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  • '69 Dart project

    This is the second Dart project car I have found to build. I really like the gasser look but know that era was done when this car was around. The car will still be higher sitting than stock like the super stock cars from the late 60s.

    This car has 100% original paint and just a little rust around the 1/4's. It was an air car but I don't have any intentions of messing with that any time soon. The car came with a 8 3/4 housing and Yukon Axles as well as a original Direct Connection K member with disk brakes and 340 torsion bars. I am not sure what motor mounts/k-member is currently in the car but it does have a big block bolted in right now. Not sure what the motor is exactly, it is a short deck bigblock and the guy thought it was a 400, it does have 452 heads so it could be a 400. I need to pull it to see the casting #'s. I am planning on keeping all the original paint on the car and replacing the vinyl top and I am going to see if I can get a '68 black longitudal strip to cover the holes where the custom trim is currently, not sure if it will work out though. I plan on cutting the rear fender wells out like a Hemi Dart and getting a Super Stock style hood scoop and some fender well headers.

    It was about a 4 hr drive out to get this one up in Kansas








    Last edited by grancuda; June 12, 2011, 08:23 AM.

  • #2
    Re: '69 Dart II project

    Im anxious to see this projects progress.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: '69 Dart II project

      Looks like a great starting point!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: '69 Dart II project

        The Dart is probably my favorite Mopar body style ... waiting for more....
        Whiskey for my men ... and beer for their horses!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: '69 Dart & now '69 Road Runner projects

          Cleaned up the car a little. I did some hand polishing to the paint which is all original and put some Eastwoods rust encapsulator on the roof. Been collecting parts for it mainly. Need to get all the Moog parts for the front end so I can swap the k-member under it and add the '73 disc brakes set-up. I am planning on running disc brakes with no power, not sure how that will work out but it works fine on my '72 GMC so we will see. I got a set of fenderwell headers for it and a fresh built 400. I am searching for a set of vintage 4.5" wide torq thrust style wheels but haven't came across any. Here are some pics of the progress.
















          Last edited by grancuda; June 12, 2011, 08:19 AM.

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          • #6
            Re: '69 Dart project

            I've always liked that vintage of Dart... nice looking car.
            Doing it all wrong since 1966

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            • #7
              Re: '69 Dart project

              neat! are you going to try to keep the 70s look under the hood? I like it....gold valve covers, yellow coil and plug wires, universal radiator hose.....I miss those days....

              My fabulous web page

              "If it don't go, chrome it!" --Stroker McGurk

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: '69 Dart project

                looks great! still planning on cutting the wheel wells?
                If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: '69 Dart project

                  Are those Hooker #5205 headers? I had a set of those on my Demon. They worked well for making power, but damn... no tire clearance. I had to use 165SR15 skinnies on the front.


                  Ron
                  It's really no different than trying to glue them back on after she has her way.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: '69 Dart project

                    would trade any project car for that. Fix the quarter panel rust, paint match best as possible, black steel wheels and drive it....
                    Si vis pacem, para bellum

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: '69 Dart project

                      I am going for a period looking car so yeah, I am keeping the gold valve covers but the universal radiator hose will be replaced with a stock style hose.

                      Still planning on cutting the fenderwells as a Superstock car would have came from Hurst.

                      I believe the headers are the P/N you reference but these are from the early 70s and have the rough texture alumacoating. I will play with the tire size to get the tallest tire.

                      I have the factory 14x5 black steel wheels and a set of 15x8 black steel wheels from a mid 70's Ramcharger so I will have a black wheel set up as well as I am looking for some 15x4.5 torq thrust front & 15x9 slots rear.

                      Question
                      Bought this motor and it is fresh but about 10 years old and never run. The guy who built it is known for building good stuff and run a duster at the track on a regular basis. I am putting this motor in a '69 Dart with a 727, stock converter and 3.55:1 sure grip. Will be running an old-fresh built Holley 4160 750 vacuum secondary, a Offenhouser 360 intake(proabably switch to something else), 1 7/8" fender well headers.

                      motor specs
                      Cylinder heads- 452 castings, magnafluxed, 3-angle valve job, surfaced, new trw valves, harden valve seats, Mopar Perf. Valve springs #P3690933, TRW steel retainers, silicone valve seals, bronze guide liners, Mopar Perf. Head bolts, stock int. & exh. Ports cylinder block casting #4006530-400-3, date 01-22-76. Block vatted, oil gallerys cleaned, magnufluxed, block squared, alighned hone, cylinders bored & honed with torque plates on a Sunnen CK10 machine, pistons fitted to cylinders, connecting rods magnafluxed & resized with Mopar Perf. Rod bolts, 9.0 to 1 compression, cast pistons, Speed Pro Moly Rngs, Clevite 77 rod & main bearings, Mopar Perf. P4452783 resto camshaft & lifters, spec. Lift 450/458-dur 268/264, Cloyes double roller timing chain & gear set, cam degreed in, Mellings oil pump #m63hp, Mellings oil pick up, clevite cam bearings, Mopar windage tray, Fel Pro gaskets, new spark plugs, oil & filter. History- Built 10-years ago, pre oiled the engine when built. It is complete and the rockers have been backed off which have kept the vavles seated. Bore size .030, rod & main size .010

                      I have a couple general questions:
                      -What should be done before the motor is run due to possible rust in cylinders or rust somewhere else? I have a friend who has a camera probe thing that can go into cylinders through the plug hole, I want to look in each but don't know if something else I should be concerned with.

                      -What does it take to add roller lifters to this motor so I don't have to fool with the oil additives?

                      -What kind of hp would this motor produce and what kind of 1/4 mile times could I expect?

                      -I have no rockers currently, what would be a good rocker to go with and can I change the ratio from a stock rocker ratio to gain some lift on the cam(don't really know much about mixing cams&rocker ratios)

                      I am looking to get this going in the next few months and want start getting stuff ordered but first I need to get a look at the cylinders.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: '69 Dart project

                        I'm not expert but here's my take on you list of questions.

                        First off, if the motor is 10 yrs old and hasn't been run, replace all the rubber or cork based gaskets like the valve covers, oil pan, timing cover, and I'd do the intake just for insurance when the motor is out of the car. They've all probably dry rotted and its very easy to do on a stand.
                        Definitely get the borescope to look in the cylinders and look for rust. If it's clean, I'd pour some ATF (like a quart a bank) into the bores and let it sit for a day or two then slowly bar the engine over to make sure the rings aren't stuck and have lube against the walls. Drain the ATF out of the pan then fill with 30 weight oil and prime the engine for a few minutes to make sure everything is very well lubed. It'll smoke like crazy when you start it because of the ATF in the bores but it'll burn off and the splash off of the crank will lube the walls properly. (Again this is mostly picked up from reading and working as a part time mechanic back in HS, others probably know better)
                        You'll need a whole new cam to be compatible with the roller lifters, check for pricing from a vendor.
                        Can't comment on the HP, 1/4 ET, or rockers as I'm no Mo'Par guy.
                        Central TEXAS Sleeper
                        USAF Physicist

                        ROA# 9790

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: '69 Dart project

                          Originally posted by grancuda
                          I am going for a period looking car so yeah, I am keeping the gold valve covers but the universal radiator hose will be replaced with a stock style hose.
                          awww....

                          I believe the headers are the P/N you reference but these are from the early 70s and have the rough texture alumacoating.
                          The alumacote is an 80s thing, isn't it?


                          I have the factory 14x5 black steel wheels and a set of 15x8 black steel wheels from a mid 70's Ramcharger so I will have a black wheel set up as well as I am looking for some 15x4.5 torq thrust front & 15x9 slots rear.
                          What bolt pattern? You mentioned 73 disc brakes for the front, are those large or small bolt pattern?

                          15x8.5" slots in the 4.5" bolt pattern are not too hard to find. Small bolt pattern might be impossible? mostly they were all 14s
                          My fabulous web page

                          "If it don't go, chrome it!" --Stroker McGurk

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: '69 Dart project


                            Not sure on the alumacoat thing, just know they aren't like they are coated today. The guy I got the headers from said he got them from a early 70's racer who went to a e-body in the mid 70s and took them off and hung them on the wall then he got them and never ended up running them. Not really sure what they date back to though.

                            Currently, I have sbp drums up front but have 73 disc I was planning on installing and lbp 8 1/4 out back but for the 8 3/4 that will go in I have original sbp axles and I have a set of Yukon lbp axles as well.

                            Originally posted by squirrel
                            Originally posted by grancuda
                            I am going for a period looking car so yeah, I am keeping the gold valve covers but the universal radiator hose will be replaced with a stock style hose.
                            awww....

                            I believe the headers are the P/N you reference but these are from the early 70s and have the rough texture alumacoating.
                            The alumacote is an 80s thing, isn't it?


                            I have the factory 14x5 black steel wheels and a set of 15x8 black steel wheels from a mid 70's Ramcharger so I will have a black wheel set up as well as I am looking for some 15x4.5 torq thrust front & 15x9 slots rear.
                            What bolt pattern? You mentioned 73 disc brakes for the front, are those large or small bolt pattern?

                            15x8.5" slots in the 4.5" bolt pattern are not too hard to find. Small bolt pattern might be impossible? mostly they were all 14s

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: '69 Dart project

                              Been trying to get around the price of getting the old style super stock buckets and having new foam and covers made. Check out these replacement CJ low back seats. Cheapest I have come across is $250 shipped to my door for a pair and they are completely new, not some 40 year old springs. Next I will be looking to build some super stock aluminium brackets and installing a pair of these seats.


                              Need new "factory correct" low back seats for your Classic CJ? These factory style contoured low bucket seats are the way to keep your older vehicle's interior as original. No drilling necessary for installation. Available in Traditional 01 Black only.


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