hello from northern ontario.

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RB-DART

RB-DART

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Joined
Jun 6, 2018
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Location
ontario
hi everyone,i have a 74 dart swinger se i've owned since 1980(my 1st car).
in the 80's i built this car to what it still is today and saying that it is i guess what i would call an "old school,straight line screamer".
where i lived then roads where all flat and straight,now where i am roads are all curved and hills.
so now is a time for an upgrade to make my dart useable again!
i found this forum a short time ago and really liked the way it is setup and the people and info that is on it so here i am to say hello.
just a quick note on my dart.
originaly a 318 auto,ac car.
now 440 with indy alum heads,dual quad,727 auto with manual shift and dana 60 with 4.56 gears.
front suspension is stock,rear is a custom made 4-link.
as you may tell it is a straight line car,i look forward to talking with you all about what i would like to transform this car into and what input you may have for me and also anything i may be able to help someone with also.
i hope my picture attaches here!
thanks.
my dart.JPG
 
welcome RB-DART glad you're here looks to me like you know what your doing already.
 
Fred Scigliano said:
welcome RB-DART glad you're here looks to me like you know what your doing already.
Click to expand...
hi there,almost 30yrs ago when i built this car all these upgrades for suspension parts and even tranny's really were for the most part non-existent.no web to search on just word of mouth on the street and your local speed shop around.
now i am excited to get started on this project and make a nice cruiser with it,so in reality i am kind of a newbie to the "modern muscle car" build.
i would like to see my car handle well around all the corners and curves without all the swishee swashy rolling it does and tame down the motor just a "hair".
i don't want to get into a full out in depth large build project as i am not going for a road racing car or anything and don't want to spend a fortune either.
i do have a few other cars as well so it gets a little expensive with insurance and all.
what i have planned for my dart is this and please be welcome to chime in if you think i am going in the wrong direction.
1)lower the car about 3in from where it is now,i can't go much more than that because of the fenderwell headers and i will change the oil pan to a shallower sump.right now it has the milodon 9qt dual pickup sump on it.
2)redo front suspension,got some parts already(qa1 upper ca,adj strut bars and hellwig tube sway bar)still need parts to rebuild lca with stffening plates(undecided on bushings yet urethane or delrin),then lower ball joints and tierod ends,pitman and idler arm(not sure what brand to go with these since moog reviews have really fallen short lately,maybe xrf?
then torsion bars probably pst 1.03 i don't want to harsh a ride and maybe qa1 single adj shocks.
3)i want my pwr steering back!i realy like bergmans steering box conversion kit probably go for it the only thing is i'll have to go serpentine belt system because i will not keep a v-belt on it when that motor winds up that is why i ditched the pwr steering years ago.
4)rear suspension is undetermined yet,like i said ealier it is a custom 4-link right now,the bars are mounted to the inside of the frame rails so the track between them is quite narrow so not the best for any kind of cornering.i could ditch this setup and go with maybe rms street lynx mounted in between the frames?that would widen it 3in per side and still fit my tire.
the problem i have is when i lower the car with my 4-link i will need shorter coil overs and if i buy those(not cheap)and the rear end doesn't handle well cornering then i burn for the coil overs!
5)brakes right now are manual stock disc in front but i do have wilwood disc on back.most likely will put wilwood on front with a smaller bore master so i don't have to stomp the pedal so hard(my legs aren't like they used to be.lol
pwr brakes will not fit with the headers not even hydra boost.too bad.
6)tame the engine down a hair.by this i will most likely just change the cam.
right now it has the dc .590 lift mechanical flat tappet in it.
thinking of the comp cams retro hyd roller .550 lift xr292 grind.
it will give me more vacum at idle and a lower idle speed and a lot less maitenance with setting valve lash periodically.
don't get me wrong though the .59 cam runs pretty darn well and isn't bad on the street i only run 600's on the tunnel ram with vacum secondaries so i'm not fuelling the heck out of it.
7)change the gear back to the 4.10 trac lock,right now it is 4.56 with a spool.a must go for street!
8)eventually put a auto od trans in,this is alot of dollars and i am at the mercy of someone building one that can take the power.
it took me quite a while to find someone to build my 727 to hold up to this engine,maybe he is still around i'll call him.
any how just thought i'd let every know where i'm at and would like to be.
here's a few more pics,engine and rear end so you can see what i'm talking about width between the coil overs.
thanks.

74 dart 007.jpg


dart 1.JPG
 
RB-DART said:
hi there,almost 30yrs ago when i built this car all these upgrades for suspension parts and even tranny's really were for the most part non-existent.no web to search on just word of mouth on the street and your local speed shop around.
now i am excited to get started on this project and make a nice cruiser with it,so in reality i am kind of a newbie to the "modern muscle car" build.
i would like to see my car handle well around all the corners and curves without all the swishee swashy rolling it does and tame down the motor just a "hair".
i don't want to get into a full out in depth large build project as i am not going for a road racing car or anything and don't want to spend a fortune either.
i do have a few other cars as well so it gets a little expensive with insurance and all.
what i have planned for my dart is this and please be welcome to chime in if you think i am going in the wrong direction.
1)lower the car about 3in from where it is now,i can't go much more than that because of the fenderwell headers and i will change the oil pan to a shallower sump.right now it has the milodon 9qt dual pickup sump on it.
2)redo front suspension,got some parts already(qa1 upper ca,adj strut bars and hellwig tube sway bar)still need parts to rebuild lca with stffening plates(undecided on bushings yet urethane or delrin),then lower ball joints and tierod ends,pitman and idler arm(not sure what brand to go with these since moog reviews have really fallen short lately,maybe xrf?
then torsion bars probably pst 1.03 i don't want to harsh a ride and maybe qa1 single adj shocks.
3)i want my pwr steering back!i realy like bergmans steering box conversion kit probably go for it the only thing is i'll have to go serpentine belt system because i will not keep a v-belt on it when that motor winds up that is why i ditched the pwr steering years ago.
4)rear suspension is undetermined yet,like i said ealier it is a custom 4-link right now,the bars are mounted to the inside of the frame rails so the track between them is quite narrow so not the best for any kind of cornering.i could ditch this setup and go with maybe rms street lynx mounted in between the frames?that would widen it 3in per side and still fit my tire.
the problem i have is when i lower the car with my 4-link i will need shorter coil overs and if i buy those(not cheap)and the rear end doesn't handle well cornering then i burn for the coil overs!
5)brakes right now are manual stock disc in front but i do have wilwood disc on back.most likely will put wilwood on front with a smaller bore master so i don't have to stomp the pedal so hard(my legs aren't like they used to be.lol
pwr brakes will not fit with the headers not even hydra boost.too bad.
6)tame the engine down a hair.by this i will most likely just change the cam.
right now it has the dc .590 lift mechanical flat tappet in it.
thinking of the comp cams retro hyd roller .550 lift xr292 grind.
it will give me more vacum at idle and a lower idle speed and a lot less maitenance with setting valve lash periodically.
don't get me wrong though the .59 cam runs pretty darn well and isn't bad on the street i only run 600's on the tunnel ram with vacum secondaries so i'm not fuelling the heck out of it.
7)change the gear back to the 4.10 trac lock,right now it is 4.56 with a spool.a must go for street!
8)eventually put a auto od trans in,this is alot of dollars and i am at the mercy of someone building one that can take the power.
it took me quite a while to find someone to build my 727 to hold up to this engine,maybe he is still around i'll call him.
any how just thought i'd let every know where i'm at and would like to be.
here's a few more pics,engine and rear end so you can see what i'm talking about width between the coil overs.
thanks.

View attachment 1715185818

View attachment 1715185819
Click to expand...

PRETTY KICK A$$ FROM THE 80`S.
Not sure about the hyd. roller u mentioned, I`ve got an extreme 292 solid roller in my 505 , w/ 1/6 rockers, it likes to idle about 1150. I had that cam in a 406 sbc, and it liked the same .
Keep us posted--------------
 
I think your upgrade Ideas sound great.
This is all new to me so will really enjoy watching the build.
 
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