1969 Dart Pro touring daily driver **Crashed**

[purplehazenils]

Ive got some time off collage and have decided to do some more extensive work on my first and only car so far, a 1969 dart gt. I bought the car about 5 years ago with money from summer jobs, I was really lucky because right after I got it the value of a bodies shot up and are now way too expensive for a young person to buy working part time in Sweden.
I thought it would be fun to put up a build thread to share and have everything in one place.

The plan is to make the car handle, grip and perform as well as possible without spending too much money. I also want it to be a good daily driver so I will hopefully be remedying all small annoying problems.

Motor: Chrysler Smallblock 360ci - 5.9L
Heads: 915J machined to 56.8 CC Std 1.88 / 1.60 valves, compression 9,8:1
Cam: CompCams Xtreme Energy XE262
Carb: Carter ThermoQuad
Intake: Edelbrock aluminiumintake
Ignition: Mallory
Transmission: Torqueflite 727
Exhaust: Doug`s long tube headers, 2.5"system
Rear end: Open diff 8 1/4 -3,90:1

Shocks: Hotchkis Fox tuned
Rear sway bar: Addco 22mm (yes this is too big when running a stock front bar, like I am)

 

[ScampMike]

nice car!

 

[djais1801]

good score young man!

 

[69DartMatt]

Good looking car! Good luck with your build!

 

[Evan Dutch]

Great car!!

 

[CUDA69]

I noticed the power steering pump. A no cost upgrade is to lower the pressure for less assist. You get a lot more feed back in the wheel. Rich Ehrinburg from Mopar Action came up with it. It just takes a couple washers placed inside the pump. Easily accessible while the pump is still in the car.

 

[dano]

Is this how it sits now?

Motor: Chrysler Smallblock 360ci - 5.9L
Heads: 915J machined to 56.8 CC Std 1.88 / 1.60 valves, compression 9,8:1
Cam: CompCams Xtreme Energy XE262
Carb: Carter ThermoQuad
Intake: Edelbrock aluminiumintake
Ignition: Mallory
Transmission: Torqueflite 727
Exhaust: Doug`s long tube headers, 2.5"system
Rear end: Open diff 8 1/4 -3,90:1

Shocks: Hotchkis Fox tuned
Rear sway bar: Addco 22mm (yes this is too big when running a stock front bar, like I am)

 

[purplehazenils]

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately the body+paint look better in the pictures than in person but its still pretty good.

I noticed the power steering pump. A no cost upgrade is to lower the pressure for less assist. You get a lot more feed back in the wheel. Rich Ehrinburg from Mopar Action came up with it. It just takes a couple washers placed inside the pump. Easily accessible while the pump is still in the car.

Wow thanks I had actually completely forgotten about that mod, good call. I think i will do it because you can actually drive the car with a baby finger as it is now.

Is this how it sits now?

Yes thats where its at now.

 

[purplehazenils]

Im working in my dads garage which means I have access to a lift, which is a blessing when doing jobs like this to say the least. I was able to borrow an engine hoist as well so the removal went pretty well doing it alone and for the first time. I supported the engine from the hoist, removed the front suspension and then removed the engine separately, all from underneath. Thats my younger brother in one of the pictures working on a moped.
(sorry about the picture quality, future ones will not have been reformatted)

 

[dano]

Unless there are issues with the engine it looks to be a pretty good street setup. Unless you want more power I'd leave it alone.

You have good shocks and a rear bar so a set of larger torsion bars and bigger front bar will go a long way to help handling if the rest of the suspension is sound, if not rebuild it and possibly get some aftermarket upper A-arms or use the Moog offset bushing (search this for the proper way to install them) for more caster. Brake wise I see you have front disks, is this converted to large bolt pattern 5x4.5"? What tires? The go a along way for handling and an alignment for modern tires.

 

[purplehazenils]

Unless there are issues with the engine it looks to be a pretty good street setup. Unless you want more power I'd leave it alone.

You have good shocks and a rear bar so a set of larger torsion bars and bigger front bar will go a long way to help handling if the rest of the suspension is sound, if not rebuild it and possibly get some aftermarket upper A-arms or use the Moog offset bushing (search this for the proper way to install them) for more caster. Brake wise I see you have front disks, is this converted to large bolt pattern 5x4.5"? What tires? The go a along way for handling and an alignment for modern tires.

Yeah Im leaving the motor the way it is, the setup works very well Im just changing a freeze plug.
As for the suspension I will eventually get a bigger sway bar and torsion bars but not quite yet. Im going to do the mustang rotor conversion to get the 5x4.5 pattern then I have some US rambler mags 17x8 on the way, Im hoping to run 234 45 17 goodyear eagle f1 asymmetric 3 or other tires front and back.
I have some moog offset bushings and a polygraphite lower control arm bushing with a greasable pivot shaft waiting to go in. Other than that Im just going to stiffen the chassis as much as possible by boxing the control arms re-welding and supporting the k-member, putting in subframe connectors and installing those bars that go from the fire wall to the front of the chassis legs.

 

[purplehazenils]

This is as far as I got welding the k-member before running out of gas. Just as everyone else says, the factory welds really, really suck. If anybody else is doing this I would definitely acid dip the k-member or something. I decreased, scrubbed and power hosed all weld surfaces twice then sanded and wire brushed like mad but there was still grease and grime left. Some of the welds are not that great due to this. I even had to open the doors to the garage because of all the smoke when welding, most smoke was coming from the inside of the member but still.
As you can see the k member has been dented by careless jacking from some of the 25+ previous owners so a big reinforcing skid plate is in order. As I said I ran out of gas there are more reinforcements I will be doing.

 

[Evan Dutch]

This is as far as I got welding the k-member before running out of gas. Just as everyone else says, the factory welds really, really suck. If anybody else is doing this I would definitely acid dip the k-member or something. I decreased, scrubbed and power hosed all weld surfaces twice then sanded and wire brushed like mad but there was still grease and grime left. Some of the welds are not that great due to this. I even had to open the doors to the garage because of all the smoke when welding, most smoke was coming from the inside of the member but still.
As you can see the k member has been dented by careless jacking from some of the 25+ previous owners so a big reinforcing skid plate is in order. As I said I ran out of gas there are more reinforcements I will be doing.

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Did you fabricate some panels to weld to it or did you improve factory welds only?

 

[purplehazenils]

Did you fabricate some panels to weld to it or did you improve factory welds only?

I fabricated some panels aswell. Not sure how to put text between the photos but the panels I made so far a in pictures 5, 8 12. Hopefully you see them in the same order as I do.

 

[Evan Dutch]

Cool.

 

[purplehazenils]

Put some more stiffening plates in today it could be a bit overkill but may as well put them in when I have the chance.

 

[Evan Dutch]

In this case more is better.

 

[purplehazenils]

So! I received the wheels I ordered, the shipping took a week to my door in Sweden which I was very impressed with, I was expecting to have to wait much longer.
The wheels are US mags rambler all 17*8 with 4.5in backspace or 0-1mm offset. I have to say they look alot better in person than in the photos Ive seen so Im very happy with them. The one thing is that they might be a bit flashy for my liking so Ive thought about plasti dipping the chrome lip black but I will wait and see how they look mounted with rubber first.

I also ordered two Michelin pilot sport 4 tires in size 235 45 17. My plan here is to get these two mounted on rims and see how they fit on the front. It is possible that I will have to go down a size to a 225 tire for the front but Im really hoping I wont. Either way I cant wait to feel the difference between a 185 75 14 junk tire (which was on the front) and a good 225 or 235 45 17 tire.

On the rear the rims fit great as you can see in the pics apart from one thing. Those things that hold the leaf spring together are going to rub on the tire at the front and back. I knew this was going to be a problem, I had just planned to buy an offset leaf spring kit. But thinking about it Ive decided to not spend 150 dollars plus shipping plus import tax and just make new ones that dont stick out on the side towards the tire. Has anybody else done this before?

 

[purplehazenils]

The plan is to upgrade to pst`s polygraphite lower control arm bushings and greasable pivot shafts so the old stuff had to come out. The old lower control arm bushings were in very bad shape so Im really happy to be changing them.
Removing the outer bushing shell was kind of tricky. I welded some plate to one end, heated it all up and tried pressing it out. This didnt work the first time as the welds gave in. After that I welded on a circular 3mm plate with far more weld surface but when that plate started to buldge and crack (to my amazement) I gave up on that plan. What worked in the end was just hammering it out with a rod.

 

[purplehazenils]

I got started on boxing the lower control arms, they were in pretty good shape and didnt have tonnes of play. I clamped the pivot part in the vice removing all the play while I tacked them together. The plates are from pst, they were so cheap I didnt think It was worth my while to make my own.

 

[fez440]

cool build! i will be following. as for the leaf springs you could move them over yourself without buying the offset kit. you would have to drill new mounting holes for the hangers in the front and back and a new spring perch on the axle.or use different clamps like these

 

[Evan Dutch]

cool build! i will be following. as for the leaf springs you could move them over yourself without buying the offset kit. you would have to drill new mounting holes for the hangers in the front and back and a new spring perch on the axle.or use different clamps like these

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Us car tool makes the spring relocation kit will all of the holes pre cut. Real good kit. Kinda pricey though. Around $200.

 

[purplehazenils]

cool build! i will be following. as for the leaf springs you could move them over yourself without buying the offset kit. you would have to drill new mounting holes for the hangers in the front and back and a new spring perch on the axle.or use different clamps like these

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Thanks! Those clamps are precisely what Im looking for I didnt know you could get them. Summit has these so might order a pair: https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/slf-00250/overview/

 

[purplehazenils]

Us car tool makes the spring relocation kit will all of the holes pre cut. Real good kit. Kinda pricey though. Around $200.

Thats the thing its a bit pricey. Hopefully I can get away with just changing the hangers, Ill know for sure once the tires arrive which should be in a few days.

**Edit: I said hangers meant to say spring clamps

 

[BigBlockMopar]

Progress is looking good.
The springclamps you made will make for an uncomfortable ride if you tighten them too much. The stock 'clamps' were designed to only get the leafs together and on top of each other.
I made my own from a few simple strips of iron which I cut to length and wrapped/folded around the leafspring and secured with a weld.