1969 Plymouth Barracuda

[modelcarjr]

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I don't know what happened to my text but I am not going to recreate it as it was 2 paragraphs long. Let's just say that I tried to use the Duster 340 chassis with an engine from the 68 Dodge Charger that became a 383. The chassis and inner fender liners worked out fine up front but the rear suspension was off quite a bit getting the wheels centered in the wheel openings which lead to destruction of the rear suspension and the cure was similar to slotted metal axles in the rear and the tailpipe extensions are glued to the chassis. Thanks for looking! 😎



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[tcoat]

Well there is no arguing with the result even with the suspension battle.



A quick looks says the Barracuda had a 108 inch wheelbase vs 104 for the Duster so it would be well off on the kits.

[modelcarjr]

Thanks, Tcoat! I appreciate your comment!

What I don't understand is that the Duster chassis is too long. They are both labeled as 1/25th scale. Plus, Tim Boyd suggested in his MCM article that it would fit. But to my chagrin, it seems 1/8" needs to be removed from the middle of the Duster chassis to make this work. You can't really shorten the front due to the separate from clip that mounts on the chassis and the length of the 440 engine. Maybe I just should have lived with the Barracuda platform chassis and the engine. Thanks for looking!

[tcoat]

Nov 16, 2024 13:14:41 GMT -5 modelcarjr said:

Thanks, Tcoat! I appreciate your comment!

What I don't understand is that the Duster chassis is too long. They are both labeled as 1/25th scale. Plus, Tim Boyd suggested in his MCM article that it would fit. But to my chagrin, it seems 1/8" needs to be removed from the middle of the Duster chassis to make this work. You can't really shorten the front due to the separate from clip that mounts on the chassis and the length of the 440 engine. Maybe I just should have lived with the Barracuda platform chassis and the engine. Thanks for looking!

Oh too long is strange. Just rack it up to 1/25 is variable somehow.

[AussieTJ]

Awesome build, I love that colour, and the engine bay is super sweet too, really nice work.
I had to go look at my 69 Cuda kit to see what was the inspiration for the chassis swap and I remember now that's the horrible metal axle chassis, I would have taken the same road of heartache too.
Next time you look at this sort of chassis swap you might be able to adjust the wheelbase by either adding or removing a slice in the floor pan somewhere within one of the lateral features, I had to do a similar thing with fitting a Cuda chassis under a resin Valiant body. That way the rear suspension isn't disturbed and remains strong and aligned.

I really like this build and it makes me want to get mine out now .....
Cheers TJ

[modelcarjr]

Thanks, Aussie TJ! I appreciate your comment!

[bronco67]

Love the color, love the engine bay detail great job on this!

[kyledehart5]

Brilliant job!! Awesome work getting through the issues in the differences with the chassis. It looks terrific and the color and wheels were a perfect choice.

[modelcarjr]

Thanks, Bronco and Kyle! I appreciate your comments!

[keavdog]

Very cool subject. And that engine bay!