need it (actually what I am saying is I will need wrenching help LOL). I am not that far from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 The engine bay was painted and I got the engine installed this weekend. The headers can't be connected to the motor when its lowered in. They have to already be in the engine bay and the motor has to be lowered 3/4 of the way. Then you can bolt up the headers and drop it down. A buddy of mine came over and it took us several hours. After following your MJ build, i will be anticipating updates on the Cuda. I love old Mopar muscle. I can also lend a hand from time to time if you need it (actually what I am saying is I will need wrenching help LOL). I am not that far from you. Thank for the help offer. If you need any, just let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Looks great Ryan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Sure does. She's gorgeous. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Its running now and will soon be driving. I need to bleed the brakes and modify the exhaust to fit the new headers. Seat belts are on the way. I have some electrical gremlins to chase down too. The rear lights an brake lights work, but no reverse lights, only one parking light, one of four marker lights and no headlights. I'm not sure if any of the gauges work either. This shot is from back before Christmas, but should give you an idea of how its going to look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnuck Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Nice! I just sold my last Mopar big block I'll probably ever have (440/727 Loadflite from a motorhome) I sold my '68 Sport Fury that I had since high school ('76) in '98 and my uncle had since new. Sure don't miss the "economy" of the dual 4 bbls though! (same setup, but some one else's pic. Mine was a 383 Golden Comamander) The sport models came with a flat black hood for racing so the sun reflection didn't blind you when you lifted the front wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 I've been making some steady progress on the car. In fact, my Jeep habit paid for some new wheels and tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 :agree: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Pghcomanche Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Based on the engine bay picture are you going with Blue Topaz Metallic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Based on the engine bay picture are you going with Blue Topaz Metallic? Its actually a Cadillac color called Opulent Blue. Unfortunately, its going to be a while before the rest of the car is that color. Paint jobs are expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Pghcomanche Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I've been making some steady progress on the car. In fact, my Jeep habit paid for some new wheels and tires. AR Torq Thrusts?..... Great choice. Based on the engine bay picture are you going with Blue Topaz Metallic? Paint jobs are expensive. Definitely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted May 22, 2014 Author Share Posted May 22, 2014 Yep AR TT2s. 17x8 up front and 18x9.5 in the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 The car has been in the shop getting an alignment and brakes. I got the call you never want to get when your car is in someone else's hands. While out testing the car, the rear wheel came off. He thinks the tech just didn't seat the wheel properly. Here you can see some of the damage to my brand new wheel: The shop was really cool about everything, so its all going to get fixed on their insurance. The wheel hit another car, but nobody was hurt. It could have been a lot worse. I'm a little bummed because I'm so close to getting it driving (reliably) and this is just another set back, but oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 What a shame. You have a lot more tolerance than I think I would have had. Who was out test driving it? The same fool who screwed up the wheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 What a shame. You have a lot more tolerance than I think I would have had. Who was out test driving it? The same fool who screwed up the wheel? No, I don't believe so. I hate that it happened, but its all going to be fixed and it will probably be better than it was before. The paint was already bubbling slightly on that lower quarter, so I'll get some free body work. The wheel lip molding might be hard to find though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hope all comes out better than before. That's a great looking 'Cuda you have. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 I still don't have my car back. The shop owner couldn't find a brake drum locally and asked me to order it (3 business days after the accident). I told him that he should take care of that. Apparently it has been ordered, but its still not here. I stopped by the shop yesterday on the way home because I hadn't heard the first thing from the insurance company and nothing from the shop owner in a week. Turns out, he's on vacation this week and the insurance company can't do anything until they settle with him. Tomorrow will be two weeks since they damaged my car and Friday will be three weeks since I took it to them. I've grown impatient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertmike Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Don't want to put a damper on this but I don't think the 68 came with a 360 which was a less smog producing motor. Those cars came with a 6 cylinder or a 273 v8. Somewhere in the late 60's(about 68?) they came with the 340 which started out as 275HP then NHRA upgraded them to 315HP and a year or 2 later up to 325HP stock because they were winning to much. Also the 727 torkflite is a big block trans. The small blocks were 904. Also if you got the 4 speed you got the A833 trans which was a cast iron case and heavy as hell. I bought a new 65 Dodge Dart Charger that came with the 273 4bbl and 904 auto trans. I also had a 71 Duster with the 340 and 4 spd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 The 360 came out of a 73 something and the trans came from a 75 Dodge truck. I got that info from the serial numbers. It's far from original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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