4 Door Barracuda - Complete

[moparnation74]

It looks like what a "functional" four door cuda would have looked like.......You either like it or you don't but hey every year a new car comes out from a manufacturer that we either like or dislike....Really, enough with the crappy comparisons with models not even close.....

Fantastic build and great craftsmanship to build a "one of none" exactly like the factory would have rolled one out!

[ECS]

Fantastic build and great craftsmanship to build a "one of none" exactly like the factory would have rolled one out!

Thanks for chiming in Justin.  I don't know if what we did turned out exactly like the Factory would have done it but we certainly tried.  After this last Show, we saw some minor things that we're currently re-working.  Nothing serious but the Car has to be as "perfect" as we can get it for the SEMA Battle of the Builders Competition.  It will be an uphill struggle to do well at that type of event but I'm hoping we will make a good showing.

[DAY CLONA]

It looks like what a "functional" four door cuda would have looked like.....

Fantastic build and great craftsmanship to build a "one of none" exactly like the factory would have rolled one out!

Personally I hate and have hated anything 4 door old school or new, but on a serious note, Dave has once again performed an excellent build in both execution and attention to detail, but then again I wouldn't have expected anything less, and it's quite possibly the "coolest" 4 dr that I could admit to liking (then again I am biased to liking E bodies)

It's a tough sell for the Mopar Crowd" to accept anything "outside of the box" regardless of how well a vehicle presents itself DAMHIK,   ...myself I enjoy seeing projects like this rather than the cookie cutter OEM restorations that are basically dime a dozen, it's nice to see something that refreshes the hobby every now and then...job well done Dave and Steve B.

Mike

[moparnation74]

It looks like what a "functional" four door cuda would have looked like.....

Fantastic build and great craftsmanship to build a "one of none" exactly like the factory would have rolled one out!

Personally I hate and have hated anything 4 door old school or new, but on a serious note, Dave has once again performed an excellent build in both execution and attention to detail, but then again I wouldn't have expected anything less, and it's quite possibly the "coolest" 4 dr that I could admit to liking (then again I am biased to liking E bodies)

It's a tough sell for the Mopar Crowd" to accept anything "outside of the box" regardless of how well a vehicle presents itself DAMHIK,   ...myself I enjoy seeing projects like this rather than the cookie cutter OEM restorations that are basically dime a dozen, it's nice to see something that refreshes the hobby every now and then...job well done Dave and Steve B.

Mike

Personally, I enjoy all types of restorations.....It is nice to see something done way out of the norm. 

Not everyone has the capabilities to just do a restoration and some it is a mere dream but knocking a restoration of any form or category brings one to a lesser standard in my books!

Those people, I have yet to be impressed......

[bristol]

It looks like what a "functional" four door cuda would have looked like.....

Fantastic build and great craftsmanship to build a "one of none" exactly like the factory would have rolled one out!

Personally I hate and have hated anything 4 door old school or new, but on a serious note, Dave has once again performed an excellent build in both execution and attention to detail, but then again I wouldn't have expected anything less, and it's quite possibly the "coolest" 4 dr that I could admit to liking (then again I am biased to liking E bodies)

It's a tough sell for the Mopar Crowd" to accept anything "outside of the box" regardless of how well a vehicle presents itself DAMHIK,   ...myself I enjoy seeing projects like this rather than the cookie cutter OEM restorations that are basically dime a dozen, it's nice to see something that refreshes the hobby every now and then...job well done Dave and Steve B.

Mike

Personally, I enjoy all types of restorations.....It is nice to see something done way out of the norm. 

Not everyone has the capabilities to just do a restoration and some it is a mere dream but knocking a restoration of any form or category brings one to a lesser standard in my books!

Those people, I have yet to be impressed......

Just to be clear I wasn't trying to be negative sometimes things just come across different one you type them.

I pointed out my favorite part of the car and what it reminded me of. That's why I asked if you would make factory style posters. I'd love the have a large print of the side profile. 

[Ryan.C]

It looks like what a "functional" four door cuda would have looked like.......You either like it or you don't but hey every year a new car comes out from a manufacturer that we either like or dislike....Really, enough with the crappy comparisons with models not even close.....

Fantastic build and great craftsmanship to build a "one of none" exactly like the factory would have rolled one out!

X2      

[elks]

Not my cup of tea but he did do it justice.

[Homerr]

I was thinking Hornet when I originally mentioned AMC.

Besides, the front passenger door would have to be 4" longer if the Pacer was an influence.

[ECS]

Besides, the front passenger door would have to be 4" longer if the Pacer was an influence.

The Car is 10 inches longer than a 2 Door Barracuda, with a Wheel Base of 118 inches.

[resq302]

Amazing work as always Dave and Steve !  I can't wait to check that thing out up close. 

As I've said from the beginning, I love the things that are different.  How many pristine, OE finish cars can one look at.  I typically stop and admire the different things at shows that catch my eye and this would be one of those stops.  Great job !

[Homerr]

Dave, I was joking about how the passenger side Pacer door was 4" longer for better back seat access.   

[Charger_Fan]

I don't know how the hell a Pacer even got brought up as a comparison. Other than the color being similar on the example posted, and the fact that both cars have round tires, there isn't a single thing that's even remotely close between this car and a Pacer. That brick of a Hornet would be closer I guess, if you were on a good crack high.

Good luck at the Battle of the Builders, I hope you win!

[Kern Dog]

The car has a sort of "Bubble" top to it. Yes, I am aware that it is part of the changes required to make it a 4 door. The enlarged roof does share some similarity with other cars that have a higher roof line.

[A12 Superbee]

Roofline at the C pillar looks wierd and not overly attractive. Not a fan of it but appreciate the work that's gone into it.

[Bronzedodge]

Dave, I was joking about how the passenger side Pacer door was 4" longer for better back seat access.   

Was the Gremlin the same way or was that just the Pacer?

Love the 4 door build.  Good luck in competition!

[CRW-FK5]

I'm still struggling with the notion that the top has to be "bubbled" up because it's a 4-door.  I'm not following the logic behind that.  If there was enough head room in a 2-door why is there all of a sudden not enough head room in a 4-door version?  I realize there has to be enough head room in the rear door area for occupants to get in and out without hitting their head every time but that would appear to be achievable just by extending the rear door frame back, at the top (like was also done), not up as well.  It almost seems like the upward extension may have been the result of trying to accommodate an existing door glass rather than having custom glass created (or somehow cutting down existing door glass) in order to maintain the current roof height.  It may be that customizing door glass is extremely difficult, leaving no real good options.  I do agree that the build appears to have been done very professionally, however.

[ECS]

The enlarged roof does share some similarity with other cars that have a higher roof line.

The Car doesn't have an "enlarged roof".  We LOWERED the flat part of the roof about an inch & a half to compensate for also lowering the Belt Line at the base of the Windows.  Nothing was "enlarged" on the Roof.  We used the same configuration that Chrysler used on their 4 Door Cars.

[ECS]

I'm not following the logic behind that.  If there was enough head room in a 2-door why is there all of a sudden not enough head room in a 4-door version? 

Because in a 4 Door, the front seat does not fold forward to allow a Passenger to enter the Rear Seat.  They enter from the Back Door and that area has to have enough headroom to comfortably get into the Rear Seat.  We didn't do anything to the stock opening of the Window Openings.  If you change ONE TINY aspect of the Window opening, the stock Glass will no longer work.  When you mess with the height of the Window frames/openings, you change the opening size and the glass will no longer fit.

[DAY CLONA]

Dave, that explanation/tutorial was just too far advanced for some of the 4dr challenged members here      maybe this pic helps them seeing it's the platform you used

Mike

[ECS]

Dave, that explanation/tutorial was just too far advanced for some of the 4dr challenged members here      maybe this pic helps them seeing it's the platform you used

Mike

Thanks Mike!  The other point to remember is that we could not use the Windshield opening/surround section from a stock 4 Door B Body.  We had to use the E Body Windshield surround section so the Firewall, Dash and related Trim would fit correctly.  The 4 Door B Body Windshield was a completely different configuration than the E Body and would have limited what we were able to do or the directions we could go, once we merged the pieces together. 

The outside half of the A Pillar is made from a B Body vehicle and the inner half (that surrounds the Windshield) is made from an E Body.   We spiced the two section together to make a "one of a kind" A Pillar.  Using the stock E Body Windshield made the height of the Roof line lower.  It actually keeps the over all Roof appearance less "raised" looking.  The B Body Windshield would have made the overall height look taller and it wouldn't have allowed the E body Dash/Cowl to fit properly. 

[ECS]

......maybe this pic helps them seeing it's the platform you used

Mike

This photo shows what we "basically" stated  with.  Everything in the picture had to also be altered to make the new design work.  The Roof was completely cut apart and lowered about an inch & a half.  The B Pillars had to be cut apart and reworked so the Doors and Hinges could function properly.  The Door Hinges had to be cut apart and reshaped.  The A Pillars had to be split and reworked so the Windshield would fit.  The C Pillars had to be made from flat metal stock to connect the newly structured Roof and Quarters panels.  The Rockers had to be extended and altered to accommodate the lengthened Floor Pans.  From there, every single Body Component had to be altered to fit the changes that were made.  It seemed like a never ending domino affect in the process.  The construction of the Body was extremely difficult to fabricate because we did not have a Body to start with.  Once the Doors were custom built, the Window Regulators, Internal Linkage for the Locks & Handles, Weatherstrip and Interior Panels all had to be made custom, from scratch.  We basically became the Factory in this process and built a car that had never been engineered or manufactured.

 

[moparnation74]

The vinyl top, trim, and the blackout treatment soften the look overall.  If you look at the pics provided of factory 4 door cars they show the differences clearly to match the contours of the cuda roof.

If your building a car that the factory considered to build at the time.  Would you build based on what you want?  Or would you build what Chrysler would have built based on what they produced at that time?

You either like it or you do not....Like buying a new car today, you purchase what you want or you don't.  If the model line thrives than the manufacturer continues to build/improve on them.....

I appreciate Dave's build overall...In the beginning I just didn't see it and the roof line wasn't appealing but when the car got finished and the dressing up occurred.  It looks good overall.

[Charger_Fan]

I've been trying to objectively identify what makes it look a little "off" here. Now I'm not trying to criticize the work done, because honestly, I think the feat Dave & guys pulled off is amazing.  Some of the previous comments saying it looks like a fish bowl got me thinking, and I think I figured it out...two areas.
1) Since the E-body windshield was used, the top of the windshield is significantly shorter than the top of the door glass.
2) The upper edge of the rear doors cuts very high into the roof line.



The height of the original door glass matches the windshield...



I understand that the 4-door doors have a frame all the way around the windows, whereas the original one does not, so adding the frame to the doors would automatically add some height. However on the 4-door Barracuda, the glass AND the door frames have compounded the vertical area, which cuts higher into the roof line.
To fix that, the tops of the doors would need to be cut down a little...however that would be a huge PITA in itself, so I don't blame Dave & company in the slightest for leaving them alone.

Now looking at the upper edge of the rear doors, that area cuts into the roof line even more aggressively, due to the rear slope of the roof. To fix the look of that area, the upper rear edge of the rear door window & frame could be canted forward a little, to more closely match the angle of the back glass, OR the back glass (and sheet metal) could be stood up a little more...losing some of the fastback angle. But then it starts looking like less of a Barracuda, so that's a tough one.

Anyway, just my rambling thoughts on the subject. Carry on. 

[ECS]

Now looking at the upper edge of the rear doors, that area cuts into the roof line even more aggressively, due to the rear slope of the roof.

You do realize that you're critiquing the actual Door Frame design that Chrysler actually used?  We did not change ANYTHING in the design of the Window openings.  We also didn't change ANYTHING in the configuration where the Door Frames mate with the top section of the roof.

[CRW-FK5]

Dave, that explanation/tutorial was just too far advanced for some of the 4dr challenged members here      maybe this pic helps them seeing it's the platform you used

Mike

I'll assume you're directing you comment to me regarding "4dr challenged member" so I'll address this question to you.  The "advanced" depiction refers to a "passenger window lowered into altered frame opening" and the fact that it "does not fit" when altered, which is fairly obvious.  Had this been an actual factory exercise, wouldn't they simply make a new window to what ever size they need (fitting the ideal opening) rather than try to make an existing glass or frame fit?  Certainly if you're limited to using existing glass from another car you would have to compromise the design in some areas, which was the point of my question.