dmgedgoods 74 Scamp

[dmgedgoods]

Bought a 74 Scamp, 318/904. Some work already done on the 318. Trying to get this thing road legal in Texas. So far, I have been working on the front end (starts getting crazy past 40 mph), and have installed a B&M floor shifter. Trying to decide which direction to go in now. The interior is already stripped out and needs some serious work. I have 2 late model Camaro buckets in there now...:angry7:

Electrical will need some serious work too. The lights work, but turn signals, backups, etc are non-existent. Plan on minimizing the electrical as much as possible. It's already a rats nest, and looks to be a challenge as it is.

Body is straight. Door hinges need some love. The doors sag pretty bad. Plan on tapping and drilling for the bushings and pins to work proper. This was the original color, but that will change at some point. The glass is in great condition, surprisingly.

I suppose the biggest things right now are getting it cleaned up, and in good running order. The latter is proving to be a bit difficult. The last time this car was used extensively was in a burnout contest almost a year ago. Kickdown linkage is shot. My wife expected me to get a car i could take to work....I'll be able to take this car to work in a few months :-D.

I am looking for ideas and knowledge. This is my first mopar...I was Chevy guy my whole life, until I saw this car and had to have it. I am in the El Paso area, strictly living here due to work. If you have pointers on parts, wrecking yards, ideas, etc....please let me know. I will keep everyone posted on progress and problems.

Shawn

 

[dmgedgoods]

Been over a year since I was last on the board, but here is the skinny:

Been deployed for a hot minute now, plan on being stateside in August. I have sever parts being rounded up for the Scamp. My direction for the car has not changed from my initial ideas.
I need a street car for work. We are going to Washington in February, which brings its own challenges for how the car should really function.
Being a New Mexico car, the body and frame are in pretty good condition. Far better than most California cars I have had in the past.
I have all new front end parts; tie rods, ends, etc. Waiting on the bushing kit to get to the house.
I have already installed the B&M shifter i bought for cheapo, as mentioned in my previous posts. Still needs some adjustment, had to stop working on the car to do some real work.
I have a buddy doing a lot of the leg work for parts while I am here. Should have a Lokar linkage hitting the house soon too.
Still looking for a rear end. As far a street car goes, 8 1/4 should suffice. The engine isn't that burly, just had some mild work done on it. I believe intake and heads and a mild cam. Need to confirm the heads, make sure things are right.

Bottom line:
I have 6 months to make this thing purr, and then its off to greener pastures. I want/need this thing on the road. I read rumblefish's Duster project, and was sad to see it go. That thread alone has helped in a lot of the decision making processes for me, but I still need input. As I menttioned before, I am new to Mopar, and need the guidance of some of the more seasoned individuals on this board. Have you seen a decent drag/street Scamp before? Any ideas on making this thing run on a solid drivetrain with the motor it has? Recommendations for doing a project like this on a budget?
One final note: The motor is gonna stay the way it for now. I don't have the time or the resources to work that issue right now, but the motor has plenty of power for my needs.
Will post more specs as soon as possible.

 

[PanGasket]

Theres alot of people who are building/plotting out 318s. Even me. You can pump out a good 500+ horses with the 318. But as they say speed is money. around 6$k+ Should put you in the range of decent horsepower around 450 and a complete car with everything you need if you truly do a budget build and recycle EVERYTHING you can. Go out and grab an 8 1/4 out from under a 73+ A-body, just remember to check out the guts and the fluid and all that. Hopefully someone much better than me will chime in

 

[bayyum]

I know there are many members here who can help you with this car, but sadly, i am not one of them, i havent even gotten my own mopar yet, but i hope the best for you

 

[dmgedgoods]

Theres alot of people who are building/plotting out 318s. Even me. You can pump out a good 500+ horses with the 318. But as they say speed is money. around 6$k+ Should put you in the range of decent horsepower around 450 and a complete car with everything you need if you truly do a budget build and recycle EVERYTHING you can. Go out and grab an 8 1/4 out from under a 73+ A-body, just remember to check out the guts and the fluid and all that. Hopefully someone much better than me will chime in

I've seen a bunch of very decent budget builds on a 318. That may come down the line later. This one is a peppy little motor, but I plan on pulling for a 360 when I settle down in Washington.
The rear end is a tough catch around my area right now. Are there any other decent alternatives to a strong (stronger than what I got) rear end on a budget? I got somebody scouring the local yards for anything now. Could you minimally work a later model 8 1/4 or 8 3/4 to work in this A-body?

I appreciate the input.

 

[PanGasket]

The 8.8 rear end out of a ford mustang could work. or out of an explorer. and they have discs already! but the one off an explorer would require shortening, the one off the mustang though would fit just right. if i went that route, you can look up some information on where the sticker would be on the crustang that would have the code (which also something you could find on the mustang forums probably) that would tell you the rear end gearing of it. And you know those thing are pretty easy to find out in yards. or maybe on CL. Oh and if you do that, you should snag the mastercylinder as well. And if it has good discs on you can snag em as well.


And yes, a later A-body rear end would work perfect, a B-body rear would work, with shortening too. Some rears may require shortening. But there isnt such a thing as a late model 8 3/4. they only come in SBP (5x4) and 8 1/4s only come in BBP(5x4.5)

 

[dmgedgoods]

Just got home last week and started working on the car. Working on rubber for the. Stock wheels...dunno if they are stock rally wheels? Pulled the hood and scoop and started prepping and painting. Hood came out bad...lots of dust. Also spent a long time getting the gun dialed in right. Painting is much harder than most think. Picked up some hinged from ebay, that will happen today. Waiting on a hoist and stand to pull the motor.

 

[mopardude318]

cool man! sweet project...

 

[dmgedgoods]

Started throwing primer down. Have some dust issues, so I guess its a good thing I'm going the flat black route. Laid way too much primer on the hood, but have the gun dialed in and did some more minor spraying today. Learning a lot from my mistakes. Pulled the grill, and gonna pull the unused ac components from the front. Started looking at the wiring too...what a nightmare. Can't get the painless harness now, so I will hand wire the whole thing myself. Should be good...in theory. I am very excited to get this thing going. I might be pulling the dash and instrument panel tomorrow, as I start working on the wiring. I feel like I am pushing this thing into 20 different directions, but its all good. Pics soon. Working from my cell phone now.

 

[PanGasket]

looking good dude!! Those are Ford ralleys I think?? Someone correct me if Im wrong, I just remember my dad's old truck had em with red centers and not black

 

[dmgedgoods]

Been busting my hump on this thing non stop! I started small and have drastically upgraded to a few difference performance options. Actually...everything has really been getting upgraded.

I pulled the motor. Currently, the block is at the machine shop getting bored .030 and taking some off the deck. Don't know how much is coming off the top yet...that is up to the Keith Black KB167 pistons I got and how much compression I am aiming for. The crank is good right now, but may actually through a 4" crank in there. Why not?

I pulled some heads from the local yard for 40 bucks...#302 castings. Got some bigger valves, and getting those machined as we speak. Taking about .010 off and doing a three way cut, and complete rebuild. On top of this is a complete Comp Cams top end. Lifters, pushrods, springs, and cam.

Went ahead and changed the entire intake situation as well. Picked up a Air-Gap Eddy intake and have a Holley 700 for the top. All new pumps, wires, accessories, nuts, bolts, etc.

Still deciding on ignition and headers. I know the Super Comps are the way to go, but its a tough sell. As you can see, this is already a money pit. On top of an already pricey motor, I have looked over the tranny as well...it needs a rebuild. I'm no transmission genius, and to be honest, it scares me. The 904 is dirty and leaking bad. I want a new one, but think a rebuild with a good kit and a shift kit will work just fine for a mild motor like I am going to have.

The motor, rebuilt tranny and 8 1/4 rear should suit me fine for a daily driver. Freeway gears will work for now, until I find a suitable gearing for a decent price.

If anybody is interested in the exact combo and how things are going together, please ask.

I got some primer on the whole car, and painted the engine bay as well. There is some rough rust spots that may have to be overlooked until a welder comes (maybe Christmas? probably not). I am more concerned with performance at this point. The paint is looking decent so far though. Got the trunk and hood painted, but the trunk came out too glossy for a flat black. Will repaint soon. The hood is passable, but you can see where I got a little close with the gun. All in all, the car is coming along, and hope this update was delivered in good time.

 

[dmgedgoods]

Should be getting the block back on Wednesday, but have the heads right now. Looking to start port and polish after work, with a solid gasket match. One of my big challenges while everything is out and de-wired is how to approach the dash and all the gauges. I do not want stock, and would prefer a custom setup. I may keep the dash and just rip the gauge cluster and everything else out and go ahead and put a custom sheet metal dash in there. Not sure how to approach that, and I have never been and interior/finish work type. Any ideas?
Will have some more pictures tomorrow of the interior to give some more bearing on the situation.