Mopar Inheritance

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Mpacker

Mpacker

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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Hello,

My name is Mike. My father, (also Mike) just passed away in the middle of a few projects. I joined this site to try and gain some knowledge and advice on attempting to complete the 70 Dart he was working on. He gave me my passion for Mopars, but I know next to nothing other than how to change brakes and basic "car guy" info. If someone could help get me to the correct thread / forum for (1) getting help identifying parts (2) asking a ton of questions (3) help selling parts, I would be greatly appreciative.

Car 1 is a 1970 Dart, Slant Six car. Still have the motor and transmission, but car has been stripped to rolling chassis and needs body work. This car will most likely be the car I try to build.

Car 2 is a 1969 Barracuda body that had the floor / front end ripped out so it could sit on top of a drag racing chassis.

Major parts include the aforementioned drag chassis (complete with fuel cell and steering), and a built 440. I recently contacted the shop who built the 440 for him and they said it can only be used with race fuel. My dad drag raced off and on throughout his life and I/we lived close to National Trails in Columbus, OH, but that was decades ago. I was told it could be rebuilt to lower the compression, but know nothing about those things and am wondering if it would be more advantageous to sell the motor, drag chassis, Barracuda body, and other parts (413 bare block, dana rear end, and numerous other parts) and try to start fresh with a drivetrain, etc. for the Dart. I wouldn't be able to maintain a drag car or have any use for it, so I wanted to at least build a car that he owned and worked on (Dart) if I couldn't fulfill his dream of going down the track one last time.

I'm including as many pics as possible because I think I've seen that I can link other posts back to this main one for reference in the future?
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Thanks for having me
 
BOY!! Putting a 440 into an A body is not normally "for the novice." So far as the engine, if you can find a cooperative local, and IF you can find documentation on what was put into the engine so far as pistons, cam, heads, you can UNDO that and turn it into a street engine. You might only have to change the cam. Just depends.

You could sell it but even with "ironclad" documentation, you will take a bath on the price, as people will be buying "a pig in a poke." If you do that, "figure on" disassembling the engine to let people examine parts. Pull one head, pan, etc

One of the "first things to do" is wander over to MyMopar and look around that site. There is TONS of archived info, including being able to download free service manuals and other related literature.

MyMopar - Mopar Forums & Information - MyMopar Tools/Reference

Another good information archive is the The 1970 Hamtramck Registry That site has all sorts of archived info

The 1970 Hamtramck Registry Home Page

Last, very sorry about your Dad. My father and I had no such interaction. We got along OK in later years, but my early/ teen years were a mess with him.
 
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Welcome ! Looks like the dart is pretty solid. Sorry to hear about your dad, but rebuilding the dart will be rewarding....and who knows, maybe you'll take it down the track once just for fun when it's finished! Just start a thread in general section , something like " newbie needs help identifying these parts". I use the search button endlessly myself.
 
Mpacker said:
Hello,

My name is Mike. My father, (also Mike) just passed away in the middle of a few projects. I joined this site to try and gain some knowledge and advice on attempting to complete the 70 Dart he was working on. He gave me my passion for Mopars, but I know next to nothing other than how to change brakes and basic "car guy" info. If someone could help get me to the correct thread / forum for (1) getting help identifying parts (2) asking a ton of questions (3) help selling parts, I would be greatly appreciative.

Car 1 is a 1970 Dart, Slant Six car. Still have the motor and transmission, but car has been stripped to rolling chassis and needs body work. This car will most likely be the car I try to build.

Car 2 is a 1969 Barracuda body that had the floor / front end ripped out so it could sit on top of a drag racing chassis.

Major parts include the aforementioned drag chassis (complete with fuel cell and steering), and a built 440. I recently contacted the shop who built the 440 for him and they said it can only be used with race fuel. My dad drag raced off and on throughout his life and I/we lived close to National Trails in Columbus, OH, but that was decades ago. I was told it could be rebuilt to lower the compression, but know nothing about those things and am wondering if it would be more advantageous to sell the motor, drag chassis, Barracuda body, and other parts (413 bare block, dana rear end, and numerous other parts) and try to start fresh with a drivetrain, etc. for the Dart. I wouldn't be able to maintain a drag car or have any use for it, so I wanted to at least build a car that he owned and worked on (Dart) if I couldn't fulfill his dream of going down the track one last time.

I'm including as many pics as possible because I think I've seen that I can link other posts back to this main one for reference in the future? View attachment 1715564732 View attachment 1715564733 View attachment 1715564734 View attachment 1715564735 View attachment 1715564736 View attachment 1715564737 View attachment 1715564738 View attachment 1715564739 View attachment 1715564740 View attachment 1715564741

Thanks for having me
Click to expand...


Welcome to FABO....

Any way that you can post some larger pictures so we can see better???


I do spy a Dana axle in some of the pictures...
 
Sorry for your loss, some very interesting projects, your dad had good taste in cars.
Welcome to FABO, don't be afraid to ask any questions, lots of knowledgeable people here, none of us were born knowing anything, we all learned by doing or asking advice and then trying on our own. Will be looking forward to seeing progress.
 
Hey Mike, real sorry to here of your dad. Tuff deal for sure.
Maybe a member on here lives close enough to stop by and help you sort through all the stuff your dad left you and help get you squared away on what you have and it's value . Maybe he would work for some parts in return.
All that stuff has some value ! well most of it anyway. LOL

Maybe your dad had a couple hot rod /racing buddies that would help out.
 
Our condolences Mike. Looks like you have quite a stash to sort thru. Looks like some good parts there. Do some research here and other sites for value of parts. There is some $$ there.
Yes, to answer your question about linking to this thread later.
Good luck
 
You could sell that stash and pick up a nice driver for sure or fund the 70 Dart build completely. That tube chassis and narrowed Dana is bank if you got the axles. Welcome aboard. Invite a local member over and have him or her enlighten you on the potential gold mine you got there.
 
Thanks everyone who has responded. It's very touching to see the sense of community this forum has. I feel included and like I came to the right place for help.

I will start the process of photographing what I have from each angle and including S/N's and Casting #'s for better help identifying things.

Next step would be to sell some of his tools I won't need to work on the car, and then start sifting through whether or not I should keep certain parts. Once prices have been set, I will budget out a build factoring in my options of keeping and rebuilding the engine to have better "street manners", selling it and restarting, keeping the Dart and financing the build by selling all other non-relevant parts, or selling the whole lot and starting over if nothing works.

For nostalgic reasons, I'd very much like to build this Dart and keep the engine he spec'd out (even if slightly adjusted).

Thanks again for the love everyone.
 
pishta said:
You could sell that stash and pick up a nice driver for sure or fund the 70 Dart build completely. That tube chassis and narrowed Dana is bank if you got the axles. Welcome aboard. Invite a local member over and have him or her enlighten you on the potential gold mine you got there.
Click to expand...
I'll be photographing what I can, as soon as I can. I have no clue how to ID the chassis. I've seen some from Jegs for like $2k then others for around $12k (none of which come with steering or a fuel cell like his does...). Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've also seen the NHRA has some pretty specific requirements for chassis and that most of them are rated / approved up to (or down to) a certain E.T.
 
RAT ROD AL said:
Hey Mike, real sorry to here of your dad. Tuff deal for sure.
Maybe a member on here lives close enough to stop by and help you sort through all the stuff your dad left you and help get you squared away on what you have and it's value . Maybe he would work for some parts in return.
All that stuff has some value ! well most of it anyway. LOL

Maybe your dad had a couple hot rod /racing buddies that would help out.
Click to expand...
I would be very open to that idea. I'm already trying to give the barracuda body to a buddy of mine who owns a shop nearby for his future help. If you know of a good way for me to go about accomplishing this, I'm all ears!
 
missing linc said:
Sorry for your loss, some very interesting projects, your dad had good taste in cars.
Welcome to FABO, don't be afraid to ask any questions, lots of knowledgeable people here, none of us were born knowing anything, we all learned by doing or asking advice and then trying on our own. Will be looking forward to seeing progress.
Click to expand...
I appreciate it. He raced a 10 second Dart back in the day, but it was mid 1960's. He also used to scoot down the track in a 72 (I believe) Duster. My walls were covered with cut up Mopar Magazines as a kid. I ended up owning a ton of chevys, but Mopars will always be my first love.
 
krazykuda said:
Welcome to FABO....

Any way that you can post some larger pictures so we can see better???


I do spy a Dana axle in some of the pictures...
Click to expand...
I'll be photographing them from better angles as soon as possible and starting another thread to help ID them. Any chance you could explain how to make sure you guys from this original post get included with the new thread? Like a way to copy/tag you guys on it?
 
67Dart273 said:
BOY!! Putting a 440 into an A body is not normally "for the novice." So far as the engine, if you can find a cooperative local, and IF you can find documentation on what was put into the engine so far as pistons, cam, heads, you can UNDO that and turn it into a street engine. You might only have to change the cam. Just depends.

You could sell it but even with "ironclad" documentation, you will take a bath on the price, as people will be buying "a pig in a poke." If you do that, "figure on" disassembling the engine to let people examine parts. Pull one head, pan, etc

One of the "first things to do" is wander over to MyMopar and look around that site. There is TONS of archived info, including being able to download free service manuals and other related literature.

MyMopar - Mopar Forums & Information - MyMopar Tools/Reference

Another good information archive is the The 1970 Hamtramck Registry That site has all sorts of archived info

The 1970 Hamtramck Registry Home Page

Last, very sorry about your Dad. My father and I had no such interaction. We got along OK in later years, but my early/ teen years were a mess with him.
Click to expand...
I was already leaning that way with the engine. I would be skeptical if I were buying from someone / a motor under similar circumstances. I just don't know what all needs to come out. The shop that worked on it said they didn't keep great records of what all went into it, but knew it was at least 12:1 compression and around 600hp. The paperwork I have so far doesn't list any of that, but I think some of the old parts are being held in the packaging for what he put in the motor. I can hopefully find out a bit more from that. The shop also said that he had a huge cam in there and would definitely have to change the pistons / associated parts (stuff I'm clueless about) if I wanted to "street" it. I think that's how he explained it.

My dad raced a Dart and Duster he put 440's into back in the 80's / 90's and apparently he was trying to do it again, haha. I'll have a shop help me or look at purchasing what I need to get the motor in there safely. Thanks again for reaching out! I'll try to start a thread of this crazy journey.
 
Mpacker said:
I'll be photographing them from better angles as soon as possible and starting another thread to help ID them. Any chance you could explain how to make sure you guys from this original post get included with the new thread? Like a way to copy/tag you guys on it?
Click to expand...
Easiest way to get a members attention is @Mpacker . Simply reply on this thread saying you started a new thread "about whatever" and anyone that has responded to this thread will get a notification/ alert from you. Good luck. Hope this makes sense...
 
Sorry for your loss. It is never easy losing a loved one.

I would take your time and decide what route you want to take. Plenty of willing and knowlegable people on here.
 
My deepest condolences for your loss. Looks like you have a couple of big projects ahead of you. I'm probably not too far from you (out near Winchester), but those projects are way beyond my ability. You probably have more skills mechanically than I.
A few shops in the area to consider for tasks beyond your ability, are Sterling Hot Rod in Sterling, and Clarke County Speed and Early American Automotive, both in Berryville. Good luck. If you'll go out of state, you might try Rob's Rod Shop in Downingtown, PA.
 
Mpacker said:
I'll be photographing them from better angles as soon as possible and starting another thread to help ID them. Any chance you could explain how to make sure you guys from this original post get included with the new thread? Like a way to copy/tag you guys on it?
Click to expand...


Yes, just type the at sign and then our screen name without any spaces...

Like this @Mpacker
 
Welcome to FABO Mike, glad to have you with us. Sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad, but there will be many times he will be with you as you navigate what he left for you to work on. I think the first thing I would do is get the Dart out and in a place that you can take stock of what’s there, and also enough room that when you find Dart related parts, that they can go near the car. Then, as you go through the other stuff, you can take individual pictures of items and share them here for identification and value. If it’s race stuff, there are specific forums here and on other sites to get questions answered, and as an outlet to eventually sell them. Take it slow and steady, it will be much easier to keep everything straight, and not get overwhelmed. I agree that if your Dad had friends nearby, they would be a good source of info, and if there is a member from FABO in your town, maybe invite them over for some cold drinks, bench racing, and parts identification. Where do you live?
 
Jim 68cuda said:
My deepest condolences for your loss. Looks like you have a couple of big projects ahead of you. I'm probably not too far from you (out near Winchester), but those projects are way beyond my ability. You probably have more skills mechanically than I.
A few shops in the area to consider for tasks beyond your ability, are Sterling Hot Rod in Sterling, and Clarke County Speed and Early American Automotive, both in Berryville. Good luck. If you'll go out of state, you might try Rob's Rod Shop in Downingtown, PA.
Click to expand...
Thanks for responding. I'm in the Fairfax area, so not too far at all. If you're ever interested, I got a buddy who puts out great work in the Fredericksburg area. His shop is only a few years old but took off fast and has great cars coming from the surrounding area for work. PM me if you're ever interested. I'll keep all the ones you mentioned in mind too. When the covid stuff settles down / when work is to be done on the Dart, I'd love to link up.
 
cosgig said:
Welcome to FABO Mike, glad to have you with us. Sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad, but there will be many times he will be with you as you navigate what he left for you to work on. I think the first thing I would do is get the Dart out and in a place that you can take stock of what’s there, and also enough room that when you find Dart related parts, that they can go near the car. Then, as you go through the other stuff, you can take individual pictures of items and share them here for identification and value. If it’s race stuff, there are specific forums here and on other sites to get questions answered, and as an outlet to eventually sell them. Take it slow and steady, it will be much easier to keep everything straight, and not get overwhelmed. I agree that if your Dad had friends nearby, they would be a good source of info, and if there is a member from FABO in your town, maybe invite them over for some cold drinks, bench racing, and parts identification. Where do you live?
Click to expand...
Thanks for reaching out. I'm in Northern Virginia, really close to DC. Unfortunately my dad was out of state, and kind of a recluse in his later years. The guys at the machine shop that built his motor probably knew him best. Great advice, and I'm definitely up for some cold beer down the road!
 
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