Start of a Dart

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Get you one of these for blowing out junk in fenders and cowl panels. I call this the magic wand.

Great idea, and I already have a Magic Wand with about the same length snout on it. Yes, this thing sat under a HUGE fir tree for a while. I easily pulled out a half gallon of wet soppy pine needles from everywhere, the cowl was on the agenda. Great idea to blow them out, I was going to try scraping them using the slots in the cowl. Someone else suggested using a shop vac inside the airbox while moving the junk in the cowl. I'm going to give that a try before pulling the fresh air boxes.
 
progress feels good huh, once I get mine going may head down your way for a fun run

C'mon down any time, I will have an adult beverage ready for you. It's always good to gather with the Mopar Brethren.
 
Great idea, and I already have a Magic Wand with about the same length snout on it. Yes, this thing sat under a HUGE fir tree for a while. I easily pulled out a half gallon of wet soppy pine needles from everywhere, the cowl was on the agenda. Great idea to blow them out, I was going to try scraping them using the slots in the cowl. Someone else suggested using a shop vac inside the airbox while moving the junk in the cowl. I'm going to give that a try before pulling the fresh air boxes.
Or after it all dries out in your garage, just do 70 down the highway with the air box vents open and a pair of goggles on lol. Or attach trash bags to the vents and do the same.
 
Got the grill and front bumper installed last night, it looks so much better!

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Also fixed the bent bracket on the right rear bumper, and pounded the tail light area so it's mostly back in original shape. The tail light housing goes in easily, so it's good enough for now. Nothing like a come-a-long and a BFH to convince sheet metal to go where you want it, eh? New headlight switch came in this morning, maybe I'll have lights that work later today?

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I got the front hood trim back on. I swear, everything I touch on this car takes five times longer than it should. I was missing one mounting stud on the trim and didn't want to shell out the Big Bucks for the correct one, so I found an oddball trim strip holder, cut it down, and slid it in place. It works fine and I'm the only one who knows it was bastarized. I still need to find the little 2" center piece for the hood trim, it was not in the car or the extra parts that came with it. The trim reminds me of a pretty girl with a nice smile, but one front tooth knocked out. :eek:

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Got the tail lights cleaned up and painted the interiors with chrome rattle can stuff, they came out looking good. I made a set of tail lens dividers off an original by tracing onto galvanized tin and giving them the same chrome paint. They came out nice.

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Spent a couple of hours re-shaping the trunk panel, it was bent in several directions. Lots of slow work with a hammer and punches, it's fairly straight finally. I got the tail lights in and the panel mocked up for fit, it is starting to look like a car!

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Next up is getting a hand to put on the back bumper, it's just heavy enough and at an odd angle to call for some help. Plus I'm not sure it lines up right or not. After that it's time to sort out the electricity, and figure out why the lights, horn, and heater don't work.
 
if everything on mine only took 5 times longer I would be happy, good to see progress!
 
More progress, but it's a game of one step forward, two steps back. I had to take off the taillights a dozen times, as the teeny screws that hold the lens and bezel in place stripped out of the housing and there's so little meat there I didn't want to tap it out to the next larger size. I wound up finding some tiny flat speed nuts and screws that were juuuuust long enough so now they are bolted not screwed in place. The tail panel was finished off.

So, Mr. Back Bumper, would you like to go home? You say you would? OK, let's give you a heft into position and run the bolts in.

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Oops! It's that Johnny Cash business again! Go to bolt it up and all the holes are gone!! Clearly, something happened back there but I don't know what. Oh, Mr. Big *** Wrench, could you be bothered to give us a hand bending the bumper brackets back in place?

As with most things in life, leverage is a good thing.

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Got the end brackets bent into place, but still the center brackets are off - they are standing about a half inch away from the body. The reveal looks OK, but I need longer bolts and spacer washers to bolt it up. Time for today's stop at the hardware store. Hope I don't go to jail for making a pit stop there. :eek: However, the bumper is on and will be finished off today. Good thing I'm not a purist or I'd never get anything done. @billsdartgt , @DentalDart would you guys please put a cover on the rabbit hole so I can pass safely by?

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Last bit of good news, I do indeed have X heads on the car!

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More progress, but it's a game of one step forward, two steps back. I had to take off the taillights a dozen times, as the teeny screws that hold the lens and bezel in place stripped out of the housing and there's so little meat there I didn't want to tap it out to the next larger size. I wound up finding some tiny flat speed nuts and screws that were juuuuust long enough so now they are bolted not screwed in place. The tail panel was finished off.

So, Mr. Back Bumper, would you like to go home? You say you would? OK, let's give you a heft into position and run the bolts in.

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Oops! It's that Johnny Cash business again! Go to bolt it up and all the holes are gone!! Clearly, something happened back there but I don't know what. Oh, Mr. Big *** Wrench, could you be bothered to give us a hand bending the bumper brackets back in place?

As with most things in life, leverage is a good thing.

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Got the end brackets bent into place, but still the center brackets are off - they are standing about a half inch away from the body. The reveal looks OK, but I need longer bolts and spacer washers to bolt it up. Time for today's stop at the hardware store. Hope I don't go to jail for making a pit stop there. :eek: However, the bumper is on and will be finished off today. Good thing I'm not a purist or I'd never get anything done. @billsdartgt , @DentalDart would you guys please put a cover on the rabbit hole so I can pass safely by?

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Last bit of good news, I do indeed have X heads on the car!

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Oh the rabbit hole, that place is not a fun place :(

Yes be careful stopping at stores, I heard Karen is calling the cops on people she sees going for Non-essentials. Fyi- Karen is the psycho patient in dentistry:rofl:

X-heads are supposed to be the good stock heads, awesome that you got them! that's what I got too.
 
the cover has been put on already, we all just subconsciously take it back off and deny any knowledge that it ever existed, don't worry, your not to far in, you could come back out any time
 
Slow progress last night. I started on the electrical to see why nothing works, and it turns out the battery was dead. No wonder all the electrical is out. This is a brand new battery that won't hold a charge, so back to NAPA it went where it was replaced under warranty for a bigger one. No improvement on the nothing-electrical-works front, but at least I have a good battery. Added the battery hold down, swapped out the former throttle return spring that was from something like a screen door for a pair of lighter springs, and got the radiator overflow bottle installed. Prep work for taking this to the strip once everything opens back up!

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It sure is easier to work on things when you have the right fasteners! I got pretty hacked a while ago because once again, I was going to the hardware store for two screws. So I wound up getting a BUNCH of stuff in all the normal sizes needed.

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Glad you found your 69 dart! Are you going keep the interior green? Great looking project look forward to watching the progress
 
Yes, the interior will remain green. The outside too, but it's been painted in whatever to the current yellow. I will take it back to green when the time is right. For now, it's just get it running right so I can drive it for a while before deciding what to do with it.
 
Yes, the interior will remain green. The outside too, but it's been painted in whatever to the current yellow. I will take it back to green when the time is right. For now, it's just get it running right so I can drive it for a while before deciding what to do with it.
Nice I like green. My first car was a 69 Dart Custom slant 6 car beige green interior. I still have it and I’ll start a build thread hopefully this summer. I’ve compiled a ton of parts over the last 20 years for it.
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Did you check and see if there was a draw on the battery when nothing was on? if so don't forget to take the negative off so it doesn't drain the battery...
 
Did you check and see if there was a draw on the battery when nothing was on?

Yep. It's not a power draw problem, the battery was just plain no good. It was only a few months old and did nothing in that time. I would charge it, leave it disconnected, and two weeks later it would be dead. The guy at NAPA did one quick test and put the refund toward a much larger and better battery.
 
Slow progress last night. I started on the electrical to see why nothing works, and it turns out the battery was dead. No wonder all the electrical is out. This is a brand new battery that won't hold a charge, so back to NAPA it went where it was replaced under warranty for a bigger one. No improvement on the nothing-electrical-works front, but at least I have a good battery. Added the battery hold down, swapped out the former throttle return spring that was from something like a screen door for a pair of lighter springs, and got the radiator overflow bottle installed. Prep work for taking this to the strip once everything opens back up!

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It sure is easier to work on things when you have the right fasteners! I got pretty hacked a while ago because once again, I was going to the hardware store for two screws. So I wound up getting a BUNCH of stuff in all the normal sizes needed.

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What did you use for your radiator overflow? I have yet to install one on mine, but I keep considering it.
 
This car will be a driver, not a show Queen...
This comment disqualifies you to display it at the Mopar Nationals in the car show...lol...
And by the way that beautiful Chrome overflowed canister should be on my car and my white plastic $10 cheapo should be on yours after all is a daily driver...lol...
 
I intend to drive it at the Mopar Nationals this year, not show it. For a measly $26 you too can have a snazzy chrome overflow can. I'm sure it's good for at least 20 extra HP, yes?
 
I intend to drive it at the Mopar Nationals this year, not show it. For a measly $26 you too can have a snazzy chrome overflow can. I'm sure it's good for at least 20 extra HP, yes?
With that snazzy 340 you got and those X heads you should be entering it in sportsman and taking home drag racing trophies...
 
Well, if the project gets stalled out for whatever reason - and the possibilities are endless - I will bring down the mighty 20-second Valiant, and you can try to chase me down with my 1000 foot head start without breaking out! :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Well, if the project gets stalled out for whatever reason - and the possibilities are endless - I will bring down the mighty 20-second Valiant, and you can try to chase me down with my 1000 foot head start without breaking out! :rofl::rofl::rofl:
Oh the humanity getting beat by the trophy winning show Queen...lol...
 
Hey............beat is beat, makes no difference what the particulars are. :rolleyes:
 
Hey............beat is beat, makes no difference what the particulars are. :rolleyes:
Don't put the carriage before the horse my friend you need to get that out of the garage before you going to claim winners over the scrapper...lol..
By the time I leave the line I'm going to be chasing a spec out in the distance LOL...
 
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