1971 Dart Swinger - Here we go...

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amfmlittle

amfmlittle

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Whelp, it is time to start documenting my project. I've been reading several threads on this forum for many months now and the stories have provided a ton of inspiration, excitement....and fear. HA!

I've always been a car nut, and even worked as an automotive engineer for Chrysler up to the bankruptcy days at the end of 2008 (up until then, I interned at Toyota, Ford, and Chrysler before graduating college). Needless to say I have gotten to a good time in my life where I really CAN do a restoration project so at this $#!t-or-get-off-the-pot moment, I purhased this Dart from a co-worker.

To be honest, I wasn't in LOVE with Darts. I bought this car because it was a decent deal and a great opportunity for me to get my hands dirty (and scraped) and follow a dream that has seemed like a distant possibility at best. I should note that the more I learn about the car and the more I work on it, the more I love this mice crap infested golden nugget.

So here I am. About 8 months have passed since I bought the car. I've done a few things to it (easy things so far). Selfishly, at this point, I could use all the encouragement I can get and the FABO peeps just ROCK. The camaraderie here is like none other. I look forward to what's to come. Wish me luck, patience, and the wisdom to purchase alcoholic beverages to keep me chill.

Adrian

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Good luck Adrian! I look forward to seeing your progress. And yes, the folks here on FABO are super knowledgeable and just as nice!:burnout:
 
Thank you, Hosehead!

I did this work a few months ago. I'll try and catch up to where I am now (not too far) during the next few posts...

After cleaning up a ridiculous amount of mice crap from inside (seriously, I think ALL the mice lived in this thing at some time), I started getting curious about the real condition of the body.

It originally had a vinyl top, and although the roof is in decent shape, I had a few pits. The c-pillar had the usual rust at the (terrible) factory seam. I have sanded/wire brushed the roof and treated the affected areas with Rust Reformer before they get a bit of filler. Any better suggestions on how to repair these?

As for the pillar, I'll cut and patch it up with some new metal. My welding skills are not quite zero, but perhaps a level 0.1, but they'll improve.

The car had been in an accident a long time ago that got the rear driver's quarter. Some spots have Bondo over a half in thick. Both quarters need to be replaced.

Here's a quick assessment of the body condition:

Small patch needed at passenger front foot well. All other floor in great shape.
Rear quarters need replacing (drivers is full of Bondo; passenger has a good deal of rust)
Trunk in great shape.
Roof has some pits, but in good shape.
Hood has some dents, but rust free.
Front fenders and inners rust free.
Small hole (from the MICE!) on the trunk lid.
Doors are clean, except a few dents.

Overall, the car is actually decent!
 

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A couple of months later, I was curious about the front end.

I have to say (and for context) that with a busy job, a 2 year old, and the regular house projects/chorse, I only get to work on the Dart a bit at a time. The Dart is parked on the third spot in our 3 car garage, and this means that I can really only access the drivers side. For the most part, the car runs (unless a break the key in the ignition...but more on that later), but pulling it out means I have to have decent weather (it's Oklahoma), and enough time to make it worthwhile. So the drivers side it is...

I pulled the front fender off to get closer to the innards and see if there were any surprises. Luckily, it is in great shape. The fender is rust free, except for a tiny 1"x2" spot at the bottom (which I'll later patch). The previous owner had replaced the tires, break lines and brakes, and put new shocks. It all looked great!

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At this point, I hadn't spent too much time inside the car.

The previous owner had stripped the interior out (I have all the important stuff and it's in decent shape). Frankly, the heat of the summer made the interior kind of unpleasant to be in. Despite the car being free of seats, panels, carpet, and roof lining, there is a $#!tload of mice poop...tiny gems of love sprinkling at you at each entry into the car, coming from all crevices...

One cool and dry evening, I decided it had been too long since I started the car and pulled it out for some air and work. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot.

While trying to hold a phone conversation, I popped in the car, started putting the key in the ignition. Fortunately, I immediately realized I was putting the DOOR key in the ignition. Unfortunately, a 43 year old lock cylinder decided it wouldn't let go. Needless to say, the old key broke. Time to take the column apart...

I didn't get any picture of the process when I was taking it apart, but I did get one after. The dash and column were this weird dark green color (with yellow door inners and panels, and gold exterior...nice!

The attached photo is of it done (note the rim blow steering wheel).
 

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nice - we're here for ya! you seem to have the fortitude and the right attitude - looking forward to your progress
 
Cool resto project. Darts are a great starting point and have tons of parts availability. Keep up the progress, remember: any progress is good progress! What is your overall plan with it? Pro touring, resto, drag car? Lots of knowledge on this website, so don't be afraid to ask questions.
Some advice to pass on, write out a plan and stick to it!
 
Thanks, ScampMike and 813Demon340!

I am definitely taking a small bite at a time on this project. In addition to this car, there are always projects at home to do that keep me distracted.

I definitely want to go the resto-mod route on this thing. First stage will be to repair or restore it to get it up and running and be a decent rider. Color combination is hideous, so I'll take a bit of a modern resto approach to that.

I have a 440 sitting for it to eventually (maybe) replace the /6. However, I am really interested in considering a turbo or supercharged /6. It just seems (to me) like a cool idea....time will tell. Also, evenutally, I'd like a 4-speed for it.

Chassis-wise, I need better brakes. I also will want to lower it, and perhaps beef up the handling (this is way in the future).

I see this as a constant, living project for me. I'll 'complete it' one day, only to find that I'd rather modify something else. That is a curse...ha.
 
i have a 71 dart i restored thats what i did put a 440 in it.it will make your car worth more money. for motor mounts you can get the Schumacher ones good mounts.they also have headers to.you can view them at www.engine-swaps.com or also check bigblockdart.com and look in there tech section for advice.
 
Another quick update...

I decided to do some work on the steering wheel. The beast came with the neat rim-blow steering wheel. It was in pretty bad shape with a couple of cracks about 1/8" wide on the rim. I did a bit of research and found that I could fix these using epoxy putty.

I ground down the cracks a bit and sanded the whole wheel. It used to have a shiny strip around the outer edge under some clearcoat. I used a pick and small screwdriver to remove all that.

I filled the cracks with the epoxy puddy. That stuff is amazing. It dries quickly and is very sandable. I made a small block sander to help control the shaping at the repair area.

Since the steering wheel is made of old plastic and requires high wear tolerance, I used RC paint for it. I went to the local RC shop and the guys sold me some paint that sticks well to plastic and is super flexible (and also scratch resistant).

I painted the back of the steering wheel black, and the front 'wood' color brown. At the RC shop, I purchased some chrome applique (again, that was clear coat-able) for the shiny piece around the outer rim.

I think the whole thing came out pretty nice. I still need to purchase the rim blow switch at wire it all in, but not until I re wire the car and put the dash all back together...

Adrian

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yep that wheel turned out nice.. E body guys especially have been retoring them for decades.

that body style is really one that will most likely grow on you. and remember when done, you won't recognize it as the same car!!!!!!
 
Thanks barbee6043! The body style is definitely growing on me. I like the vision I have for this thing and can't wait to see it start shaping up. I'm definitely dealing with some uncharted territory here, but that's the fun part.

Adrian
 
Wow! It has been a FULLY year since I had a chance to mess with the Dart. In the meantime, I have been working on restoring an old farmhouse on 40 acres and my '82 C10 so I can use it as a farmhouse work truck.

With the crappy weather and finally some time, I decided to play with Bart the Dart a bit this weekend.

The wiring harness had just a few damaged wires and instead of replacing the whole thing, I thought it was worth repairing. It looks like 1 or 2 wires shorted, taking a few out with them.

The odd part is, it looks like someone wrapped previously melted wires with electrical tape and moved on. Fire waiting to happen.

At this point, I'll try and work to re-paint the dash and work on re-assembly. It feels great to mess with the car again!

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bbmopars said:
i have a 71 dart i restored thats what i did put a 440 in it.it will make your car worth more money. for motor mounts you can get the Schumacher ones good mounts.they also have headers to.you can view them at www.engine-swaps.com or also check bigblockdart.com and look in there tech section for advice.
Click to expand...

I am seeing I never replied to you. This information is awesome. Thank you so much. I apologize for taking so long to respond. Cheers!
 
A bit of progress restoring the various dash plastics. I ordered vynil decals from Detroit Muscle on ebay. I haven't finished the glove box yet, but the results so far have been great!
I repainted the black background with vinyl interior paint. The chrome was damaged in various areas, so I sanded and repainted with "stainless steel' paint.

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A little progress during the last couple of weeks. Prepping/painting has been a pain in the ***, but the results have been rewarding. I ordered a plastic cap for the dash pad today. The dash pad I had gotten. On Craigslist last year was ugly and uneven. Luckily, the base for it was relatively uniform (better than the one the car came with) and perfect for the cap. I'll post an update once I get parts and get installing.

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Quick picture of the ashtray. When I got the car, it was still filled with cigarettes and burns. I used Rustoleum Hammered silver paint on it. Sanding that little area was a pain and not worth the effort to make smooth. I think the textured result was exactly what I needed.

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Made some more progress on the car last week. It had been well over a year since I hadn't started it after taking the dash out to restore it and clean the mouse droppings behind it. Amazingly, the /6 started with pretty little effort.
I'd say the results of the dashare decent, considering my lack of experience. Here is a breakdpwn of what I did:

Rebuilt the steering column
Repaired electrical
Cleaned/disinfected behind the dash
Installed new insulation
Repaired the dash, accessories
New dash cap

Cheers!

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