"New" Member Intro - 1968 Dart 2 Door Sedan

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Junk Depot

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
8
Reaction score
21
Location
Oregon
Hi all, I've been a long time lurker here at FABO, taking advantage of the wealth of info available with the goal of getting another A-Body back on the road. I figured I'd finally post about my build and add some more A-Body photos for the archives. :)

I bought my '68 Dart 2 Door Post while still in high school, having no clue how large of a project I had gotten myself into. Most of my experience with classic cars up to that point was with bumpside and dentside Ford trucks, so the thought of finally building a "ratty muscle CAR" was something I had wanted to do for years. After scoring this Dart locally for $600, I thought I hit the lottery.

The car was overall pretty straight and mostly complete, but it desperately needed a new floor pan and pretty much a complete mechanical overhaul on top of it. The original slant had been pulled by the previous owner and replaced with a 360 and 727, but the car never ran with this engine trans combo. Naturally, being a dumb kid with few mechanical skills, I wanted to make life more difficult for myself by shoehorning a 440 in it instead. Long story short, I worked on the car for a few months and acquired some parts for the build before life got in the way and I became completely swamped between school and work. The dart sat on jackstands for five years until I finished college, and I am now finally finding the time to (hopefully) finish what I started.

Here's the big stuff that's been done so far:
  • Front disc brake conversion
  • Moved the leaf springs inboard with USCT kit
  • Narrowed and installed a Ford 8.8 rear end, 3.73 gears
  • Replaced the entire floorpan with a new AMD unit
  • Installed USCT subframe connectors
I recently decided to drop the K member and front suspension to do a complete rebuild, as well as reinforce the steering box mount and LCA arms. I'm still waiting on some parts to arrive before I can get this thing back together and hopefully start struggling with mocking up the 440 in the car.

There's still a lot left to do, but that list is getting smaller everyday. Also wanted to say thanks to those who have documented their own builds and shared their knowledge to help with this project thus far!
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Welcome from Texas, it looks like you've got a good starting point.
 
That's a great story and glad to see you're finally getting to your project after the 5-year hiatus. Too often that type of postponement leads to it never getting done. Good luck on completing it!

Greetings and welcome to FABO!
 
Welcome aboard. I’m 10 years into my project, so 5 isn’t bad! LOL
 
:welcome: from :canada:
You've already done some very nice work on that car, not very many 2 door post cars around, nice to see one being done. Keep us posted on your progress with a build thread.

:thumbsup:
 
Welcome and what a great start you already have. We lived in Oregon for many years. Still have a bunch of family there (Willamette Valley) If you have been lurking on here you know there are several FABO folks in Oregon. Have fun and keep us posted!
 
Welcome to the site sweet Dart. What did you think of the spring inboard kit? I’m thinking getting one for my 69 dart. I’m down here in Springfield Oregon
 
:welcome: from :canada:
You've already done some very nice work on that car, not very many 2 door post cars around, nice to see one being done. Keep us posted on your progress with a build thread.

:thumbsup:
A friend from the great white North! Thanks for the kinds words and I agree, the post cars don't seem to pop up too often these days. I certainly haven't seen another locally since I found mine.
 
Greetings from just over the river in WA. Good looking bones on your car. We can't have too many Darts to talk about!

What decision did you make about the drivetrain?
 
Welcome to the site sweet Dart. What did you think of the spring inboard kit? I’m thinking getting one for my 69 dart. I’m down here in Springfield Oregon
Welcome to the site sweet Dart. What did you think of the spring inboard kit? I’m thinking getting one for my 69 dart. I’m down here in Springfield Oregon
Springfield is beautiful, I used to live not too far! It's a great kit, especially if you have more money than time to DIY your own. Being able to get the perches in the "ballpark" by bolting them to the stock front spring hanger location was the big selling point for me and many others I think.
 
Greetings from just over the river in WA. Good looking bones on your car. We can't have too many Darts to talk about!

What decision did you make about the drivetrain?
The plan is to drop a mostly stock motorhome 440 in backed by 727. The 440 was one of the first things I bought way back when, and I did a quick rattlecan rebuild, 440 source water pump, torker intake (the price was right, free). I'd love to put an A833 or another manual trans in, but ultimately it'll be more time and money than I could spare at this point. Maybe one day.
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Welcome from WI. What a great start. Keep us posted as you continue your journey...
 
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