My other Early A ---65 Dart post

[crvtec90]

As if I needed another car to restore, but I couldnt let it get crushed. 1965 2 door post. Slant six with 3 speed on the column. Neat car. Typical rusted out front floors and lower quarter panels. Inside the cowl is rotted out badly as well. I just plan to tinker with it and cruise a lil bit since Im not very close on driving my convertible project.

The fun begins. Installed new battery, turned the key and got nothing except smoking wires behind the dash. Its scary stuff when the dash is full of rats nests and leaves from sitting for ten years then wires start burning. The ammeter is totally fried and it melted the wire all the way to the bulkhead connector on the firewall. The amp gauge is now bypassed. Installed new gas tank, fuel pump, tune-up and it fired up. The engine is from a later model car.( 225 in place of a 170 I believe) It shakes and vibrates when I take off from a stop. Im wondering If there is no pilot bushing in the end of the crankshaft since its a later engine.

I found out the hard way that the oil pan is wrong for the car. At first I noticed the center link was rubbing on the pan so I made a little clearance with a block of wood and a big hammer. Then a few days later I noticed a small oil leak which has gotten much bigger. Its coming from the driver side right where the pan meets the k frame. Seems like its rubbing in there making a hole in the side of the oil pan.

 

[4spdcuda66]

Nice looking project. Keep the updates with MORE PICS!!:glasses7:

 

[toolmanmike]

Love early post Darts. My very first car (back in 70) was a 65 post Dart with a HP273 and a 3 on the tree. One of a few I found out many years later. Enjoy and keep us posted on your fun. tmm

 

[crvtec90]

Okay, so theres definitely a hole in my oil pan from rubbing on the k frame. I had looked at it several times and never really saw how close it was. Theres just so much gunk and muck all over it that it makes it hard to see. It looks like it already has a few shims on the passenger side motor mount to lift it up a little bit. Luckily the pan still holds about 2 quarts of oil so I can still start the engine to move the car around.

The back seat I noticed is probably from a later model because it seems a bit too wide. The vinyl is in poor shape but the frame is pretty decent. It only had a driver side bucket seat thats also in need of recover. Im guessing also from a later a body perhaps. Just guessing since there were 14 inch plymouth hubcaps in the trunk ( instead of 13 inch) Also the gas pedal is not an early dart piece.

Ive got a 1990 mazda 626 parts car with a minty fresh interior that I hope will be donating some very clean seats. The back seat sits nicely in the rear of the car and I mocked up the front bucket to discover it needs very little modification to bolt down.

Even though the metal is probably thinner on newer cars, I was thinking of cutting the floor out of the mazda to use for new floor boards in the dart. This would be great so I could use the carpet and floor mats from the parts car as well which are in excellent condition Unfortunately it isnt quite wide or long enough and its also much deeper than the darts so it would be hanging below the rockers. Probably a lot of work neded to make it fit when I can just weld in some patches of thicker original sheetmetal instead.

Im still working on electrical gremlins. I love how the wiring diagram for the whole car is only 2 pages. Had to replace the rear taillight harness to get the lights working in the back. Pretty neat how the taillight bulbs are grounded through the housings to the body. I went through several different bulbs before I got the correct brightness I was looking for, but they probably still arent the correct ones. If I remember correctly I was using 1156 bulbs for the rear park lamps but they made it look bright like the brake lights. I have 3 old headlight switches to play with. Ive taking one apart to clean and inspect several times. It gets better every time but still not right.The instrument cluster lights up and my fuel gauge is working to my surprise after a new sending unit. The front park lamps in the bumper come on when I pull the headlight switch to the first detent but then go off when I pull the switch the rest of the way. I know I just need to stop being cheap and buy a new switch but I couldnt resist the urge to try and fix one of them.

 

[crvtec90]

The back seat I plan on using

 

[crvtec90]

Every time I pull the dart iinto the shop it leaves a small pile of dirt. When I first brought it home I removed two truck loads of garbage out of it yet it seems never ending. Today I had fun blowing out the frame rails which are almost completely full of sand/dirt.

 

[crvtec90]

Made two plates to cover up the holes in the firewall where the heater box stuff goes. Just trying to keep out the hot air from the engine compartment and whatever else might blow inside the car when I get it driving.

 

[chryslerfat]

Nice to see progress.

 

[crvtec90]

Thanks guys for the encouragement. I try to do small things here and there when I can.

Used the old fuel tank insulation as a template and cut a new one out of several layers of tar paper. Ive been thinking about painting the new tank to keep it fresh looking since I have some leftover paint. Not sure if its already coated with something to keep it from rusting.

 

[pettybludart]

Nice little project.I love the post cars!With your oilpan rubbing on the K,it must be a bad/broken engine mount.Good luck with the project.

 

[65dartcharger]

Great prkect to start with.Wish I could find a 2 door post too.

pettybluedart, you are so right, post cars is awesome!

 

[crvtec90]

Nice little project.I love the post cars!With your oilpan rubbing on the K,it must be a bad/broken engine mount.Good luck with the project.

Post cars are great! One day Id like to go v8 like you petty blue.

Its definitely the wrong oil pan. Engine is out of a truck. The oil pan is sitting right on the k frame and the centerlink rubs the pan as well. Apparently the previous owner didnt want to take the time to swap over the early a specific pan and pickup tube. It worked up until I took ownership and then finally wore a hole in the pan. Im hoping to hook up with waggin for a replacement but he has been sick so Im just waiting. I really need to make a trip out to see him again. I wanted to drive the dart to his place and see what hes got instead of trying to ship parts.

I keep thinking Im gonna pull the engine and beat the hell out of the pan in a couple places to make clearance but Id rather just put the right pan on it and be done with it. I actually had the correct parts many years ago and didnt save them since I didnt know they were early a only. Its all a lot of work that I hadnt planned on and has become frustrating. Theres also the issue of a possible pilot bushing being needed.

The engine runs okay I suppose but smokes more than I like. It had a bent pushrod that I starightened up. Still needs a new one. I believe the carb needs a rebuild. If I stomp the gas it just falls on its face and back fires. If I hit the pedal gradually everything is okay. Havent checked the vacuum advance yet. I was thinking its just a bad accelerator pump.

I wanted to get a good feel of the condition of the engine before I start spending good time and $ on it and then just ending up going v8. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

[crvtec90]

Great prkect to start with.Wish I could find a 2 door post too.

pettybluedart, you are so right, post cars is awesome!

Youve got some great 65 darts yourself 65dartcharger and all of you guys keep me interested in how great these cars are. I have a factory air conditioning setup that I would eventually like to put into use. I have been following along on your build and several others hoping to see how it works.

I wasnt planning on getting a post car but I couldnt refuse it even though its waaaaay more work than I have time for. The ten years this thing has sat outdoors has been very unkind. All the door latches were competely rusted shut. The passenger side window regulator took a lot of pb blaster to move again. The driver floor pan was patched poorly and has already rusted away once again.

 

[65dartcharger]

If you need a set of door latches you can have a set for free. Just pay shipping!

 

[crvtec90]

If you need a set of door latches you can have a set for free. Just pay shipping!

Well thankyou sir. That is very generous. If I cant get mine working better then I might have to.

 

[crvtec90]

I installed a 7 1/4 rear end with 10 inch drums that I had in the garage from v8 car. I think it has 3.23 gears, but Im not sure anymore. Maybe 2.73? The one that came in the car was all rusty on the inside and needs overhaul.

Went with kelsey hayes small bolt pattern Disc brakes up front. I had purchased a knock-off power brake booster kit off ebay many years ago so I went ahead and installed it as well. Not a very good kit but the basic brakets were there to work with. Its from fat rodder. They didnt even include instructions and when I went back on ebay they are no longer there. Bent all new brake lines and hooked up new hoses front and rear.

 

[crvtec90]

The driver side wheel well was pushed in a bit making my tire rub so I used a hydraulic body ram to push it back out.

 

[crvtec90]

I pulled the engine a while back to try to do something with the oil pan and figure out why the car shakes so bad when taking off from a stop. With the pan off I could see the cam lobes were pitted badly. So I kept digging and found the lifters all mushroomed and lifter bores are ugly. Also found the bearings are down to copper and there were two broken top rings on cyliders 3 and 4. Its a beautiful boat anchor now.

I did find that there was a pilot bushing installed but the release fingers for the pressure plate were worn unevenly and the flywheel needs refinishing. No wonder it shakes like crazy.

Ive got a 170 slant six replacement with an auto trans out of a 67 dart so it looks like Im going to ditch the column shift 3 speed for a while. That way I dont have to buy a clutch and flywheel. I believe the 67 dart drivetrain should install fairly easily since the wheel base is the same as a 65. I just need to figure out the shifter. I have a 66 automatic console and shifter that just might do the trick.

 

[volitech]

Too bad about the slant six.. too bad you wernt closer I have 318 and a 3speed I pulled from a 70 duster... Great looking project though!

 

[crvtec90]

67 dart 170 c.i. slant six installed with Felpro gasket set to reseal leaks. Still ironing out the details but its up and running.

 

[crvtec90]

Too bad about the slant six.. too bad you wernt closer I have 318 and a 3speed I pulled from a 70 duster... Great looking project though!

It is too bad indeed. Big items are hard to ship if you cant find them locally. I would need more than just the engine and trans for the v8 swap. The manifolds, oil filter adapter, mounts,throttle cable, and center link are all early a specific. Thanx for looking

 

[Rockerdude]

Looks great so far! I love 65 darts, and post cars are cool!

 

[crvtec90]

Looks great so far! I love 65 darts, and post cars are cool!

Thanx dude. I prefer the hardtops without the post but either way, I love an early A. Thanx for looking.

 

[crvtec90]

Here's the differance between the early and late slant six oil pans. You can see how the sump is shaped differently to clear the k frame.

 

[crvtec90]

I was under the impression that early and late darts had the same wheelbase yet my driveshaft is just a bit short. I wonder if the later darts actually had the engine mounted a few more inches rearward. The engine and trans mounts bolted right up with no problem and the rear u-joint from the 67 dart fit right into the 66 dart rear end. So now there's no 65 ball n trunion setup on the driveshaft. I think ill either have the 67 shaft extended or try a 66 shaft which i hope will be the correct length.