Slow, Driving Rustoration 1972 Dart
I spent 13 straight hours wrestling with the rear suspension and drivetrain yesterday but so far I think I won!
First fought the driver's side u-bolt nuts for about an hour with heat, penetrant and determination. They all came off without damage. Then moved on to cleaning up all of the mounting hardware. Cleaned all the threads, removed grease and surface rust and used rust restorer on everything for a universal look under the car. I couldn't get the bolt out of the right rear spring mount on the body so I drilled tow more holes in the mount and used the existing body holes along with new bolts and nuts. I also used new bolts and nuts on the left front mount where two studs broke off.
The installation was pretty easy once I realized I had the front mounts upside down. Those holes only look symmetrical.
I used Hondabond along with a new gasket for the differential cover. If you haven't used this stuff it is really great. Works very well, and makes the gasket reusable if you desire. Also clean up is easy. While I was waiting for that to set up I cleaned and painted the driveshaft and front yoke.
While the driveshaft was drying I moved on the the axle assemblies. I had removed the bearings and retainers bus still hadn't decided how I was going to install the bearings, which by the way were most definitely the cause of the noise I was hearing from the back. I got the backing plates and new seal installed and moved on to installing the bearings. I used a large steel pipe with a washer welded on the end and drilled out to slide over the axle. It went on slick as all get out. I buttoned up the backing plates, bled the brakes, hooked up the parking brake, and put new gear oil in.
Next I installed new u-joint on the drive shaft and installed it.
I went through every bolt to make sure I hadn't missed anything, which of course I had. It was dark by the time I took it off jack stands for the first time and I made some contact with the deck as I was backing out. Nothing bad though just a little paint transfer. I took it for a quick spin and was pleased that the ride was so much improved. It actually had rear suspension now and the wavy brick streets in my neighborhood hardly transferred any shock to the body now. Also my crappy muffler installation doesn't hit coming out of my driveway anymore. The grinding noise was gone at low speeds, likely a result of new bearings. And the pinion slap was almost non-existent now. I wasn't able to get a good look at how much the stance changed till this morning. I was happy to see that it only came up about an inch.
Before:
After:
As you can tell by the photos, my working conditions are barely concrete and I was working in shorts flip flops and no shirt. It felt a lot like an episode of roadkill. The car was apart for only 10 days but it felt like an eternity. I'm glad I can return to taking road trips again!
My short list right now includes rebuilding the steering gear to stop the leak, installing a new heater/ac fan switch, and putting in a heater hose block or valve so the AC will work! After that I'm ready to get it into the muffler shop for duals.
Thanks again to @my68barracuda for the donor 7.25" I guess my Dart is amphibious now right?
I spent 13 straight hours wrestling with the rear suspension and drivetrain yesterday but so far I think I won!
First fought the driver's side u-bolt nuts for about an hour with heat, penetrant and determination. They all came off without damage. Then moved on to cleaning up all of the mounting hardware. Cleaned all the threads, removed grease and surface rust and used rust restorer on everything for a universal look under the car. I couldn't get the bolt out of the right rear spring mount on the body so I drilled tow more holes in the mount and used the existing body holes along with new bolts and nuts. I also used new bolts and nuts on the left front mount where two studs broke off.
The installation was pretty easy once I realized I had the front mounts upside down. Those holes only look symmetrical.
I used Hondabond along with a new gasket for the differential cover. If you haven't used this stuff it is really great. Works very well, and makes the gasket reusable if you desire. Also clean up is easy. While I was waiting for that to set up I cleaned and painted the driveshaft and front yoke.
While the driveshaft was drying I moved on the the axle assemblies. I had removed the bearings and retainers bus still hadn't decided how I was going to install the bearings, which by the way were most definitely the cause of the noise I was hearing from the back. I got the backing plates and new seal installed and moved on to installing the bearings. I used a large steel pipe with a washer welded on the end and drilled out to slide over the axle. It went on slick as all get out. I buttoned up the backing plates, bled the brakes, hooked up the parking brake, and put new gear oil in.
Next I installed new u-joint on the drive shaft and installed it.
I went through every bolt to make sure I hadn't missed anything, which of course I had. It was dark by the time I took it off jack stands for the first time and I made some contact with the deck as I was backing out. Nothing bad though just a little paint transfer. I took it for a quick spin and was pleased that the ride was so much improved. It actually had rear suspension now and the wavy brick streets in my neighborhood hardly transferred any shock to the body now. Also my crappy muffler installation doesn't hit coming out of my driveway anymore. The grinding noise was gone at low speeds, likely a result of new bearings. And the pinion slap was almost non-existent now. I wasn't able to get a good look at how much the stance changed till this morning. I was happy to see that it only came up about an inch.
Before:
After:
As you can tell by the photos, my working conditions are barely concrete and I was working in shorts flip flops and no shirt. It felt a lot like an episode of roadkill. The car was apart for only 10 days but it felt like an eternity. I'm glad I can return to taking road trips again!
My short list right now includes rebuilding the steering gear to stop the leak, installing a new heater/ac fan switch, and putting in a heater hose block or valve so the AC will work! After that I'm ready to get it into the muffler shop for duals.
Thanks again to @my68barracuda for the donor 7.25" I guess my Dart is amphibious now right?
