Anyone ever turn an old Dart into an ultimate daily-driver?

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also just to add a tidbit ....before setting your timing ....set the engine to TDC and mark the balancer ....too many times i went by the factory marks on the balancer only to find that they were off from the balancer flexing between inner hub and outer from age.

so make sure you know exactly where TDC and your marking it in a way that you can see it with the timing light and if you have to advance really a lot ...then your timing chain is probably sloppy ....i found all this the hard way with a stock 440.
 
Such Wit and Wisdom on this site!!!

Reminds me of Scatpack.com....

anyhoo

:)

Special shout to 66fs for the step-by-step... that's exactly the guidance I need.

Years ago; when I was really really poor and lived badly, I had a plethora of ultra-cheap cars. Like; buy 3 $150 cars so you have one that runs when the other dies. When one said car had problems; I went to Champion Auto and bought a Haynes manual for said car. Most times, I fixed the problem. Never rebuilt a motor or anything like that; but if it was bolted TO the motor, I've probably changed it one time or another.

This is how I've come to own about 30 Mopars. Most 70's models. Most C-bods. ALL 4-doors (save the 76 Doba and 68 Fury). BUT... I re-married (to the best goddamn woman who ever lived btw :)) and ceased being destitute.

Drove a Dodge Caravan for years. Then a 99 Ram. Then; pining for old-school I bought the 68 Fury. Closest to a muscle-car as I've got. Primer-gray; 383, fast top... ran like ****. Not having had to work on a car to get to work to pay the bills anymore; I became lazy. The Plymouth sat. and sat. wife mentioned it was kind of an ugly lawn-ornament. So I sold it.

Then; things got interesting. After having thought I was done having children 14 years prior; we had a baby boy. :) Like we needed more children. ;)
I have 3; my wife has 2, and together we had 1. So; Matt now has a 2, 12, 13, 17, 18, and 22-year-old.

So obviously we are trying to cut back on bills and such; I saw the CL ad for a 1974 Dart for $500. I said "@$%* yeah".

Pretty much drove it around the block and paid the guy. Pretty legit. Drove it 75 miles home and dared to creep up to 75 mph on the last few miles (stupid).

So there ya go. A long-*** story that you really don't care about but I wanted ya'll to know where I'm coming from. And why a simple 318 Dart could kick somebody's *** because they don't know up from down. You know how I said I changed the starter? Two bolts right? Easy as pie. Effing car sat in front of my house for 2 MONTHS because I couldn't get the starter OFF THE CAR. Finally a member of the audio-forum I frequent suggested I turn the steering wheel for clearance. Damn starter about fell on my head once I did.

So I guess I'm getting old or slow of mind or Something. But bear with me because I want to get Aurelia (I name my cars that have personality; Suzy the wagon: nice :)) back in action.

Crappy cell-phone pics to follow.


Peace


Matt
 

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This is a funny thread. LOL Rani, you're not looking for a lover or a husband,, you're looking for an employee.

Thanks for the photos, Matt. Now I can see what you're up to. It is a blank canvas in many ways. I was into my /6 73 for about $3,200.00 when I sold it in June.
 

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jesuschrysler said:
Such Wit and Wisdom on this site!!!

Reminds me of Scatpack.com....

anyhoo

:)

Special shout to 66fs for the step-by-step... that's exactly the guidance I need.

Years ago; when I was really really poor and lived badly, I had a plethora of ultra-cheap cars. Like; buy 3 $150 cars so you have one that runs when the other dies. When one said car had problems; I went to Champion Auto and bought a Haynes manual for said car. Most times, I fixed the problem. Never rebuilt a motor or anything like that; but if it was bolted TO the motor, I've probably changed it one time or another.

This is how I've come to own about 30 Mopars. Most 70's models. Most C-bods. ALL 4-doors (save the 76 Doba and 68 Fury). BUT... I re-married (to the best goddamn woman who ever lived btw :)) and ceased being destitute.

Drove a Dodge Caravan for years. Then a 99 Ram. Then; pining for old-school I bought the 68 Fury. Closest to a muscle-car as I've got. Primer-gray; 383, fast top... ran like ****. Not having had to work on a car to get to work to pay the bills anymore; I became lazy. The Plymouth sat. and sat. wife mentioned it was kind of an ugly lawn-ornament. So I sold it.

Then; things got interesting. After having thought I was done having children 14 years prior; we had a baby boy. :) Like we needed more children. ;)
I have 3; my wife has 2, and together we had 1. So; Matt now has a 2, 12, 13, 17, 18, and 22-year-old.

So obviously we are trying to cut back on bills and such; I saw the CL ad for a 1974 Dart for $500. I said "@$%* yeah".

Pretty much drove it around the block and paid the guy. Pretty legit. Drove it 75 miles home and dared to creep up to 75 mph on the last few miles (stupid).

So there ya go. A long-*** story that you really don't care about but I wanted ya'll to know where I'm coming from. And why a simple 318 Dart could kick somebody's *** because they don't know up from down. You know how I said I changed the starter? Two bolts right? Easy as pie. Effing car sat in front of my house for 2 MONTHS because I couldn't get the starter OFF THE CAR. Finally a member of the audio-forum I frequent suggested I turn the steering wheel for clearance. Damn starter about fell on my head once I did.

So I guess I'm getting old or slow of mind or Something. But bear with me because I want to get Aurelia (I name my cars that have personality; Suzy the wagon: nice :)) back in action.

Crappy cell-phone pics to follow.


Peace


Matt
Click to expand...

Ya know if you look in the parts cars for sale forum here you most likely get what you need to fix your Dart. You can learn to weld which a lot of us do here.
 
jesuschrysler said:
Then; things got interesting. After having thought I was done having children 14 years prior; we had a baby boy. :) Like we needed more children. ;)
I have 3; my wife has 2, and together we had 1. So; Matt now has a 2, 12, 13, 17, 18, and 22-year-old.

But bear with me because I want to get Aurelia (I name my cars that have personality; Suzy the wagon: nice :))
Click to expand...


with that many kids, looks like you have plenty of help. if you get the kids involved that would be awesome.....as i said before, being exposed to the auto world is never a bad thing for anyone regardless of gender or age. when i first moved in with my adoptive family there were cars all over the place because some of them were in the salvage business.....well at the time i didnt think anything of it ....just looked like a bunch of old cars but now that im older i realize that they are more than just old cars, they are an experience that not everybody gets. The few that truely understand what it means to be a car person are that much ahead of the "average" person. you can never go wrong with more skills and looks like you have a chance here to grow and learn with them.

Best wishes and good luck.

BTW i name all my cars because they are family members too :D
 
2 Darts: drool! Beautiful.

Old Tired Rebel: heh; I can barely change a starter and you want me to Weld stuff!!! ;)

RaniDart70: thanks. Unfortunately the older kids live 100 miles away. My 12 and 13 year old stepsons would much rather be on Xbox Live *eyeroll*. The two year old shows promise though. "Dad! You old green car!" :)


Matt
 
I drove a 68 Barracuda fastback during the 90's everyday for like 7 years. It finally hit 500,000 miles and then needed some work again. Then rusted too much while sitting waiting for me to fix it and I had to strip it....

I had a home built 318 with a 4 bbl and it got 17.75 MPG highway at 80 mph. It can be done, but you have to know what you are doing and where to get parts to fix it when it breaks.

A couple of key items were a 4 bbl with electric choke and electronic ignition for reliability. I drove the car everyday in Detroit winters (sometimes below 0° F).
 
Hey, cool beans......no A/C and manual steering and brakes! Seems weird to see that on a later model dart.....
 
jesuschrysler said:
2 Darts: drool! Beautiful.

Old Tired Rebel: heh; I can barely change a starter and you want me to Weld stuff!!! ;)

RaniDart70: thanks. Unfortunately the older kids live 100 miles away. My 12 and 13 year old stepsons would much rather be on Xbox Live *eyeroll*. The two year old shows promise though. "Dad! You old green car!" :)


Matt
Click to expand...

Hey it's all a learning experience if you are willing.
 
Cool thread Matt, enjoying reading it thru. One thing, the #1 cause of battery failures is not using a hold down, vibrations etc will cause the plates to touch inside. It doesn't look like it has one. A universal cheapie one should be had for about $5. Good luck with it!
 
watch "Waynes World".

Garth has a Pacer w/a rope-licorice dispenser on the headliner.

:)



Matt
 
of course it's my one day off for the next 3 weeks; and it snowed last night and it's 10 degrees outside and I have my 2-year-old.

Bah, Humbug.


(he who really wanted to take a screwdriver to the Dart's carb today)


Grr. I might do it anyway. *rummages for a snowsuit size 2T*


:)



Matt
 
jesuschrysler said:
of course it's my one day off for the next 3 weeks; and it snowed last night and it's 10 degrees outside and I have my 2-year-old.

Bah, Humbug.


(he who really wanted to take a screwdriver to the Dart's carb today)


Grr. I might do it anyway. *rummages for a snowsuit size 2T*
Click to expand...

Reminds me......didjya ever have your hand slip off a wrench/ratchet and get smashed while your hands are freezing, wet and filthy with pure black grease? That sucks. Good luck, Matt.....
 
Why yes I have actually.

Taking the water-pump off my 78 Chrysler New Yorker in a drug store parking lot 100 miles from home with children in the back seat in February in South Dakota.

On Sunday. In a podunk town where all business's were shut down after 5.

It was 6.

Thank God local bar turned up local Napa store owner; who opened shop and had my part in stock.


Sucked driving home; but we drove home.



:)



Matt
 
cudavert said:
Reminds me......didjya ever have your hand slip off a wrench/ratchet and get smashed while your hands are freezing, wet and filthy with pure black grease? That sucks. Good luck, Matt.....
Click to expand...

That is exactly, -20, why I went back to school and have an inside job now. I still hate Chevy Blazers.
 
cudavert said:
Reminds me......didjya ever have your hand slip off a wrench/ratchet and get smashed while your hands are freezing, wet and filthy with pure black grease? That sucks. Good luck, Matt.....
Click to expand...


yea ......have you ever had a bleeding scrape on your hand and it was so cold that you didn't even realize your hand was bleeding until you actually saw the cut and bleeding through the grease and grime LOL

I replaced a fuel pump on the side of the road on a slant six last winter and talk about a nitemare .......the fuel pump location is not the most convenient on a six.....right below the famous leaking slant six valve cover :protest::protest::protest:
 
jesuschrysler said:
Why yes I have actually. Taking the water-pump off my 78 Chrysler New Yorker in a drug store parking lot 100 miles from home with children in the back seat in February in South Dakota. On Sunday. In a podunk town where all business's were shut down after 5. It was 6. Thank God local bar turned up local Napa store owner; who opened shop and had my part in stock. Sucked driving home; but we drove home. :) Matt
Click to expand...
thank god for parts house owners that have your part AND their heart in stock
 
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