Help Firing Dad's Dart up Again - SOS - No Spark After Hosing Off the Dust

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rosspulliam

rosspulliam

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For a little backstory here's a post I made a couple of years ago about my Dad's '74 Dart Sport.
Starting a Slant for the first time since 1986 - Slant Six Forum

Long story, but he's finally just said "this car is up to you boys", so "us boys" are doing a pretty massive overhaul in the next 3-4 days while Dad is visiting me for Christmas to get him a big jump start on getting him back behind the wheel before he gets any older.

We've got a part that they need help identifying. It appears to a relay of some sort mounted behind the battery tray on the driver's side fender. Anyone know what this is?

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Thanks everyone! That's what he thought but he wasn't completely sure. Thanks for the confirmation :). He apparently pulled some wires before they sent me the pic, so he's got it figured out now with your responses. Should be a good Christmas, once they leave on Thursday I've gotta high tail it right behind them and beat them home so I can see the look on the face when he can't pull into the garage because his car is in the way!
 
To catch everyone up, Dad fell into some pretty rough patches health wise over the last 2 years. He was officially diagnosed with Parkinson's back in March, and this summer and fall he finally said "That car is going to be up to you boys to do something with I just don't have the energy." To me, that sounded like a green light to do something, so as soon as they left to drive south to my house in Texas for the week they went and loaded up the car and got busy. I stacked them with a ton of parts to get them through the next few days and we'll see where we end up. When they head home on Thursday I'll leave right after them and beat them home for a "reveal" of sorts.

We found out the local police watch his pole barn pretty close, my brother had to convince them of what we were doing and they weren't actually stealing it. The cop was concerned why there were no lights on but flashlights, and he had to show him that the barn has no power lol.

Pulling it out.
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Strapping down
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Heading to the shop
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Getting started
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Last update I got was most of the parts that need to come off this weekend have been taken off. Brakes are all apart and ready to clean up and put the new parts on. Master cylinder is on already. Bearings are all ready to repack, fluids drained and changed and all looked good for sitting for so long. They started on new battery cables but just need to crimp and install.

All in all a pretty solid start considering they didn't think they would be able to start until tomorrow. Tires get mounted first thing in the morning. They've got to make a quick parts run for some misc stuff (battery, brake cleaner, not sure what else), I apparently only bought 1 rotor, but one was located in town and is sitting with their name on it.

They expect to able to light it off tomorrow! Pretty crazy. If this doesn't surprise the old man then he's just not surprisable!
 
Is that an auto or manual if auto 1 side of the relay should be connected through the neutral safety switch
Not sure if the Dart had hard a clutch pedal safety switch to prevent starting the car in gear
 
AUSA66 said:
Is that an auto or manual if auto 1 side of the relay should be connected through the neutral safety switch
Not sure if the Dart had hard a clutch pedal safety switch to prevent starting the car in gear
Click to expand...
It was originally a 3-speed, Dad then put an 833 in it, and now it has a 727. I'll pass that along, but they had already pulled some wires off before they sent me the pic.
 
I wish my dad had seen his dart convertible back to running. It is a GREAT thing you all are doing and I am sure if you need parts MANY on here would give them to you. Some in your area would probably drive the parts up and help install them!

Please ask if you need anything. I have some extra parts but most are 67 centrick

wiping the tears away!
 
I think we've got most of what we need at the moment, but that's really generous! She's still going to need plenty of things that he can do in the mean time, I think what he needs is just a big "kickstart" to get some of the bigger things done that he's not strong enough to do anymore, and then he can either just drive it or he can piddle with things that are within his physical abilities.

I'll keep updating. I hate missing out on the build, but there's going to be plenty left to do. He NEVER leaves home, so having a 5 day window with him 5 hours south is the best we could've hoped for, and I'll just miss the build but the car is in great hands!
 
My dad had dementia the last 5 years of his life but one constant was him asking about his Dart. Spend as much time with your dad as you can. You will never regret it.
 
Well, most everything is done, and they're too the point of trying to fire it off. They don't have any spark and are brainstorming ideas why they may not be getting it. New pretty much everything in the ignition system: coil, ballast resistor, wires, plugs, cap, rotor, ignition module. She's cranking over good, but just no spark to fire. Feel free to chime in with any ideas of what to check next. 1974 Dart Sport with the Slant 6. As far as I know everything is pretty well stock on the car other than standard hop up parts from the 70s that wouldn't affect ignition.
 
Check voltage, on both sides of ballast resistor, while cranking and in the run position.

8 to 12 volts during all of the above says wiring, ignition switch etc is ok.

Saw some of the wires off, download factory service manual and wiring diagram from mymopar.com
 
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Hit the main road block, the carb isn't going to get us where we were hoping to get to. It has a Holley 390 manual choke (pic for visibility is an electric choke, but it seems that might be all Holley makes now) on it and is sending fuel out the vent. Anyone localish to Wichita, KS have a Holley 390 (or similar that would get me through a reveal on Thursday the 26th)? I'm willing to buy or borrow! Just chasing leads at the moment as they work through what our best course of action is, but they asked me to post a message to maybe dig up some options.

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