Down Shift
Member
Hi all. I recently picked up a 1973 Dart Swinger. I've been lurking since then, and figured it was time to introduce myself and start asking some questions.
The car has been sitting for 13 years, so it has some issues. The brakes don't work, the master cylinder was dry when I got it home. I added fluid but it doesn't seem to be making pressure. The seals are probably shot so I am just going to replace it. The previous owner tried to add new gas to the old gas to get it running. I'm probably going to have to drain the tank and rebuild the carburetor to get it sorted out. It does turn over and we did get it to run for a few minutes by dumping some gas into the carb. The radiator is shot, so I need to figure out a replacement.
The car was originally a 318. It has power brakes, power steering, and an automatic transmission, but no air conditioning. It now sports what I think is a 340. The previous owner didn't know if it was a 340 or 360. I pulled one of the valve covers and confirmed it does have 3418915 heads. They are CLEAN inside. Like new engine clean. I figure that is a good sign. I have to get under it and figure out how to read the casting numbers on the block. The headers are in the way.
When we did get it running, I verified that the transmission works in forward and reverse. It is leaking, I will figure out where it is coming from soon enough. I checked the rear end. It appears to be a 8 1/4" open rear end. The gear ratio doesn't look too promising. On a good note when it was running it sounded pretty healthy. The previous owner did say that it has a cam and it sounded like it.
The car looks decent in pictures, but its bondo city. The right quarter needs to be replaced, as does the rocker. The passenger floor has a small area of rot in the rear foot well. Luckily I have a welder and some body work experience. I have done floors in a few other project cars, along with fender and quarter panel patches. I've never replaced a whole quarter skin before, but I think I can probably tackle it. The front fenders are fiberglass. They are wavy and will need some massaging to look decent.
Here are some pictures:
My short term plan is to get the car back on the road. I want to drive it some to see what I have to start with. Once I have it sorted out mechanically, I'll tackle the body. Every panel needs something, so its going to get a total re-spray.
I am an automotive engineer. I design suspensions for one of the "big 3". I guess tinkering with these old cars comes naturally to me. I have had a couple Trans Ams, one I had to re-build from the ground up. I have also had an old Corvette and a Galaxie 500 Hardtop. This will be my first go-around with a classic Mopar. I'm looking forward to it!
The car has been sitting for 13 years, so it has some issues. The brakes don't work, the master cylinder was dry when I got it home. I added fluid but it doesn't seem to be making pressure. The seals are probably shot so I am just going to replace it. The previous owner tried to add new gas to the old gas to get it running. I'm probably going to have to drain the tank and rebuild the carburetor to get it sorted out. It does turn over and we did get it to run for a few minutes by dumping some gas into the carb. The radiator is shot, so I need to figure out a replacement.
The car was originally a 318. It has power brakes, power steering, and an automatic transmission, but no air conditioning. It now sports what I think is a 340. The previous owner didn't know if it was a 340 or 360. I pulled one of the valve covers and confirmed it does have 3418915 heads. They are CLEAN inside. Like new engine clean. I figure that is a good sign. I have to get under it and figure out how to read the casting numbers on the block. The headers are in the way.
When we did get it running, I verified that the transmission works in forward and reverse. It is leaking, I will figure out where it is coming from soon enough. I checked the rear end. It appears to be a 8 1/4" open rear end. The gear ratio doesn't look too promising. On a good note when it was running it sounded pretty healthy. The previous owner did say that it has a cam and it sounded like it.
The car looks decent in pictures, but its bondo city. The right quarter needs to be replaced, as does the rocker. The passenger floor has a small area of rot in the rear foot well. Luckily I have a welder and some body work experience. I have done floors in a few other project cars, along with fender and quarter panel patches. I've never replaced a whole quarter skin before, but I think I can probably tackle it. The front fenders are fiberglass. They are wavy and will need some massaging to look decent.
Here are some pictures:
My short term plan is to get the car back on the road. I want to drive it some to see what I have to start with. Once I have it sorted out mechanically, I'll tackle the body. Every panel needs something, so its going to get a total re-spray.
I am an automotive engineer. I design suspensions for one of the "big 3". I guess tinkering with these old cars comes naturally to me. I have had a couple Trans Ams, one I had to re-build from the ground up. I have also had an old Corvette and a Galaxie 500 Hardtop. This will be my first go-around with a classic Mopar. I'm looking forward to it!
