Dodge Dart 4-Door 1964 - Coming back to life

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Lorrden

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Hi all!

I'm all new here on the forums. However, I could not resist to start a thread about my first classic car restoration.
I got my hands on a Dodge Dart 270 4-Door Slant-6 225 1964 in a trade and I was super stoked to get it running as a cruiser around the coast where I live.

But, as for most other classic car first-timers I ran into BIG problems.
Engine is done for it and the body/chassis have seen better days.

The car was last seen on the roads in 1989, since then it's been partially restored by the man I got it from.
However the last two years it's been sitting outside and it has taken it's toll on it.

My first plan was to have it running this summer, however I got promoted to manager at the bodyshop where I work and combined with having 3 small kids I don't see this as a reality anylonger..
But maybe the summer 2022 will be the year that this car finally hits the roads again!


This is the car when I got it home in September:
20200919_120716.jpg

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I started with a deep-cleaning, scrubbing the outside and inside of the car.
Once I started to climb around inside I felt the floor flexing.. A little too much.
So I tore out the interior and this is what I found.

20200919_173824.jpg


It was all covered with fibreglass bondo..
And it only got worse the more i looked around..
A couple of weeks went by and I got my hands on a 273 V8 and a TorqueFlite transmission to go with it.

20201007_150950.jpg


I started to tear the engine apart for a budget rebuild, there will be no new pistons or axles but it will be sent of for a hydrojet cleaning.

And now I'm trying to get the old Slant-6 out of there..
I have so many questions about this operation but I'm staying positive!

20210103_203757.jpg


I would love to get feedback on this build and links to where I can get parts for my Dodge (with shipping to Sweden that is).

Thanks for reading!
 
Looks like a good start. You will start with looking for a V8 steering centerlink. The good thing is the V8 and /6 take the same K member just different mounts on the engine. You will also need a V8 cable throttle and pedal.
 
Great project you have going on. I love the early A cars and their is a forum on here for the early A cars. It looks like the body is in pretty good shape!
 
Looks like a good start. You will start with looking for a V8 steering centerlink. The good thing is the V8 and /6 take the same K member just different mounts on the engine. You will also need a V8 cable throttle and pedal.

Thanks! I had no idea this was diffrent.. Is the steering gear (excuse my english if this is wrong I'm thinking of the lump that the steering axle goes into) the same?
Also, with the V8 I got a linkage (a bracket and a metal rod).. Won't this work with my current pedal?
My biggest concern is that I have to rebuild more than that, since my car i a manual 3-speed and the new gearbox is automatic..

Great project you have going on. I love the early A cars and their is a forum on here for the early A cars. It looks like the body is in pretty good shape!

Thanks, haha everything is relative... I'm used to working with cars that are 2-3 years old :)
 
Thanks! I had no idea this was diffrent.. Is the steering gear (excuse my english if this is wrong I'm thinking of the lump that the steering axle goes into) the same?
Also, with the V8 I got a linkage (a bracket and a metal rod).. Won't this work with my current pedal?
My biggest concern is that I have to rebuild more than that, since my car i a manual 3-speed and the new gearbox is automatic..



Thanks, haha everything is relative... I'm used to working with cars that are 2-3 years old :)
The only steering difference is the centerlink/draglink. The /6 throttle is a twist rod and the V8 is a pull so that will need swapped.
 
Welcome, and nice little project you have there! It looks like the 273 you bought has the exact motor mounts that you will need to drop the 273 into your Dart. If that engine came out of a car that is being parted out....hurry up and go back and get that V8 center link for the steering. If you are REALLY lucky, and the motor and transmission you bought came out of a 66 A body, and all of the linkage for the transmission will still be available, you can grab that too. Good luck with the project, and I'm looking forward to watching it come together. :)
 
Great project to start with. Let me know if I can help you out.
Thanks! I think I've watched some videos with your cars.. A bit more enthustiastic then I will ever become! :D

The only steering difference is the centerlink/draglink. The /6 throttle is a twist rod and the V8 is a pull so that will need swapped.
That's great! Now when I read it, I actually thought about that when I took the linkage off..

Welcome, and nice little project you have there! It looks like the 273 you bought has the exact motor mounts that you will need to drop the 273 into your Dart. If that engine came out of a car that is being parted out....hurry up and go back and get that V8 center link for the steering. If you are REALLY lucky, and the motor and transmission you bought came out of a 66 A body, and all of the linkage for the transmission will still be available, you can grab that too. Good luck with the project, and I'm looking forward to watching it come together. :)
Thanks!! Unfortunately the engine and transmission was bought from a guy who, in his turn got it from someone else..
I do have a push button console laying around that came with the car.. But I have no idea on how to connect it, that's a problem for another day! :p
 
i didn't change the centre link on my 65 dart when i fitted a 440/727, mind you i also made my own engine mounts so i guess i must've just sat it a little higher for clearance. that's normal for engine swaps i do, i just make it all fit with what i've got. anyway what i'm saying is you don't 'have' to swap to a v8 centre link, it's just easier.
neil.
 
i didn't change the centre link on my 65 dart when i fitted a 440/727, mind you i also made my own engine mounts so i guess i must've just sat it a little higher for clearance. that's normal for engine swaps i do, i just make it all fit with what i've got. anyway what i'm saying is you don't 'have' to swap to a v8 centre link, it's just easier.
neil.
Thanks for the input, I will consider this aswell :)
 
Hello and welcome! I also have a 64 270 4-Door. Good luck. Lots of the little odds and ends are hard to come by, but it’s very rewarding when you do find what you’re looking for.

as for the floor, I just replaced floorpans in mine this week. There’s a company here in the states called auto body specialties that makes stamped floorpans for the 64, not sure how bad shipping of those would be for you.

good luck, let me know if I can be of any assistance!

also, please don’t scrap the /6
 
Hello and welcome! I also have a 64 270 4-Door. Good luck. Lots of the little odds and ends are hard to come by, but it’s very rewarding when you do find what you’re looking for.

as for the floor, I just replaced floorpans in mine this week. There’s a company here in the states called auto body specialties that makes stamped floorpans for the 64, not sure how bad shipping of those would be for you.

good luck, let me know if I can be of any assistance!

also, please don’t scrap the /6
Thanks! I've scimmed through your thread here at the forums, do you have any photos of the floorpans in place? I'm curious as how well they actually fit, the images on their website doesn't do them any favours.. From what I can see, I should be able to make those myself :)
About the /6, I'm not so sure there's anything of use left on it, but obviously I'll hold on to it and put it up here if there is anything someone might have use of. Once I get it out that is.

I'm really impressed by all the kind people that's replied so far, what a lovely community this seems to be! :)

I'll probably post an update later today if I could just get the frcking driveshaft of the car..
Does any of you know if it will slip out of the tranny if I loosen the rear X or if I have to undo bolts both in the tranny and the rear axle?
 
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Thanks! I've scimmed through your thread here at the forums, do you have any photos of the floorpans in place? I'm curious as how well they actually fit, the images on their website doesn't do them any favours.. From what I can see, I should be able to make those myself :)
About the /6, I'm not so sure there's anything of use left on it, but obviously I'll hold on to it and put it up here if there is anything someone might have use of. Once I get it out that is.

I'm really impressed by all the kind people that's replied so far, what a lovely community this seems to be! :)

I'll probably post an update later today if I could just get the frcking driveshaft of the car..
Does any of you know if it will slip out of the tranny if I loosen the rear X or if I have to undo bolts both in the tranny and the rear axle?
You will have to unbolt it from the rear axle and the transmission.
 
I finally got it out! Now I can begin the fun job; Removing all the rust in the enginebay! :)
And obviously on a 50 year old car.. Some people may have been there before me, there's alot of fibreglass bondo everywhere on the wheelhouses..
Why was this ever considered a legit repair method by anyone?

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Is there anything I need to think about once I start to disassemble the K-member ?
 
do you have any photos of the floorpans in place? I'm curious as how well they actually fit, the images on their website doesn't do them any favours.. From what I can see, I should be able to make those myself :)

I don’t have any good photos of all of them in the car, but I can get you some. So far we’ve got the driver’s side fitted and welded in, and started the same on the passenger’s. The driver’s side panels have been very good quality. Everything lines up perfectly. I’ll get you some photos soon so you can see.
 
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