modify 73 dart fender for 1969

[Red383]

Has anyone every modified a 73 dart fender to work with a 1969 Dart grille?

I know the outside stamping is the same, but what is different in the headlight bucket area that needs modified to work with the early grille?

Thanks,
Aaron

 

[67Dart273]

Surely?? the whole front edge/ hook mating area is different? (I have not tried to put a 67 hook on a 73............)

 

[tinman2]

I am planning to attempt just the opposite. I have new AMD fenders for 69 Dart to use on my 73 Dart Sport. The fender shell looks and measures identical except for different marker light. Looks simple enough to remove that piece from each fender and weld back in the one I need. Once I get that done, I should have the 69 headlight mounting pieces as reproduced by AMD that I won't need. Just not going to get to that right away though.

 

[Red383]

So you are planning on swapping the whole headlight bucket area or the fender?

 

[tinman2]

Surely?? the whole front edge/ hook mating area is different? (I have not tried to put a 67 hook on a 73............)

I wish AMD had offered a 67 fender when I bought mine. It would have made the marker difference easier to deal with. But, I may use 69 side reflectors instead. I already have everything I need to change including the sheetmetal to graft in to the quarter panels.

 

[tinman2]

So you are planning on swapping the whole headlight bucket area or the fender?

I am keeping my 73 headlight bucket area and changing just the outer skin. So I will remove the new 69 headlight bucket area which I won't need from my AMD 69 fenders. I have already compared the new and old fenders side by side. The only difference I could find in the outer shell stamping was the very front inside edge flange near the header panel.

 

[Red383]

Surely?? the whole front edge/ hook mating area is different? (I have not tried to put a 67 hook on a 73............)

I assume you mean Hood, not hook. The outer skin of the fender is the same, so I think the hood length will line up fine.

 

[tinman2]

I assume you mean Hood, not hook. The outer skin of the fender is the same, so I think the hood length will line up fine.

This has been done before by members on this website. I bought a hood, grill and trim, header panel, and front bumper from a member who did this. He may have been in the Anderson, SC or northern Georgia area.

 

[tinman2]

74 dart sport with a 67 dart front clip

Here you go.
Posted by sport74

 

[Red383]

Thanks Tinman. Not sure how you found that. My searches have turned up nothing.

I will try to contact him and see if he responds.

 

[Red383]

So after more research and trial fitting on my 73 Dart using a 69 grille, I think the entire front headlight bucket panel would have to be swapped over from a 69 dart fender to the 73 dart fender.

The 73 fender headlight location is more towards the outside of the fender (like the 67-68 darts) the 69 fender has the headlight bucket mounted .5" more towards the center of the car. You can see these differences in this older post: 67, 68, 69 Dart Headlight Bezels Compared | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum

and the 69 fender has the headlight panel mounted further back than the 73 fender. So there is not enough room in the 73 fender for the headlight bucket with the 69 grill.

I am guessing the 67-68 Dart Grille may be easier to make fit, but the headlight will probably stick out further than it is supposed to. I may try to find a used 68 Grille/bezels at the Mopar Nationals swap meet (hopefully cheap) to test fit.

Aaron

 

[Red383]

I am planning to attempt just the opposite. I have new AMD fenders for 69 Dart to use on my 73 Dart Sport. The fender shell looks and measures identical except for different marker light. Looks simple enough to remove that piece from each fender and weld back in the one I need. Once I get that done, I should have the 69 headlight mounting pieces as reproduced by AMD that I won't need. Just not going to get to that right away though.

Timman, if you could measure the depth from the front of the fender to the headlight mounting area on your 69 fender and the 73-74 fender, that would tell us if the difference in mounting positions of the headlight forward to back.

 

[tinman2]

I'll check it out this evening.

 

[tinman2]

Here we go. As far as the outer skin difference, other than the marker light, the tab hanging down at the front is only on the Dart Sport where the header panel bolts to the fender.

 

[tinman2]

It appears that the 69 Dart headlight sits about an inch deeper than the 73 Dart.

 

[tinman2]

It also looks like the 69 Dart headlight sits about 1/2 inch farther towards the centerline of the car than the 73 Dart headlight.

 

[Red383]

Good information Tinman, thanks for taking the time to get those measurements and pictures. It pretty much confirms everything I tried to describe above.

Making a 69 grille work with the newer model fender will take some work.