1973 Dodge Dart 4-Door Custom Sedan Rebuild
Dart/Valiant........I’ve enjoyed watching Shawn’s progressive work on his Dart. I can really appreciate what he’s done. I see you’ve done pretty well with your leaning tower of power also. To work with what you all have powering your cars is commendable. It’s so easy to go ahead and make the decision to drop an 8 in our cars, but why? I’ve had my BB cars and I see a lot of them at a lot of car gatherings. I guess I just like the idea of something different.
Hello All! Wow, again it's been quite a while since I updated my continuing 'Dart Saga', so I thought I'd touch base (if there is anyone actually out there still interested in my build, lol). The car has been in the body shop for a number of months now.
Delays in getting parts, coupled with some health issues on the part of my bodyman has necessitated a longer project timeline. No big deal...I've always believed in the credo, 'Do it right the first time'. I have swapped out one fiberglass front fender with a good used one that I located locally, and the car was stripped down to metal, with new door pins installed. 6 coats of primer and paint on the old girl!! Used a lot of razor blades, I can tell you! Once stripped, my bodyman repaired all the formerly unseen surprises (oh, so many suprises!!), and now has the car about 3/4 primed. Currently, the trunk is being worked on and I suspect that the primer and paint will be completed by the end of the month (January 2019, fingers crossed). I am also painting the rims the same colour as the car, and plan on running on a set of chrome moon caps. I really like that look.
After she's been painted, it'll be off to the mechanics again, where the final push will take care of: Installation of the new re-chromed bumpers, any ambient pieces of trim that need attention, the DART CUSTOM emblems, new door handles, new mirror, new upper front fender turn indicators will be installed, grillwork (painted black, I think), wheelwell trim, trunk seal and installation of all new exterior lights and lenses. The rear window has to come out, in order to clean up the seal (new one, but wasn't installed correctly), and to replace two damaged rear-window trim pieces. At this point, the engine will be adjusted for max performance, we will finish the air filter assembly build, and I might even dyno the old girl...just for my own personal curiosity's sake! 105 h.p. @ 4,000 rpm was the factory spec, but I think we may have that beat. The rebuild included a bit of porting and I had them shave both the head and the block face to ensure a tight fit. The engine was also overbored by .040. With the few goodies I added to my transmission rebuild, and in view of my upgrade to the Super Six configuration, I hope that i've breathed new life into the old girl. We'll see.....
I've also located a great local vintage car interior restoration place that is taking care of the inner door panels, and the front/rear seat work. New upholstery all over the place!! Ordering a new carpet kit soon and hope to have everything in-place before too long. By the way, if anyone has any idea where I can find a set of front and rear door sill plates for a 1973 Dodge Dart 4-Door Custom Sedan, I'd sure appreciate a push in the right direction. I am having a HELL of a time finding them. They are turning out to be my white whale, YARR!
I will definitely post more pics as the build continues.
Cheers,
Shawn
