Altered Wheelbase Project.

-
F

funnycar farmer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
227
Reaction score
0
Hello fellow members:
A couple days back, I joined up with the ranks of A-Bodies Only.com. It looks to be a great place to ask some questions here and there, and share what I've been working on- my second early Dart altered. The first was for Steve Magnante, of Hot Rod fame. In the process of putting his together, I decided I just had to be a player in the match bash racing that he wanted to re-live from the heydays of racing during the sixties. Well, today was the first day in over seven month's that mine has seen the light of day, and standing next to it in the sunlight, well, you know that feeling. Ain't no drug that can touch it!! It whets my appetite to keep plugging away. I can't wait to bolt on my Cragars and 10.00-15 Mickey Thompsons. My shop is but a very small place, but it'll be home base for what should be a wild ride in coming month's. Stay tuned, I'll try and post updates as we cruise along, 'cause stuff is really starting to come around now. Geez, its taken long enough. I know some of you "purist's" may be offended by the hackery of these cars, but rest assured, they are very pure and true representation's of the grandfathers of what we see as todays current funnycars.


http://public.fotki.com/bowtie0069/newshoppix/img6161.html
 
I wish that I could go to that site and see them. Could you or someone else upload one of the pictures to this site for me so that I can see it? Sounds like a cool ride.

Lee
 
That is freakin awesome! I love that vintage look. What did you use for straight axle? I am almost done with my 1966 Valiant sedan, it has an old school look to it, I would love to build 64-66 Dart or Valiant with a straight axle someday soon. Good luck with your projects!
 
moparlee said:
I wish that I could go to that site and see them. Could you or someone else upload one of the pictures to this site for me so that I can see it? Sounds like a cool ride.

Lee
Click to expand...

Sorry I could not upload the pic's
 
funnycar farmer said:
Hello fellow members:
A couple days back, I joined up with the ranks of A-Bodies Only.com. It looks to be a great place to ask some questions here and there, and share what I've been working on- my second early Dart altered. The first was for Steve Magnante, of Hot Rod fame. In the process of putting his together, I decided I just had to be a player in the match bash racing that he wanted to re-live from the heydays of racing during the sixties. Well, today was the first day in over seven month's that mine has seen the light of day, and standing next to it in the sunlight, well, you know that feeling. Ain't no drug that can touch it!! It whets my appetite to keep plugging away. I can't wait to bolt on my Cragars and 10.00-15 Mickey Thompsons. My shop is but a very small place, but it'll be home base for what should be a wild ride in coming month's. Stay tuned, I'll try and post updates as we cruise along, 'cause stuff is really starting to come around now. Geez, its taken long enough. I know some of you "purist's" may be offended by the hackery of these cars, but rest assured, they are very pure and true representation's of the grandfathers of what we see as todays current funnycars.


http://public.fotki.com/bowtie0069/newshoppix/img6161.html
Click to expand...


purest humm well the blue dart is still 100% stock was planing to do a conversion on it but it was bone stock so I have left it that way but the car you started with was no cream puff so I say way to go.

First check out Mopar Action oct 2007 page 50.. That was the first I knew they made AWB A bodys I thought it was just B bodys WOW.

Next question I have is the new axle location is not in the center of the moved opening I would think you could get more tire in there if it was centered. ( Of course the farther forward the more weight xfer )
 
No cream puff for sure! But, a very rust free California car, and it makes a huge difference when you start cutting up a car,only to find a quarter inch of bondo in the very spot you want to section! Fortunately, mine had none, but Steve's had some. Actually mine had never been hit it seems, but the trunk gasket failed, allowing some moisture in the rear of the car, but very little.

In regards to front axle location, you hit it right with weight transfer. The very reason for Esserman, Billy Jacobs Kid Goat, and the Liberty Motors Corruptors Pup builders to locate that Dodge A-100 axle where it is. Which, by the way, is what we used. A donor Dodge Van front axle assembly from the local pick your part. To make them fit the smaller A-bodied cars, 5.5 inches needs to be removed from the center. I've since built a jig that facilitates doing this with any early straight axle. If this is not done, the front wheels have this trippy look by hanging outside the front fenders. Kinda like the pre-runner truck look! Yikes. By the way, Econoline axles appear to be forged by the same people, so keep a look out for those. But, if we go this far, why not keep it pure Mopar, right? Very few builders took the time to "make 'em purty" back then, so sectioning the front fenders to center the wheel was only done by a few. These cars were butch back then. "Go fast and Win Big"! My There was alot of experimentation back then, and no doubt we'll be tweaking ours as they start to come around.Many race cars were 'near-steer' making for nasty handling on the big end. Ours are cross-steer, which has new obstacles to overcome. It seems every time I turn a wrench on it, there is a new obstacle. If it were easy, we'd all be driving them,right??
 
Good looking Dart.I love the OLD SKOOL ALTERED WHEELBASE LOOK. I am working on a 67 Dart OLD SKOOL GASSER car as soon as I finish up the 69 Dart Swinger.The 67 Dart 2 door Sedan has a speedway straight axle with disc brakes,and I am using an 8.25 rearend with disc brakes.I am looking forward to getting cracking on it pretty soon. Your Dart looks really cool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top