Featured Projects Dirt Cheap Dart

Hello all this my first build thread. So here goes.
A couple of years ago I began looking for a car to play with. I like non run of the mill stuff. My all time favorite would be a 32 Ford anything but out of my price range.
Looking in the HAMB cl***ifieds I found a 66 Dodge Dart that looked pretty clean and only needed drive train and windshield advertised by @Lone Star Mopar. A couple phone calls and I was on my way to Texas to pick up the Dart. Spent part of the day talking cars with Ricky, Ricky is a great guy.

 

I’d drive it

 

On my way home with a new toy.
My plan was to find roller cam 5.9/360 install an Eddy Air gap ,4 bbl, dual exhaust with a cam in the 220 @.050 with around .450 - .500 lift range a 2500 rpm stall converter in a 904. Find a stouter rear axle than the 7-1/4 with 2.94 gears something in the 3.5 range. The engine would make an easy 350 hp which if set up right would get the car into the deep 12s.
Some life stuff happened, some minor to moderate health issues for me and the wife and a Family emergency which required our attention. Long story short my funny money (car budget etc) got dinged pretty good.
My original plan would be in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000. Sure lol.
My options are wait for funds or find something cheaper.
Lo and behold I find an OT donor with a 318 and a 904 with 80k miles for $440. Great I buy it pull the engine/trans. Keep the drive shaft, 3 15x 7.0 wheels with a 5 on 4.5 bp. Perfect my plan is buy a Ford exploder 8.8 the wheels will fit. I pull everything I think I’ll need and s**** the beast for $200.
To be continued
Dan

 

Good luck Dan,I'll be following.

 

Good score. He's a good dude.

 

The best.
Dan

 

I love me a nice early A body. Mine has a roller 318 with a A833 overdrive 4 speed and an 8 3/4” rear with 3.55:1 for the street and 4.56:1 I’m going to run on a drag and drive in July. When the Hemi goes in my Fargo the 360 out of it will go in the Barracuda!

 

Those early Barracudas are cool.
Dan

 

They say spilling a little blood on the project is good at the rate I’m going the Dart should be great. Thanks for the offer on the wheels however I’m going steelies with dog dishes.
Dan

 

A little burn out in donor car before pulling the engine. If ya got em smoke em.
Dan

 

Pull the engine and strip the junk
Dan

 

Better be good, the Mopar folks are watching.

 

What’s the saying
Good and cheap, good and fast, or fast and cheap Pick two

 

Cool! I’ll be following along. I am also a fan of stuff that isn’t run of the mill even though you might not see that considering the generic stuff I have.

 

Like it!!! When I was a we little street urchin our family car was a 66 Dart … I was around 6 or 7 when dad would let me do the shifting when running errands. Good memories
Look forward to watching your build!

 

save the cruise control



I guess you're not going all out like my 65 Barracuda...you're a lot smarter than me....

 

I looked at that unit many times when it was for sale also . Great car , good luck with the build and prayers to you and family for positive results in health department

 

That cruise control is easy to make work and it works great in early cars

 

Second pic of the donor car's engine bay.......is that a lean burn "computer" up on the cowl? If so, I urge you to yank that stuff off that 80's engine and revert back to cl***ic carb'ed induction. That lean burn system was a horrible stop-gap measure at emission controls that didn't work well, when it did work.

Just sayin'.....Roger

 

I doubt that , I gave the cruise control to a buddy for his project. My plan is to a fun cruiser, maybe take to the strip a few times.
Dan

 

Thanks
Dan

 

Yep in the junk pile.
Dan

 

Next I bought a Holley Street Dominator intake from a friend.
You will notice in this thread a common theme! Fellow HAMBers providing me with goodies, knowledge and encouragement.
I was thinking either running a Holley 600 vac secondary carb or a Quadrajet that I have laying around. After talking with Jon @carbking we/I decided the best carb would be a Carter 500 cfm AFB. Thanks Jon. I learned a lot in my correspondence with Jon. He happened to have one in his stash, so I bought the carb and the rebuild kit for a very reasonable price.
A couple threads on my carb/ manifold questions
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/spreadbore-to-squarebore-adapter.1312981/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/carb-application-help.1318973/
Dan

 

Speaking of which, don't forget...left hand threads on the driver side.

 

Yep

 

Oh, yes! I had a '64 white barracuda with the 273 two-barrel and push****on automatic. Loved that car. I changed out the 13-inch wheels for 14s. Looked like **** but tires lasted a lot longer. I should never have sold that car.

 

Built a down and dirty engine stand.
Next step is a rattle can rebuild. Popped the freeze plugs/core plugs wow a gunky mess cleaned it out with a wire and an air wand, installed new plugs.
looking at the drivers side head there was some sludge, the other side was relatively clean. Upon spinning the engine with the starter the drivers side wasn’t pumping as much oil. Pulled the rocker shaft and rockers yep not much oil coming up. Sprayed carb cleaner then squirted some Marvel Mystery Down the oil supply hole after a few cycles of carb cleaner and MMO I got good flow. Carefully cleaned the sludge from around the springs.
Good oil pressure and good flow.
Dan

 

Freeze plugs in the back of the block. Do them now!
Also each end of the heads.I see the water pump is off. Feel inside the front cover, make sure it isn't corroded away.


EDIT: BTW you can replace those lower plugs with pet****s if you are the type to change coolant often (drag strip requires water, drain for winter, etc.).

 

I've only owned 2 mopars so far, a 65 Sport Fury back in 70, very nice car, when I went to put chrome reverse wheels on it and seem to remember that it had the LH nuts on driver side, My OT Magnum RT doe not and I Really like this car. A very good friend for 60+ years is a Mopar man, through the years we've Street raced each other for bragging rites and I've had some have fun teasing him that my GM junk cleaned his clock back in the day, Now I won't race him as he's got some pretty quick Mopars, these days the only thing I own that has any balls is the OT Magnum RT, a Mopar, fast enough for a 78 year carnut IMO.