1964 Dodge Dart 270 Slant Six Restoration

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(Slant Six Intake and Fuel Injection!

Saving this link here, definitely seems like something worth doing. My current intake manifold has a crack and a vacuum leak that my mechanic sealed with some glue like substance as a fix (for now). While I do like going as original as possible, it is a daily driver so getting better MPG and possibly lower emissions seems like a good idea.

Does anyone have thoughts or advice?
 
My driver’s side door is out of alignment and has to be lifted up to close. I looked in the FSM and it seems i can adjust it, but larger issue here’s is that water is leaking in from the front of the driver’s door into my interior.

Hopefully alignment will fix that? My floor pans are already rusty and I’m looking to replace them, but this issue doesn’t help any until I can do that
 
The bushing is what amounts to a heavy duty rubber washer. It isolates metal things from each other, that are intended to move about a bit. If you bolted them hard together, there would be wear, metal fatigue, and metal fractures or failures.

Your shock bushing is in the photo below. It's in the lower center of the pic, the round black thing with the cracks all around it. There is a big shiny metal washer on top, and the top of the shock (threaded rod with the oval-ish shaped end) sticking out with a nut on it. Rubber of any kind only lasts so long, and clearly this one is past the end of its service life. It's a no-brainer that the shock is also at the end of its service life - nobody would put on a new shock with an old bushing. That's why I suggested you replace the shocks. Suspension is one of the non-negotiable things to make sure your car is working right or you will have severe problems. As in crashing your car.

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Well, you were right. I got about a block away from my house yesterday and heard a fairly loud “ping”. I wasn’t sure what happened, thought maybe I’d run over something, but immediately I was getting harshly to the left. I got to the side of the road and got out, and my left front tire was at an approx. 30° angle inward. Got the car up on my jack to see what was going on, and from what I could see, something’s going on with the upper control arms ball joint.

I’m going to go get jack stands today and get her up so I can get the wheel off and see what I’m dealing with.

Worst-case I have to do a front-end overhaul, best case I can replace shocks and struts and press in new ball joints and be good.

Thank you for the warning that my suspension might need work. Otherwise I wouldn’t have researched how it all works on my car.
 
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Glad to hear both you and your car are OK.

I went out and got some jack stands a and better chocks today and lifted it.
From what I could tell, the ball joint broke. Everything else seems in good enough shape. I got lots of photos of the broken side and the non-broken side, and will be going to a few different shops tomorrow and seeing what prices are like.

I was (and still am) considering doing it myself. From what I can tell, I would need to disconnect the ball joint and upper control arm from the knuckle, and remove the ball joint pieces and press in a new one then reconnect it. I’m just not sure I’m up to the task.

As always, feedback and advice is appreciated
 
Year One used to rebuild the sending units. Send them the fuel gauge and sending unit and would make sure they worked properly together. Give them a call to see if they still offer this service
 
Replace the upper control arms on both sides I would not trust that old one to hold a new ball joint. If you can rebuild the whole suspension.
 
Replace the upper control arms on both sides I would not trust that old one to hold a new ball joint. If you can rebuild the whole suspension.

It’s been a while but I’m back now.

I agree with you, I highly doubt that I’ll be able to get a new ball joint into the control arm and have it hold.

My dad however, thinks that if we get the old control arm out, we can get a new ballljoint in (they screw in).

I’m willing to try it, but don’t have much faith.

Classic Industries sells a replacement upper control arm and ball joint set for $299 for both sides.

QA1 sells a set (1964 DODGE DART QA1 Mopar Control Arms 52303), but I’m not sure how reliable they are. Does anyone have any experience with their control arms?
 
It’s been a while but I’m back now.

I agree with you, I highly doubt that I’ll be able to get a new ball joint into the control arm and have it hold.

My dad however, thinks that if we get the old control arm out, we can get a new ballljoint in (they screw in).

I’m willing to try it, but don’t have much faith.

Classic Industries sells a replacement upper control arm and ball joint set for $299 for both sides.

QA1 sells a set (1964 DODGE DART QA1 Mopar Control Arms 52303), but I’m not sure how reliable they are. Does anyone have any experience with their control arms?

It's not unusual for the BJ "threads" in the UCA's to be stripped. Sometimes people think they are pressed in and 20 ton press later...junk. There is a special socket to fit the UCA BJ, small and large. You would need the smaller.

The hole is not really threaded like a machine thread. More like a suggestion of a thread. Maybe when new, there was just a smooth bore in the UCA and the BJ cut the threads when installed.

At any rate, it's not uncommon to put some small welds around the outside of the BJ for added safety.

The UCA"s are a non-wearing part and can (and should) be rebuilt with bushings and BJ"s. If my BJ"s are in good shape, I keep them.

If it was me, I'd check the one you have and if not saveable, I'd buy a used one from someone on this list and go from there.

P.S. I find it easier to replace the UBJ while the control arm is on the car. It doesn't have to be fully installed but you can use some ordinary 1/2" bolts to hold the UCA .
 
It's not unusual for the BJ "threads" in the UCA's to be stripped. Sometimes people think they are pressed in and 20 ton press later...junk. There is a special socket to fit the UCA BJ, small and large. You would need the smaller.

The hole is not really threaded like a machine thread. More like a suggestion of a thread. Maybe when new, there was just a smooth bore in the UCA and the BJ cut the threads when installed.

At any rate, it's not uncommon to put some small welds around the outside of the BJ for added safety.

The UCA"s are a non-wearing part and can (and should) be rebuilt with bushings and BJ"s. If my BJ"s are in good shape, I keep them.

If it was me, I'd check the one you have and if not saveable, I'd buy a used one from someone on this list and go from there.

P.S. I find it easier to replace the UBJ while the control arm is on the car. It doesn't have to be fully installed but you can use some ordinary 1/2" bolts to hold the UCA .

Well my dad and I worked on it this weekend. We jacked up the car, and using a small scissor jack, pushed up on the knuckle/lower ball joint area to relieve pressure on the upper control arm. We attempted to remove the old ball joint, but it was snug in its connection to the knuckle. So we said "what the hell" and screwed the old one back in. Sure enough, with some pressure relieved, it went right back in and we were able to achieve torque. We're presently debating adding some spot welds to it for stability and then replacing the whole shooting match if there's an issue after that.

I'm pleased to say that I've been able to drive on it no issue for the past few days. The engine flooded while it was below freezing out and had to have it towed 3/4 mile to my mechanic (tow trucks are amazingly expensive). They didn't charge me to fix that and charge up my battery, and they checked the balljoint.

Once I get a new steering coupler (just waiting on the one Pishta sent), I'll install that, make a few adjustments where necessary, and go get an alignment done by my mechanic.
 
Year One used to rebuild the sending units. Send them the fuel gauge and sending unit and would make sure they worked properly together. Give them a call to see if they still offer this service

I definitely need to check this out. I'll look into it shortly, thank you!
 
Got my mechanic to check out the ball joint, he gave it the ok. I’m going to get a replacement dust boot for it soon and make sure it’s clean and has grease on it.
 
I haven’t updated in a while and lot has happened in that time. My popped in ball joint lasted all of two weeks beforehand coming out again. I got it’s up on stands, got it in place, cleaned it’s up, and welded both front upper ball joints in place. So far it’s held for a month with no signs it won’t continue to happen hold.

My distributor stopped working twice. Not sure why, but now it’s been working after i had it replaced again.

Got a new starter installed, but had issues a week or so later when the alternator cable started having issues. About a week no issue now after that was replaced.

Finally got all of the plasti-dip off and figuring out what to do with the paint. I love the original color and will Be searching for the closest possible match to apply in places by where the original paint is not in good shape, then wax the entire car. I must note that the vast majority of The paint is in excellent shape, but some of it isn’t. Chips here and there have been taken out. I didn’t notice that my passenger front quarter panel and my trunk are not the original paint. It’s a bit thicker of a coat, and the paint is less red, more brown.

Any advice on any of that is appreciated.

Got all belts replaced and an oil changed. Took her on the highway for the first time in 5 months, and it was a different experience this time around. Got up to 75mph no issue, could have gone faster but had no reason to. She still sounds like she might stall when in drive and stopped at a light, but that’s quickly remedied with a slight rev.

Got my front windshield sealed up using clear silicone caulk under the gasket to fill in the gaps. I think it’s supposed to Be a chrome strip there, but there isn’t one. I know the previous owner had it replaced, not sure why that would be missing though.

Other things to do: the passengers side of the front bumper is missing two of the bolts for mounting, so I’m going to search for as close to original looking parts as I can get and install those.
I want to get a wiring harness from a donor car, switch out the fuse block for a modern blade one and install that in the Dart. The wiring is all over the place as-is. A previous mechanic bypassed the fuseblock and zip tied things together. Not good.
 
Likely it has an aftermarket sending unit as your description fits. They are all crap.
Speedo, you saying if you spin the cable it works but in when connected to the transmission it does not? The speedo gear in the transmission may be installed incorrectly. In the FSM you will see the housing that hold the gear can be installed in 4 positions and depending on the number of teeth on the gear (set by rear axle ratio) the housing is rotated to a particular place. If wrong the gear can be pulled away from the drive gear and they don't mesh.

I've gotten sick of the speedometer not working so i took a look at some of it. Where it connects behind the dash, i removed the cable. I spun up the thing to make sure it works, and sure enough, it does. As soon as I put the cable in and tighten it down, the speedometer gets stuck at 7mph. That's what it was at when I purchased it, and where it gets stuck everytime the speedo cable comes out and goes back in. I'll try to see if it's something wrong with where it's attached at the transmission today or sometime this week. It doesn't make sense to me that it's always stuck at 7mph. Perhaps it just needs a small amount of oil when i insert it? I see that the FSM suggests putting a dab of 10W oil on the side that goes into the transmission.
 
Well it’s about time I update.

I purchased some beautiful hubcaps... 1” too small for my wheels. That’s what I get for not measuring first.

I have purchased some maroon three point seatbelts for my front seat. One for the passenger, one for the driver. I decided not to get a lap belt for the center, because I don’t really have three people ride in the front. Eventually I’ll get three matching lap belts for the back seat soon enough though.

I’m trying to sort out how I’m going to install the third point a third the moment, because I want to do it right.

I’ve got some new hinges for my doors coming soon, hopefully get those installed as my driver’s side door has been inoperational due to a bent hinge pin for several months now.

Aside from that, I’m going to Be installing the replacements steering coupler Pishta sent me soon, I’ve got the correct gasket on the way.

I’m looking at getting new floor pans for the cab, as well As new carpet and Dynamat. There’s a whole lot of road noise I don’t like, so getting that out of the way will be good.

I’m still sorting out my wiring to fix, but in the process i found my “not functioning” aftermarket a/c unit just wasn’t wired in, so i got it working. Now i need to figure out getting coolant/refrigerant into its system so instead of justness moving air in my car around, it’ll move cooler air in my car.
 
Great news about the A/C! If you were closer I'd give you the cans of Freon I've got.

I was thrilled about the A/C. I’m looking forward to redoing all of this wiring and getting it hooked in to the new fuseblock properly.

Is Freon good for this? It seems to be a sealed system, the only way I can think to get into the coolant system is to remove a hose and flush something through it, there doesn’t seem to be a pitcock on the condenser.
 
the inlet should be on one of the pipes in the engine compartment or near the compressor. it's under high pressure and would cause frostbite if it sprays on your skin.
The freon goes in on the low pressure/suction side. and I took HVAC classes in college.....
 
the inlet should be on one of the pipes in the engine compartment or near the compressor. it's under high pressure and would cause frostbite if it sprays on your skin.
The freon goes in on the low pressure/suction side. and I took HVAC classes in college.....

That’s good info. If I take some pictures of my system could you help identify the low pressure side?
Also after some googling, will i be able to purchase r22 or will I need a different refrigerant?
 
We will give it a try...may have to get a manual out. Not sure what type of refrigerant,is there a tag on the compressor or radiator support?how old is the a/c unit?
 
We will give it a try...may have to get a manual out. Not sure what type of refrigerant,is there a tag on the compressor or radiator support?how old is the a/c unit?
The a/c unit has a metal tag on it that says something like “for parts, visit one of our retail stores or mail catalogue - Sears Roebuck & Co” and then an item number. I’m guessing mid-70’s. I’ll do some research and see if i can procure a manual
 
Talked to my mechanic today. My intake manifold is fine from what he recalls, it was where it and the exhaust crossed over under the carburetor that was the issue, it wasn't sealing right. That's excellent news. Hopefully it's a simple matter that involves installing those fancy remflex gaskets.

I went to a good local body shop that works on classics and talked to them about my paint. Im going to go to their paint supplier and see about getting my paint matched for some small touch up areas, but the larger areas (like the trunk lid) ill be sanding down the rusty areas and putting on a darker primer. We agreed that if i was going to get anything painted, especially with no idea about the paint code, it would make sense to strip and do body work on the entire car and get it painted, which will run around 10k. I've got other stuff to focus on before I can even think about saving to get it painted. I still need to repair wiring and replace my carpet and floor pans and put down sound deadener and insulation.
 
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this.

A couple months ago I sprung a pretty big oil leak. Losing about a quart every 2 weeks. Not fun.

A guy I know has a shop here in Atlanta and only works on classics, so I decided to take it to him to get a rebuild and get the wiring redone with a Ron Francis kit.

He’s never worked on a /6 before so he was very excited to read up on it and build one. We got the engine out no issue, checked casting numbers, and discovered it was not a 225 as I had thought, but a 170. He took it to the machine shop, and lo and behold it had already been bored .060 over, and the pistons had been knurled. So we started talking about other options. Find another slant? Maybe go ahead and do a 318? But no, I love the Slant 6 and figured that’s the way to go. We found a guy in Georgia with a 225 in a 69 Dart selling the engine for $170. He went and got it and brought it back, stripped it, and took it to the shop. The engine hadn’t been bored or anything like that. Bone stock 225. But it was in fact made in ‘77, not 69, like the Dart it was pulled from. So probably from an Aspen.

The engine has been bored .030 over, swapped to mechanical lifters from hydraulic, and a new cam has been installed. Engine’s painted bright Chrysler red and it’ll look amazing in the car.
Only issue now is mismatch on the nub at the back of the engine that lines up with the torque converter. It’s smaller than the hole in the torque converter is, and the flex plate didn’t match up. So we’re trying to resolve that.
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The new wiring (not what you see in that pic) looks good and functions well (without having driven the car yet). All the gauges work unlike before, swapped over to LED’s in the gauge cluster and Pushbutton mechanism, tail lights, etc. haven’t done an LED headlight conversion yet.

I plan on putting a 4 barrel Holley on it and running headers back to 2 or 2 1/2” single exhaust. Considering cherry bomb glass packs for that period correct hot rod sound.

other news, with the front carpet out I got a good look at how bad the front floor pans are. I knew they needed work but it looks like a bit more than I was expecting lol.
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so if anyone knows a quality source for floor pans let me know. Interior is next on my list. Got all the sound deadening ready once I’ve got floorpans in, ACC carpet will be going in as well, and new speakers, sub, etc for a good sound system. Plan on getting my original radio rebuilt with modern components.

After that, on to the suspension. I’ve got new tubular upper control arms and bilstein shocks ordered, and will be ordering 6-leaf rear springs from springs n things soon. Want it all handling a smidge better before I put new tires on.

all said, this car is getting a lot more expensive than I ever expected when I picked it up almost 2 years ago for $3,800. Probably have 5 times that in the car now, but I love this little dart.
 
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