1964 Dart GT - Bought it because my wife likes it.

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TNT440_Cbody

TNT440_Cbody

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How often do you get to say that? :cheers:

I had a '64 Dart GT V8 4-speed that I stupidly sold earlier this year because the car was real rusty and I wanted the money for the engagement ring I had just purchased. Not saying I made a bad choice but I REALLY MISS that car.

So the new wife and I have been looking at a bunch and settled upon one we found on Craigslist. This car is a Slant-6/Auto but has had all of the body/paint work done already and that is the stuff that I hate doing (no patience for it).

Firstly we need to get it running properly and that leads me to my first question.

Having never owned a /6 before, what spark plugs go in this thing? It has Autolite #25's in it and they have a short threaded portion on them. The replacements are Autolite #66 and they have a LONG threaded part.

Aside from people not liking Autolites, which type are right? Long or short? We're keeping the engine internals stock. I've searched the forum a bit and found this thread which has people using both types of plugs (long and short thread) so I am totally confused.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=101701&highlight=spark+plugs

Here's the new car!

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It has working factory A/C, and I do have the missing trim and a few spare parts, the trans and brakes work but unfortunately the car runs like total crap.

It has a custom interior that has some (IMO) poor customizations but that will all be fixed eventually and I'll get pics to share hopefully this weekend.

If I can convince my wife, we'll put a V8 in it someday after disk brakes and an 8 3/4 rear are acquired. Maybe I'll just tell her the /6 is blown and we need to swap it. I know where a 273 is sitting in a junk yard nearby. 8)

I can drive my big 'ol C-body (that she hates driving because it's so big) and she can take the Dart to local shows and we'll have a ball! :toothy8:
 
Hey, that's terrific -- nice score! Tune-up parts and technique suggestions in this thread. If you're smart you will install NGK #ZFR5N plugs, without the metal ring washers (not used on '63-'74 slant-6 heads). Remember, the slant-6 requires periodic valve adjustment. Carburetor operation and repair manuals and links to training movies and carb repair/modification threads are posted here for free download.

Those Autolite #25 plugs are for the '75-up slant-6 heads without stamped-aluminum spark plug tubes. If that's the kind of cylinder head you have, then disregard the recommendation above; you have to use the tapered-seat, short-thread plugs. (If you have the pre-'75 head with plug tubes but someone installed #25 plugs, that would help explain why the car runs like poo.)
 
I found out why the car was running so poorly. It turns out that three of the pushrods were not installed properly and two of those lifters had popped out of their bores! I used a magnet to grab them and set them back in. Whoever worked on this engine beforehand did a very poor job. Since the rocker arms are not adjustable as I have a '75 or later head (or whole engine possibly), I pushed the valve springs down with a large screwdriver and installed the pushrods into the sockets on the rocker arms. No need to loosen the rocker arm shaft in this case. Now the car seems to be running pretty well!

You can see the three rocker arms that are totally loose in this pic where my fingers are.

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I'll need to go through some of the electrical and clean or rebuild the carburetor but I was able to drive it around the block! Having a non-running car really chaps my hide so I'm really glad to have been able to get it together while working after the sun set.
 
TNT440_Cbody said:
Since the rocker arms are not adjustable as I have a '75 or later head (or whole engine possibly)
Click to expand...

Actually, the nonadjustable rockers indicate an '81 or newer engine. That was the first year for the hydraulic lifters (except for a small test run in '78 ).

If your car has an automatic trans, hope whoever installed that later-than-'67 engine installed the 1/8" spacer ring between its crank counterbore and the nose of the torque converter, or the trans front pump and seal will get lunched early and often.
 
yes it seems that you have a hydraulic lifter motor or a hydraulic cam, head and rockers.
do you still have the pushbutton trans? (I assume you do) I would definitely find out what year engine you have. The reason is that the newer than 1967 engines are not compatible with the older than 1968 transmissions. This is due to the "register" size of the crank/convertor hub area. this could cause some serious vibration issues.
For whatever reasons, you need to check everything over carefully. It seems that whoever was working on this previously did not have much experience with the slant sixes. Keep us posted, we'll figure it all out! Enjoy ( I too used to have a couple of '64 darts; still got some parts for one)
 
That is some valuable info- thanks guys! Yes I do have the pushbutton trans and no I don't wanna pull my car apart! ](*,)

Oh well. Guess I know what I have to do. 273/4-speed. Anyone have a manual trans dash plate for a 64? :toothy10: For real. Someday I want to convert it!

For now the little 6-er will have to do. Is it better to pull the engine or the trans to install the spacer, and where do I get one?
 
You can get the spacer from Pat "Torqueflite Patty" Blais, [email protected] . Probably easier to drop the trans to install it, but that depends on what tools, space, and facilities you have available to you.

Y'don't necessarily have to swap in a V8 to have fun, and you don't have to waste money with the clowns at Clifford to get hot rod parts for slant-6s; there are lots of other, better options. See for example Dutra Duals and header options discussed in this thread and this one, Erson custom cams, HEI ignition upgrade, Mike Jeffreys windage trays, Hurricane intakes, other exotic intakes. Hi-perf engine buildup here, high-perf parts and build info here.
 
nice looking 64,,ide pull the inspection cover and look see,, before i pull the tranny out
 
Before this thread laps to page two and I start tackling more of the issues the car has, I'll appease your appetite for more pics. :happy10:

Here it is waiting for the tow truck in the rain on Jan 2-2011.
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Here it is at home next to my C-body!
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From the other (slab)side: (Yeah the C-body needs work too but the TNT440 runs great!)
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Another reason I bought it: Mostly well done interior, just needs finished up and a few things that I don't like cleaned up.
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Things I don't like: The dash pad is not original. It's just a straight-across padded and re-covered in red vinyl thing. The metal part up to the window also has a vinyl insert glued to the top so the speaker and defrost vents are totally covered, and that's lame.

The armrests look like cheapo repops, if such a thing exists. I saw some in a junkyard '66 Barracuda that I might pick up and repair. The steering wheel is covered in white vinyl but unfinished so it looks bad if you look closely at it. This is all IMHO of course.

But, the car is a great base since the body and paint are overall an 8/10 and that's good enough for me. The chrome is beautiful having been all redone, and it came with a bunch of spare parts. Car guys love spare parts. :cheers:

The plan for the car is going to be a nice driver that can be taken anywhere anytime; on long trips, date nights with the wife, to the grocery store, etc. If the paint gets dinged up a bit, oh well. We're going to USE this car!
 
nice rides ,thanks for posting photos. Lets see them out on a cruise!! Lawrence
 
Raleigh Rocket said:
Very nice, and that C body is slick. Now go get a B body and round out the stable.
Click to expand...

Does a B-body GM car count? :cool: That's a '65 Bonneville 2-dr ht in the garage that I've owned for almost 15 years (my first car purchased with my money). It weighs 4460 lbs with me in it, runs high 12's when it hooks up on a good surface, has full interior and gets 14 mpg on the 130 mile trip to the track and back while hauling drag radials and all of my tools in the trunk. :supz:

65bonnie_index.jpg


But on with the A-body! I picked up a bunch of parts from the pick-a-part yesterday and going back for a few more right now.

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V8 t-bars, the K member that I learned I don't need but it'll be nice to be able to clean this one up and reinforce it while it's out of the car, windshield, V8 brackets and linkages, etc...

New toys are fun!
 
did you get the V 8 center link at that pick a part?????

nice 64 man love the interior
 
Back to the pushrod/rocker arm issue:

One of the rocker arms is cracked in the back of the socket so the push rod has a way to escape, and two of the push rods are bent.

I could not for the life of me find the hydraulic rocker arms online but I did find some parts sitting on the shelf of a local machine shop. The guy was glad to get rid of them for cheap and I bought all 9 push rods that he had left and one rocker arm. If I need two more, that's exactly what he has left. This weekend, the car should be running like a champ! :cheers:
 
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