FEROCIOUS - Glenn Hamilton

Story By George Pich

Photos By David Gates

Glenn Hamilton’s wild Ultra Street 1967 Plymouth Barracuda certainly checks off all of the aforementioned boxes, except the fish part, of course.

Hamilton has been racing for over 25 years in various cars and along the way he was subconsciously developing the design of what he calls his “dream car”. It would have to be something out of the ordinary, definitely attention getting and be seriously quick. A little over 10 years ago, Glenn decided it was time to finally take all those ideas from years of cars and racing and put them to work in a new build.

Barracuda: “A large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behavior.”

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Barracuda serious good looks!

Gary Naughton Race Cars did a ton of work to fit the factory grills and headlights into the VFN front clip and still maintain that factory appearance, flat hood and all! The killer cool Lime Green paint is ac cented by factory style black stripes.

The first step was to find just the right car, and for Glenn that would have to be a Mopar, specifically, a Barracuda. The thing about most Mopar muscle car offerings is that they look mean and fast, so there’s not much they need in the way of appearance work, but make no mistake, Hamilton would hit every single area of this car with as much high-end parts and detail as possible, and the result is nothing short of stunning!

Refined and streetwise on the surface...deep down... this veteran muscle car is a merciless hunter...

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Fabricated Aluminum Valve Covers

These good-looking, tall height (37⁄8" overall) fabricated valve covers not only look great, but more importantly, they clear the shaft mount rocker system used on hi-po engines with 18 degree heads. They’re made from .084" thick aluminum to reduce engine weight and include the necessary fasteners to ensure a correct installation.

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Billet steel gears and a double roller timing chain combine to make this Trick Flow True Roller Timing Chain Set the strongest, most accurate available today. Furthermore, the crank sprocket features multiple keyways to allow the cam to be installed straight-up, retarded, or advanced.

Glenn Hamilton with his admitted “dream car”. It took 10 years to build but is worth every hour and dollar spent. With the car being completed in 2021 and just a handful of passes on it, Glenn has wheeled it to 4.70s in the 1/8th mile at over 150MPH in Ultra Street trim!

The ’67 would soon find itself stripped to the bones where Gary Naughton Race Cars would take over and integrate an Ultra Street class legal 25.3 chromoly backhalf chassis and cage with the factory frame rails and floor.

To keep things serviceable with easy to source parts, the front suspension was built by Maryland Performance Specialties as a oneoff factory bolt-in Mustang strut front end with Racecraft lower control arms, drop spindles and Afco double adjustable struts with Stiletto 20° billet rack.

Race goodies include the FT600 display, precision shifter and are mixed with a generous amount of factory trim and two race seats, just in case a passenger needs to experience what a boosted small block Mopar can do.

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A custom ladder bar with x-brace track locator, Afco double adjustable shocks and anti-roll bar resides out back suspending a Moser fabricated 9-inch rear with Moser aluminum center section, 35 spline axles, 3.89 gears and spool.

The floors and frame, along with all the suspension work were then powder coated by Powder Coat Express.

The front clip started off as a VFN glass unit that was modded by Gary Naughton Race Cars to fit the factory grills and headlights along with building the one of kind low air dam, turbo inlet and bracing, all while keeping the factory style functional hood. That low profile hood is also a VFN piece as are the rear bumper and trunk lid. Phil Connor took over from there and finished the body to perfection after which the Lime Green paint was laid down and highlighted with factory style black stripes.

The Barracuda was backhalved and mini tubbed and the chromoly chassis carries a 25.3 certification. Cage bars snake through the interior and include a Funny Car style halo.

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took care of fabricating the custom rear wing that partially shrouds the twin ’chute setup.

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While the chassis and body were being completed, Glenn turned his attention to power and enlisted the help of Hartsock Race Engines to build a tough-as-nails small block Mopar

mill. A true Mopar fanatic will mix and match their car with er brand engine – it’s a sure way completely ostracized from ery brand-dedicated enthusiast or forum in the world – and Hamilton is no different, choosing keep his Plymouth full blooded. A 358-inch R5P7 Mopar

will rarely with anothway to be most eventhusiast club and Glenn choosing to blooded.

Mopar engine

A 358 cubic inch R5P7 Mopar engine built by Hartsock Race Engines takes up the real estate between the rails of the Barracuda. A Bryant crank was mated with Manley rods and lifters, and the Mopar heads were reworked and fitted Jesel rockers.

Glenn Hamilton’s Street/Strip 1967 Plymouth Barracuda

Chassis Type & Mods:

25.3 chromoly chassis/cage built by Gary Naughton Race Cars to meet Ultra Street class rules. Mini tubed, factory frame rails & floors. The chassis floors and all suspension were powder coated by Powder Coat Express. Car weighs 3380 with driver.

Suspension:

The front suspension was built by Maryland Performance Specialties as a one-off factory bolt-in Mustang strut front end with Racecraft lower control arms, drop spindles & Afco/Menser double adjustable struts. Also has a 20° billet Stiletto rack and pinion

The rear suspension is a ladder bar with x-brace track locator with Afco/Menser double adjustable coilover shocks, with antiroll bar.

Body & Paint:

The front clip started off as a VFN glass front clip. Gary Naughton Race Cars did substatial work to fit the factory grills and headlights and also building the one of a kind low air dam, turbo inlet, bracing etc. to keep a factory style functional hood. VFN glass hood, rear bumper and trunk lid. Custom wing from Maryland Performance Specialties and all body work and paint was done by Phil Connor.

Engine:

358 cubic inch R5P7 Mopar engine built by Hartsock Race Engines. Sonny Bryant crank, Manley rods and pistons, 11.5 to 1 compression. Custom ground cam. Mopar P532 heads with Jesel rockers.

Induction & Fuel Delivery:

Cast intake with Wilson Manifolds throttle body. 2250 Injector Dynamics injectors, Weldon 2345 fuel pump, Weldon fuel regulator

Power Adder:

Forced Induction billet 76 turbo, Chiseled Performance intercooler, ProCharger blow off valve. Stainless headers, Y pipe & intercooler plumbing built by Aaron Hamilton.

Electronics:

The car is controlled By Fueltech FT600 with Fueltech boost controller, smart coils and shock sensors. Tuned by Brendan Mills and Jon Balinsky at OAB Racing.

Transmission & Converter:

Reid case Pro Mod Powerglide with a Sonnax 158 gear set and Pro Torque GenX Torque converter. Precision air shifter and Chiseled tans cooler. Transmission is maintained by Keith at Performance Transmission.

Rear Differential:

Moser Fab 9 with Moser 35 spline axles, aluminum 3rd member, 3.89 gears and spool.

Best ET & MPH: 1/8th mile - 4.70’s / 150 mph

was built using a Bryant crank, Manley rods and pistons and the final compression ratio is 11.5 to 1. A custom ground cam was specc’d and Dodge aluminum heads were massaged and treated to a set of Jesel rockers. A port-matched cast intake works in conjunction with a Wilson Manifolds throt-

tle body and 2250 Injector Dynamics injectors are fed by a Weldon 2345 fuel pump with Weldon regulator.

A Forced Induction billet 76 turbo forces copious amounts of extra atmosphere into the mix and is paired with a Chiseled Performance intercooler and ProCharger blow off

Removing the front-end provides more than enough access to the meat and potatoes of the build.

A Forced induction billet 76 turbo was plumbed into the mix and Glenn’s brother, Aaron, built all of the stainless headers, Y pipe and intercooler plumbing.

The battery and coolers are installed in a well detailed trunk along with an ample sized fuel cell to fulfill the needs of any type of driving Glenn might want to do.

valve. Stainless headers, Y pipe and intercooler plumbing were all fabricated by Glenn’s brother, Aaron Hamilton.

A Reid-cased Pro Mod Powerglide transmission with Sonnax 158 gear set and Pro Torque GenX Torque converter back up the small block powerhouse and the entire package is con-

trolled by a Fueltech FT600 system with Fueltech boost controller, smart coils and shock sensors. Tuning duties fall on Brendan Mills and Jon Balinsky at OAB Racing.

“This was a 10 year project, and wouldn’t be possible without all of the countless hours from my family &

close friends,” said Hamilton. And as far as being a ferocious predator goes, at the end of 2021 with just 4 months in the car under his belt, Glenn was able to bust out 4.70s in the 1/8th, and you can bet there’s more to come. So yeah, we’d say this Barracuda definitely has some serious bite!