1969 Barracuda

[250 Testa Rossa]

51 minutes ago, Mark said:

Powertrain was changed quite a bit between the Hemi Under Glass and LA Dart.  Besides the whole setup being reversed (to put the engine behind the rear wheels), it was changed from fuel injectors to a supercharger, and the headers were changed.  There were other tweaks to the chassis also, like the roll cage being altered.  I believe the Barracuda had the back of the cage behind the shortened interior bucket, while the Dart has the whole cage inside the bucket.  I'm pretty certain most, if not all, of the engine was retooled including the block.

You're absolutely right. I seriously hope they bring back the '68 Hemi Under Glass, and that is a holy grail of mine. 

[tim boyd]

59 minutes ago, Mark said:

Powertrain was changed quite a bit between the Hemi Under Glass and LA Dart.  Besides the whole setup being reversed (to put the engine behind the rear wheels), it was changed from fuel injectors to a supercharger, and the headers were changed.  There were other tweaks to the chassis also, like the roll cage being altered.  I believe the Barracuda had the back of the cage behind the shortened interior bucket, while the Dart has the whole cage inside the bucket.  I'm pretty certain most, if not all, of the engine was retooled including the block.

Thanks Mark for the added detail.  

I looked it up in my book, the two kits are covered on pages 147 and 148.   Perhaps not as much detail as I would have preferred, but I was way over my book contract "word count" limit by the time I got to these kits.  My recollection on the Hemi Under Glass is that the engine was under the rear backlight and attached directly to the differential.  Whereas the LA Dart engine was reversed, raised up very high and rearward in the chassis to appear as though it was in the trunk, and then connected through a 1960s style Drag/Ski Boat V-Drive setup to the rear axle.  But the basic chassis pan was the HUG, later modified to the LA Dart configuration.  

This was one of the surprises I encountered in putting together the book, because like several of you I initially thought the entire underbody/powertrain layout was the same in both kits...

TIM 

[tim boyd]

On 6/9/2023 at 10:07 AM, Force said:

AMT did a 1967 Barracuda and MPC did the 1968 and 1969, I don't know they are based on the same tooling but the MPC 1968 and 1969 share tooling and it's the body and body related parts that's different.

The 1967/68/69 Barracuda tooling was the same (other than year to year revisions to reflect the 1/1 updates) even though the branding changed from AMT to MPC starting in 1968.  In fact, per my book "Collecting Muscle Car Model Kits" (p.100), the 1967 kit actually carried over most of the chassis and powertrain tooling from the 1965/1966 AMT kits, and that includes the 426 Hemi engine.  Which helps to explain why today's 1969 Barracuda kit is so basic in its underskin componentry.  

Best....TB

Edited June 12, 2023 by tim boyd

[1972coronet]

3 hours ago, tim boyd said:

The 1967/68/69 Barracuda tooling was the same (other than year to year revisions to reflect the 1/1 updates) even though the branding changed from AMT to MPC starting in 1968.  In fact, per my book "Collecting Muscle Car Model Kits" (p.100), the 1967 kit actually carried over most of the chassis and powertrain tooling from the 1965/1966 AMT kits, and that includes the 426 Hemi engine.  Which helps to explain why today's 1969 Barracuda kit is so basic in its underskin componentry.

Too bad that the original 225/auto and 426 Race Hemi/auto were "lost" prior to the c.1988 reissue. At least the 'Recall' wheels were added, and the chassis received dual exhaust (albeit, moulded-on). 

[ncbuckeye67]

I thought I saw that this was on the list to be released, some time in 2023.

[Casey]

On 6/7/2023 at 11:38 AM, Matt Bacon said:

Anyone seen a review of the kit they can point me towards?

 

[drodg]

On 6/8/2023 at 2:38 PM, 1972coronet said:

I don't believe that I've ever seen a 1969 Barracuda - irrespective of its trim level - with that moulding. That's not to say that it didn't exist ; I've just never seen one so-equipped. 

Here's a link to Hamtramck Historical regarding changes & cancellations : 

That molding on the original kit was a replica of the side stripes that were standard on the 69 Barracuda.  That stripe was replaced with the bigger 340 or 383 stripe if one would order it or was deleted if you order a Cuda 340 or 383.