OK. Lengthy post ahead.
Here is the Dart that I just got, pics from the previous owner, I haven't had a chance to get out and snap my own yet. BTW, I've seen very few of these early 270's on this board. This is going to be my daily/commuter/running-project. I would like to have this as a rod style or so, with some performance adds. I am not going to hesitate to replace parts on this thing and I'm not going to be shy about spending money on it, it'll just have to be in batches. I'll just have to see where it ends up over time, a lot of my ideas are flexible haha! This is my first project vehicle and am really looking forward to much learning. I have already spent many many hours browsing this forum for information. My skill set is rather broad, I am an telecom electrician in construction (currently estimating this work) and consider myself very handy. I do not however have any welding experience, so this may change through the project perhaps, my union offers welding classes which I've been meaning to take anyway.
The first thing I did is order a factory service manual, I figure it'll be....useful ;)
Currently it is not running well, due to a carburetor issue, the previous owner "rebuilt" the Carter BBS carb, so I gotta take it back apart, a rebuild kit on the way. I have also discovered that the starter relay is bad when it wouldn't crank, but tapping the relay allows it to crank over, so I have that part coming as well.
Right now this thing drives like a boat, so to remedy that, I have new shocks coming. Since I plan on lowering the Dart, I opted to spend and get the quality Hotchkis ones. I will also be getting new ESPO springs and Firm Feel torsion bars. BTW, random find, it turns out Firm Feels shop is less than 10 miles from my house. I do like my cars to ride stiff, not a real fan of lots of softness. I am looking for opinions and options for bump stops, I think I may have to replace or modify them? Will get an alignment done. I will also do a front suspension rebuild at some point. That will be a learning experience, hopefully I don't learn any new cuss words..... I am guessing I will need a hydraulic press for that? The simple Harbor Freight one maybe? I am keeping the stock drums for now. Once the vehicle is lowered to where I want it, I'll figure out what wheels and tires to go with, might stay stock I don't know. Tires are over 10 years old though, even though they look brand new, so I should deal with that sooner than later.
Need to replace the driver side fresh air vent as it is missing the door. Also need to replace the driver side window track, the gears are stripped. Will likely hit junkyards soon, I know there's a Mopar junkyard a couple hours from me (Wildcat).
I will be keeping that awesome patina, gonna scrub it down and clear coat it. There are a few rust spots that may or may not get fixed at some point in the future *shrug*. Most of the worst spots are the quarters. On this subject, I am hoping I will be able to pull off the side trims. This will allow it to be easier to clear coat and polishing of the trim pieces. I need to research how easy it is to do and put back on and if new clips are available? I am open to comments!
One thing that is NOT shown in the pics, the previous owner was "tuning" the carb a week or two before I got it and accidentally jumped it forward while giving it gas.....this crushed the passenger side headlight. It's definitely fixable though, so that is good. I will be taking this to a body shop to have them reshape it. Have located the headlight bezel, thanks to another forum member
I am collecting a few parts for HEI conversion, so that should happen "soon-ish".
Another somewhat immediate plan is to get a new exhaust put on. The existing is very rusty and looks in danger of falling off. I will be keeping the original exhaust manifold for now. I've read that it should be a 2.25" or 2.5" pipe from manifold to muffler, so I'll aim for that. I do want it to sound rumbly, but not too much that I wake my neighbors every morning when I leave for work at 5am....
I also saw a member here selling some sort of headlight wiring harness, which I need to look into. I did see it seemed to brighten up the lights? Seems like a must get to me.
Future Plans:
Apart from a slightly sagging headliner, the interior is in great shape, it's remarkable. May just do some touching up here and there.
I want to install A/C on it, I am not seeing a kit for this car unfortunately, so I will collect parts for this over time. For now I am going to get the windows tinted with good heat blocking tint and use a sunshield for the windshield.
I also plan on replacing the intake/carb and exhaust manifolds. Not sure what yet, but it seems that AussieSpeed intakes and headers are well received. More research to be done!
Will put in a sound system somehow. Might send the stock stereo to be gutted and modernized internally. Undecided. I'm only seeing one speaker in the car, in the dash. Not sure I want to cut stuff for speakers. Might just live with the one speaker. Also considering maybe using the stereo spot for A/C controls instead.
Considering doing disc brake conversion, but it is not high on the list. Mostly want to do this for more wheel options. Instead I feel I will probably just make sure the drum system is set up well.
Might do a complete engine rebuild at some point. When that happens, I'll upgrade the cam and maybe pistons/crank. I guess it depends on when it fails, right?! Hopefully this is a LONG way out!
Might try and install a turbo or super charger way down the road once the Dart is set as I want it. This is very low priority, but looks fun.
Thank you all for reading! I will update as I go.
Eric Stiffler
Here is the Dart that I just got, pics from the previous owner, I haven't had a chance to get out and snap my own yet. BTW, I've seen very few of these early 270's on this board. This is going to be my daily/commuter/running-project. I would like to have this as a rod style or so, with some performance adds. I am not going to hesitate to replace parts on this thing and I'm not going to be shy about spending money on it, it'll just have to be in batches. I'll just have to see where it ends up over time, a lot of my ideas are flexible haha! This is my first project vehicle and am really looking forward to much learning. I have already spent many many hours browsing this forum for information. My skill set is rather broad, I am an telecom electrician in construction (currently estimating this work) and consider myself very handy. I do not however have any welding experience, so this may change through the project perhaps, my union offers welding classes which I've been meaning to take anyway.
The first thing I did is order a factory service manual, I figure it'll be....useful ;)
Currently it is not running well, due to a carburetor issue, the previous owner "rebuilt" the Carter BBS carb, so I gotta take it back apart, a rebuild kit on the way. I have also discovered that the starter relay is bad when it wouldn't crank, but tapping the relay allows it to crank over, so I have that part coming as well.
Right now this thing drives like a boat, so to remedy that, I have new shocks coming. Since I plan on lowering the Dart, I opted to spend and get the quality Hotchkis ones. I will also be getting new ESPO springs and Firm Feel torsion bars. BTW, random find, it turns out Firm Feels shop is less than 10 miles from my house. I do like my cars to ride stiff, not a real fan of lots of softness. I am looking for opinions and options for bump stops, I think I may have to replace or modify them? Will get an alignment done. I will also do a front suspension rebuild at some point. That will be a learning experience, hopefully I don't learn any new cuss words..... I am guessing I will need a hydraulic press for that? The simple Harbor Freight one maybe? I am keeping the stock drums for now. Once the vehicle is lowered to where I want it, I'll figure out what wheels and tires to go with, might stay stock I don't know. Tires are over 10 years old though, even though they look brand new, so I should deal with that sooner than later.
Need to replace the driver side fresh air vent as it is missing the door. Also need to replace the driver side window track, the gears are stripped. Will likely hit junkyards soon, I know there's a Mopar junkyard a couple hours from me (Wildcat).
I will be keeping that awesome patina, gonna scrub it down and clear coat it. There are a few rust spots that may or may not get fixed at some point in the future *shrug*. Most of the worst spots are the quarters. On this subject, I am hoping I will be able to pull off the side trims. This will allow it to be easier to clear coat and polishing of the trim pieces. I need to research how easy it is to do and put back on and if new clips are available? I am open to comments!
One thing that is NOT shown in the pics, the previous owner was "tuning" the carb a week or two before I got it and accidentally jumped it forward while giving it gas.....this crushed the passenger side headlight. It's definitely fixable though, so that is good. I will be taking this to a body shop to have them reshape it. Have located the headlight bezel, thanks to another forum member
I am collecting a few parts for HEI conversion, so that should happen "soon-ish".
Another somewhat immediate plan is to get a new exhaust put on. The existing is very rusty and looks in danger of falling off. I will be keeping the original exhaust manifold for now. I've read that it should be a 2.25" or 2.5" pipe from manifold to muffler, so I'll aim for that. I do want it to sound rumbly, but not too much that I wake my neighbors every morning when I leave for work at 5am....
I also saw a member here selling some sort of headlight wiring harness, which I need to look into. I did see it seemed to brighten up the lights? Seems like a must get to me.
Future Plans:
Apart from a slightly sagging headliner, the interior is in great shape, it's remarkable. May just do some touching up here and there.
I want to install A/C on it, I am not seeing a kit for this car unfortunately, so I will collect parts for this over time. For now I am going to get the windows tinted with good heat blocking tint and use a sunshield for the windshield.
I also plan on replacing the intake/carb and exhaust manifolds. Not sure what yet, but it seems that AussieSpeed intakes and headers are well received. More research to be done!
Will put in a sound system somehow. Might send the stock stereo to be gutted and modernized internally. Undecided. I'm only seeing one speaker in the car, in the dash. Not sure I want to cut stuff for speakers. Might just live with the one speaker. Also considering maybe using the stereo spot for A/C controls instead.
Considering doing disc brake conversion, but it is not high on the list. Mostly want to do this for more wheel options. Instead I feel I will probably just make sure the drum system is set up well.
Might do a complete engine rebuild at some point. When that happens, I'll upgrade the cam and maybe pistons/crank. I guess it depends on when it fails, right?! Hopefully this is a LONG way out!
Might try and install a turbo or super charger way down the road once the Dart is set as I want it. This is very low priority, but looks fun.
Thank you all for reading! I will update as I go.
Eric Stiffler
