68 Dodge Dart

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Kevo

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Hello guys, My Father and I recently purchased a dart on craigslist from a local muffler shop owner. His friend was restoring it but lost interest in it. I don't know much about the car so i cant tell if its just a regular dart or a gt/gts. It had a slant 6 in it but was replaced with a 318. I would like to know any information on the car that anyone can tell me, including how to fix some parts. I have read a lot of manuals (mainly Haynes repair manuals) on body work, painting etc. It has a dented fender and i want to know if it is worth my time to hammer it out of just replace it, and also has an ill fitting door. It has two bench seats which i have not seen on darts before (maybe it was a sedan model or something). Anyway, thanks for any help/information/experiences you can give me with the car.
 

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Well, you certainly haver some good raw material for a sleeper if that's your choice. A-body parts are pretty common & interchange pretty easily. Whatever you decide, I'd build the car on paper first, see what you can affiord & do yourself, & adjust from there. Judging from the pics, if it were me, a simple going through the suspension, re-do the interior & if you like some body work & go the "simple & clean" route. Aftermarket wheels are esy to do, so I'd save that for last.
Now if this is a car you plan to learn evrything on, I'd stat dismantling eveything, taking pictures as you go and research what others have done. Once you have a plan, go back to the "paper build-up" and have at it.
 
LL21B8B
Low Line Sedan(post car) with slant six original.
Door problem is probably a hinge pin or two, maybe some bushings to make it right.
Fender might need an experienced bodyman to handle that crease. 68 fenders are different from most other years because of the headlight placement and side marker.

Make it safe to drive and dependable, then add on the goodies.
Good luck!
 
Cool post car there! The fender can be kept and repaired. The picture does not illustrate the entire fender but it definately appears to be repairable at first glance. Bench seats were pretty common in these cars and aren't too expensive to have recovered in original type material. I agree with the other posts in that it makes sense to sort out the mechanicals first (if needed) and then the interior. Door hinges can be rebuilt if not torn up too bad and the kits are pretty inexpensive too. I would make it a decent driver and enjoy it for a while before going nuts restoring it. Do your research on the car, take your time, and enjoy the process :). Remember, the most effective way to restore a 40+ year old car right is to tear it down to nothing and start from scratch. It's the only way to catch everything and fix it right ONCE, the first time and that can sometimes lead to burnout! Have fun brother :).
 
So, i just ripped off all the lining in the cab to see what condition the floorboards are in. Not so great. I was wondering what gauge steel i should use to weld in as the floorboard. Thanks for the help


Kevo
 
Hello Kevo, Can you post some good pictures of the damage? I am better suited to give you a qualified answer with some good pictures of the damage both from inside the cab and from the underside. That way I can take a good look at the frame rails and other support structures that may or may not be involved. Either way, AMD manufactures and sells some excellent replacement floor pans both in individual sections as well as entire floor pans. Check out my post listed as 68SSdart in progress for some pics of what I am referring to. It may help you out a little.
 
pics of the rusty floorboards
 

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Well, If the other side is rusted through and the sections under the rear seat don't look so hot either, I would replace the entire floor pan. If that is the worst of it then you got pretty lucky. The best thing to do at this point is to continue tearing the interior completely out of the car and doing some really good clean up inside of the cab and on the undercarriage. After that, get under there with a really good light source and a screwdriver and start probing those framerails. Rust decay can be hidden from sight quite well from just a little bit of dirt, grime, grease, etc. It does look like, from your pictures, that you may have dodged a large bullet by avoiding serious decay at the framerails!
 
Okay, so i began to take away the rusted areas of both the interior and exterior. I want to know if it is better for me to take the rust down to metal and bondo it or just spray on a rust prohibiting primer. The quarter panels are what I'm working on, and they are in good shape so i don't really need the bondo to get the smooth surface, but should i still use it or not? Also, on the interior, same problem. Im taking the rust off the floorboards , should i prime/paint it or bondo it then prime/paint? I'm welding in new floorboards where needed.
I know they might seem like weird questions, but i have seen many opposing views on them. In all the old bodywork books i have read they use bondo or lead, but the newer body works don't mention bondo unless its to cover up dings.

Once again, any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Hello Kevo,
If you are clearing away surface rust then it's a good idea to use a metal prep solution to completely de-rust your panels. PPG makes a good product and believe it or not, this stuff is actually affordable. It is DX-579 (This product super cleans your bare metal and removes any small amounts of rust that will haunt your finished paint job later in the form of small bubbles/blisters!) and is mixed with water according to directions, sprayed onto a red scotchbrite pad (wearing chemical resistant gloves is an absolute must!) and scrubbed onto small sections of properly stripped bare steel panels. A damp towel is then used to wipe off the cleaning residue and a clean dry towel to finish drying. Getting the metal dry correctly the first time is the key to happiness and if not completed dried, will leave streaks of faint flash rusting on the panel and will need to be recleaned. That is why you do small, managable sections and take your time. This sounds like a lot of trouble but it is well worth the hassle. Just because you don't initially see the rust after stripping your panel does not mean it is not there. I have seen several paint jobs blister due to improper and perhaps rushed metal preperation.
I typically epoxy prime my cleaned bare steel in sections (rear quarter, door, etc) after metal prep to lock out moisture. Even if the panels require body work, I epoxy first because it's the only way to protect the panel from moisture penetration prior to body work, especially if you live in an area that receives lots of precipitation.
For the panels which do not require body work you can spray on some high build primer after the epoxy is sprayed (same day preferably) and begin block sanding with the longest straight block the panel can bear. Durablock sells some decent blocks up to 36" and work great.
If you really want to check you quarters for straightness, grab a 4-6' level or an absolutely straight piece of steel stock and place it against your quarter panel. Look for pockets of light. Especially above the wheel arches. It is difficult to check for straightness by line of sight and even by feel on such a long panel. Who knows, you may not need any filler or you may need a skim coat to get it really straight. Either way, use the longest, true straight edge you can find and routinely check your work as you go, you'll be glad you spent the extra time on metal prep and double checking.
Eastwood sells a great product called internal frame coating which stops the rusting process and seals the steel for good. Just make wure you have at least wire brushed all of the loose bits of rust off, vaccumed, and wiped down with a good solvent prior to applying. Of course, I am talking about exposed internal sections of your frame rails after removing your floor pans. Just make sure that you do not coat the flanges where welding is to occur. Those need to be thoroughly cleaned (preferably sandblasted) with wire brush, sanded, metal prepped and then shot with a thin coat of weld through primer.
I hope this helps a little :)
 
Would it be possible to use a rust converter on the exterior? Does anyone have any experience using one? And priming the metal, is there a specific primer that is better than most? Do i need a specific primer for a specific paint type?
 
Not advisable to use a rust converter on the exterior as it does not get rid of the rust and does not properly prepare the metal for topcoat. You can get the PPG DX-579 at your local auto body supply store. I do not know what you have near you but if all else fails you can order it online from www.TCPglobal.com. They are reasonable on price and quick with shipping.
 
So today, me and my father went to a local paint shop to pick up some rust cleaner. The guys there recommended we use DX-520 instead of DX-579. I looked on the internet and found that we could use this after we prep the metal, but I'm not sure if we still need to use the DX-579. If anyone has experience or any knowledge regarding using these chemicals please help.

once again, its greatly appreciated.

Kevo
 
So i have been doing the body work off and on, getting boring though, so me and my dad decided to take up work under the hood. I want to get as much hp out of the 318 in it as possible, without spending more than its worth (I realize the 318 isn't the fastest engine, and i will probably be better off buying a larger block instead of trying to add things to it like Mr. Potato Head). I also have a question about the rear axle. I'm looking to drop it and paint so it can get all the dirt off of it, but i was wondering if im better off replacing it. I'm not sure what the benefits of having a larger axle is, but is there any recommendations for a larger size axle? I have been browsing the forum about these things, glad to have people here that know what to do.
 
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