1970 DUSTER 440 4spd 8 3/4 posi

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Well, I palced an order at the local parts store for a bunch of parts
Carb,
Distibuter,
Center Fource Dual Fric Clutch,
Throw out bearing,
Balancer,

I should be able to pick them all up tomarrow.

I am still waiting for my bellhousing to arrive in the Mail. (Robbie, I'll let you know when it arives)

I was doing little things on the car today,

Hooked up brake lines,
Put in 8 3/4 gear set,
tightend up the torsion bars,
Cleaned up my flyweel,
Degreased the oil pan, and then painted it Orange to match the engine,
and some other things here and there.

If all goes well I can put the engine in for good in a couple weeks.

I have a question about the T bars...Should I tighten them all the way because I will be useing a 440, or should they be done up the same as a 340 V8?

Let me know.

Phil
 
Here is a shot of the engine in the car...yet again. Just seeing how the new oil pan looks with the /6 center link. I have a new balancer on it now, and the 318 flywheel on the back side with a brand new center force dual fric clutch. My nice new Distributer up front.

I should be able to get my bellhousing today :)

so the engine and tranny will be going in for good now.

I have 2 qustions that will need to be adressed soon.

1. do I tighten the T bars all the way because of the weight of the 440? or how tight to I do them.

2. I have heard that I will need the drivshaft shortend. Why is that? if the tranny mount lines up with the tranny cross member, then the drive shaft should be the same leingth. right? I am using a 1966 barracuda A body 4 spd.

Duster.jpg
 
qas far as the driveshaft goes, it has been my experience that you only need to shorten them when using a tranny from a C/C/E body, not another A.
as to the T_bars, what bars are you running? if theyer slant 6, then you'll probably wind up having them cranked up all the way. small block, i dont know. id say crank the adjusters tight, then lower to the desired ride height while saving for some big block t-bars.

and have you made sure before you bolt it all up that the flywheel matches the balance of the 440?
just dont want to see you eat bearings.

Michael
 
thanks for getting back to me.

I don't know what T bars I have. I know that they are aftermarket performance ones. But I am unsure. I might have the info in the paperwork that came with the car...I will get back to you about it.

thanks

Phil
 
dusterbd13 said:
and have you made sure before you bolt it all up that the flywheel matches the balance of the 440?
just dont want to see you eat bearings.

Michael
Click to expand...

I don't see why their will be a problem. My 440 is internally balanced, and so are 318's. if you look at jegs, or summit a 440 130 tooth internal balanced flywheel is the same for a 318 130 tooth internal balanced flywheel...so I don't seee any problems here.

if this flywheel wasn't neutral balance, it would have riped the bearings in the 318 apart.

Phil
 
Phil, you'll have to measure the torsion bars to determine what size they are. It needs to be an accurate measurement using either a 0-1" outside micrometer or a good vernier caliper and the number you're looking for is somewhere between .810-.920" measured at the bars smallest outside diameter lets say about a foot from the end. Measure both bars to be certain someone didn't screw up before you and I'd recommend the .890" bars with the 440.

Terry
 
I know what you are going through. I have had a lot of problems with converting my car to manual steering. Right now I have a 68 Dart with a 73 V8 K frame. It had power steering and a 318 from a 73 Dart, now its getting a 383 with Hedman headers. I have a 69 manula box coming which I am pretty sure will not fit, but I have had a very hard time finding a 73+ manual box.
 
Hey flyboy,

Lucky for me I bought the car with most of the mods done allready. Suposidly they were done by a well known Dodge guy down in around seatle Washington. I was wondering if anyone reconized the car..but I have had no answers. anyways. My linkage seams to all line up good, and the headers that came with the car don't need to be dented at all anywhere...but I can't find a name or part # if my life depended on it!

I got my bell housing the other day. am still going to have to wait for my clutch linkage from Brewers performance. but in the mean time I will be fitting up fuel lines, brake lines, and my guages.

does anyone know if the bearing retainer adapter ring from the small size to the big size goes on the inside of the bell or outside? I am waiting for it in the mail, but I don't want to put the bell housing on if I have to take it back off to put the adater ring back on.

its coming along.

Phil
 
Well I was taking my tank out yesterday to get cleaned. It has some pin holes here and their. looks like I need a tank. the inside was completly rusted...including the sending unit.

I am hoping this will be my last bad news hurdle.

Posi is in
all brakes are on and ready now, just needing bleeding,
waiting for my clutch linkage and bearing retainer adapter, and thats about it

Phil
 
mrtires24 said:
does anyone know if the bearing retainer adapter ring from the small size to the big size goes on the inside of the bell or outside? I am waiting for it in the mail, but I don't want to put the bell housing on if I have to take it back off to put the adater ring back on.



Phil
Click to expand...

I haven't seen an adapter ring like that for a long time but I'm almost positive that it goes on from the backside of the bellhousing. You could wait until right before you install the trans to put the ring on.
 
Thanks 64 cuda,

I was thinking that too.

anyone know a where I can get a great price in a gas tank?
 
Just orderd my tank through Rockauto parts. sending unit, tank and mailed to my door for $359

Getting a little depressed about all the money I am spending on the car/wedding. getting more and more in dept. I hope I don't have to sell it when I am done. ;(

Phil
 
demon seed said:
Phil, you'll have to measure the torsion bars to determine what size they are. It needs to be an accurate measurement using either a 0-1" outside micrometer or a good vernier caliper and the number you're looking for is somewhere between .810-.920" measured at the bars smallest outside diameter lets say about a foot from the end. Measure both bars to be certain someone didn't screw up before you and I'd recommend the .890" bars with the 440.

Terry
Click to expand...

So about my Torsion bars...

they are brand new, and where allready installed.
Mopar performance part#5249151. diameter= 0.920 A body, Performance handling, Solo Racing.

So how tight to I tighten these puppies?

Phil
 
mrtires24 said:
So about my Torsion bars...

they are brand new, and where allready installed.
Mopar performance part#5249151. diameter= 0.920 A body, Performance handling, Solo Racing.

So how tight to I tighten these puppies?

Phil
Click to expand...

You won't have to tighten them much Phil since those are the Big Assed bars. Ultimately once you've got everything installed (all the weights in her) and sitting on all 4 tires you'll adjust the bars to give you the correct front end ride height, I can't remember what it is right now, then once that's done it needs to go in for a complete front end alignment.

Terry
 
demon seed said:
You won't have to tighten them much Phil since those are the Big Assed bars. Ultimately once you've got everything installed (all the weights in her) and sitting on all 4 tires you'll adjust the bars to give you the correct front end ride height, I can't remember what it is right now, then once that's done it needs to go in for a complete front end alignment.

Terry
Click to expand...


Thanks Terry

Phil
 
mrtires24 said:
Just orderd my tank through Rockauto parts. sending unit, tank and mailed to my door for $359

Getting a little depressed about all the money I am spending on the car/wedding. getting more and more in dept. I hope I don't have to sell it when I am done. ;(

Phil
Click to expand...


You're going to think I'm a dark cloud for saying this but..... dude, it's not worth going into debt restoring a car. I restored my Scamp last year and while the total restoration cost was within 15% of what I thought it was going to be, it's still a black hole. Considering your car is not a '68 Hemi Dart or a '71 340 Swinger, don't go overboard..... it is not worth it in the long run. Add in the fact you've got a wedding coming up which is another black hole, and you and your soon-to-be-wife are going to be behind the 8 ball before the gate opens. With the insane real estate prices we have here in the Lower Mainland, it's not the place to throw money down a couple of black holes. And just so you don't think i'm a 50+ year old guy with a pension who has nothing to worry about, I'm 31. Have you really thought this through?
 
H22A4 said:
You're going to think I'm a dark cloud for saying this but..... dude, it's not worth going into debt restoring a car. I restored my Scamp last year and while the total restoration cost was within 15% of what I thought it was going to be, it's still a black hole. Considering your car is not a '68 Hemi Dart or a '71 340 Swinger, don't go overboard..... it is not worth it in the long run. Add in the fact you've got a wedding coming up which is another black hole, and you and your soon-to-be-wife are going to be behind the 8 ball before the gate opens. With the insane real estate prices we have here in the Lower Mainland, it's not the place to throw money down a couple of black holes. And just so you don't think i'm a 50+ year old guy with a pension who has nothing to worry about, I'm 31. Have you really thought this through?
Click to expand...


Dark cloud might be an understatment.:scratch:

First off. Soo far I have spent just under $5,000 on the car. FOR EVERYTHING! including the purchase of the car. I figure I will have to spend about $1000 more to finish. So I won't be losing any money on the car...trust me. i have been keeping track of all receipts. and, I don't know if you have read the hole forum or not, but I am definatly NOT going overboard. I have been looking for the best (cheapest) prices around.

as far as the wedding goes...ITS NOT A BLACK HOLE!!!! Be carefull what you type on people's forums they might missunderstand you. You should have said it is expencive...NOT A BLACK HOLE.
BLAKE HOLE = NOTHING...WORTHLESS...UN-WANTED. I feal sorry for you if thats what you think a wedding is all about.

She is NOT going to be behind the 8 ball. we have been living together for two years, she knows and fully suports what I do. She crys when I sell a car. and is excited when I buy one. In case you havn't noticed...She has a '65 barracuda of her own. I'm not giving her my debt.

as far as realistate goes, I bought my first place 4 years ago. I sold it and my fiance and I bought a house 2 years ago, so we are allready in the market. and you say the lower mainland is EXPENSIVE?!?!?! no it's not...compare it to the rest or the world. So what if our housing prices have doubled over the last 3-4 years, or trippled in the last 10 years...compare current prices to NEW YORK, JAPAN, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA... and other area's around the north america. for what the lower mainland has to offer, WE ARE UNDER PRICED! I am not saying we are not going to have a correction, and I am not saying we should be worth more than the areas mentioned above, just compare...and I am not going into this further, cause this is a mopar site...not realty. oh and just so you don't think this is coming from a fifty year old retired realtor who has a pension..I'm 26.

and i just want to say one last time. IM NOT THROWING MONEY DOWN ANY BLACK HOLES! You may have been trying to help, but you didn't.


Opinion's are like a Chevy...
everyone has one,
but very few are good ones.​


be carfull how you word things.

old cars are an investments..if you know what you are doing.

I will forgive you for this, and let it go.

To think I was just looking for a little suport, and I got broadsided with that.

Phil
 
First off

Please excuse my fast reaction post above. I felt like I needed to defend myself at the time, and although I feal the same way today, I might have worded things a little bit differently.

Thanks you.

Now....

Unfrortunatly me Retainor adaptor ring and clutch linkage from Brewers performance has not arrived yet. It is somewhere in Canada though. I am also expecting my tank and sending unit sometime next week as well

So as far as any major changes their are none.

I have however added my Trio Guages and wired them in. I also printed up the wiring diagram to convert from points to electronic ign off big block dart.

I had all the parts laying around and i was able to cut the plug for the electronic box off a bad wiring harness. ( DOES ANYONE NEED ANY PLUGS OR ANYTHING...I CAN CUT THEM AND MAIL THEM IF YOU WANT)

It is all solderd in. But I have a question. what does the plug do off the distributer that has one male and one female end. ( its on plug that has both) and it has either a red and black wire, or a white and black wire. When would these be "hot" or do they ever get to be "hot" or ary they both grounds.

The reason I ask is that I was testing everything with a test light, and if I turned the key the light would light up at the posative and negative points at the coil...but when I tested the plug mentioned above, nothing happend.( I was testing the plud that plugs into the Dist from the electronic box.)

Any answers to this?

Phil
 
Hey Phil , even though he hasn't responded,I don't think our Vanc neibhoor ment to call your wedding a black hole...kind of a figure of speech I think, some ladies do tend to go nuts with the wedding plans, sounds like you've got a good girl there on your side so not to worry I'm sure......hell any lady that has a '65 Cuda has to be a good catch!!! Its kinda like I joke at work about kids (and marriage for that matter) being a bottomless pit, lol! I probably wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't married with kids. I'm over 40 and know what the debt thing feels like, I really couldn't afford to pick up the car I've got but ya know ya only live once and as long as you keep it under control its cool. Good on you two for getting into the housing market, so many young people today are spending their cash on fancy cars,trucks and boats ,toys etc. without making an investment in a place to live. Wish I could help ya with the ignition problem, I'm not too bad with wiring but not that familier with ignitions. Good luck getting the car going for your big day.
 
macadoo1961 said:
Hey Phil , even though he hasn't responded,I don't think our Vanc neibhoor ment to call your wedding a black hole...kind of a figure of speech I think, some ladies do tend to go nuts with the wedding plans, sounds like you've got a good girl there on your side so not to worry I'm sure......hell any lady that has a '65 Cuda has to be a good catch!!! Its kinda like I joke at work about kids (and marriage for that matter) being a bottomless pit, lol! I probably wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't married with kids. I'm over 40 and know what the debt thing feels like, I really couldn't afford to pick up the car I've got but ya know ya only live once and as long as you keep it under control its cool. Good on you two for getting into the housing market, so many young people today are spending their cash on fancy cars,trucks and boats ,toys etc. without making an investment in a place to live. Wish I could help ya with the ignition problem, I'm not too bad with wiring but not that familier with ignitions. Good luck getting the car going for your big day.
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about if he responds or not. I am pretty sure I know what he ment, I think it could have been worded a bit differently. But its all good, I sent him a PM about my comment, and reaction, and asked hime to understand where I was coming from, and that I didn't mean to offend him. Though I have had no response, it doesn't bother me...Its all good in my books.

I hear you about the young kinds buying NEW cars with credit. just ask them what they own and they start rateling off about their car...there boat, bikes... but you can change the mood really quickly if you say "thats not what the bank told me" Its sad what people spend there money on these days.

I will update the post about the car sometime this week.

Phil
 
macadoo1961 said:
Hey Phil , even though he hasn't responded,I don't think our Vanc neibhoor ment to call your wedding a black hole...kind of a figure of speech I think, some ladies do tend to go nuts with the wedding plans, sounds like you've got a good girl there on your side so not to worry I'm sure......
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was referring to. Each couple is free to spend how ever much money they want on their day. Some couples decide to spend more then they can afford with little regard for the long term consequences. Glad to hear Phil isn't in this boat!

mrtires24 said:
I'm not worried about if he responds or not. I am pretty sure I know what he ment, I think it could have been worded a bit differently. But its all good, I sent him a PM about my comment, and reaction, and asked hime to understand where I was coming from, and that I didn't mean to offend him. Though I have had no response, it doesn't bother me...Its all good in my books.

I hear you about the young kinds buying NEW cars with credit. just ask them what they own and they start rateling off about their car...there boat, bikes... but you can change the mood really quickly if you say "thats not what the bank told me" Its sad what people spend there money on these days.

I will update the post about the car sometime this week.

Phil
Click to expand...

After spending the weekend up in Kamloops, I'm back on-line. PM read and responded to.
 
Ok MY PARTS FROM BREWERS PERFORMANCE CAME IN TODAY :):)

I will be in the shop tomarrow afternoon working on the car, hopefully putting the engine in for good!

I will keep everyone posted!

Phil
 
well I have put my engine in...thanks to this bearing retainer adapter ring
carparts006.jpg


The engine and tranny, and headers and starter ar all in the car.

the headers arn't tightend. it seams like the drivers side is binding on something. I have one of those mini starters and I think I might have to dent the header close to the starter to make it clear.

I tested the wireing, and wanted to see if the car would turn over with the key. It seams to turn over ok, but sometimes it makes an aufull binding/grinding noise. Do I have to shim the starter? I have NEVER had to shim a starter befor. I have replaced and removed lots of starters on my dodges, and have never seen a shim.

As for the stearing linkage hitting the oil pan debate ....






















wait for it.......






















wait for it.........

















My stearing linkage still hits the oil pan when turning to the right! :(

I am sure I can dent in the pan a little bit, or see if the V8 linkage that I allready have will make a difference.

I am thinking that my hammer is looking like my best friend on this one :violent1:

the good is that the engine is in, and it turns over
the bad is that I might have to take it back out because of the header clearance and the starter noise.

how do I shim a starter. how do I know which way to shim?

Phil
 
Well I talked to my friend who is a mechanic. he has never seen shims for a dodge either.

I'm going to take the engine out again today, and dent the headers a bit, then put it back in.

We will have to wait and see.

Phil
 
2 things.

1. check to make sure that the bendix drive in the starter isnt hanging up.
2. visually inspect it without the cover plate to make sure the starter isnt somehouw bound up.

hope that helps a little.

Michael
 
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