How do i make my mopar a daily driver??

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Hansen

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Hello mopar guys!
I have a 360 in my 69 dart it was in an 84 D150 before. What do you think is the most important parts for making it a daily driver/make it more reliable? I was thinking about an EFI system, but which one? is there options to make a carburator just as reliable? I live in norway so i have very rough weather from time to time, from 14 F to 70 F temp weather in the summer..
 
Welcome aboard!

Keep a Carb more reliable? Keep it clean, do not oil. Keep filters fresh.

Is there any advantage of having a electric fuel pump vs mechanical, and is a electric choke better than a mechanical? Is there any must have parts on a daily driver that you know of?
 
If it were me... In tank pump, efi with timing control and some type of overdrive. Yep, it would cost money but that's where the money gets spent first....

JW
 
If it were me... In tank pump, efi with timing control and some type of overdrive. Yep, it would cost money but that's where the money gets spent first....

JW
What EFI seems to be most popular?
 
Carburetors were reliable on small blocks since the 273 in 1964. No reason they cannot be reliable now. It sounds like you want to go to EFI regardless, so, from everything I've read and seen IMO the Holley Sniper seems to be the hot ticket right now.
 
Carburetors were reliable on small blocks since the 273 in 1964. No reason they cannot be reliable now. It sounds like you want to go to EFI regardless, so, from everything I've read and seen IMO the Holley Sniper seems to be the hot ticket right now.
Yes that would be the best option. I have a holley street warrior with mechanical choke, and i have a real tough time getting it to idle from cold start. I need to hold the throttle long after it has started to make it stay idling. it's also spitting and hesitating when i give throttle too fast.
 
Yes that would be the best option. I have a holley street warrior with mechanical choke, and i have a real tough time getting it to idle from cold start. I need to hold the throttle long after it has started to make it stay idling. it's also spitting and hesitating when i give throttle too fast.

Sounds like the initial timing is low. You should make sure the tune is right before spending big bucks on something trendy. I can crank my truck up in weather under 20 degrees with no choke and it pops right off.
 
carbs, especially the small block 2 bbl and the AFB/AVS style Carter/Edelbrock 4 bbls can be super reliable

just remember to set the choke and let them warm up, something that EFI lets you forget about

electric fuel pumps are unnecessary on most daily driver cars and actually can add a point of failure

OTOH, they are a requirement for EFI along with a pressurized fuel line system and a return line
 
Sounds like the initial timing is low. You should make sure the tune is right before spending big bucks on something trendy. I can crank my truck up in weather under 20 degrees with no choke and it pops right off.
Thats the funny part, its already set on max recommended timing.. 34 i think. i have ordered a new mechanical fuel pump that might be the issue.
 
Thats the funny part, its already set on max recommended timing.. 34 i think. i have ordered a new mechanical fuel pump that might be the issue.

That's total, not initial. Total timing is taken with the engine warmed and at idle.
 
Really depends on your budget and what your comfortable tuning. Both can be reliable. I work with a guy who has installed 9 Snipers for various friends with no issues and they all love them. Here in the States fuel is our biggest battle as it lights off quickly, so in warm climates the carb bowls will boil dry and vapor lock can happen, an electric fuel pump in conjunction with a mechanical (Or all electrical if you want) will help overcome those issues. 14F to 70F seems very reasonable for a carb to operate in. I have a few questions:

1. Is your high Idle set up? As in fire it up , it idle about 100-1200rpms then if you goose the throttle it comes down to idle around 500 to 800 rpms (Idle RPM depends on your build, trans, etc)
2. Do you have a mechanical or electric choke? Is it hooked up? if electric, you can adjust the speed that the choke pulls off, you may have it set too fast. This you may need to adjust a few times as weather conditions change.
 
If you want it more reliable for daily use , leave it alone . My question to you is : why ????? Why do you want to drive a 50 year old car every day ? to be cool or tobe cheap ? Neither option works very well . I drove a 1964 Dodge every day for a while and all I did was repair it . I spent almost every spare moment repairing or maintaining it . Unless EVERYTHING in the Dart is new prepare for repairs weekly AND keep up your membership in the auto club . You'll need it .
 
Carburetors were reliable on small blocks since the 273 in 1964. No reason they cannot be reliable now. It sounds like you want to go to EFI regardless, so, from everything I've read and seen IMO the Holley Sniper seems to be the hot ticket right now.

I have to agree that carbs can be reliable, but a daily driver in Norway could really benefit from the EFI and not having to screw with choke and hi idle settings.
Plus you don't have to wait for the choke to open before you take off.:D

Yes that would be the best option. I have a holley street warrior with mechanical choke, and i have a real tough time getting it to idle from cold start. I need to hold the throttle long after it has started to make it stay idling. it's also spitting and hesitating when i give throttle too fast.

The Holley Sniper could solve all of that.
 
I drive old iron everyday. Once you replace something, and there are only so many things to replace, they typoically are fine.

Electrical demons, carburation are the only 2 exceptions I've found. Even then..with electrical fixes and FI most of that is eliminated as well.


Personally, I would never drive a 2 door A body in inclement weather. They are too valuable IMO
 
Is there any advantage of having a electric fuel pump vs mechanical,
IMO, yes though as already noted it can be another failure point. The electric pump will fill the carb bowl very quickly if and when the gas evaporates though not a problem in the cold.
and is a electric choke better than a mechanical? Is there any must have parts on a daily driver that you know of?
An electric choke is best. Though your choke sounds ill set. You should only pump the gas once or twice when it is very cold out, turn the key and start it up. Let it warm up 5-10 minutes and drive away without a care in the world.

Extra parts? No.

As mentioned, and it is also in my opinion, a Holley Sniper is the best bet with a intake fuel pump set up with a return line. I don’t know if your ‘69 is set up with a return line already. I use a return line with my electric fuel pump and carb on my ‘79.
 
If you want it more reliable for daily use , leave it alone . My question to you is : why ????? Why do you want to drive a 50 year old car every day ? to be cool or tobe cheap ? Neither option works very well . I drove a 1964 Dodge every day for a while and all I did was repair it . I spent almost every spare moment repairing or maintaining it . Unless EVERYTHING in the Dart is new prepare for repairs weekly AND keep up your membership in the auto club . You'll need it .

I somewhat agree with this. The guys at my orielys know my name. I'm in there all the time. Buying a 50yr old car no knowing the previous maintenance and upkeep done one it means everything needs replaced. My cooling system was trash, bushings trash, brakes barely worked, but she fires up with ease. I'm probably 2500 into parts tools and other odds and ends. Plus the countless hours spent working on it to try and make it as safe and reliable as possible
 
There are definitely pros and cons. Without a doubt it is cheaper than buying and driving anything 5 years or less old in the long run.

There is a pretty big movement in the US to daily vintage cars (25+ years old)
 
Carburetors were reliable on small blocks since the 273 in 1964. No reason they cannot be reliable now. It sounds like you want to go to EFI regardless, so, from everything I've read and seen IMO the Holley Sniper seems to be the hot ticket right now.
As usual, someone beat me to it. I have several thoughts on his. First, When you bought a new car in 1969, it had a carb and a manual fuel pump. They were reliable back then, why not now? True, modern fuel injection is more efficient (better mileage) and probably more reliable than a carb, but is it worth the expense? That is your call. Also, if you do switch to an add-on fuel injection setup, could you diagnose problems going forward? I have seen quite a few threads here where a FI setup wasn't working, and the owner was having a lot of trouble figuring it out. I believe that simple is good. If I wanted to turn my 69 Barracuda into a daily driver, I would first detune the engine by about 75 HP, put in a new (not rebuilt) starter, alternator, carb (electric choke), fuel pump and water pump. If any of these are relatively new, then leave them alone. I'd also flush the cooling system, flush and bleed the brake system after a thorough brake inspection, oil change, new plugs and wires, tranny service and differential oil change. Basically a thorough tune up, and change/flush all fluids. Some of this may overkill, but it is what I would do if I wanted to update my 50 year old car to daily driver status.
 
Electric fuel pumps are no more or less a failure point than a mechanical when installed correctly. You do not need an efi system to have a reliable daily driver. A daily driven older vehicle needs one very important thing first and foremost, a knowledgeable and informed owner. A well tuned (carb and ignition) older engine in good condition can be dead nuts reliable. They were once and can just as easily be again. I would take care of what you have to start with before adding complexity, and then make some changes to make the car more enjoyable to drive daily. First on the list should be upgrading the brakes. Make this a priority. Then start thinking about things like an overdrive trans and down the road maybe an efi system for the economy gain. My opinion only.
 
I would first fix everything that is wrong ....down to the last bell n whistle before I go spending lots$$$ on big hype parts. Then drive it every day and decide what it really needs to be a daily in 2020.
 
My '70 Duster has a Holley Street Demon carb I bought new in 2015; I commute to school/work 2-3 times a week in that car even in winter as long as there isn't lots of snow on the ground. It has NEVER EVER once broken down on me because after having the car almost 11 years everything that could possibly wear out and fail has been replaced (before it failed). I've cold started it in 15*F weather and it ran fine, a bit stumbly at first but never stalls out. Ever.

If I had to I could easily drive it every day but that would take away some of the fun, increase chances of getting in a wreck, more wear & tear, wasting gas etc. etc. These cars are going up in value so kinda sucks in that regard.

By comparison the '72 D200 pickup I just got with a 360 and original 2-bbl Holley runs like ****. Even after a carb rebuild and tune-up it has a huge stumble due to worn throttle shafts causing a big vacuum leak, I need to keep the choke partially closed for wayyy too long if I don't want it to stall out pulling away from every stop until it's up to full operating temp. Screw that lol I'm putting a newer 4-barrel on it with electric choke, aluminum intake and blocking off heat crossover. Should still warm up much faster than a cast iron intake with partially clogged heat crossover.
 
I have an Fitech system installed. I lean more toward modern tech than carbs and mechanical pumps. I'm all for computers and ABS, etc. So with that said:
EFI will only work if your engine is in very, very good operating condition. I chased quite a few nagging issues that seemed to be the fault of the EFI. Turns out almost all of my issues were either exhaust leaks or vacuum leaks. I would have sworn they didn't exist, but turns out they did.

For a daily, EFI is great because you don't need to wait 10 mins in the morning to depart, and it'll run great in winter and in summer. But give yourself a year to figure out all the little issues and have a recovery plan in-place for the first few longer trips.

For a daily I'd focus on cooling system, suspension, brakes, electrical, transmission and then the engine - in that order. Most older cars had far more attention paid to the engine over the years than anything else, so I put it at the end of the list. I'd rebuild whatever transmission it has before trusting it for long-term duty. The rest should be updated, or thoroughly inspected for proper operation and serviceable parts prior to relying on it.

Old cars typically come with continuing on-going maintenance, but they're also super simple which makes preventative maintenance a great way to ensure dependability. Be a bit proactive with repairs, and the chances of getting stranded are severely reduced. I'd also try to live with a carburetor before going EFI - and I'm an EFI fanboy.
 
I daily drive my '73 Dart in the Netherlands.
Been doing so since 6 years.
Used to drive a '67 Newport for about 10 years way before that.

Maintenance is key.
Replace anything worn or shabby that can leave you stranded and replace/upgrade with better stuff. Forget originality.
Especially the electrical system needs to be updated properly.
 
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