67 GTS 4-Speed: Daily Summer Driver

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Sadly not much has gotten done on this lately. I did got in the under dash harness, front light/engine harness and battery cables. I also got new circuit boards for the instrument cluster. So over the next week or so I am going to get the connectors labeled and the instrument cluster together so I can get all that installed!! I am getting a radiator from a family friend as well this week! so a lot of stuff will be going on the car soon!
 
So this past weekend I got a few things done. I got the new wiring labeled, I got the radiator tanks painted and I got the instrument cluster restored! It looks pretty snazzy! hopefully this weekend I get to install this stuff and more!

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Darren said:
Great work so far.. keep it up..
Click to expand...

Thanks Darren!

So this past weekend I was able to make it back to my parents place to get some work done on the GTS (which I just happened to name "The Red Headed Step Child" hahaha. basically my Subaru and convertible are Blue and this one is kind of red, hence the name). With installing the diaphragm clutch I needed to get the over center spring off. I saw some threads on here on how to do it in the car but I couldnt get it to work, So I just took the dash out again and the pedal assembly and hammered washers in between the coils until I could move the spring out of the pedal assembly. Then I just used the floor jack to spread the spring apart once out to get the washers back. Worked like a charm! once the pedal assembly & dash was back in I got the underdash wiring in, gauge cluster in and hooked up, and got all the dash switches installed and hooked up. And I must say it looks pretty snazzy( I need to get better at taking pictures)!!

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So with that installed I moved to the engine bay and got the engine/headlight harness installed and got the radiator I got from a friend installed. The radiator is out of a 70 Charger and I had to add holes to the radiator brackets in order to get it bolted up. Sadly the top tank sticks pretty high up above the rad support and I believe it may hit the underside of the hood... But only time will tell. it will be good enough to break the engine in and change once I get the body panels on.

Next on the list is to try and get the cooling system together, the fuel system and make shift exhaust on so I can get some fire to it!! I brought the steering column back to pittsburgh so I could get that together and ready to install.
 
So this fathers day weekend I went home in hopes of getting the car started, as well as the charger started. but failed on both counts. I got the Fuel pump in with no problem, got the distributor set in with no problem, battery tray and starter relay in with no problem, gas pedal in with no problem and that was about it...

Ordered new alternator brackets since the set I had was for an AC car. When they came in it was clear that they were for the 66 and earlier big block, so it wouldnt work with the 70 block that is in there now. Thankfully there was a 400 sitting in the corner of the garage that was a non AC car so I robbed the brackets off of that and got the alternator installed. I also liberated it of its temperature sending unit as well.

Got a new mini starter for it and when I tried to install it, it would not want to sit flush against the bell housing. For the life of us we couldnt figure out why. First we thought it was flashing on the block, so we ground that off and it still wouldnt fit. After about an hour of screwing around with this I saw there was some scratched engine paint on the block about 10 inches forward of the mounting location. Long and behold the electrical connecting adapter that came on the starter was hitting the block and preventing it from sitting flush on the mounting flange on the bell housing. So I removed the adapter and POOF! everything lined up. Go figure haha.

We had a couple of carbs to chose from for this engine. The old man was trying to push a Carter AVS on me. But after he looked through his stash of AVS he realized there wasnt one in there in decent enough shape for break in. So we ended up putting on a remanufactured Holly he had on the polara years ago that he never really got running right (so he switched the polara to an AVS and hasnt had a problem since)... So hopefully the carb is good enough to get the car running and broken in. Then hopefully I can get that carb (or one of the others) running right.

The crank pulley went on with no hitch, but ran into an issue with the water pump pulley. So it appears the crank pulley diameter changed depending if you had AC or not and the belt groove location for the water pump changed depending if you got AC or not, go figure. So I had a A/C crank pulley for a C-body, water pump pulley for an AC car, and a non A/C alternator. So needless to say those three grooves didnt line up. So We found a Non-AC water pump pulley but that ended up interfering with the crank pulley. So now I need to find a crank pulley with two grooves (since I am putting power steering in it) that is about 6 3/4" diameter.

I also think I ran into an issue with my drive shaft. So I found a drive shaft at a junk yard and last month I tried to install it. Well it was to long, go figure. So according to the service manual they list two dimensions for a 67 dart, basically the length changed depending if you got a 7-1/4" rear end or a 8-3/4" rear end. So I took the measurement in the book, which has it listed as center line to center line of the universal joints, and had it cut down. The shop cut it to length and I tried to install it. I had the damnedest time installing it, but after a little help it was in. However I think the transmission yoke is to far in the transmission... I will post another thread in the help section to see if this is normal.

Since I am planing on running the TTI shorty headers on this car, I needed to find some other manifolds to use for break in. So I took an idea from Mopar Mitch in his 68 dart GTS build and use cast iron manifolds and weld up flexible exhaust tubing to a flange and use that for break in. I found a set for a C-body big block and I got the passenger side exhaust manifold in, spark plugs in (they will be a pain in butt to change in the future... by golly), and the pipe bent up and installed. Drivers side was another problem. Used the C-body Drivers side and realized there was no way I could bolt that flexible pipe up to that side due to the manifold outlet being right above the torsion bar. So I switched to a B body drivers side and saw the flange was hitting the firewall. So I put the C-body exhaust manifold back on. Ran out of time but I basically need to cut the pipe of the flange and weld the pipe to said flange at an angle and that should take care of my problem.

All in all I got a lot done, figure out a lot of stuff but still didnt get it running... its close though

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maybe next time
 
Dfr360cuda,

Thank you for the offer. I will let you know if I would need them... A friend who had pulleys on an extra engine of his gave me his. But as I am typing this response I am not entirely sure if he got these off of one of his 440's or 383's. And I want to say the bolt pattern on a 383 damper is different than the bolt pattern on a 440(?). but I could be wrong, I just need to check.
 
I feel your pain when it comes to working on these older cars. Things don't always go as planned. Be flexible and keep pushing on. You'll get there eventually
 
Thanks FJRdoc... I am beginning to feel the circumstance of the "life gets in the way"... So much going on!!

Well the past month has been crazy from going places, stuff at work, stuff with my housing situation with stuff dealing on furthering my career. Didnt help that during that entire month of craziness I was trying to figure out why the convertible left me stranded on the side of the 376. That is covered in the Thread "Beyond Frustrated - wont start/stay running". But the gist is the distributor gear broke off two teeth. And something was either screwy with the weights or bushings in the distributor. Eventually got everything fixed up with a new distributor and runs smoother than ever!

But did find some good things are Carlisle this year. Was looking for a power steer pump and gear for the GTS and the friend that always goes with us to Carlisle claims he had those parts from a crashed car he got. Which would work perfect! because I was only going to use them as cores away. But I also go some ballast resistors and a turn signal switch. So all I need is to get a bearing for the column and that can go together

But With all of that above!! I was able to mask off the grill for the GTS and I got it primed and painted this past weekend!!

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I think it came out very well. So the steering column is going to take the back seat for a bit (really dont need it soon anyway, just nice to make progress on some parts of the car). I have some parts I sanded and primed for the charger the old man and I are working on and the grill and head light buckets for the convertible that I polished and now need to be masked, primed and shoot. So I still need to do the masking on those parts, but after that it is just shooting which shouldnt take long. But next weekend I am hoping to get home to finish up getting the temporary exhaust head pipes fabed up (passenger side is done, still need to weld the drivers side up at an angle), finish routing the carb fuel line, get the front pulleys on, belts on, fan on, hoses on, wiring for the starter, starter relay in and then... trying to crank it over, set the dwell and see if we can get this thing started!!!

Stay tuned!!!
 
So I had some ambitious goals for this past weekend. Getting both the GTS and the Charger broken in as well as painting a few tid bits for the charger... Needless to say not all of that got done.

Brother was home for the weekend and it was nice to spend some time with him since he is way busy with things going on in his life. So I helped him install this new Blow off valve on his Audi which cured a lot of issues he was having with his car.

The things I did manage to do to the GTS were to weld up the head pipe for the driver side and I got that installed. Installed the correct pulleys and fan. Got the fan belt on. Wired up the starter with a new adapter I got from a member here as well as the starter relay and the negative battery cable. I was able to get most of the trans fluid in ( I need to put in about a half of a quart [this is for my reference since I am having trouble keeping track of everything going on in my life at the moment. Which could fill an entire thread hahaha]), made the brother help me with that. I ensured the trans was in neutral. Talked to a guy at passion performance and he told me how to fix my shifter not going into reverse (Was told I have an after market shifter, which I was aware of since 67's didnt get the hurst shifter). he made it sound it has to deal with a rod adjustment issue (I also see the reverse lever on the trans does not line up with the other two levers on the shifter once in neutral [which he said should line up], so hopefully that is what is at fault). I see the adjustments on my rods are welded.... Ill have to see if I can cut the welds or just get new ones. I got the carb fastened down, fuel filter to carb line on. radiator and heater hoses on. and plug wires on the spark plugs, still need to attach them to the distributor. Also got the oil filter on.

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So the next steps to getting it fired is to fill the rest of the trans, get the fuel filter connected, as well as the fuel pump and a remote gas can. put oil in the engine, put in coolent, hook up external oil pressure gauge, get grommets for the pvc and breather... and try to fire it I believe. Just need to set the dwell and hope I get the wires on properly to start it.

[again, for my reference and maybe someone's enjoyment]
The other time was spent trying to get the charger started. The old man didnt want the car to move until I put a clip on the steering column joint connector thing... Took me way long to do that, but it is on (saw it has to come back off since the master spline for the steering wheel is about 30 degrees off from wheels being straight ahead.... ) Spent to much time trying to finish fastening the front valance (and no its still not completely bolted in). Gave the car a once over to make sure eveything was good, then tried to put gas in the tank. Saw a small puddle to form underneath, couldnt see where it was coming from, so just moved on. Set up all the timing instruments and turned the key. After some cranking the car fired!! (car was started before, but hasnt been in way too long). Got the car up to operating temp and adjusted the timing to 10 deg BTC, backed the idle down to 600-700 rpm. Decided to shut it off and put more gas in. Tried and now saw a giant splash of gas slam onto the floor... So I probably didnt do the smartest thing, but crawled underneath and had the brother poor in the gas. Saw it was coming from the vent tube. Apparently we were pouring straight onto the vent tube... dumb us. Well with gas in it the break in continued and was completed.
- next time home more trans fluid would be needed, an oil changed required, various latches need to be painted, valance completely bolted up, turn signals installed, wiper switched tested and installed if good. figure out why and fix the heater motor always being on. figure out the electronic hum that is going on underneath the dash. drill the trunk floor for the fuel gauge, install another shifter mechanism, install said latches. try and tune the carb while getting the carb number so i know what strip kit to get. get tic toc tac installed and maybe the steering wheel centered. finish wiring under dash and make it look pretty.

( I just hope I have enough sense to look at this before I go back to my parents place to do this work so I am not standing around wondering what to do next)
 
So... I started this project with the mind set that I would not be one of those guys where life got in the way and prevented the car from being finished. Well I hate to admit it, but that appears to be the case. I decided it is time to buy a house (well a garage really). Out grew the garage at my apartment and new information came to light regarding the land lord's policies that I decided it was time to move. Which means all funds are being directed into finding and hopefully getting a house in the next couple months... So all of the car parts that were in my apartment are in the process of being stored at my parents place (where the car is anyway). So this past weekend I was able to get about 80% moved there

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So in the mean time, my schedule has to change for the GTS and I have to work on the stuff I do have. So this past weekend I was able to go to the parents place and get some work done on the GTS. I got the ignition system hooked up, coolant in, as well as topping off the transmission and putting oil in the engine. Tried to set the dwell but the key wouldnt crank the motor. Jumped the car at the relay and it cranked fine. So after some electrical digging and testing other parts, it was revealed that the relay wasnt grounded properly, so that issue was remedied. Set the dwell and was trying to get it to fire with starter fluid. First was seeing sparks come out of the carb and decided to rotate the rotor 180 degrees and it finally started!! However it died right away. Looking at the fuel filter, there was no gas present. So off comes the fuel pump and it was determined that the inlet and outlet on the pump was swapped, so we swapped connections and still no luck. Pump came back off again and we determined this new pump was bad. Took a pump that was on an engine that has been sitting since the 80's, cleaned it as best we could, installed it, and after some cranking I was seeing fuel come into the filter and then it fired!!! I was able to complete the break in period but was a messy process. The thermostat housing was pissing fluid to no end, so it got all over the floor, initially we thought it was the pump but by the end of the break there was basically a water fall of coolant coming from that housing... So for good measure the fuel pump, water pump, thermostat and thermostat housing will be changed in the near future. That was all I could get done to the GTS.

Got some painting done, got another grille and a set of head light doors painted for the convertible, the bucket seat hinge covers for the charger painted, as well as some headliner trim and trunk striker.

I was able to install the rebuilt tic toc tac in the charger, and saw that I already left the harness in the car for that, finished tightening the front valance and got the parking lights installed and working. Was able to determine the heater will shut off fine, you just need to press the blower switch all the way to the rear. Didnt get the electronic hum figured out but the underdash wiring looks a little prettier now, and the oil was changed. Tried a known good whipper switch, got two speeds (not the needed three) and the whipper motor still wouldnt go back to park, so maybe the motor is bad...

(for my reference)
I am not to sure what direction next to go with the GTS, still need to figure that out, maybe install body panels and start the finish sanding of them, but for the charger the following will need to be done in hopes of getting it on the road in the next couple months: wire tac up to fuse box, wire tac to coil, paint hood latch hardware and install, paint splash shields and install, drill and hook up fuel gauge wire to tank, pretty up wiring some more, install drivers kick panel, install door rubber, install trunk rubber, fix hood turn signals, align hood, align trunk, install windshield trim, get new wiper motor, align the front end, get tires, screw in cluster, install instrument panel trim, install glove box, clean and install hood to cowl rubber, install ash tray, install seat hinge covers. It will be a busy time next time I am back home.
 
Over the past couple weeks as I got time I was slowly working on the deck lid GT emblem I got from a member here not to long ago. I polished it the best I could, however I do believe some of the finishes arent suppose to be shinny. I then had the mask all the non-painted areas and I sprayed the back ground black. I couldnt find a good way to mask the "D A R T" letters so I just brushed them by hand. Didnt turn out to bad.

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The back panel is polished, but needs to be masked and painted that argent silver. So once that is done these two pieces can be mated and stored at my parents in the mean time. Still need to figure out if this piece only fastens to the trim piece or the deck lid itself. Also need to find out how to secure the rear trim piece to the deck lid. When I got the car the flat portion was "pinned" on via the 4 upper and lower trim pieces but I do not believe that is how its suppose to be. Its not the original deck lid so maybe some mounting holes are missing?
 
So things have been pretty slow going on the GTS (sadly). But last night I was finally able to get the steering column together! I have been slowing getting the parts for awhile now and used this thread for the lower bearing replacement:

Steering Column Bearing Replacement HELP

But it turned out well. Just need to get a reman steering gear and pump, with all the necessary lines and this guy can go in!

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Well, good news. I found a house and after a much longer and painful process than it should be, I bought it!! It was a foreclosure that was sitting empty for over 2 years. It does have a 3 car garage that I believe I can snake a total of 4 cars in. Which is good. The past couple weeks have been moving stuff in and getting everything working like plumbing and appliances. Still needs electrical and cosmetic work, but it is livable.

Which means time to start working on the GTS again!! So this past weekend I was able to change out the water pump, fuel pump and grounded one of the brushes on the alternator. I have a later style alternator that has two brushes on it. I also got the fenders and the hood on the car!! it actually looks like a car now!!

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getting the driver door to open and not hit the fender was a pain, but it is done. In other good news I found out the radiator I am using fits under the hood!! which is good because now I dont need to get another radiator to get it on the road! I may still get another radiator but for now this one appears to work.

the Car needs to be sanded and buffed still, but the panels are on!
 
You are way ahead of me on your project, and winter is "here" here!!
 
This is when it starts to get fun! You did a nice job of lining up the panels.
 
Thank you 69conv & 67Dart273! it feels good to get stuff done to it, and stuff that actually looks like progress!
 
Very nice work.. and congratulations on the house.. 3 car garage. .. you lucky guy lol..
 
Thanks Darren!! The house needs work, but shouldnt be anything to bad. I figured if I can tear into an A body, I can figure out how to fix most things in this house haha
 
carfreak6970 said:
Thanks Darren!! The house needs work, but shouldnt be anything to bad. I figured if I can tear into an A body, I can figure out how to fix most things in this house haha
Click to expand...
Best answer I heard all day..
Have fun..
 
This past Monday was Christmas and got a few things for the GTS. I took off a couple days around it in hopes of getting more work done to the GTS. However with the way the holiday played out not as much work got done on the GTS as I would of liked. I was able to sand the roof and most of the hood down with 1000 grit. Still have the rest of the car to sand with that, then 1500, then 2000, then 2500, then buffing... I hate this part, I always hated sanding, but it needs to be done. So while I am trying to build up the car fund, I guess this is a good way to still have progress done to the car without spending money. Would of gotten a little more done but I needed to get the pumpkin out of the charger so we can send it out to be rebuilt.

Signed up to take the professional engineering exam and a review course. So I am not to sure how much work is going to get done to he GTS in the coming months, but we will see!
 
So I was able to make it back to my parents place this past weekend. Got more sanding done. Got the entire passenger side sanded down with 1000 grit. Still need to do the drivers side then up to 1500 grit... always hated this process. However it does allow me to make progress on the car while I try and add to my car fund. Plus I dont have time for much else as I am studying for my professional engineering exam.
 
Body prep work was never one of my favorite things to do. On the plus side, it is mindless and sometimes we all need a little of that to give our brain a rest.
 
This past weekend a friend had graduation party so I went back to my parents for a little bit. Got a little sanding done but not much. Still have the drivers side fender and door to do with 1000 grit before I move onto 1500.

The center section for the charger came back. Needed new bearings and gears. apparently with the 741 case, you can only get 3.55 and 3.73 gears for it now. So it is now a 3.55 SG. Ran out of time and didnt get it installed, so hopefully next time I am home I can have it back in and the rear end of that car back on the ground.
 
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