64 Dart 5.7 hemi update thread.

Dodgenut64 said:

Sorry, I noticed there wasnt a pic. I was having trouble resizing it to fit on the site. How do you guys get your pics so big?

Click to expand...

I upload 'em to my Photobucket account online, and then post the image link/code. You'll be able to tell the right type of link by the "" at the beginning, followed by "http://www.blahblahblah..."

Glad that Photoshop tutorial gave you some info you could use with your program. You did a nice job with it. It's almost the same color as the '62 Dodge Lancer my folks got from my uncle as a wedding present.
You should be able to change the color of your interior (or anything else) by using what they call the Lasso tool in Photoshop. Look for it toward the top of the toolbar with all of the icons on it. It will allow you to outline the desired area and then use the tools (Image/Adjustments/... in Photoshop) to darken/lighten/change the color.

It is a lot of fun, huh? :)

OK, just a little update. Today I got home from work and started back cleaning under my car, mostly oily dirt. After my arms couldnt take no more I went up top and started taking out the seam sealer that runs along the gutters by the windshield. Man, I gotta say, that stuff was hard to get out. I only got to one side and my arms are killing me. Im glad I removed that stuff though, because even though everthing on top looked nice and "protected", I found two small areas that were begining to rust. One of the spots will come off with the buffer, but the other spot looks like Ill have to hit it with the rust ecapsulator. I had planned on removing it anyway, but Im sure glad I got under that stuff and found that.
I have to make some repairs in the door jams where part of the windshield frame meets the door jam. The drivers side is bad and the passengerside is headed that way. Ill post pics when i tackle that project, but it looks doable.
I also have the holes were the cowl meets the windshield frame. Any tips on that job would be welcome. I kinda got an indea on what i need to do, but those spots are second on the list.
The next big project I want to dive into is welding up the area where the shocks used to come up into the enginebay. I think this weekend, Im gonna give those a try.
I gotta get a sandblaster so I can get into those tight spots, then I can paint where all my suspension bolts up. Im trying to at least get the tiny little spots of paint out of the nooks and crannies in the enginebay so I can paint that also. Those darn little rust frackles are spreading to fast in my opinion.
Sorry I didnt post any pics, I cant find the wifes camera. Ill post my progress later this weekend.

Found the camera. As you can see, I got some work to do, but, its not as bad as it could be.

Heres the door jam area and some cleaning Ive been doing.

a lot of work,,keep us posted

Well I was kicken *** today. I spent a good amount of time cutting out circles to be welded into place and then welding them into place. I did my first go round on the welder, and I had a few spots to redo. I had some pin holes in some of my welds. Looking in my miller trouble shooting section it said to check my tip to see if it was clean and make sure the gas was on enough. The gas was on enough, but my tip was a little dirty. So I went for round two and filled in a couple places. Well things were going good, then on the passenger side, I heated up the metal about 1/4" away from what i was working on and burnt a hole through, now i have to cut out that section and weld in a little piece.
Does anyone have any tips on making less of those pesky pin hole welds and filling in tiny pin holes in general? It seems I create one for every one I fill. Also should i just go over my work with epoxy primer for now and then later when regular primer goes on fill in the tiniest of the low spots?
Im tired, and will probably take a day of rest tomarrow, but next week Ill patch my burn hole......darn it. Oh well, the enginebay area is my learning ground.
Well, what do you guys think for my first patchs, any suggestions?

loooks great,,im no expert on welding but,, i also understand to much gas wil be making a wind effect and blow the pin holes in ur weld u talk about,,,just what ive been told,,,

Thanks, Ill try turning down the gas today when I patch my burn hole.

Looks like you might want to play with wire speed and power.

Thanks. Well, even though it seems like alot of work, I decided sense I had to repatch the area i burned through, that Im just gonna cut out those little humps and make the top of that area flat. Its abit more work, but this time Ill be able to clean the backside of the metal better and I wont be touching any thin metal.

OK, Big news and updates. First, Im moving to Florida this summer so I can get into some Animation and 3d rendering schooling. Sense Ive lost my last job, Ive decided to start over and try and get educated in something thats interested me for awhile. So, by July Ill be in Florida. That said, Ive been racing to get the dart back together enough to move.
I still dont have my custom wheels so the plan was to get the suspension on and just buy some junk 15" wheels with the 5x4.5 bolt pattern. I wont be able to make big turns, but thats what I have to work with.
Anyway, I applied some epoxy primer on the bare metal and started putting things back together. Honestly, I will have to go back and redo things later on, but I dont have the time right now to make things pretty.
Well, the Alterktion install went well. I still need to do a few things, but almost there. I still gotta get the pin in the bottom of the upper ball joint, the bolts tight, but I still cant see the hole to put the pin in. It should be ok for now sense Ill be just rolling the car around.
Got the steering column in, but I have a little bit of a gap, which gives room for the shaft to move around abit. I might have to flatten the bracket that bolts up to the dash, which holds up the steering column. I gotta give it another look before I make any moves though.
Getting ready to install the spindles, but all I have is general purpose grease, I think I need the red grease though.
The rear is another story. I ordered U-bolts from Summit and I didnt realise I got the longer bolts. So Im gonna have to use some nuts as spacers, because with the u-bolt nut all the way up, I still have about a half inch of space, the threads end.
I also have to get nuts for the stock bolts for the axle and housing, but they both have fine threads. Lowes didnt have them, so I gotta try some other places.
I also mounted my 66 buckets. They turned out good, of course all the seats need to be rebuilt. I will later have to make some supports for the seats, and some new mounting plates, because the 66 buckets are smaller then the 64s, so the mouting studs didnt hit all the original plates. I didnt realize how high the rear seat sat, I guess the factory did it that way so that the rear passengers could see over the front passengers.
Everything was kinda tied together. I needed the seats installed so that I could get an idea of how far into the cabin I wanted the steering column and wheel to go. Also, sense Im moving I had to find a home for all the stuff I gotta pack, so it kinda cleaned out the garage a little.
Well, this may be my last update for awhile. If my wheels dont come in the next two weeks, I gotta get the junk wheels I mentioned. If my wheels come in, Ill post pics of them.
Does anyone have any advice on installing my third member and axles (green bearings). Any tips to make things easier would be nice.
I dont know how much time I will be able to invest in my car when I get to florida, but I felt like I couldnt get rid of it. Im too invested now, if I tried to sell it all, Id loose my arse big time. Still, I didnt really have a desire to sell it anyway. I would also be fibbing if I said nothings changed in my plans. I have a few ideas floating around in my head about what to do with even a smaller budget. I may just have to fall back to the 4 speed idea. I was even thinking it would be cool to find a V8 727 pushbutton transmission, but I think those are very sought after and can get pricy.
Right now, I feel very overwhelmed with the big move. The cool thing is my wife has several interviews so next week shes flying down to Florida to check those out. I actually wont start school until next year. I want to check all the schools out instead of just jumping in. Plus this will give us time to get settled in.
Well, Ill keep you posted, Dodgenut64

hey sorry to hear of all the changes you may have to make,,i hope you keep the dart,,and finish it in some form,, good luck with the relocation,,its rought out there and going to get worse i think,,,hope your wife does well wit hthe interviews,,,,what are you persuing???

as far as the green bearings,,press them on slide them in your done,,
im not sure if you have to remove the center button in the rear,,in the middle of the center section or not,,to use the green bearings,, all i know is i dont have them in mine,,,maybew some one else will know if you can leave it in with the green bearings,,,,

good luck,, try to keep us posted on your move,,,

Thanks man, for the tips and words. Im actually gonna get into 3d animation. Ive always been interested in it and thought if I was ever gonna really do something with my art skills, I should start getting schooled now.
As far as my 64, I think if I can just get it drivable Ill be all right. I think if I can get it that far, I may just drive it around in primer for awhile. Unless money starts falling from the sky, I can honestly say the new 5 speed is out of the question. So its either gonna be a 727 or 4 speed. As I mentioned it would be cool to find a push button transmission to run, but I think they are tough to find. My list of things is shorter these days, but the things on the list or pricey.
I could just store it away while I get schooled, but I fear if I go that route, it may get forgotten.

yes dont let it be one of those cars you hear about ,where they guy says some day ill fix it,, you have put top much work in to it to let it sit,,,

as for the 5 speed,, if you buy the parts one piece at a time,,like im in the process of doing,,,summit has the tranny for 1900..
as for the push button,,the last year of tyhe push button for a small block 727 would be 1964,, cable shifted on the column or console 1965 A 727..

if you find a 4 door junker 1964 push button with a 318 poly motor cheap,,that is how to get one cheaper,,
or you could do the passion performance 4 speed with O,D.

gos luck in your cartooning,,or 3D..dont give up,,,good luck

Hi Dodgenut64,

Weren't you talking about puttinga Polara dash in your Dart at one time, way back last year ?

Good luck in your move, hope it goes smootly for your family !

John

Yes, I did plan to put a Polara dash in my car. Its hard to explain, but after taking measurements for the tenth time, I couldnt figure out how to get the dash centered. I may give it another look sometime, but my latest thoughts where to just go with a 66 barracuda dash.
Thanks for the kind words.

dodge nut,,what if you used the frame of the dart or cuda dash,, and cut the face off and then welded the face of the polara dash to the frame of the cuda or dart dash,,that way you would have the curve of the orignal dash up against the windshield area,and the face of the polara dash,, maybe you alreADY loked at that factor,,just trying to help you get your idea up and running,, i thought the polara dash was a nice feature,,

Without having both dashes next to each other, its hard to explain. I havent given up on it, just need some time to look into alot more. The tough part comes from the Polara dash angling down and then getting each side matching up after the cut. The orginal idea and really the only way for me to pull it off is to use the front half of the Dart dash so that it lines back up with the window frame.
Sense I already oun a welder, and the Polara dash, It wouldnt cost me anything to at least give it a try later. It could be one of those free things I could play around with while the funds are low.
Even if I go paintless and just primer my car up nicely (remember Brad Pitt in Ocean's 11 with his primered up Falcon?), I still have a big list of things
1. Engine 5.7 hemi, pulled $1500-$2500
2. Used 4 speed rebuilt $1800 or more, or cheaper for a rough one.
3. Body wire harness $350 or more
4. Hemi Harness over $800 new or cheaper with pulled engine
5. Windshield $200 or more
6. $500 or maybe a little less.
7.Drive shaft ????
8. Rear barkes and brake lines $1000.
9.covertible top and installed, porbably close to $500 or more.
10.all weather seals $500
11.seat cushions $300 or more
12. rebuilt heater box $250-$500 although, a used one might work
13. EFI gas tank $800 for a coverted new one or over $950 for A stainless steel one.
14. anything else? or exhaust system and fuel lines.

The only way I can really cut corners is to hold off on the 5.7 and maybe have a /6 put back in, but then Id have to have some /6 motor mounts built for the Alterktion. If I found a donor car, with a running engine and transmission, I could use all the wiring from it and possibly the gas tank. Id still need new rear brakes though and new fuel and brake lines. Not sure If the radiator will work with the /6. Well time for a new list.
New list.
1. Donor car running engine, transmission,wiring harness...$1500-$2500
2. New rear brakes $750
3. Barke lines and fuel lines ???? $350
4. Seat cushions $350 or more
5. Windshield maybe free with donor car otherwise $200ish???
6. Covertible top installed same as above $500ish.
7. custom motor mounts $250
8. Drive shaft shortened

So far list 2 is thousands less, and to be honest just driving my car would bring me tons of joy, even primered up with the /6. If i went this route I could drive it and buy things when funds were available.

I dont know, what do you guys think? around $5000 (or less with some luck) so I can get her on the road and enjoy her, or $10,000 and she sits for years?

well i thought you already had the 5.7,,if you search,you can find one,,search the junk yard web site,,but yes it is stil a costly deal,,,

search your local craigs list,, for a wrecked,, vehicle,,1986 and newere 318 are roller cam motors,,1992 all 318 and 360 are the magnum engines,,roller cams,, find a wrecked pickup van,,87 chrysler full body car,, any of those for a donor,, or a wrecked hemi truck,,,

as for the 4 speed unless your estimated price was for a complete package,, you can buy a rebuilt 4 speed box from brewers for 849.00,,but then again,,nothing wrong with a slant 6 thats hopped up,,parts are around new and used,,and get good mileage,,

or find a donor dakota,, and get a 3.9 or newer 3.7 V6 200 plus horse power,, 24 mpg,, im considering a v6 option in my streeet rod,,just to be different,, and ssave fuel,,,

The 5.7 hemi you see in my pics was bought fairly cheap as a mock up block to see what would clear. A guy on ebay who lived a few hours away had it up for bid. He clearly noted that it was locked up. I needed a junk engine at the time so i went and got it. I broke it down just to see if it was real bad. Two connecting rods were broken, but everything else looked good. Well after taking it to a shop to be cleaned up, the black spots that where on the cylander walls were actually vary large pits, too deep for a mild bore. I think it was in a flood or someone had taken it 4 wheelin, because there was a rusty brown muddy goo coming out of some of the exhuast ports on the head.
Anyway, I looked around the internet just for fun for used cars, just to see what they were going for, and to be honest, some where very cheap and in driving condition. Realistically it would be best to find a 63 or 64 dart /6 4speed or bush button transmission for a donor car. I could find one with some nice body panels so that I could swap them over to my car. I need a better trunk and hood and could even use some some better fenders. I could basically take most of everthing off the donor car and put it on my car, wiring harness, engine, trans, gas tank. A 2 door would be nice, but I could easuly get by with a 4 door, might even drive it around abit before the swap. If i found a nice donor car, I could actually get my car on the road alot faster.
Provided that I can use eveything off the donor car I need, the new list looks very nice.
new new list.
1. Donor car $800-$1500
2. rear brakes and new lines $1000
3. New tires $500
4 weather seals $500

Man, if i could find a good running donor car for $800 my total costs would be only $1900, but bump the donor car up to $1500 and you still only got $2600 to get my car on the road, thats a vary promising price. Also, I emailed Bill at RMS asking him for /6 motor mounts. Maybe the is the route I should take for now, until I get schooled.
What do you think?

i am doubting that u can get all the weatherstrip for $500 unless u already have some. i do believe that u can bend all your brake lines yourself and save a lot of $. it takes some practice but with all u have already done i am sure u could do it. maybe u can find a donor car with good brakes. if u do get a donor car, i think the windshield is different between hardtops and convertibles but i am not certain. i went to order a windshield gasket and autobodyspecialt told me they did not have one for a convertible. maybe just the gasket is different.

OK, this guy did have this set for close to $500 about 2 years ago, but now its over $700. It looks complete http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/37-P...62QQcategoryZ10076QQihZ016QQitemZ260112382118
I saved him in my sellers list. Im not sure if thats complete, but its a good start. Finding the right donor car is important. It needs to be a car that runs good with good electrical inurds. I need to be able to just swap the engine and trans, all electrical harnesses, and maybe a good gas tank. I guess if I needed to clean the gas tank out and get a new sending unit, that wouldnt be too bad.
I dont know, I just dont want my car to sit idle, covered up for years, which may happen if if I get too involved with other things. Finding a good donor car would really change things for the good. Im mean, it may look abit strange with primer gray paint and super nice wheels and bumpers, but at least Id be driving it around and enjoying, which would keep it in the light and on my mind.
The 5.7 hemi swap in still the goal, but just isnt realistic right now. Im set up for it in the enginebay, so later down the road I wont have to modify anything.

When I was in Colorado last year with my wife, kids and inlaws waiting on my mother Inlaw to mail someone a gift (dont ask), a lady pulls up in this 4 door that needed some work. I got out and took the following pics. While taking the pics, I thought how cool it was she was using this car to run up to the post office. I also realised even though she hadnt dump alot of money into her car, her dart was still on the road while mine was in the garage on stands.

The only regret I have about buying my 64 convertible is the fact that I never got to drive it.

funny thing,, i went to fed ex today to mail a package,, there is a used car lot on the way ,, very smal lot,, sorta off the beaten track,,there was a red 64 4 door dart,,looked decent,, i thought of you when i seen it,,on the windshield it said 1200.00,,, im sure it can be had cheaper,,im in PA,,, out side philadelphia,,if you condsider haveing it shipped,, ide be glad to help out,,,just my 2 cents

Hey, thanks for looking out for me. Not ready just yet, but thats what Im looking for. Thats cool that that car popped up on that lot though, thats what Im talking about, a good cheap donor car, rear brakes, weather seals, and tires and I can be driving this thing. Im hoping to get a better trunk, fenders and hood from the donor car. The other cool thing about buying a running donor car is it should have all the linkage.
I have almost all of the little bits of other things new or in very good condition. New carpet, door handles interior and exterior. new carpet (4speed hump), new carpet hold downs, new armrest bases (need pads), new seat covers front and back (but I still need cushions), rear ashtrays, new boot cover, new well liner, new head light rings, new convertible latch handles, new sunvisours, new rearview mirror post, new washer fluid bottle and redone chromed bumpers and bolts.
I will need to get a top installed though, there is a sprinkle of rain ever day in Florida, but still, not bad. Still alot of work to be done even if I fine a nice donor car, but my car could be on the road by next year easy.

what happened here ? was this project abandoned?