1970 Barracuda Reanimated.

[Marty]

I pulled the cover off the Dana and I see someone left me a note. The oil was clean with no evidence of use. So, I feel confident the rear is in good shape if not rebuilt when it was narrowed.

The casing was cleaned and prepped once again and sprayed with two coats of epoxy and two coats of activated single-stage semi-gloss black.

[Marty]

I was told that this was a 3.54 rear. Wrong! After actually checking the ring gear, it's 4.10. Fortunately, I have a 3.54 gear set so I'll go through the rear and swap them out. No big deal.

I temporarily installed the rear end cover so I could get the brake lines sorted out. Modified an Adel clamp to hold the brake line in place at the top of the cover. Once in place, the brake lines did not fall in line with the hold-down tabs. Since my welds were crap anyway, the hose brackets broke off easily and I relocated them to line up with the tabs. This led me to have to re-bend a new left-hand brake line as it came up short.

Finally, after everything was lined up ... again, I used structural adhesive to bond the hose brackets onto the housing. Zip ties were used to keep the brackets in place until curing.

[dodj]

You don't want to 'rip up' the streets with the 410 before you put in the 355's?

[Marty]

Believe me, our streets are ripped up enough without my help.

[Marty]

The dash frame was media blasted and attached to a stand to prepare for painting and assembly. I went over the metal with some 320 sandpaper to clean up the surface a bit then prepped for painting.

Using epoxy sealer, I applied two coats front and back. I let the epoxy flash for about an hour then applied two coats of semi-gloss black single stage. Set aside to cure.

[Marty]

It is time to deal with the headliner issue. The rear headliner bow. The reproduction bow #5 wasn't even close to fitting. As usual with these things you have to deal with it somehow. Nothing new in the Repro world.

There was a 1965 Coronet at my friend's shop. When they got into the trunk there were some stock headliner bows. I was welcomed to them, so I took the rear bow. After some thought, I decided to see if I could make it work. Since it was much longer, I cut it in half and then placed it in the bow pockets. I used magnets to hold the two parts in place on the inner roof. (I used the magnets that have a dial on them to turn them on and off. Much better control.) I marked the center, then removed the bow.

The bow was placed on the bench using clamps to hold it in place then I cut at the mark. I removed the clamps and prepped the bow for welding. The bow was clamped back on the bench. The nice thing about the OEM bows is they aren't made round, they have flat sides so it was easy to clamp it on the bench and easier to line up the bow to make sure it was straight. The two parts were welded together and dressed. I reinstalled the bow to check the fit and it fit just fine.

I rolled out the headliner and marked the center. Made measurements so the bows were centered then made the cut in the bow sleeves Slid the bows in place.

Glued headliner insulation (Jute.) to the inner roof. Installed selected screws and harness bolts to make them easy to find once the headliner is in place. The headliner was hung in place. I used cut pieces of Windlace to hold the sides of the headliner to make sure everything was good to go before it was glued and engaged at the front and rear.

It appears the rear bow will work just fine too.

[Marty]

Headliner continued...

I gathered up some supplies to start the installation.

1) Wind Lace. Which hold better than clamps, paper clips, etc. They cover more area, don't pop off when pulling the material, and don't get in the way. Can be bought from a Mustang parts store. Early model years.
2) 3M weatherstripping glue.
3) 2-inch chip brush.
4) Lacquer thinner in a cup. This will keep the glue from drying on the brush. I use a paper towel to wipe off the glue when it builds up.
5) Mallet. To assist in installing Wind lace as required.
6) Heat gun.
7) Box cutter.


I started by removing all the wind lace and letting the material hang. Starting at the front with glue on the brush, I applied the glue to the back of the windshield pinch weld. Then jumped up on the dash frame and applied glue to the back of the material along the crease that was made when I had the headliner in place. I lined the centering chalk mark up with the cut out on the pinch weld and pulled (((FIRMLY))) back and wrapped it over the pinch weld and slid on a piece of wind lace. Then I worked my way down the right side pulling back and towards the right, a few inches at a time till the material would stop me at the A-pillar. Then did the same on the left side.

I jumped to the back and did the same thing. Pulling firmly back and to the side and popping on pieces of wind lace as I went.

With that done. I looked over the surface and if I saw the material bunching up on the bottom of the bows, it meant the sleeve material was jammed up against the bow retainers. I reached up behind the material with a box knife and trimmed back the sleeve.1/4' above the retainer is a good measurement. Pull and smooth the headliner after a cut.

Approaching the sides. I applied glue to the back side of the pinch weld and material. Started at the center and pulled back hard, installed a wind lace as I moved to the front till the material bound against the A-pillar. Then center to the back. I checked again to make sure the material was smooth and not bunched up at the pinch weld. Adjusted as required. Moved to the opposite side and repeat. At this point, the headliner should look fairly smooth and tight for the most part. Mild wrinkles and wrinkles from packaging are no issue.

I cut reliefs into the material at the A-pillars That was a judgment call. Glued the material in place keeping wrinkles down the best I could. I used the A-pillar trim to make sure the wrinkles were hidden. I used Duct tape to hold the material tight at the bottom of the glued material till curing.

Now the back. Tough area. I applied glue at the retainers, pinch weld at the back window, and the down-turned pinch weld at the front of the C pillar and material. Cut reliefs as needed. Attached the material and worked the wrinkles out the best I could. This took a lot of patients. Pulling, releasing pressure, adding glue, re-adjusted, and so on. I used the Sail Panel as a guide to making sure all the major wrinkles that couldn't be worked out might be covered. The left side gave me the biggest headache. The right side went very well. Trimmed off excess material but left a couple of inches. By now the headliner was tight and was left for the glue to dry.

Next day. Using a heat gun on high I removed all the wrinkles. I kept the gun moving at all times and didn't get too close. I just watched the material as the wrinkles disappeared then moved on. Note* Large wrinkles will not shrink. The material will only shrink so much.

Headliner completed. One less major job out of the way. 

Glad that's over. 

[Marty]

Headliner con't.

[anlauto]

Looks AWESOME

[usraptor]

Great job!     Having done the headliner on my '70 'Cuda I know firsthand what a job that is.  However, I had all the original bows to the car so I thankfully didn't have to go through what you did.   

[Marty]

 As they say...It's simple but not easy.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

[Marty]

Pulled the back glass out of storage and did a deep cleaning of it. There were lots of embedded crud on it and someone had used a urethane adhesive the last time it was in the Barracuda. I used fresh razor blades, 0000 steel wool, Clay bar, and Quick Detailer on all as a lubricant to clean the glass.

I installed the new clips for the stainless. Two locations were not drilled for the screws.

I measured out and marked the point where the holes would be located. Using a guide that I made out of metal stock just for jobs like this, I drilled the two screw holes and installed the clips.

[Marty]

I had thought I had the complete set of the back glass trim, but apparently, I don't. I am missing the left and right top-corner trim pieces. If anyone has the pair, that they would like to sell me, drop me a PM.

Thanks.

[dodj]

I had thought I had the complete set of the back glass trim, but apparently, I don't. I am missing the left and right top-corner trim pieces. If anyone has the pair, that they would like to sell me, drop me a PM.

Thanks.

Well that sux. Hope they aren't tough pieces to get.

[MoparCarGuy]

Call AMD and see if they will sell you the two corner pieces.