Featured Projects Dirt Cheap Dart

You may be able to sell a bunch of stuff off that 80's parts car. Anything RWD is rare any more....

 

Wise man. That looks like a Volare fender.....am I right? If so, you may want to hang onto the spindles and disc brakes, along with the master cylinder., and maybe even the rear end. I seem to recall the Volare spindle will fit onto A-body ball joints, adapting later model discs to your early A-body, along with the 4-1/2" lug pattern. The rear may also be a bolt-in, or easily get spring perches welded on, and give you the large pattern all around. I could be wrong, but it's worth at least researching.

Roger

 

BTW; Was that '66 a slant car? If so, you're going to have to make some mods to the engine crossmember. The slant had offset brackets on the crossmember, where the V-8's were more directly across from each other. You might want to salvage the frame brackets from the donor car for possible use.

Roger

 

The later rear axles often have a rubber isolator with attending spring mounts.
Here's an Imperial.
https://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/threads/leaf-spring-isolator.63998/
Just be aware they aren't a bolt-in swap. Easy enough to slide under and check.
If the focus is drags, you have A body super stock springs (not sure they are still available) and other upgrades. Do your research! There are some places out there that aren't good and you want the car to work for your usage. Stiff springs ride poorly for general cruising. There is a well known Mopar seller that has good parts but really bad customer service. Most tell you to buy from one of their affiliates rather than direct.

 

Changed the plugs, and the lower plugs are 3/8 npt IIRC.
Dan

 

The donor was a 5th Ave, it also had a
7-1/4 rear. I have a 8.8 exploder I will eventually install.
Dan

 

I also like the OT Magnum RT, the new stuff has serious power my OT Ram truck has 395 HP and 410 lb- ft of torque, I’m ashamed to say it’s the most powerful engine I’ve ever owned.
Dan

 

Good find, the 2 dr post is the one to have.

 

I've had a bunch of early A bodies, currently a '63 Dart wagon. The 5th Ave disc spindles will indeed work, you just need big ball joint upper arms from a later A body. Early A k members are all the same, there was no V8 spec one.

 

When my wife finally got her driver's license at 24 yrs. old I bought her a 1966 Dart GT with 273 automatic for $225 back in 1978! It had minor damage to one front fender on the side and I banged that out and shot it yellow to match. It was a pale yellow with white and black interior and a cute little car. But it was manual steering and brakes, and she soon decided she just had to work too hard to drive it. Wish I'd kept it and converted it to power steering and brakes instead of selling it. I love those early Darts!

 

Cool picture. Those were the days
Dan

 

Love the early barracudas
Dan

 

Here's some advice that I learned the hard way: If you've got a leaking freeze plug, go ahead and pull the engine to get to it. I didn't, and wasted a hell of a lot more time trying to replace a rusted-out freeze plug on the 273 in the barracuda than the time and effort to pull the engine. It can be done without pulling the engine - I succeeded in that. Stubbornness won out, but wasted a lot of time and effort doing it the hard way.

 

A little background.
The car is a base slant 6 car.
My intentions are to ***emble a fun driver. Will not be a show winner or a 1/4 mile terror. I will do as much of the work as can. I live about 2 miles from a paved road so gravel. They paved a few hundred feet in front of my house leading up to a bridge.
Dan

 

Thanks @corncobcoupe I should’ve mentioned right off. Like I said this is my first rodeo.
Dan

 

I checked the compression while engine was still in the donor 145 to 155.
During the rattle can rebuild I installed a Cloyes double roller timing chain, a point’s distributor new wires and ***orted gaskets. Installed the Street Dominator and AFB. Modified brackets for the kick down linkage.

 

a little off topic but still about plymouth cars a good friend raced 66-67 fair;anes back in the day but he bought a new 383 roadrunner 4 dpeed after a while he wanted to race it but it had hiway gears so he took the 9 inch out of a fairlane with 4.10(?) and lo and behold it was a bolt in in the roadrunner i think he had to sit down and push the leaf springs apart a little but other than that it bolted in even brake lines even roadrunner wheels went on

 

wow!

 

Looks good!
Even have the a body oil filter adapter!

I tried to spot it, but not sure. The exhaust manifolds usually don't use gaskets. Just clean and install bare. The end studs go into water jackets. If they came out, use a sealer that will hold when installing.

For that 90 degree byp*** hose, get the best one you can. Those and/or the thermostat housing always seem to leak on fresh paint. Oh, white paint on the timing mark now, too.

Don't forget the Orange spring and washer+clip for the 'kickdown' and confirm the proper adjustment.

 

When I got the intake gaskets I was surprised to see they were steel shim style.
A thread on this
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/318-intake-gasket-help.1329528/
I installed the Cloyes timing set straight up took compression readings and got 145 to 150 psi, advanced 2 degrees and checked compression, was basically the same except a couple cylinders were a couple psi down. Reinstalled straight up. I also checked the damper markings they were off a couple degrees. Remarked the damper. Set the timing at all in at 32 degrees at 3000 rpm. I’ll order a limiter plate for the distributor after I get on the road and tune accordingly.
My understanding is 32 to 34 degrees total advance max , use the limiter to set the best initial with the 32 to 34 total. Some have up to 20 degrees initial. Yikes.
Funny story while I was playing with the cam timing my wife comes to the garage “Can you take me to the dentist?” Sure when? “Right now they have an opening” ok.
Long story short we get back and I install timing cover and water pump torque everything down. **** did I torque the cam gear? I write down my sequences and x out when done. The cam sprocket torquing wasn’t scratched out. Dis***emble and sure enough I did torque the bolt oh well another trip to the parts store more gaskets.
A thread on advancing the cam timing.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/low-compression-la-318-cam-timing.1328367/
Dan

 

My stocker 318 was happy at about 8-10 initial. My breathed on 340 liked 15-18.
Both in 3500 pound cars.

EDIT: Just remembered, early LAs the water pump inlet was on the driver side, late is p***enger Your late radiator is probably too wide to fit the 66.



Hope the wife's experience was pleasant!

 

If you are buying an early one, bring along the pulley. Match center and bolt holes!

 

Wife got her tooth fixed.
Water inlet on p***enger side. Made the /6 radiator work may need to buy an aftermarket radiator some say the six radiator will work some say no way will it work. The donors radiator is too big.
Dan

 

Looks like your having fun now.
I'll be watching.
As a side note, I've found that most Mopar motors have their very own favorite timing specs. The numbers posted are usually starting points, then get adjusted per motor. Also, as the points age (wear), the timing can change.

 

Clean the heater core and plumb it. That will help, at least during winter!

 

Yep bought a new heater core, haven’t installed yet.
Dan

 

The slant 6 radiator is on the edge of not being big enough to cool a mild 318. A very clean slant 6 radiator would be required. However, if that slant 6 radiator was for a car that had AC, it may actually be the bigger 318 radiator already.
Normally 318s don't tend to run hot, but as you add HP and push them harder, it increases the need for better cooling.
A heater core with a blower fan would help bring down the temp of an overheating 318, but who really wants to turn on the heater with max fan when its 90 degrees outside?

 

As a the owner of a '65 Valiant Signet, 273/235, 4spd, in my high school yrs (50+yrs ago), I absolutely, positively, dig this thread! A buddy had a '66 Dart GT at the same time. We were the barer's of the Mopar torch in the HS parking lot as it were...

 

Glad to see you working on your Dart, the 8.8 is a great street axle. Part availability is great and the Explorer offered 3.23, 3.55, 3.73 and 4.10 all with the LD, a clutch type differential that Ford called a locking differential.
Quick Performance in Ames Ia has everything you need except stock clutch kits and Ford has them along with carbon fiber clutch kits.
https://www.quickperformance.com/?g...J1x_yz3eE7aXytNZ7786QdPVJAH8ovBhoC_SYQAvD_BwE
I had them cut my housing and install billet 9” ends so I could use 9” axles. They also welded the tubes to the center… There work is top notch!