As an old school mechanic I luv hearing other old school mechanics talking truth. Finally a supporter of straight 6 and 3 on the tree . So many got taken out and tossed for a v8 hot rod.
roland ashurst mr Roland your right. I’m just 44 but I fell in love with cars because a Naighbor helped me fix my 1981 Monte Carlo tgat quit in the driveway... When the frail old man raised the hood within minutes he told me it was getting any fire, and if I wanted to drive it I needed to go down to the junkyard and tell them I needed points distributor for a small block chevy. Get the cap coil and wires while I was at it... I had my doubts and thought the old guy mite have flew the coo-coo... when he directed me to mark where the rotor pointed and I slipped out the ECI distributor and put in the points, hooked up the coil and that puppy fired... I was hooked, I still run points to this day
Always been a fan of the I6. Reliable is king, and good power is nice. They get both. Yes, in general a V8 will walk away from it. But its not like they are slow.
Dude I'm 46 years old been a gearhead all my life,my earliest memories are of me being about 3 years old in my elcamino,and there was a huge salvage yard down the road from our home,I would have my face glued to the window everytime we drove by,I would always beg my dad to stop so I could look at the cars..I was always obsessed with cars ,and of course I'm a mechanic by trade,the only profession I've ever had,anyway my reason for saying all this is I have a huge knowledge of cars n trucks or anything with an engine,but this guy takes the title for random automotive knowledge, it's nice to see others who share that same love and lust for the classics..I've watched all this guys videos,and I got to admit I learned some things..he knows what hes talking about for sure!
Just found and subscribed to your channel...62 year old gear head with a 72 Chevelle 468 5-speed...WHERE have you been all my life! the best, no-nonsense, straight forward, absolutely spot on, wealth of info that MEANS something......I have ever heard. Bravo sir..Semper Fi.
Hey, I love this. You have delved. I once had a "Mustang-killer," a 1964.5 Plymouth Barracuda. I got it for $1500 CDN circa 1987 from a rural 85-year-old lady. I'd just totalled, being young, my plush-burgundy Dodge Diplomat (which I so disrespected, and now would love), and my brother had found this 273/Torqueflite beauty. Later, I sold it around 1993 for ... $500. I've never stopped feeling the pain.
My 1st titled car-same color exterior and interior. Was a 273 factory 4-speed console delete. I purposely blew the ratty motor up on the way home because I had a 340 drive train hanging on a chain. Was a beast! Loved that MOPAR-and so did the girls. No more crunched backseats with that drop trunk panel. 7 1/2 feet of flat room. She broke loose hitting 3rd, ass-end came around me, into a ditch hitting the only driveway along our strip, backwards. I was just thinking about that car recently then here it pops up under suggestions.
UTG: these first gen Barracudas (April 1st, 1964- end of 1966) were awesome on so many levels. ..the “Sport coupe” is what Plymouth coined the car’s, based off the Valiant wagon with the 3” larger wheel base to accommodate more passenger luxury room in the back seats, unlike ford with the mustang pushing the firewall back into the interior & crunching the rear trunk towards the front: creating a car with no practicality, no leg room, no trunk space, ect. Chrysler took the Valiant wagon, redesign the mid roof section (the flat spot next to start of rear window), they had a three piece rocker panel design (these sections were the adaptive points on the new “Sport coupe”, by having a rear fold flat seat (stow-n-go back then before minivans existed), the rear trunk/glass wooden divider folded flat down to create a huge truck like storage area. Plus a full size spare under it all, these cars were light, starting weight on the Valiant was 2,624lbs, these first gen cudas were weighing in at 2700lbs, with the luxury items too.., I got four of these bad boys: a rare 1964-1/2 pre-formula S, 2- 1965’s (these three were factory 273, four on the floor cars, & one rare 1966 special ordered Barracuda that I’m creating a HellFish... plus I got a 1963 Valiant as well... they’re fun cars, when my dad previously owned the ‘66 cuda: (170 /6 not original motor, but original floor-console shift Automatic trans, he got upwards of 34miles per gallon in the mid 90s on his trips up & down Route 81... these first generation Barracudas are hugely underrated. Parts from 1962-1976 mopar A-bodies, & some 62-74 B-bodies, 70-74 E-bodies, the 76-84 Aspen/ Valaris, & even parts off the 80’s Chrysler’s fifth Aves will fit on these early A-bodies... they’re fun cars, still quite cheap to build, & very reliable if done properly. That back glass: Chrysler Corporation sub contracted out to Pacific Glass to build those unique rear windows... I joke with mine when people ask what year cars I got.. “I got the ones with the fish bowl glass”.. 😂🤣. Btw What’s your take on the “next generation” mopar small block Magnum V8’s? The mopar 1999- 2010 4.7L single over head cam V8 small block magnum motors... They’ll fit in the engine bays of these early A-bodies without having to cut up the hoods...
Also: Chrysler was originally gonna go with the name: The Plymouth Panda... buuuuut somewhere along the lines an employee said: “it looks like a predator fish coming at you.”, & the Barracuda name formed, & stuck. These Fishes were the original Pony Cars, beating the Ford Mustang to the public market by 2-1/2 weeks... where Chrysler messed up: their Genius marketing people debut the car: April 1st, 1964... everyone thought it was the biggest April Fools joke.
Imagine if Chrysler had made another light weight, compact, performance Muscle car & called it the Plymouth Piranha... 🤟🏼😆🤟🏼...along side of the Barracudas, & kept the “fishy cars” goin. Would’ve history been the “fishy car wars”, instead of the “pony car wars”..?
I'm guessing, Ford was better at marketing focused at the general public's superficial appeal inclination. I don't remember ever having seen any early Barracuda television commercials, when I was a kid. But, I can imagine Chrysler being able to sell these better, if they would have filmed their product in detail. I always found the early Mustang's design to be ugly and frivilous. Mercury did a much better job of interpreting this basic model with their Cougar
My first car was a '64 Barracuda. 273 4spd. black with red interior. Had those 13" wheels with skinny tires. I put 14" wheels & H70 14 tires on the rear. Looked a lot better and helped getting off the line. Ha! I was young and stupid. Wish I had it back now, love the one in the video.
My mom drove a ‘65 Cuda with a 273 & torqueflite , as her suburban daily driver. Then my folks went off for a weekend vacation. When they came home the front end was jacked up via the torsion bars, had dual exhausts running thru glasspacks, and a low restriction air cleaner on the carb. The drag racing trophy I won that weekend ( J stock ) was hidden in the basement …
My first car a 65 Barracuda that I mowed a butt tons of yards to buy from my dad, 273 2bbl with a 727 in it, shitty brakes didn't corner at all this was 1975, I drove it for awhile and ended up trading it for Datsun510 haha, I love the front end lines of this car and have been looking for a 65 Valiant with a 226!
At 14, I drove my Dad's 64 Barracuda thru the town I lived in. Cops pulled me over. Cops told me I had to take it home, cuz my North Dakota farm license didn't allow me to drive in Illinois. But they agreed with me that it was too cool a car NOT to cruise in... :-)
I have a 65 signet V . The barracuda came out a whole 2 weeks before the mustang what made them bomb compared to the Stang was when they hit dealerships they just looked like a valiant with a modified back end . Which they were because Chrysler did not want to spend to retool a total new design. But when the mustang debuted ,it was a totally new design with heavy styling cues unlike anything else at the time . They sold faster than they could be produced and Ford kept pumping them out into the new model year , and that's how the 64 1/2 mustangs came to be.
A good friend of mine had a 65, this was back in around 69 or 70. It was a sweet ride and that back window was awesome, except in the Jersey summers, man you could roast a turkey back there!
bro you're so down to earth and I remember yo saying what you expertise was . The thing is your knowledge is the foundation of Motorsports before the BS eco and emission stuff. I subbed and you are doing the community justice by knowing what the hell a car IS.
I had a 65 formula S with a 4 speed and 273 V8 it gave the camaros and mustangs a fit on sat night street races back in the 60s Maroon with black interior. Yanked out the 7 an 1/4 rear and installed an A body 8 3/4 rear and added a 4.56 ring and pinion and a snubber of course. Eventually balanced and blueprinted the engine and yes it could handle big block Chevelles and 442's with no problem. I may not have won every street race but they never called me out after that.
That was great spoken like a true body man. You must own a Morgan number 9 Nokker. My father had a 64 Barracuda with a 318 in it. The car was fun to drive and it the hauled ass. The back seat flipped down, the divider between the trunk and the passenger compartment flips down. So you can put your skis in there and go skiing. At first I didn't like that car that much. I'm 60 now, I have owned over 245 cars. I miss that Barracuda. That was a very progressive design. My father was an architect.
All I know if that rear glass breaks your screwed ! Because those rear windows hard to find ! They got those push button shifters ! They got a great style of there own ! Great video uncle tony!
Growing up back in the 80s a neighbor had one. He had a body shop in his garage and it was his calling card. It was this candy purple with a little bit of metallic in it. What a color. A set of turbine wheels set it off nice.
The ‘63-‘66 Valiants are my favorite Chrysler products ... ever ... period! Just the right size, still practical with just a flair of sporty styling. Easy to drive and to live with! The Barracuda is the crown of the Valiants and I love them! I always felt the compare between the early Barracuda and the Mustang was unfair. Yes, the Mustang was based on the Falcon platform, but it just wasn’t a Falcon and was never marketed as a Falcon. The ‘64 Barracuda WAS marketed as a Valiant, even though Plymouth really made more of an effort to market the Barracuda away from the rest of the Valiant line in 1965-66 to be more competitive with the Mustang but they were not fooling anyone. As much as I like the 1965-66 Mustangs, if I were car shopping for a new car between mid summer 1964 through the winter of 1967, I would have been buying the Barracuda over the Mustang all-day-long! Since the Barracuda was the top model of a line of economy cars, the driving position behind the wheel and the driving experience remained more practical, more upright, and generally comfortable with good visibility (save for the view out the huge back window). Getting into the driver’s seat of a Barracuda and your realize that this car isn’t promising that it is more than it is: a top of the line Chrysler economy car with all the trimmings: sportier styling, deluxe Valiant interior with bucket seats, maybe a V8, maybe a 4 speed, maybe a floor shift. The Mustang interior was far more in line with contemporary european sports cars. You sat deep into it, almost on the floor. The hood was long and it felt long from behind the driver’s seat. Getting into the drivers seat and you feel as though your going to be treated to a european driving experience, but turn the key and shift into D and what do you feel? A Ford Falcon (maybe a powerful Falcon if the Mustang was a V8, but a Falcon nonetheless). It steering like a Falcon, braked like a Falcon, shifted like a Falcon. So what you were really driving was a economy (cheap) Ford with all the impracticalities added into it that you would gladly learn to live with in buying a real euro exotic car of the day in exchange for the power and feel of a true european driving experience. As pretty as the Mustang styling was/is, and as revolutionary as the offering was (a cheap American car with the look of a european sports car) in reality, the Mustang was writing checks it couldn’t cash. Not saying that the Barracuda gave you more in the way of power and performance than the Mustang during those days, I am just saying that the packaging was more honest and the car was more practical and a little easier to live with. In the end though, looks are everything! Both cars would grow into what they should have been from the beginning but Barracuda died 45 years ago ... and the Mustang lives on!
I like your train of thought on that, but even though I'm Mopar to the core, I would still have to give the Mustang a the win in a direct back to back comparison.
Those early/ mid-Sixties Mopars just had the beautiful interiors, though: you could kit them out a bit more with buckets and consoles, and there's the first gen Charger I'd just love to do one of those high-tech restomods on them so they'd turn, cause just so wonderful (As a young lass I played among a couple of them an uncle had set aside waiting to be on the road again, I was sold,) but way too boatey for my taste. So I love A-bodies most. And yeah, in high school, a friend had a 65 Mustang that handled like garbage even compared to my Duster when it was stock, and the one-finger-power steering was... ill-suited, I thought. (Somewhere in there, teen gal's gotten hold of Direct Connection catalog, yes, tuned nitrogen shocks, yes, please, these.... sway bars, etc etc, and was trying out these newfangled polyurethane suspension bushings, been to leaf spring shop, etc. Tires, of course. ) I embarrassed more than my share with my 70's slant six just by taking advantage of 1980's suspension tech, and in the 60's there were probably a lot of options you could do for either. (I'm really glad those leaf-spring guys knew what I was going for and could execute it. Cause at the time that was largely mystery science to me. Where would I be without that generation of car guys in general. :) ) Anyway, I guess my point there is a *lot* of the cars of the 60's and 70's left plenty of meat on the bone for improvement, is all. Even little things could make a lot more difference.
My first 65 Barracuda, I added a set of fake knock-off Mustang II hubcaps (with black stickers covering their pony centers). It helped the issue by making the little wheels look better placed. The 273 2-bbl became a 318, but then an Olds rear-ended it while waiting for a train (glad another car was in front of me)!
They just put a fastback roof on their Valiant! When I was a kid growing up in Suburban Detroit many of my friends' fathers worked for Ford, GM or Chrysler. Ths first Baracuda I rode in still said Valiant on ther radio. That one you're standing by looks pretty nice now.
Absolutely" L O V E" the early barracudas... What a spunk of a car!, it's a real pity it wasn't released here in Australia...ho well... love your work Tony... 🇦🇺
Going through all of your vids again, and the Plymouth hubcaps hit me harder this time around. My pop had a Valiant Signet when I was a kid. He would take my brother and I in that car to a local park, sit us on his lap, and let us "drive". Anyways, I just realized how much I miss the sound of an old hubcap when it hits the ground.
Thank you for the lesson! Although I wasn't born in the era of real hot rodding, I'm starting to work on classic American muscle and this information really helps!
I got into a friendly argument with a friend of mine a while back. I said that the c pillars made the look of the car, and still do. He said that it is the rear wheel opening that made the look and image. Since then, I've realized how important it is. This video really brings my friend's opinion even more legitimacy. In other words, I think you nailed it.
My Mom had a Valiant and then a 2nd gen Barracuda! This 1st gen was unique, despite the slightly off proportions! Would love to have one! Thank you for this info!
You are exactly right.ive had 2 of them and always loved them 273 4 speed. But design wise they are off. You nailed it. 71 new body charger is off a bit also sort of a Pontiac grill with too much sheet metal above the rear wheel. Although l still like the rest of the car. Love learning, just got my 71 road runner going 4 speed 440.
My dad had a /6 three on the column 63 Valiant same color combo, same wheel covers. I still have the 318 four speed. 68 Barracuda same color combo after 51 years. It's good to know there are still people who appreciate these cars.
My mothers 1967 Plymouth barracuda is an original one owner Ohio car that she bought from original buyer for 12k car only has documented 37k original miles 273 commando not a rocket but cruiser for sure over 30 first place best of show and best all original 👍
My first car..way back in '69..was a '64 Valiant. 273 V8 with 4 on the floor. Bright red with a white top. That same configuration was used in their magazine ads. I loved that car. Wish I could get one again!
my Buddy just down the road a little way same car even white, red interior, but his is a 4 speed on the floor and a 340ci all done up with big time power.
Recently bought a 65 one of these.. needs a lot of work to get road worthy again. Has a slant 6 auto all running perfect. But needs welding, brakes all around, and suspension replaced.. I'm pretty sure it's the only one in Ireland so finding it hard to learn about them etc and have to order parts from the U.S. thanks for the videos Tony
Don't give up on it. I'm just across the channel in Germany, if you need an opinion or two. I used to own a '65 with the 2-barrel carbureted 273, when I still lived in the States. You could also get parts from Australia and maybe even New Zealand, given that the Valiants were built in Australia. It would then be easilly possible to covert it over to right-hand drive
Dad had a gold one with the 273 Commando I believe. Held his class record at Lakeland Drag strip till they shut it down. I remember laying under that back glass looking up driving through Shelby Forrest under the trees. Motion sickness like you wouldn't believe.
Liked this review of the A body Baracuda .. I have a 66 Dodge Dart Convertable 6cyl. Not a muscle car ..but a good run around town car ..with people wondering what the heck it is ..its jazzed up with hood scoops to give it " show " a.k.a. all show no go ...fine with me..I like to cruise around town with this rare car ..the other side story of the car is parts are very hard to fine as body and trim was changed from year to year..so I just drive it ( Haha) greetings from Michigan !
In the early 80's I drove a 65 Barracuda with a 273 and auto trans shifter on the floor. The worst thing about it was if you had to make tight turns. On several occasions turning from a left turn lane I would have to back up from the curb and then complete the turn. It had a very lazy steering box. I always thought the little 13 " wheels were too small and the car could have used 14's. My dad bought my sister a brand new Valiant convertible when she graduated high school in 65. So much of the Barracuda was Valiant.
I hear you about there rear axle width ! I had a 74 dart swinger,and didn't know what was wrong with after I bought it. wide track in front, narrow track in back. I took off factory wheels/tires ,and put 14"x5.5" front 14" 7in. rear with bf Goodrich tires, then it looked perfect .
I remember someone pulled up in front of the church with one of these, all the guys were oooohing and aaahing about that back window. Ten minutes later, I was riding a red wagon down the hill and crashed into it! I mus have been 3 years old, one of my first memories.
Most people forget that the Barracuda was originally Valiant Barracuda. I would love to see your take on the Dodge Lancer. I loved the reverse hook on the door panel. I would love to have a hardtop Lancer.
Agreed, had they done something with that rear wheel well and quarter panel it would have made all the difference to me. Can you imagine that car with an extended hood and that sharktooth style grill of the "71? I had a "71 butterscotch yellow 383 Cuda and it was my dream car back the late 70's.
My absolutely dream mopar right there!! I love the early 60' Chrysler cars. To me the build quality was the best in the world then. I love later as well, but the early 60's just had it all, and you deffently dont run into the electric issues you had on later stuff.
I love this car! Quirky works for me. My only fear is the back window if it gets broken it is very hard to find and very expensive. I can not find anyone reproducing it. I love the leaning tower of power! My 1st car had a three on the tree. I agree about the A body axle. In 1972 I had a 69 1/2 A12 Super Bee and my friend had a Duster. It always looked out of proportion on the rare occasion I was behind him. He told that one night he was going to steal my rear end and put his under mine. LOL One side note, I had a friend who had a 1970 351 Cleveland Mustang. He though he was invincible. Until I bought my A12. By the way, I paid $1200.00 for that car. I love your channel and look forward to your shows.
yea i had one of those we put a 340 in it man it was a beast i could jump a coffee mug with it man i would like to have that car now that was 26 years ago thanks for the video
I had one of those with a 273 4 speed, and you are right about the fender-wells. Ford made a similar mistake with their 66-67 Fairlanes. Tiny little wheel-wells that won't accommodate a 15" wheel & tire...
I remember my first ride in one.. I was six and my sister's boyfriend threw me in the back.. you know.. where you can grow tomatoes in the wintertime.. Coolest car.
Beautiful 65. Same color combo as my mother's 64 that she brought new in April 64. 273 pushbutton shifter, power steering and brakes, and dealer installed hang on air conditioning. My brother has it now. It's all stock. It has the better wheel covers.
I had the same exact wheel cover on my 65 barracuda when I bought it then I put Kragers on it. I also had the 225 plant set with a four-barrel carburetor installed on it luckily I had the five bolt pattern on my wheels instead of the four
Uncle ton Slant six legendary motor had one I know people who bought them new about five hundred thousand miles on them that's why they stopped making them because they were losing money
They made the slant from 1960 to 1982, a long time. They only dropped them because they wouldn't fit a front wheel drive car and they had newer V6s. It wasn't worth while to keep making them just for pickup trucks. They were going to an all front wheel drive car program at the time.
I had a '64 barracuda with a 273cid... I loved it...wife and kids came along, no rear seats belt....I sold it for $500.00... Should of gave the wife a kids away for free😬
First car I got out of service was a 65 with the commando 273 and 4 speed. Found out when I went to replace a axle seal that it had a ford rear end, approx 390 gears. Wish I would have kept it.
Right from my era - late'ish 1960's. 64 Valiant with a 60-60-60 225 running in E Gas until it was wrecked, then a 64 Cuda with a home grown 383/TF conversion running in B Gas. They were street'able, sort of... Ran at night north of Santa Cruz at 4-lanes (Hwy 1). The thing is they both had enough wheel well to take decent cheater slicks on Cop wheels (artillery style) and narrowed 8.75's. The issue was the local "Fuzz" would bust anyone who had wheels and/or tires protruding beyond the body metal (common local ordinance). You could run hard with these cars with the tire fully under the car. Neutral start that TF at 4K and run away from even the best stick/clutch guys. The medium soft hit of the neutral start TF loaded the tires just right :D
This is my dream car for a all aluminum Keith Black Hemi. Kind like a Richard Petty tribute car. IMO the looks of these cars is much improved with radiused rear wheel arch.
As an old school mechanic I luv hearing other old school mechanics talking truth. Finally a supporter of straight 6 and 3 on the tree . So many got taken out and tossed for a v8 hot rod.
roland ashurst mr Roland your right. I’m just 44 but I fell in love with cars because a Naighbor helped me fix my 1981 Monte Carlo tgat quit in the driveway... When the frail old man raised the hood within minutes he told me it was getting any fire, and if I wanted to drive it I needed to go down to the junkyard and tell them I needed points distributor for a small block chevy. Get the cap coil and wires while I was at it... I had my doubts and thought the old guy mite have flew the coo-coo... when he directed me to mark where the rotor pointed and I slipped out the ECI distributor and put in the points, hooked up the coil and that puppy fired... I was hooked, I still run points to this day
Always been a fan of the I6. Reliable is king, and good power is nice. They get both. Yes, in general a V8 will walk away from it. But its not like they are slow.
I worker for a Plymouth dealer in 1970s. Got to drive Super birds, and Mopars all day long, Great times
Dude I'm 46 years old been a gearhead all my life,my earliest memories are of me being about 3 years old in my elcamino,and there was a huge salvage yard down the road from our home,I would have my face glued to the window everytime we drove by,I would always beg my dad to stop so I could look at the cars..I was always obsessed with cars ,and of course I'm a mechanic by trade,the only profession I've ever had,anyway my reason for saying all this is I have a huge knowledge of cars n trucks or anything with an engine,but this guy takes the title for random automotive knowledge, it's nice to see others who share that same love and lust for the classics..I've watched all this guys videos,and I got to admit I learned some things..he knows what hes talking about for sure!
Just found and subscribed to your channel...62 year old gear head with a 72 Chevelle 468 5-speed...WHERE have you been all my life! the best, no-nonsense, straight forward, absolutely spot on, wealth of info that MEANS something......I have ever heard. Bravo sir..Semper Fi.
Hey, I love this. You have delved. I once had a "Mustang-killer," a 1964.5 Plymouth Barracuda. I got it for $1500 CDN circa 1987 from a rural 85-year-old lady. I'd just totalled, being young, my plush-burgundy Dodge Diplomat (which I so disrespected, and now would love), and my brother had found this 273/Torqueflite beauty. Later, I sold it around 1993 for ... $500. I've never stopped feeling the pain.
My 1st titled car-same color exterior and interior. Was a 273 factory 4-speed console delete. I purposely blew the ratty motor up on the way home because I had a 340 drive train hanging on a chain. Was a beast! Loved that MOPAR-and so did the girls. No more crunched backseats with that drop trunk panel. 7 1/2 feet of flat room. She broke loose hitting 3rd, ass-end came around me, into a ditch hitting the only driveway along our strip, backwards. I was just thinking about that car recently then here it pops up under suggestions.
UTG: these first gen Barracudas (April 1st, 1964- end of 1966) were awesome on so many levels. ..the “Sport coupe” is what Plymouth coined the car’s, based off the Valiant wagon with the 3” larger wheel base to accommodate more passenger luxury room in the back seats, unlike ford with the mustang pushing the firewall back into the interior & crunching the rear trunk towards the front: creating a car with no practicality, no leg room, no trunk space, ect. Chrysler took the Valiant wagon, redesign the mid roof section (the flat spot next to start of rear window), they had a three piece rocker panel design (these sections were the adaptive points on the new “Sport coupe”, by having a rear fold flat seat (stow-n-go back then before minivans existed), the rear trunk/glass wooden divider folded flat down to create a huge truck like storage area. Plus a full size spare under it all, these cars were light, starting weight on the Valiant was 2,624lbs, these first gen cudas were weighing in at 2700lbs, with the luxury items too..,
I got four of these bad boys: a rare 1964-1/2 pre-formula S, 2- 1965’s (these three were factory 273, four on the floor cars, & one rare 1966 special ordered Barracuda that I’m creating a HellFish... plus I got a 1963 Valiant as well... they’re fun cars, when my dad previously owned the ‘66 cuda: (170 /6 not original motor, but original floor-console shift Automatic trans, he got upwards of 34miles per gallon in the mid 90s on his trips up & down Route 81... these first generation Barracudas are hugely underrated. Parts from 1962-1976 mopar A-bodies, & some 62-74 B-bodies, 70-74 E-bodies, the 76-84 Aspen/ Valaris, & even parts off the 80’s Chrysler’s fifth Aves will fit on these early A-bodies... they’re fun cars, still quite cheap to build, & very reliable if done properly. That back glass: Chrysler Corporation sub contracted out to Pacific Glass to build those unique rear windows... I joke with mine when people ask what year cars I got.. “I got the ones with the fish bowl glass”.. 😂🤣. Btw What’s your take on the “next generation” mopar small block Magnum V8’s? The mopar 1999- 2010 4.7L single over head cam V8 small block magnum motors... They’ll fit in the engine bays of these early A-bodies without having to cut up the hoods...
Also: Chrysler was originally gonna go with the name: The Plymouth Panda... buuuuut somewhere along the lines an employee said: “it looks like a predator fish coming at you.”, & the Barracuda name formed, & stuck. These Fishes were the original Pony Cars, beating the Ford Mustang to the public market by 2-1/2 weeks... where Chrysler messed up: their Genius marketing people debut the car: April 1st, 1964... everyone thought it was the biggest April Fools joke.
Imagine if Chrysler had made another light weight, compact, performance Muscle car & called it the Plymouth Piranha... 🤟🏼😆🤟🏼...along side of the Barracudas, & kept the “fishy cars” goin. Would’ve history been the “fishy car wars”, instead of the “pony car wars”..?
I'm guessing, Ford was better at marketing focused at the general public's superficial appeal inclination. I don't remember ever having seen any early Barracuda television commercials, when I was a kid. But, I can imagine Chrysler being able to sell these better, if they would have filmed their product in detail.
I always found the early Mustang's design to be ugly and frivilous. Mercury did a much better job of interpreting this basic model with their Cougar
My first car was a '64 Barracuda. 273 4spd. black with red interior. Had those 13" wheels with skinny tires. I put 14" wheels & H70 14 tires on the rear. Looked a lot better and helped getting off the line. Ha! I was young and stupid. Wish I had it back now, love the one in the video.
My mom drove a ‘65 Cuda with a 273 & torqueflite , as her suburban daily driver. Then my folks went off for a weekend vacation. When they came home the front end was jacked up via the torsion bars, had dual exhausts running thru glasspacks, and a low restriction air cleaner on the carb. The drag racing trophy I won that weekend ( J stock ) was hidden in the basement …
My first car a 65 Barracuda that I mowed a butt tons of yards to buy from my dad, 273 2bbl with a 727 in it, shitty brakes didn't corner at all this was 1975, I drove it for awhile and ended up trading it for Datsun510 haha, I love the front end lines of this car and have been looking for a 65 Valiant with a 226!
I have one with a 340 in it. Restoring it now... Great car
The parents of a childhood friend of mine had one of these new in the 1960s. I can attest the back seat was HOT in the summer.
At 14, I drove my Dad's 64 Barracuda thru the town I lived in. Cops pulled me over. Cops told me I had to take it home, cuz my North Dakota farm license didn't allow me to drive in Illinois. But they agreed with me that it was too cool a car NOT to cruise in... :-)
I have a 65 signet V .
The barracuda came out a whole 2 weeks before the mustang what made them bomb compared to the Stang was when they hit dealerships they just looked like a valiant with a modified back end .
Which they were because Chrysler did not want to spend to retool a total new design.
But when the mustang debuted ,it was a totally new design with heavy styling cues unlike anything else at the time .
They sold faster than they could be produced and Ford kept pumping them out into the new model year , and that's how the 64 1/2 mustangs came to be.
A good friend of mine had a 65, this was back in around 69 or 70. It was a sweet ride and that back window was awesome, except in the Jersey summers, man you could roast a turkey back there!
bro you're so down to earth and I remember yo saying what you expertise was . The thing is your knowledge is the foundation of Motorsports before the BS eco and emission stuff. I subbed and you are doing the community justice by knowing what the hell a car IS.
I had a 65 formula S with a 4 speed and 273 V8 it gave the camaros and mustangs a fit on sat night street races back in the 60s Maroon with black interior.
Yanked out the 7 an 1/4 rear and installed an A body 8 3/4 rear and added a 4.56 ring and pinion and a snubber of course.
Eventually balanced and blueprinted the engine and yes it could handle big block Chevelles and 442's with no problem.
I may not have won every street race but they never called me out after that.
That was great spoken like a true body man. You must own a Morgan number 9 Nokker. My father had a 64 Barracuda with a 318 in it. The car was fun to drive and it the hauled ass. The back seat flipped down, the divider between the trunk and the passenger compartment flips down. So you can put your skis in there and go skiing. At first I didn't like that car that much. I'm 60 now, I have owned over 245 cars.
I miss that Barracuda.
That was a very progressive design.
My father was an architect.
Well my mom had 64 with a 413 wedge from the factory, with 1970 wheel arches.!! And I've owned 246 cars, and my father drew tattoos.!!
WTF! 245 cars, man!
All I know if that rear glass breaks your screwed ! Because those rear windows hard to find ! They got those push button shifters ! They got a great style of there own ! Great video uncle tony!
Honestly, this is my new favorite channel.
Growing up back in the 80s a neighbor had one.
He had a body shop in his garage and it was his calling card.
It was this candy purple with a little bit of metallic in it.
What a color.
A set of turbine wheels set it off nice.
Love the Barracudas of that era !!! Love the channel Tony.
COOL Car , tiny tires , UTG , COOL CAT ! Love it when 2 yrs old vid shows up and Tony sounds Same !
The ‘63-‘66 Valiants are my favorite Chrysler products ... ever ... period! Just the right size, still practical with just a flair of sporty styling. Easy to drive and to live with! The Barracuda is the crown of the Valiants and I love them!
I always felt the compare between the early Barracuda and the Mustang was unfair. Yes, the Mustang was based on the Falcon platform, but it just wasn’t a Falcon and was never marketed as a Falcon. The ‘64 Barracuda WAS marketed as a Valiant, even though Plymouth really made more of an effort to market the Barracuda away from the rest of the Valiant line in 1965-66 to be more competitive with the Mustang but they were not fooling anyone.
As much as I like the 1965-66 Mustangs, if I were car shopping for a new car between mid summer 1964 through the winter of 1967, I would have been buying the Barracuda over the Mustang all-day-long! Since the Barracuda was the top model of a line of economy cars, the driving position behind the wheel and the driving experience remained more practical, more upright, and generally comfortable with good visibility (save for the view out the huge back window). Getting into the driver’s seat of a Barracuda and your realize that this car isn’t promising that it is more than it is: a top of the line Chrysler economy car with all the trimmings: sportier styling, deluxe Valiant interior with bucket seats, maybe a V8, maybe a 4 speed, maybe a floor shift. The Mustang interior was far more in line with contemporary european sports cars. You sat deep into it, almost on the floor. The hood was long and it felt long from behind the driver’s seat. Getting into the drivers seat and you feel as though your going to be treated to a european driving experience, but turn the key and shift into D and what do you feel? A Ford Falcon (maybe a powerful Falcon if the Mustang was a V8, but a Falcon nonetheless). It steering like a Falcon, braked like a Falcon, shifted like a Falcon. So what you were really driving was a economy (cheap) Ford with all the impracticalities added into it that you would gladly learn to live with in buying a real euro exotic car of the day in exchange for the power and feel of a true european driving experience. As pretty as the Mustang styling was/is, and as revolutionary as the offering was (a cheap American car with the look of a european sports car) in reality, the Mustang was writing checks it couldn’t cash. Not saying that the Barracuda gave you more in the way of power and performance than the Mustang during those days, I am just saying that the packaging was more honest and the car was more practical and a little easier to live with. In the end though, looks are everything! Both cars would grow into what they should have been from the beginning but Barracuda died 45 years ago ... and the Mustang lives on!
I like your train of thought on that, but even though I'm Mopar to the core, I would still have to give the Mustang a the win in a direct back to back comparison.
Well put 👍🏻
Those early/ mid-Sixties Mopars just had the beautiful interiors, though: you could kit them out a bit more with buckets and consoles, and there's the first gen Charger I'd just love to do one of those high-tech restomods on them so they'd turn, cause just so wonderful (As a young lass I played among a couple of them an uncle had set aside waiting to be on the road again, I was sold,) but way too boatey for my taste. So I love A-bodies most.
And yeah, in high school, a friend had a 65 Mustang that handled like garbage even compared to my Duster when it was stock, and the one-finger-power steering was... ill-suited, I thought. (Somewhere in there, teen gal's gotten hold of Direct Connection catalog, yes, tuned nitrogen shocks, yes, please, these.... sway bars, etc etc, and was trying out these newfangled polyurethane suspension bushings, been to leaf spring shop, etc. Tires, of course. ) I embarrassed more than my share with my 70's slant six just by taking advantage of 1980's suspension tech, and in the 60's there were probably a lot of options you could do for either.
(I'm really glad those leaf-spring guys knew what I was going for and could execute it. Cause at the time that was largely mystery science to me. Where would I be without that generation of car guys in general. :) )
Anyway, I guess my point there is a *lot* of the cars of the 60's and 70's left plenty of meat on the bone for improvement, is all. Even little things could make a lot more difference.
Got one of those in my driveway :) so happy to find a knowledgeable mopar man splainin' things on YT.
Thank you uncle Tony
My first 65 Barracuda, I added a set of fake knock-off Mustang II hubcaps (with black stickers covering their pony centers). It helped the issue by making the little wheels look better placed. The 273 2-bbl became a 318, but then an Olds rear-ended it while waiting for a train (glad another car was in front of me)!
Sweet Ride.. My first car was a 64 Barracuda 273 4 speed. White with red interior. Love these cars.
I lifted the rear of my 66 S just a bit to improve the look, but your spot on about the A body narrow axle. Its just something we live with.
They just put a fastback roof on their Valiant! When I was a kid growing up in Suburban Detroit many of my friends' fathers worked for Ford, GM or Chrysler. Ths first Baracuda I rode in still said Valiant on ther radio. That one you're standing by looks pretty nice now.
The early barracudas are a spunk of a car, even today!...
I wish they were sold in Australia back in the day... R. 🇦🇺
Great lesson on the first gen Barracuda!
"We need to extensively road test this thing." lol
Absolutely" L O V E" the early barracudas... What a spunk of a car!, it's a real pity it wasn't released here in Australia...ho well... love your work Tony... 🇦🇺
I have two 1966 Barracuda Formula S cars. They are a very fun car to drive.
Going through all of your vids again, and the Plymouth hubcaps hit me harder this time around. My pop had a Valiant Signet when I was a kid. He would take my brother and I in that car to a local park, sit us on his lap, and let us "drive". Anyways, I just realized how much I miss the sound of an old hubcap when it hits the ground.
Good video Tony, I agree with you on the wheel opening, the rear wheel opening on my 66 Dart was radiused and made it look much tougher
Radius wheel openings ROCK!
Uncle Tony is a genius.
I have been watching this channel since it only had 17,000 subscribers. Way back oh when? Last week?...
Thank you for the lesson!
Although I wasn't born in the era of real hot rodding, I'm starting to work on classic American muscle and this information really helps!
One of my best friends since 1979 had a 67 Barracuda notchback, a fun car to drive....60-15s in the rear, it came original with a 273
I guess they made sure not to make that mistake again with the Charger in '66, nice big rear wheel openings.
Enjoyed the video today! Remember all the cool cars, from back then!
I got into a friendly argument with a friend of mine a while back. I said that the c pillars made the look of the car, and still do. He said that it is the rear wheel opening that made the look and image. Since then, I've realized how important it is. This video really brings my friend's opinion even more legitimacy.
In other words, I think you nailed it.
My Mom had a Valiant and then a 2nd gen Barracuda! This 1st gen was unique, despite the slightly off proportions! Would love to have one! Thank you for this info!
You are exactly right.ive had 2 of them and always loved them 273 4 speed. But design wise they are off. You nailed it. 71 new body charger is off a bit also sort of a Pontiac grill with too much sheet metal above the rear wheel. Although l still like the rest of the car. Love learning, just got my 71 road runner going 4 speed 440.
My dad had a /6 three on the column 63 Valiant same color combo, same wheel covers. I still have the 318 four speed. 68 Barracuda same color combo after 51 years. It's good to know there are still people who appreciate these cars.
My mothers 1967 Plymouth barracuda is an original one owner Ohio car that she bought from original buyer for 12k car only has documented 37k original miles 273 commando not a rocket but cruiser for sure over 30 first place best of show and best all original 👍
Cool, thank you for telling me what I couldn't put my finger on about the little cuda
I purchased a 1965 273 4 speed in 1966, It had a black stripe. A great car and the girls loved it.
My first car..way back in '69..was a '64 Valiant. 273 V8 with 4 on the floor. Bright red with a white top. That same configuration was used in their magazine ads.
I loved that car. Wish I could get one again!
my Buddy just down the road a little way same car even white, red interior, but his is a 4 speed on the floor and a 340ci all done up with big time power.
Recently bought a 65 one of these.. needs a lot of work to get road worthy again. Has a slant 6 auto all running perfect. But needs welding, brakes all around, and suspension replaced.. I'm pretty sure it's the only one in Ireland so finding it hard to learn about them etc and have to order parts from the U.S. thanks for the videos Tony
Don't give up on it. I'm just across the channel in Germany, if you need an opinion or two. I used to own a '65 with the 2-barrel carbureted 273, when I still lived in the States.
You could also get parts from Australia and maybe even New Zealand, given that the Valiants were built in Australia. It would then be easilly possible to covert it over to right-hand drive
Dad had a gold one with the 273 Commando I believe. Held his class record at Lakeland Drag strip till they shut it down. I remember laying under that back glass looking up driving through Shelby Forrest under the trees. Motion sickness like you wouldn't believe.
Liked this review of the A body Baracuda .. I have a 66 Dodge Dart Convertable 6cyl. Not a muscle car ..but a good run around town car ..with people wondering what the heck it is ..its jazzed up with hood scoops to give it " show " a.k.a. all show no go ...fine with me..I like to cruise around town with this rare car ..the other side story of the car is parts are very hard to fine as body and trim was changed from year to year..so I just drive it ( Haha) greetings from Michigan !
In the early 80's I drove a 65 Barracuda with a 273 and auto trans shifter on the floor. The worst thing about it was if you had to make tight turns. On several occasions turning from a left turn lane I would have to back up from the curb and then complete the turn. It had a very lazy steering box. I always thought the little 13 " wheels were too small and the car could have used 14's. My dad bought my sister a brand new Valiant convertible when she graduated high school in 65. So much of the Barracuda was Valiant.
I hear you about there rear axle width ! I had a 74 dart swinger,and didn't know what was wrong with after I bought it. wide track in front, narrow track in back. I took off factory wheels/tires ,and put 14"x5.5" front 14" 7in. rear with bf Goodrich tires, then it looked perfect .
I could watch these short little knowledge nuggets all day long.
Hemi under Glass 'Cuda 🤠👍
Beautiful Car absolutely a Gem .... What a score
I remember someone pulled up in front of the church with one of these, all the guys were oooohing and aaahing about that back window. Ten minutes later, I was riding a red wagon down the hill and crashed into it! I mus have been 3 years old, one of my first memories.
This is great. Favourite kind of tutorials that Uncle T does.
Most people forget that the Barracuda was originally Valiant Barracuda.
I would love to see your take on the Dodge Lancer. I loved the reverse hook on the door panel. I would love to have a hardtop Lancer.
Nice car...Love that C2 Vette back window.
Agreed, had they done something with that rear wheel well and quarter panel it would have made all the difference to me. Can you imagine that car with an extended hood and that sharktooth style grill of the "71? I had a "71 butterscotch yellow 383 Cuda and it was my dream car back the late 70's.
My buddy had a 273 and it ran! Oh and thanks again for your knowledge we love your videos
My absolutely dream mopar right there!! I love the early 60' Chrysler cars. To me the build quality was the best in the world then. I love later as well, but the early 60's just had it all, and you deffently dont run into the electric issues you had on later stuff.
Had a 65 Barracuda 273 High Performace Barracuda in High School, wish I still had it.
Very nice representation of a barracuda👍
Had a 65 loved it
Excellent video, great story and critique.
Always enjoy your videos! Thanks uncle Tony👍
I love this car! Quirky works for me. My only fear is the back window if it gets broken it is very hard to find and very expensive. I can not find anyone reproducing it. I love the leaning tower of power! My 1st car had a three on the tree. I agree about the A body axle. In 1972 I had a 69 1/2 A12 Super Bee and my friend had a Duster. It always looked out of proportion on the rare occasion I was behind him. He told that one night he was going to steal my rear end and put his under mine. LOL One side note, I had a friend who had a 1970 351 Cleveland Mustang. He though he was invincible. Until I bought my A12. By the way, I paid $1200.00 for that car. I love your channel and look forward to your shows.
I'm a Mopar nut to the bone and love those Barracuda's they are a beauty
Cheers that was a good bit of muscle history with the sharing and copying of brands,top bloke 👍🏻🇬🇧
Agree, a great bit of history from Tony.
yea i had one of those we put a 340 in it man it was a beast i could jump a coffee mug with it man i would like to have that car now that was 26 years ago thanks for the video
340, one of the best Chrysler engines of all!
I like those old Chryslers. Very stylish but in a different way, I'd drive it!
I had one of those with a 273 4 speed, and you are right about the fender-wells. Ford made a similar mistake with their 66-67 Fairlanes. Tiny little wheel-wells that won't accommodate a 15" wheel & tire...
You know your stuff. Thank you for the detailed explanation.
I remember my friends father had a blue one my first ride on a Barracuda it was awsome.I remember sitting under that back glass.
I remember my first ride in one.. I was six and my sister's boyfriend threw me in the back.. you know.. where you can grow tomatoes in the wintertime.. Coolest car.
UTG just keeps getting better love it I'm long time Mopar guy in upstate NY need I say more? thanks keep the videos coming😁
Everyone has all these cool car memories, mine are dim at best! I remember cruising in my parents taurus wagon, green in color. What a pile!
I've read all the comments down to yours and this one almost made me spit my coffee. LOL
Good video! Knowledgeable and history of subject, very well done.
Beautiful 65. Same color combo as my mother's 64 that she brought new in April 64. 273 pushbutton shifter, power steering and brakes, and dealer installed hang on air conditioning. My brother has it now. It's all stock. It has the better wheel covers.
Nice car and video sir I'm not that old but I like the older cars lol take care and have a nice weekend
That was my first car, in 8th grade, I got for 550 dollars in 1980, 273 miss it
Thank you for the awesome history! You ROCK!
Good points on the styling!
I had the same exact wheel cover on my 65 barracuda when I bought it then I put Kragers on it. I also had the 225 plant set with a four-barrel carburetor installed on it luckily I had the five bolt pattern on my wheels instead of the four
The Greatest Uncle Tony
Uncle ton Slant six legendary motor had one I know people who bought them new about five hundred thousand miles on them that's why they stopped making them because they were losing money
They made the slant from 1960 to 1982, a long time. They only dropped them because they wouldn't fit a front wheel drive car and they had newer V6s. It wasn't worth while to keep making them just for pickup trucks. They were going to an all front wheel drive car program at the time.
I had a '64 barracuda with a 273cid... I loved it...wife and kids came along, no rear seats belt....I sold it for $500.00... Should of gave the wife a kids away for free😬
or better yet sell them for the 500 baklavas and hang on to that 64 bearacuda ?
Best comment !
Flyin hi Again hahaaaaaa
First car I got out of service was a 65 with the commando 273 and 4 speed. Found out when I went to replace a axle seal that it had a ford rear end, approx 390 gears. Wish I would have kept it.
Lost,, wig and dog. Reward for dog.
I love the first barracudas even with the querks
Right from my era - late'ish 1960's. 64 Valiant with a 60-60-60 225 running in E Gas until it was wrecked, then a 64 Cuda with a home grown 383/TF conversion running in B Gas. They were street'able, sort of... Ran at night north of Santa Cruz at 4-lanes (Hwy 1). The thing is they both had enough wheel well to take decent cheater slicks on Cop wheels (artillery style) and narrowed 8.75's. The issue was the local "Fuzz" would bust anyone who had wheels and/or tires protruding beyond the body metal (common local ordinance). You could run hard with these cars with the tire fully under the car. Neutral start that TF at 4K and run away from even the best stick/clutch guys. The medium soft hit of the neutral start TF loaded the tires just right :D
Nice looking car & story Uncle Tony :)
I'm a truck guy. This is the only car I want.
A true smoker never puts down their cigarette, even when filming a video. It's like a sixth finger, lol!
This is my dream car for a all aluminum Keith Black Hemi. Kind like a Richard Petty tribute car. IMO the looks of these cars is much improved with radiused rear wheel arch.
Just needed taller wheels,I run 15 on my 66. fills it out much more
I see one of those at the local dragway once in a while running 4.70 outlaw class. Mopar power with a Pro Charger.
I have both a 66 Mustang & a 65 Barracuda & although I'm a fan of the fish car, there's no doubt the pony has a sexier look.