AMT 1965 Cuda new tool

[blizzy63]

Colors...colors...

[blizzy63]

22 hours ago, M W Elky said:

HEMI’s of coarse

Indeed...!

Edited Saturday at 07:28 PM by blizzy63

[M W Elky]

2 hours ago, blizzy63 said:

Indeed...!

I always thought this kit looked like it was more 1/24 scale

[JFK]

This is my second used car growing was used.  My car had a 273 V8 Two Barrel Carburetor, but there was OPTION 4 Barrel available, with a automatic Push Button Transmission on the Dash with Black Interior with Bucket Front with RUBY Exterior Paint.   The car was a good car but the paint started to fade and you could see metallic particles in the paint as it began to turn pinkish color.

Great memories for me in this car before I enlisted in the Army.

I thought I would mention the 273 V8 and a hopped-up version of the same motor with duel exhaust!

Great looking car you made too and the memories of time passed!

Take Best of Care and Enjoy this Great Hobby!

Joe

[Mark]

1 hour ago, M W Elky said:

I always thought this kit looked like it was more 1/24 scale

The body is longer than the stock '65-'66 Barracuda mainly up front, because of the nose extension.  The chassis and engine in the Fireball 500 kit are actually the parts that had been used in the '65 and '66 kits, with different headers and with the molded-in exhaust detail removed.

[blizzy63]

2 hours ago, M W Elky said:

I always thought this kit looked like it was more 1/24 scale

I was always convinced of the same thing with the AMT ‘65 Ford Fairlane kit.

I hear-tell that the Fireball 500 kit was derived from the AMT ‘66 Valiant Signet promo mold. We’ll soon be able to compare the platform chassis to the new ‘65 Barracuda kit.

The Fireball’s “Hemi” engine certainly is a match to the old AMT ‘65-66 Barracuda kit “Hemi” V-8.

[M W Elky]

11 minutes ago, Mark said:

The body is longer than the stock '65-'66 Barracuda mainly up front, because of the nose extension.  The chassis and engine in the Fireball 500 kit are actually the parts that had been used in the '65 and '66 kits, with different headers and with the molded-in exhaust detail removed.

The tires seemed to be taller to

[Mark]

The original issue Fireball 500 used a strange choice in tires, the front tires from AMT's Indy car kits.  The AMT Mach I fastback Mustang concept car also used those.  AMT had a few sand dragster kits out at that time, those used the taller rear tires from the Indy cars.  My guess is that the mold for that style tire produced both front and rear tires, and AMT had to pick something to use up the front tires as well as the rears.

Edited Sunday at 12:27 AM by Mark
Added info

[Mark]

10 minutes ago, blizzy63 said:

I was always convinced of the same thing with the AMT ‘65 Ford Fairlane kit.

 

The 1:1 '65 Fairlane is actually an inch or two longer than the '66.

[stavanzer]

I've got 2 of those Fireball 500 Kits, sitting in the stash.

I wonder how hard it will be to do just an engine swap?

Is the Stock 273 V-8 in the Lindberg Li'l Red Wagon a viable swap choice for a regular, V-8 Barracuda?

I've got one of those too.

The More I see of this little kit, the more I like it.

[iwantmodels]

This 1965 Barracuda looks great.  I can't wait until it comes out.  Even more excited after the video.  

[Mark]

The IMC Dodge engine is a 273, so it should work.  Accessories (oil pan, exhaust manifolds, alternator drive belt) are all probably different from what is needed for a Barracuda.  The IMC engine has a three-speed manual transmission with a unique rear attachment setup for the pickup chassis.  That will also need to be reworked or replaced for the Barracuda.  The MPC Duster/Demon, '75/'76 Dart Sport, or '80 Volare engine/transmission might be better, with the intake and air cleaner replaced with earlier parts.

[stavanzer]

2 hours ago, Mark said:

The IMC Dodge engine is a 273, so it should work.  Accessories (oil pan, exhaust manifolds, alternator drive belt) are all probably different from what is needed for a Barracuda.  The IMC engine has a three-speed manual transmission with a unique rear attachment setup for the pickup chassis.  That will also need to be reworked or replaced for the Barracuda.  The MPC Duster/Demon, '75/'76 Dart Sport, or '80 Volare engine/transmission might be better, with the intake and air cleaner replaced with earlier parts.

Thanks, Mark.

I did not know about the Transmission Mount and Three Speed. 

I have both the Dart Sport & Volare kits, that I can grab things from.

I'll have to look at the parts when I get the kit.

[Mark]

I mentioned the Volare as, though the engine is much the same as those in the annual Duster/Dart Sport and recently tooled Demon, the Volare has an automatic transmission while the others are four-speed equipped.  The IMC engine's three-speed could be used, you'd just have to rework the back of the transmission to a passenger car configuration.  That could probably be done by lopping the tailshaft from a parts box manual transmission and piecing it onto the IMC part, after the mounting bracket is trimmed off.  A lot of cars had three-speed transmissions back then, so that would be a legit option.

[Mark C.]

3 hours ago, Mark said:

The MPC Duster/Demon, '75/'76 Dart Sport, or '80 Volare engine/transmission might be better, with the intake and air cleaner replaced with earlier parts.

There’s also the 340 from the AMT ‘71 Duster (externally the same as the 273), and IIRC the AMT ‘41 Plymouth had a small block Mopar in it.  Don’t recall the transmission attached though.

IMHO, with some fiddling the standard 273 could be replicated fairly well, but the hipo Commando version had some dress-up parts like finned valve covers and unsilenced air cleaner.  FWIW, I seem to recall that somebody was doing these in resin or 3D, but I’m not sure now…

Then there’s also the slant six option from the Lindberg/AMT ‘64 Dodge and Plymouth.  😉

[1972coronet]

If anyone's interested ; here's thee definitive source for all things MoPar , should one desire to replicate a factory-fresh build. This is the 1965 Barracuda factory literature :

The 1970 Hamtramck Registry - 1965 Plymouth Dealership Data Book - Barracuda

[M W Elky]

On 11/8/2025 at 2:16 PM, blizzy63 said:

Colors...colors...

This would have made a good side panel on the new box art

[stavanzer]

2 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

If anyone's interested ; here's thee definitive source for all things MoPar , should one desire to replicate a factory-fresh build. This is the 1965 Barracuda factory literature :

The 1970 Hamtramck Registry - 1965 Plymouth Dealership Data Book - Barracuda

Thanks for sharing that link John!

Nice to see that in 1965, Backup Lights were Optional!

Any place to see photos of the Stock 273 Engine? I am thinking that my Volare kit will donate the engine block, and the L.R.W. will give up the Intake, Air Cleaner, and Valve Covers.

Not sure about the exhaust system. I'll have to see what work, when I start mocking up parts. 

[1972coronet]

20 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

Thanks for sharing that link John!

Nice to see that in 1965, Backup Lights were Optional!

Any place to see photos of the Stock 273 Engine? I am thinking that my Volare kit will donate the engine block, and the L.R.W. will give up the Intake, Air Cleaner, and Valve Covers.

Not sure about the exhaust system. I'll have to see what work, when I start mocking up parts. 

-Backup ( reverse, et al. ) lamps weren't required until 01/01/1965 .

- Only place that I can think of to see images of stock 273 would be online. The Commando 273 has different valve covers (black wrinkle finish with aluminium fins ) and a plated , unsilenced air cleaner. The standard 2 Bbl. 273 has plain valve covers ( engine colour ) and an air cleaner with a snorkel on it (semi-gloss black).
Personally, I'd start with the AMT '71 Duster 340 for a representative of the 273. PCV and breather are in different locations ; images will exhibit this. 

- V8 exhaust is on the opposite side of the 225 , both the standard 273 and the 273-HP ; the latter with the bright , "shin slicer" exhaust tip.

I'll see what photos I can find... 

EDIT - Here's a stock 273 two barrel :

Edited Sunday at 11:17 PM by 1972coronet

[stavanzer]

That's Perfect, John. That looks like the Air Cleaner from the Lindberg Kit.

I have no '71 Duster kit, so I'll stick with what I can find in my stash.

But the Photo really helps! 

Thank You!

[Carmak]

I was watching some of the HPIguy build and the body looks like it has the V Commando emblems on the front fender. Probably not correct for the slant 6 but perfect for how many of us are going to complete our builds.

[Carmak]

This is the "Commando" 273.

[blizzy63]

5 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

-Backup ( reverse, et al. ) lamps weren't required until 01/01/1965 .

- Only place that I can think of to see images of stock 273 would be online. The Commando 273 has different valve covers (black wrinkle finish with aluminium fins ) and a plated , unsilenced air cleaner. The standard 2 Bbl. 273 has plain valve covers ( engine colour ) and an air cleaner with a snorkel on it (semi-gloss black).
Personally, I'd start with the AMT '71 Duster 340 for a representative of the 273. PCV and breather are in different locations ; images will exhibit this. 

- V8 exhaust is on the opposite side of the 225 , both the standard 273 and the 273-HP ; the latter with the bright , "shin slicer" exhaust tip.

I'll see what photos I can find... 

EDIT - Here's a stock 273 two barrel :

Three engines for the 1965 Plymouth Barracuda:

Slant-6 - 225 c.i., 145 hp, 1-bbl., 8.2:1 c.r.

Standard V-8 - 273 c.i., 180 hp, 2-bbl., 8.8:1 c.r.

Commando V-8 (optional) - 273 c.i., 235 hp, 4-bbl., 10.5:1 c.r. (illustrated below)

Transmissions were the Automatic 3-speed Torqueflite or the optional 4-on-the-floor manual with Hurst linkage (only the Valiant had a 3-speed manual).

Edited 23 hours ago by blizzy63

[stavanzer]

Would any of the parts from the Latest Round2 (ex-MPC) '69 Barracuda work on this new kit?

A brief glance at the instructions shows there might be a few things that might be useful on the new '65.

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/mpc-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/plymouth/1961-1970/mpc-killer-cuda-bar/?view=roll#1

[Luc Janssens]

4 hours ago, stavanzer said:

Would any of the parts from the Latest Round2 (ex-MPC) '69 Barracuda work on this new kit?

Chassis wise they do look very similar..