1965 Dodge Dart Charger

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3-year/32,000-mile lubrication intervals were new big news for '62. Greasable front-end parts came with plugs instead of Zerk fittings, which were to be replaced with Zerk fittings when it came time for a grease job. Then, per factory instructions, the plugs were to be reinstalled. Presumably the idea was to prevent the possibility of contamination through a Zerk fitting. Sometime between '62 and '66, the interval was changed to 3 years or 36,000 miles. The '66 FSM says (emphasis theirs):

"Remove threaded plug from each ball joint and temporarily install lubrication fittings. Inject lubricant until it flows freely from seal bleed area at the base of the seal. Stop when seal begins to balloon. Remove fittings and reinstall threaded plugs."

I think most people just left the fittings. I doubt if even most dealers reinstalled the plugs.
 
slantsixdan said:
3-year/32,000-mile lubrication intervals were new big news for '62. Greasable front-end parts came with plugs instead of Zerk fittings, which were to be replaced with Zerk fittings when it came time for a grease job. Then, per factory instructions, the plugs were to be reinstalled. Presumably the idea was to prevent the possibility of contamination through a Zerk fitting. Sometime between '62 and '66, the interval was changed to 3 years or 36,000 miles. The '66 FSM says (emphasis theirs):

"Remove threaded plug from each ball joint and temporarily install lubrication fittings. Inject lubricant until it flows freely from seal bleed area at the base of the seal. Stop when seal begins to balloon. Remove fittings and reinstall threaded plugs."

I think most people just left the fittings. I doubt if even most dealers reinstalled the plugs.
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Thanks Dan for the input. Your knowledge is amazing!

I guess they did it "easy way out". The issue is just to find out what they did. Does anyone know if someone sell those old zirk fittings?

Thanks FABO
 
I take it you're looking for NOS Zerks rather than new current-production items? I can check sometime within the next month for you.
 
Thanks Dan!

I started today with the exhaust system. When I added up the y-pipe, the mid-secition pipe and the front muffler I found out that I don't know which way the exhaust clamp should be mounted!

Anyone have any knowledge?

When the engine is loose it has never been easier to add the y-pipe on the engine. Like a walk in the park!

Thanks FABO!

:burnout::burnout:
 

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OK, got the answer on the exhaust clamp from one Chrysler assembly line worker and one of the restoration gurus.

Saddle and nut down! Probably due to power tools!

:glasses7:
 
About a year ago I found out how deep the body went into the second coat of primer. I have only seen Pictures of later (67-69) A-bodies with the second coat and how it should look at the front inner fender.

Today when I took of one of the front fenders I found the markings of the second coat of primer. It's obvious that the body didn'y go that steep down on the conveyor as it did in 1967.

Some timeago I bought a new ballast resistor. Is this the way they should look?
 

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slantsixdan said:
Ballast resistor appears to be correct, TTBOMK.
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Dan! Since I'm a foreigner I don't know what TTBOMK stand for. But I'm sure I will get the explaination! LOL

Dan! I found a bag with an NOS starter relay plastic cover including the washer and the nut. The finish has kinda disapear on the nut and washer but the plastic part was in mint condition. Was this standard on all Darts?
 

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My old 66 Dart wagon had a protective plastic piece like that on the starter relay, wish I would of kept it.
 
TTBOMK = to the best of my knowledge.

I do not think that plastic shield was used in '65. I think the first year for its factory installation was '66 (or perhaps '67 with the move of the starter relay from the firewall to the fender liner). I'm not finding a part number for it in any of the FPCs I check from '64 through '74; it might well have been a "Not Serviced" item.
 
I checked all my 65 Darts and the cars produced after December 64 seems to have them. My brother in laws 65 Dart assembled in October of 64 has it too. I found one picture from American Rodder and that car had it. The wagon I bought from 37fleetwood in Los Angeles had never been touched and the plastic cover was there. I would guess that it was there so the kick-down linkage should get in contact with the positive cable in the relay.

But I checked the partsbook too and did not find it. Can it have been a assembly line part only? Or was it dealer installed when the car arrived to the dealer?
 

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Yes, it would have been installed on the assembly line. No, as we both agree it's not in the parts catalogues. Which is a little unusual; usually something like that is at least shown as "Not Serviced", but I guess not in this case.
 
slantsixdan said:
Yes, it would have been installed on the assembly line. No, as we both agree it's not in the parts catalogues. Which is a little unusual; usually something like that is at least shown as "Not Serviced", but I guess not in this case.
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Can it have been a test for different assembly lines for a period of time? Did they continue to use this plastic cover into the 70ies? Picture showing a 69 Roadrunner with the same plastic cover. Can it have been partnumbered later by Chrysler?
 

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65dartcharger said:
Can it have been a test for different assembly lines for a period of time?
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It's possible, though it doesn't seem like something that would warrant a cautious, slow, phased introduction. It's more likely the start date varied a little, plant by plant, just due to procurement factors.

Did they continue to use this plastic cover into the 70ies?
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Yes.

Can it have been partnumbered later by Chrysler?
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I've checked every US parts catalogue from '64 through '74, plus '82 through '89, plus the Canadian '66, and it does not seem to appear in any of them. I've also looked at a variety of vendors of the repro piece — sometimes an OE part number is given — but in this case, none. It just doesn't seem to appear in the parts catalogues at all.
 
I'm by no means an OE aficionado but my conv had that plastic piece Ulf. My hardtop did not, but the one on my hardtop looks like an aftermarket replacement. Hope this doesn't confuse things. At least its easy to slap on if need be.
 
gtmopar said:
I'm by no means an OE aficionado but my conv had that plastic piece Ulf. My hardtop did not, but the one on my hardtop looks like an aftermarket replacement. Hope this doesn't confuse things. At least its easy to slap on if need be.
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I stopped by my friend Johan on my way back home from work yesterday and checked out his 65 Dart 20 w/V8. That car was assembled October 15 1964 and had the plastic shield. After talking with Dan (slantsixdan) last night I think that around late September or early October 1964 Chrysler started adding the plastic shield. If they did it on all plants and all assembly lines I'm not sure about at this time.

I can't recall ever seen a aftermarket replacement shield on a starter relay!
 
I meant the relay was an aftermarket one. Are those little plastic pieces still available?
 
gtmopar said:
I meant the relay was an aftermarket one. Are those little plastic pieces still available?
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Honestly I haven't seen them sold separately! But I checked on Ebay and found them selling for USD 7.00! I searched for "starter relay plastic shield"

Thanks for the wake-up call! I had never ever searched for it!
 

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From different sourses I have got a tips to get the bare metal parts looks factory correct. Put the parts in a bowl of transmission fluid SEA 80/90 for quite some time. Bring them up and let them air dry. Wipe off the overflow of oil. This is how it turned out. I was really satiesfied.
 

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Yes, I have talked with them and I have also ordered two of them. I think that they do a great job on casted parts.

If you take stamped steel parts they don't have the same finisk. When you dip the part to clean off everything you need to recreate the darker oilier finish that stamped parts had.
 
Omnthe lower end of the inner fender there is a small plastic thing that covers the area where all the mud comes from the front tire.

Does anyone know if these are being reproduced?
 

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Both my Dart convertible and wagon has them. I don't think I've every seen any reproductions. They look like they were installed just prior to the installation of the inner fenders.

Just back from the Mopar Nationals
 
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