Help evaluating this car...69 DART
Pretty robust. I would go fully forged bottom end. Watched a vid of a guy with a 318 in an Aussie valiant with twin turbos make some good numbers on a dyno, or stick a 390 inch stroker kit in it. A 360 magnum engine is a good deal too. Heads on those are junk.They flow great, but crack. Id recommend getting a deal on a short block. Bellhousing pattern and mount ears on a magnum are same as an LA 318-360, a vac advance electronic or points distributor drops right in. A company called engine quest makes a new magnum head casting called a monster magnum. It eliminates the cracking issues with the OEM and comes in either a magnum intake bolt pattern or a LA V8 bolt pattern.
Part numbers are EQ-CH318A for i think magnum pattern, and EQ-CH318B for LA pattern
Stock frontend
Remove K member and get it hot tanked, and seam weld it. Add boxing plates around steering box, and an 1/8" thick skid plate to tie the bottom together.
They make boxing plates for the lower control arms to stiffen em up. Not worth fabbing because a pair of em is about $20
If your car is small bolt pattern 4 wheel drum brakes, you can find in the junkyard F body volare aspen or M body dodge diplomat fury or fifth ave RWD from 84 - 89 take everything from spindle out. (Leave behind the upper arms, and lower ball joints you cannot use them) i recommend the M body as it uses the larger piston calipers. F body the caliper pistons are 2.60" This gives you the bigger bolt pattern bigger studs, and 2.75" diameter piston calipers.
If you can find a 78-79 cordoba , or magnum at your junkyard jaunt along with the M body and the brakes are intact, a better recommendation is to take just the spindles from the M body, since they are closest to an A body, and grab the rest including caliper mount brackets and dust shields from the 78-79 cordoba or magnum. Reason being is that they use 2.75" calipers with stainless pistons. M body uses 2.75" calipers with trouble prone phenolic pistons, or you can buy new bendix stainless pistons and a seal kit and rebuild the M body calipers. Also the 78-79 cordoba rotors are a 1" larger 11.80" diameter rotor and the M body rotor is the same part number smaller 10.80" diameter rotor as a 73-76 A body.
A pair of 73-76 A body disc brake hoses will work fine with either the M body or cordoba calipers
You will have to use A body lower ball joints for 73-76 A body disc brake cars and you will need to source grade 8 bolts and ovaled mechanical locking nuts (not nylocks) to attach the spindles to the A body lower ball joint. Reason for this is the M body the ball joints are threaded for the spindle attachment, but the A body ball joints are a machined through hole for spindle attachment, this is why the bolts are needed.
If car is 67-72 w stock drum brakes, You can use stock upper control arms but with the smaller ball joints you will need to buy adaptor sleeves from dr diff so these smaller ball joint pins will fit the bigger holes in the M body spindles. Or you can source 73-76 disc brake car upper control arms with the bigger ball joints in them. No spacers needed, option #3 is tubular upper control arms also with the larger ball joints.
I sourced a 2 bolt M body 1&1/32 master cylinder for my build with manual brakes. I bought an adaptor from doctor diff that converts 4 bolt pattern at firewall to 2 bolt pattern for the M body dippy master cylinder. I think it came w the square O ring to hold the push rod in. The M body master is also SAE fitting threads so no adaptors needed. Reuse your brake push rod from your original master cylinder. The M body master has a groove in the back for the push rod O ring. Easiest way to pull the rod out of the old master to reuse it. Is pull the brake pedal towards you while everythings hooked up in the car. This pulls the rod out of the old master cylinder, then remove the old master cylinder.
Using the newer brake parts along with M body master cylinder and proportioning valve, i recommend sourcing new pre bent and flaired brake lines from inline tube. If you go with 73-76 dart disc brake lines everything will thread right together.
I would also recommend running DOT 5 silicone based brake fluid if all the brake parts are new or rebuilt. It doesnt wick up moisture like DOT 3 will, and wont wreck your paint if its spilled.
See pic below for the bolts needed. Hope this helps you out a bit.
Pretty robust. I would go fully forged bottom end. Watched a vid of a guy with a 318 in an Aussie valiant with twin turbos make some good numbers on a dyno, or stick a 390 inch stroker kit in it. A 360 magnum engine is a good deal too. Heads on those are junk.They flow great, but crack. Id recommend getting a deal on a short block. Bellhousing pattern and mount ears on a magnum are same as an LA 318-360, a vac advance electronic or points distributor drops right in. A company called engine quest makes a new magnum head casting called a monster magnum. It eliminates the cracking issues with the OEM and comes in either a magnum intake bolt pattern or a LA V8 bolt pattern.
Part numbers are EQ-CH318A for i think magnum pattern, and EQ-CH318B for LA pattern
Stock frontend
Remove K member and get it hot tanked, and seam weld it. Add boxing plates around steering box, and an 1/8" thick skid plate to tie the bottom together.
They make boxing plates for the lower control arms to stiffen em up. Not worth fabbing because a pair of em is about $20
If your car is small bolt pattern 4 wheel drum brakes, you can find in the junkyard F body volare aspen or M body dodge diplomat fury or fifth ave RWD from 84 - 89 take everything from spindle out. (Leave behind the upper arms, and lower ball joints you cannot use them) i recommend the M body as it uses the larger piston calipers. F body the caliper pistons are 2.60" This gives you the bigger bolt pattern bigger studs, and 2.75" diameter piston calipers.
If you can find a 78-79 cordoba , or magnum at your junkyard jaunt along with the M body and the brakes are intact, a better recommendation is to take just the spindles from the M body, since they are closest to an A body, and grab the rest including caliper mount brackets and dust shields from the 78-79 cordoba or magnum. Reason being is that they use 2.75" calipers with stainless pistons. M body uses 2.75" calipers with trouble prone phenolic pistons, or you can buy new bendix stainless pistons and a seal kit and rebuild the M body calipers. Also the 78-79 cordoba rotors are a 1" larger 11.80" diameter rotor and the M body rotor is the same part number smaller 10.80" diameter rotor as a 73-76 A body.
A pair of 73-76 A body disc brake hoses will work fine with either the M body or cordoba calipers
You will have to use A body lower ball joints for 73-76 A body disc brake cars and you will need to source grade 8 bolts and ovaled mechanical locking nuts (not nylocks) to attach the spindles to the A body lower ball joint. Reason for this is the M body the ball joints are threaded for the spindle attachment, but the A body ball joints are a machined through hole for spindle attachment, this is why the bolts are needed.
If car is 67-72 w stock drum brakes, You can use stock upper control arms but with the smaller ball joints you will need to buy adaptor sleeves from dr diff so these smaller ball joint pins will fit the bigger holes in the M body spindles. Or you can source 73-76 disc brake car upper control arms with the bigger ball joints in them. No spacers needed, option #3 is tubular upper control arms also with the larger ball joints.
I sourced a 2 bolt M body 1&1/32 master cylinder for my build with manual brakes. I bought an adaptor from doctor diff that converts 4 bolt pattern at firewall to 2 bolt pattern for the M body dippy master cylinder. I think it came w the square O ring to hold the push rod in. The M body master is also SAE fitting threads so no adaptors needed. Reuse your brake push rod from your original master cylinder. The M body master has a groove in the back for the push rod O ring. Easiest way to pull the rod out of the old master to reuse it. Is pull the brake pedal towards you while everythings hooked up in the car. This pulls the rod out of the old master cylinder, then remove the old master cylinder.
Using the newer brake parts along with M body master cylinder and proportioning valve, i recommend sourcing new pre bent and flaired brake lines from inline tube. If you go with 73-76 dart disc brake lines everything will thread right together.
I would also recommend running DOT 5 silicone based brake fluid if all the brake parts are new or rebuilt. It doesnt wick up moisture like DOT 3 will, and wont wreck your paint if its spilled.
See pic below for the bolts needed. Hope this helps you out a bit.
