Donor drivetrain question

[etngeorge]

I have '68 Dart with /6. Have found a '75 Dart 4 door with good running 318 and
disc brakes. What problems do you see swapping the complete drivetrain into '68. I suppose the '75 is LBP so my rallye wheels would have to be replaced. Is $1800 too much to pay for this donor car?
Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[bighammer]

You will probably end up with a bunch of leftover parts you could sell. Personally I would continue looking for a better deal on a donor vehicle. I paid $1500 for a 1990 dodge pickup with only 28,000 miles on the remanufactured engine. Then I sold the front clip, cab, and bed to a couple different people. In trade on this deal, I also ended up with a complete 1970 Dodge motorhome chassis with only 65,000 miles on the drivetrain. It has a c6 tranny and a Dana 60 rearend. Gonna keep the engine and tranny for my 65 fastback

good luck with your seach. Yes, $1800 is too much IMHO

 

[pishta]

318 with trans and front discs/ k member would probably only set you back 500. Then you could sell the slant. I think a slant would sell before a 318.

 

[fishy68]

The one advantage it has is it gives you everything you'll need to easily swap over to a V8, but considering it's a run of the mill smog era 318 it's not a high dollar item so I'm with bighammer on $1800 being too much. I wouldn't give over $1200 for it. My reasoning behind this is even if it's a real sweet running 318 and trans. with low mileage due to being nearly 40 yrs. old I'd bet the trans and engine both need re-sealed cause gaskets/seals dry out a lot in 39 yrs.

BTW: your Dart most likely has the anemic 7-1/4 rearend which won't last long behind any V8 if you plan on doing any hot rodding.

 

[etngeorge]

Thanks guys- I'll look for something less expensive while I wait and see if seller will drop their price on this '74

 

[zhandfull]

Thanks guys- I'll look for something less expensive while I wait and see if seller will drop their price on this '74

I found a donor car listed for about the same price as the one your looking at. I sent them a message saying I wasn't a dealer just someone that like these old cars. If they didn't get any better offers to contact me. I would be willing to buy it for $600 cash, more than a wrecking yard would pay. I ended up getting the car about a week later. It made a great donor for my budget dart see thread below.