Recent content by derrangedgadgeteer

Agreed. Take out your torsion bars, trailing links, shocks, unhook your upper control arms from the subframe. Disconnect all the lines and wires to the motor, as well as your brake lines, unhook the steering box from the steering wheel, and remove the driveshaft. Then put a jack and/or some...

As a welder by training, I agree. You're not going to get that little nugget back on in such a way that the threads work. Buy a Nickel welding rod (Ni99 or similar) knock the flux off with a hammer, and use an oxy-fuel torch to build the area back up. I recommend the oxy fuel torch because...

the 318 and 727 for the dartness were hauled home in a ford focus sedan! tell 'ya, that thing felt wayward as hell. And I've moved engines several times in the trunk of the dart. Dang what I wouldn't give for fold down seats in the dartness sometimes. haha!

At 16 (2006 AD), my first car was a '72 4-door dart with the slant six. Noone in my family has ever kept or worked on classics or hot rods, nor did I have any help picking out, buying, or fixing it. I drove it for three years before I tried to turbocharge it, but ran out of steam...

More cubes= lower rpm for the same power, broader power curve, flatter torque curve, more low end torque. Makes the car easier to run fast, and I'd argue with a lower rpm requirement you can get away with less valvespring pressure, meaning less valvetrain wear. Which is a plus if you drive the...

800hp from 318 cubes is possible. On 15lbs, custom rod & piston combo, good quality heads, custom cam (for your exact combo) turning it 7500-8200rpm, modified oiling system, studded everything, maybe even a main cap girdle. Balanced, blueprinted, damn good heads, and an excellent ecm system...

Okay, lemme rephrase. A motor that runs fine but which has some miles on it. Nothing mechanically wrong, still has even compression, still holds oil pressure, no excessive blow-by. Just used. "Worn out" wasn't the right phrase to use. (edit: Nor is it what I said, looking back)

Well, I'm starting a new thread to separate my entry into the Go fast for cheap contest from the work I'd done previously. I figured that it is an excellent starting place for the contest, since it's not at all atypical of what you're likely to find on craigslist for $1500 or so. It...

Put this at the top of the thread, in big, bold letters. :blob:

Steel wheels, painted hubcaps :glasses7:

cool beans. Should we try and minimize using wild tools too in that case? Stick to the briefcase flux core welders and such?

I just recently finished my workshop and I've finally started tearing into my dart. So I guess I might as well take part. I'm doing a more all-over resto-mod but my budget is very very tight, so perfect. So.. Should we each make a thread showing progress and costs as we go? Perhaps link...

Well, yeah, the age old issue of cheap-fast-reliable pick two, but I've run into a connundrum. Quite simply there seems to be no consensus as to what the factory components are good for. on the one hand you have people who put thousands of dollars of forged lightweight components into a motor...

I painted mine body color, with body paint. Believe it or not. It's just your average single stage urethane, Tangerine Perl. Then I crinkle blacked the valve covers (off-the-shelf stuff) brackets painted with rustoleum, and I used aluminum engine paint on the intake. No durability issues on...

so I should be fine with a 6200 redline (about max for a basic hydraulic cam) as long as I don't go lean and make piston soup. :headbang: later on in the build I might get a 360 block and a stroker kit and go for 700+, but for now I just want something fun and practical. Something I can mess...