Budget Build 70 Swinger

[needsaresto]

Thanks! Paint is next on the to do list. Just a little cancer on the driver's side quarter, and surely their will be some under my original vinyl top. My Dart has my "senior-project" built 225" with a 4-BBL, mild cam, headers, forged racing pistons, etc...The 2.73 highway gears are keeping the Dart from 15 second time slips. The older engine with the 1-BBL would do 20 seconds. You add headers and a super-six setup you will get 18 seconds, and my current setup had a best of 17.03 seconds. I add my 3.23 8 3/4" suregrip and my home built turbocharger setup, and we'll be in the low 14s in no time!

Good luck with the build!

Even better would be 3:55 gears.Would help keep that /6 in it's powerband.

What sort of suspension setup do you have planned? There is a lot of time to be had with a simple suspension tuning.Even an alignment will help if done correctly.

 

[casey70dartreed]

Cool, you staying with the same color? We are going sublime with the black hood and rear. My son is tired of all the tuner stuff and wants an old school musclecar, like his ol dad had. :-D

The FY4 gold has grown on me, but I think a color change is in order. B-5 Blue is always a safe choice. I'm thinking either black, A8 Dark gunmetal metallic (1971 color), or EF8 Dark green...Too many good choices and I have changed my mind on too many occasions. Sublime and the other high-impact colors are nice, but you see so many sublime Darts out there that I wanted to be a little different.

Even better would be 3:55 gears.Would help keep that /6 in it's powerband.

What sort of suspension setup do you have planned? There is a lot of time to be had with a simple suspension tuning.Even an alignment will help if done correctly.

I was just thinking 3:23 as I have a spare laying around...Plus I do a ton of highway driving with the car. When the Dart gets retired to bracket racing only duty, then we'll go to a 3:55. With my current setup, anything would be an improvement over my current 2:76s.

 

[swingn340]

We dont have a sublime anything around here, and my son springs plumcrazy on me. So right now he's not sure

 

[casey70dartreed]

Plum crazy is a good choice.

I also think red looks good too

EK5 burnt orange metallic (this color has grown on me for some reason)

Not sure what green this is, but I love it!

EK2 Go Mango!

TX9 Black! One of the colors that I'll be considering.

Another one I love when executed correctly
A8 Dark gunmetal metallic (1971 color)

Their...Even more choices for you and your son.lol

 

[swingn340]

My 70 Road Runner is EK2, He said one is enough. I like the gold but he thinks it looks like a grandma car:-D i would have said the same thing when i was his age8) Im getting ready to build the subframe connectors, was going to go through the floor but I have seen some really good ideas on this and other sites and thinking about adding some of my own. I already have the steel, scrap from work $0 I still need to get some round tubing for the 6 point. I need to find the third member i have for the 8 3/4 its somewear in my garage, its not a suregrip, but it has 3.55s. And my 16 year old can get use to the power without gettin sideways:-D.

 

[casey70dartreed]

Yeah I can understand what your son is saying when he thinks it is a "grandma's color"...I guess it has just grown on me because of all the great memories with my car and the FY4. 6+ years, too many round wins, 2 track championships, all the time working on it, and the Dart having been voted the coolest car of my graduating class...Having said that, it still was a grandma color back in it's day.lol. I think the '70 Darts look good in almost any color...But then you also have the decisions like whether to keep the vinyl top, bumblebee stripe, go wing, hood scoops, and black-out hood treatment. Luckily I have a little time before I get my Dart painted.haha

 

[LH23H2R]

Cool project !

What are your plans for that (gross) stock instrument clustre ?

I'm with everyone else here , in regard to moving the axle 1" , but for a different reason :
Chrysler engineers set the axle forward-of-centre for a reason : traction ! And the avoidance of spring windup . By placing the axle where they did , prevented wheel hop and spring windup under hard acceleration .
I wouldn't mess with that design !

More subtle colours are advantageous ; in this case it'd be easier to keep a close-to-factory-applied colour so that you wouldn't have to paint the doorjams , trunk , underhood , etc.
Besides , that gold looks great -- imo -- when it's 'fresh' and glossy .

I love your wheel / tyre combo . Nice , vintage equipment .

 

[LH23H2R]

To the gentleman whom has that Slant-powered model :

I'm surprised to hear that you car has such high gears in it , considering it's a 225 .
Typically , 3.21 / 3.23 was standard for that motor when combined with an auto trans .
Typically , the high gears didn't appear unless they were specified or with the 1976 Dart Lite / Feather Duster .

3.55's would definitely wake it up , but they may be a little -tight- .
3.21 / 3.23 would be an ideal all-around gearset , that way -- as previously mentioned -- the motor will stay within its power band , which will help with fuel economy ( motor won't lug-along and labour ) and with acceleration .

 

[casey70dartreed]

Cool project !

What are your plans for that (gross) stock instrument clustre ?

I'm with everyone else here , in regard to moving the axle 1" , but for a different reason :
Chrysler engineers set the axle forward-of-centre for a reason : traction ! And the avoidance of spring windup . By placing the axle where they did , prevented wheel hop and spring windup under hard acceleration .
I wouldn't mess with that design !

More subtle colours are advantageous ; in this case it'd be easier to keep a close-to-factory-applied colour so that you wouldn't have to paint the doorjams , trunk , underhood , etc.
Besides , that gold looks great -- imo -- when it's 'fresh' and glossy .

I love your wheel / tyre combo . Nice , vintage equipment .

Agreed with your color statement...Unless you don't care about having mismatched colors throughout the car or don't mind doing all the engine bay work and such. The FY4 gold really does look great when repainted, you just don't see the color much as people usually don't stick with that color and head over to one of the high-impact colors. I may just end up repainting my Dart FY4, retaining the black vinyl top, adding the black bumblebee stripe, blackout hood, and dual hood scoops and I think it would look great!

To the gentleman whom has that Slant-powered model :

I'm surprised to hear that you car has such high gears in it , considering it's a 225 .
Typically , 3.21 / 3.23 was standard for that motor when combined with an auto trans .
Typically , the high gears didn't appear unless they were specified or with the 1976 Dart Lite / Feather Duster .

3.55's would definitely wake it up , but they may be a little -tight- .
3.21 / 3.23 would be an ideal all-around gearset , that way -- as previously mentioned -- the motor will stay within its power band , which will help with fuel economy ( motor won't lug-along and labour ) and with acceleration .

Yeah it's a pretty interesting car like that as it came from the factory with high gears. I mainly do freeway driving (less strain on the slant and better MPG with the higher gears)...But it really suffers at the track, I don't even make it to 3rd gear! lol. 3.23 will be ideal for the application in the future.

 

[needsaresto]

Cool project !

What are your plans for that (gross) stock instrument clustre ?

I'm with everyone else here , in regard to moving the axle 1" , but for a different reason :
Chrysler engineers set the axle forward-of-centre for a reason : traction ! And the avoidance of spring windup . By placing the axle where they did , prevented wheel hop and spring windup under hard acceleration .
I wouldn't mess with that design !

More subtle colours are advantageous ; in this case it'd be easier to keep a close-to-factory-applied colour so that you wouldn't have to paint the doorjams , trunk , underhood , etc.
Besides , that gold looks great -- imo -- when it's 'fresh' and glossy .

I love your wheel / tyre combo . Nice , vintage equipment .

Crap I forgot about that! Mopar springs are biased in that the forward half is shorter due to the axle being set forward of center. Your
right it really does help with wheel hop. It's the reason traction bars are not needed on a mopar.Moving the axle to the rear will partially negate this unique mopar design advantage,even with caltracs.

The 440 cars also had an extra leaf on the right side from what I recall...

 

[swingn340]

Jesus enough about the axel already. The instrument panel will get new everything someday but for now it works. i found an old sun super tack and some old sw temp, oil, amp guages. My son wants the old school look. Started the subframe connectors, mockup anyway. i have a plan for them, ill take pics of that project.

 

[7071DartGTReg]

Almost forgot this under the carpet was 2 build sheets and a sheet that looks like an inspection form. Ive pulled alot of mopars apart but never seen one of these.

I would LOVE to have copies of those forms in a scanned files .jpg!
Maybe clean them up ?
Let me know.

Later,
Bruce B.

 

[swingn340]

That form is a front and back the only thing that i can tell thats been marked is at the bottom, hand written just cant make it out. Its next to the door glass section. The only thing i dont get is if the car got inspected at the factory and or fixed how did this thing end up under the carpet on the pass. side under the front seat. they would have to take the seat out to put it under there. Let me know how i can help.

 

[swingn340]

I got one for you, my 70 Road Runner was built on July 10 1970 and my sons Dart was built on, wait for this, July 10 1970. Is that something or what.:toothy10: Still ironing out some stuff on the subframe connectors, making a cardboard pattern. Ill have every thing mocked up for Monday at work so i can make them.:cheers:

 

[swingn340]

Got some pic of the seats. and spent about an hour laying under the dart looking at the sub frame and floor. my wife was working in the flower garden and thought i fell asleep:-D anyway ill start on the sub frame connectors tomarrow.

 

[mopardude318]

you can see what I did for sub frame connectors on my 70 dart in this link:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=80841

 

[swingn340]

Thanks dude. You have a nice dart, it will be bad a$$ when you get it done. And thanks for the pics on the sub frame connectors, just what i needed more ideas :toothy10: Im still trying to fab mine at work, in my spare time, but everytime i want to do something on the side, we get more work than you can shake a stick at. But thats a good thing:cheers: Ill get some pics after i get done.

 

[joesnow]

I moved my rear back 3/4" in my '65 barracuda. Be careful on your measurements. The rear gets close to the gas tank.

 

[swingn340]

Ive heard of other people doing this with the 70 dart and 1.5" is about max with the 8 3/4 but i can move it 1" with the offset whole in the housing or 1/2" with the spacer i made for the front spring hanger, or both= 1.5" so i have some options.

 

[bayyum]

looks good! I cant wait to get a project to do with my dad!!

 

[turbodart68]

Ive heard of other people doing this with the 70 dart and 1.5" is about max with the 8 3/4 but i can move it 1" with the offset whole in the housing or 1/2" with the spacer i made for the front spring hanger, or both= 1.5" so i have some options.

I moved mine back 1/2 inch to clear the 275 drag radials. They rub at 128mph not 127. Not unheard of to move the axle. Not my first choice but you have to do something when you have a painted car. Cool build by the way, I wished my dad had taken an interest and helped me with mine.

 

[swingn340]

I tell you what you dont want anything rubbing at 28 but a 128 thats just krazy:toothy10: you runnin twin turbos on an A, B,or RB ? eather way it sounds like some bad a$$ fun:cheers: I had a 2.2 turbo that was fast as hell stock.

 

[swingn340]

Droppin the K frame and front end parts off at the blaster tomarrow:cheers: The guy just started his business about 4 months ago, and is just around the corner from my work. Said he do it for free8) i can send some business his way, i work for a trailer repair shop.

 

[needsaresto]

Droppin the K frame and front end parts off at the blaster tomarrow:cheers: The guy just started his business about 4 months ago, and is just around the corner from my work. Said he do it for free8) i can send some business his way, i work for a trailer repair shop.

Now thats good business sense! He will likey build up a good rep.

Cant beat free! I got close by building my own blasting cabinet but I still had to buy a couple things here and there.

 

[/6 Matt]

Almost forgot this under the carpet was 2 build sheets and a sheet that looks like an inspection form. Ive pulled alot of mopars apart but never seen one of these.

I found one of those in the trunk of my '70 Dart Swinger, I would like to know what it is as well.

Plum crazy is a good choice.

I also think red looks good too

EK5 burnt orange metallic (this color has grown on me for some reason)

Not sure what green this is, but I love it!

EK2 Go Mango!

TX9 Black! One of the colors that I'll be considering.

Another one I love when executed correctly
A8 Dark gunmetal metallic (1971 color)

• Their...Even more choices for you and your son.lol

• Purple: Beautiful with a white top and stripe
• Red: Too common, and mom seems to believe red cars attract cops... I believe my Dart at 115 m.p.h. attracts cops too:snakeman: (and yes, that's a true story, minus the cops)
• Burn't Orange: Another nice color when combined with white contrasts
• The Green: Appears to be snakeskin green from the Vipers, but I don't really know
• Go Mango: Isn't that more appropriate on a B-body or E-body? (just my $.002)
• Black: Excellent either as straight black or with said white contrasts. But be warned, black shows scratches way too well.
• The Gray: Now that would be nice with a black vinyl top, stripe and hood treatment.
• The stock FF4 Light Metallic Green: An excellent color, at first I HATED it and planned on painting the car plum crazy so I could name it "Purple Haze." But, alas, it grew on me:love7:... I now plan on repainting it FF4 green.