They went to Aiken, South Carolina, where John Brew took it down to the basics, replaced the rot, and then applied three coats of PPG Global basecoat/clearcoat black. The final touch was the interior, where Corbeau front seats and a custom dash fabricated by Gibbs shop foreman Paul Charcut was added. Auto Meter gauges show what's going on under the hood, but the rest of the interior is still stock, with the OEM steering wheel restored back to original.
Jeff has spent over a decade in the world of NASCAR, and his wife Cynthia and daughters Emily and Lily were on hand as he wheeled the car around Road Atlanta during the 2007 YearOne Experience. He also thanks his racing family for what they did to make the 'Cuda a standout project.
"I have worked in NASCAR for 15 years," he says in conclusion. "And I have been blessed to work with the people at Joe Gibbs, KB Racing, and Pro-Fabrication, all of whom are some of the most talented people in the world at what they do."
Fast Facts
'67 Plymouth Barracuda Jeff and Cynthia Guenther, Kannapolis, NC
Mopar Power
Engine: The stock 340 was rated at 275 ponies from the factory. To almost double that, Jeff used his connections in the NASCAR world, plus his own assembly talent. KB Racing's Eric Maij lightened and balanced the reciprocating assembly; we imagine you could spin it with one finger once these guys were done tweaking it. A static compression ratio of 10.5 was achieved with the piston flush at deck height. JE sportsman pistons and wristpins, Manley NASCAR rods, and ARP hardware round it out. A Comp Cams mechanic roller is now in the center of the block. Todd Ames (also of KB Racing) reworked a pair of Edelbrock heads, spanned by a Mopar single-plane intake and a Holley-style carburetor by Willys. Pro-Fabrication did the one-of-a-kind headers.
Horsepower and Performance: Over at KB Racing before the install, Pro Stock driver Jason Line pulled the handle to get 502 horses (at 6,800 rpm) and 445 ft-lb torque (at 5,200 rpm) on the dyno.
Transmission: Five beats four-a Tremec TKO 600 with five gears is under a custom tunnel fabricated by Tom Welsh at Autocrafters.
Differential: The 8 3/4 banjo-type Sure Grip rear with a 3.91 Richmond gear and a set of Moser axles.
Sure Grip
Suspension: Edelbrock was called on for their new IAS shocks; if these NASCAR guys are usin' them, they're probably pretty good! A Firm Feel steering box and rear-mounted Calvert bars get a grip on the rest of it.
Brakes: Master Power fronts and Wilwood rears put discs on all four corners.
Wheels: 17-inch moderns here-American Racing Torque Thrust II with 7-inch and 8-inch widths, respectively.
Rubber: Fish flying is handled by wide BF Goodrich T/A G-Force tires, 245/45/17 fronts and 255/50/17 rear. Only the lack of a rollcage and harnesses kept it off the road course Hot Laps at the Year One event.
High Impact
Body: The sanitary bodywork was courtesy of John Brew of Aiken, SC.
Paint: Thanks to Brew, three coats of PPG basecoat /clearcoat black are on the car. If you've ever sprayed black, you can appreciate what John accomplished.
Interior: Still somewhat stock, the steering wheel was restored, but Jeff added a dash layout custom-fabbed by pal Paul Charcut at Joe Gibbs' shop; Auto Meter gauges are in place. Carbeau front seats plus a Keisler shortened pistol grip round it out.
Best Performance: We don't know, but it even looks good standing still!
"Mopars have been in my family for 40 years. My uncles Kip and Mike Guenther both raced; Kip was on the '67 Super Stock World Championship team." -Jeff Guenther