Pics before the glass man came. It is far from finished the way I want, but I can drive it to shows and such. The interior pic is before a lot of the parts and seats where installed, only have a couple items to go to get the interior finished.
65 Dart, on the road at last!
- Thread starter gregsdart
- Start date
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Looks good!
coolhandluke
Well-Known Member
Nice! What wheels and tires are you running, and did you have to do anything to fit them? I have a '65 dart and I've been thinking about new wheels
Back in Time
Well-Known Member
Very nice car.Usually don't like those kind of wheels but those look nice on that car.Great color.
Those are a modern Mustang wheel (5x4.5 bp). It probably took some outrageous spacers to get them to fit.
OldmanRick
Well-Known Member
Nice job Greg. :cheers: I can tell from what I see so far it's gonna be a absolute beauty when you get her finished.
crvtec90
Well-Known Member
More pictures please.
The swap to those wheels requires some work, but not too bad. The back rims are mounted on a stock width 2000 Ford Explorer 8.8 rear. The reason for this choice is cost. A bone yard 8.8 can be had out of an Explorer for $200/500, and they come with posi, dic brakes, 31 spline axles, and ratios from 3.55 to 3.73 or 4.10. The wheels and tires are a perfect fit front and rear when mounted like I did. I relocated the rear springs into frame rails, and installed tubular upper A arms to get enough turning radius for the front steering.
The wheels are stock optional 2006 Mustang GT 18 inch wheels off of the Mustang you see in the back ground of one picture. Fitment will allow one size wider than stock tires in the back. If I had to do it over, I would consider the stock dimension tires so I could drop the back even further. but for clearance and looks, the fronts are smaller, almost as small as can be mounted. There is one issue when going to a tire that short on the front; you feel every road seem, and it can be unnerving because of the jarring. One last comment; to get that stance, mount the spring relocaters as absolutely high as you can into the existing frame rails, then add lowering blocks to the axle and springs as needed. I went with 3400 lb SS springs. A bit stiff, should have gone one size lighter on spring rate. That would help the rear ride height. I will get more pics and post soon.
There is a 5.7 Hemi waiting for funds to go into this car, stroked to 3.888 and two fours for looks. $$ contributions accepted!! (LOL)
I forgot to add that I went with a Wilwood front disc brake kit to gain the 4.5 BC and wind up with all disc brakes. I use a 7/8 bore master cylinder, which is very small but works great for low peddle effort without power. The pedal travel is a bit unnerving at first, but you get used to it. I can lock them up in a panic stop with about 3/4 travel, so it worked out just right.
More pictures. Sorry about the quality. Still working on the interior. I need to get a better steering wheel and column, cover the bare spots by the kick panels, paint and install some of the interior parts and get the windlass that goes around the windows. Then as funds allow, continue with the front suspension project (alterkation type, home built) and finally, the motor (Hemi 5.7) build and clean up the under side.
64ragtop
Well-Known Member
Lots of nice work, Greg! I just can't make myself like the wagon wheels, though!
But as I always say: Your car, Your money, Your choices!!.
I've been wondering if the big wheel, short tire setup would ride rougher and it seems that they do. Great on the track, the short sidewalls don't flex as much & it keeps more tread on the ground, but on the street there's not as much air between the road and the wheel and the taller sidewalls give a bit more suspension.
BC
But as I always say: Your car, Your money, Your choices!!.
I've been wondering if the big wheel, short tire setup would ride rougher and it seems that they do. Great on the track, the short sidewalls don't flex as much & it keeps more tread on the ground, but on the street there's not as much air between the road and the wheel and the taller sidewalls give a bit more suspension.
BC
Wow, what a great job you've done. Looking forward to see it finished!
I understand on the wheel choices, there are many ways to achieve a "look"! The fronts definitely ride rough. Any short sidewall tire is going to do this. If you want soft, a 33.6 tall slick with 7 psi in it combined with a 15 inch rim front runner is pretty comfy! But they don't corner worth a shirt!
One added thought on the ride issue. A look at the rubber bushings for the front end of the Mustang those wheels came off tells a tale. They are HUGE! The Lower A arm bushings have to be three inch in diameter and four plus inches long. That is a lot of shock isolation to keep the comfy ride.
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