63 Dodge Dart, now let me see;)

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I agree 100% with this^^^^^ My 64 is manual steering and I love how it drives.
I admit I have owned dozens of 68-70 Bodies, 99% manual steering. I+Had some 71 up B bodies with PS and they weren't too bad but I still much preferred the man ula box. I well remember my first Duster, slant with PS. Wait it was a Demon. It really took me a while to get used to it and feel like I was not going to kill myself because it was light car, slant and light in the front, no road feel, and I had to really be paying attention!!
 
Kind of funny, but in my 66 Valiant in high school, 1970ish (10th up to 11th grade)I don't remember ever "fighting" the manual steering, but my 63 Pontiac Lemans (in my senior year), it was pretty testy but is something one comes to accept. As for my Dart, it would save a little money on just a manual gear box vs ps. I see them on ebay for a couple hundred remanufactured. Mine is just in really bad shape, but will do to move the car around.

I do need to start thinking about tires, I bought these wheels for 20 bucks each, I think the widest is 8" other is 6", 15" rims, I'd need 10"? I'll have to double check on the width. I could probably just go to my local tire store and get some junk tires on these rims just to move the car around and buy the tires later.

The last picture is a googled picture of someones A body~ I would like the widest I could go;) Wide tires on the rear look so cool!

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There's quite a bit of room, I believe I saw these rims advertised and have 10" wheels available, but don't know the backspacing.
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Googled pic
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I have 245/60-15 rear tires on 15x7 rims. They are on a 66 Valiant so rear wheel well sizes should be similar. This is on the original 7.25 rear end. I have lots of room - about an inch to the springs and you can stick your hand between the fender lip and the tire.

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Hey, made a little progress on my dash :lol: , not totally done, but looking pretty good. Just little stuff to do, I do need a fuel gauge, but I can get that later on.
Rains in the forecast~ very sad.

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The clocking of the gauges may be tad off, just installed temporarily for now.
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Yes :thankyou: I just ordered it today~ I keep looking at it, near best I've ever done :lol:
The 2" gauges shown were a set from Speedway which was on Amazon.
That looks really nice. The radio looks right at home there! Are you going to put your gas gauge where the Sunpro voltmeter is?

:thankyou: :thankyou:
 
Gee I haven’t checked in for a few days and you have been busy.
The suspension, block sanding, tire fitting and more dash work .
The dash look’s great , the rest is coming along nicely.
As for power vs manual steering you’ve got the muscle after all that body work to easily go manual and I’ll admit that my ‘63 and both ‘64 Darts were easy to steer even with 235/60’s on 5.5” 14 wheels .
But when I was handed the ‘66 GT it had p/s and a/c the ‘64 GT went to a guy that pretty much did to it what I had in mind to do .
As for tires on my ‘66 I’m planning on 245 /60x15 on 8” Rally wheels in the rear I just hope the back space is correct for the stock wheelhouse and springs after I change the rear axel because I already have the wheels .

I really need to start a build thread now that it’s almost done , but at the rate I’m going it may take another year .
 
Ok, it's in paint, I'll get better pics after it's cured overnight, still some blotches of shiny, this isn't a shiny paint. I made one boo boo, it's my first in a long time, I brushed up against the left front fender~ :( I want to get the suspension on and tires on and put it on my 4 post lift. I'll cover it and take a break~ we have the other length of fence to repair, then go to philly to see one of the daughter and the list goes on.
I'm tired, that wore me out!

depending on the angle, it appears different colors~ to some degree

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Hey Glen, I painted the underside, first in primer soon after I epoxy primed, then a light gray enamel. It looks good, besides, sadly no one ever crawls under the car :lol:
 
Hey Glen, I painted the underside, first in primer soon after I epoxy primed, then a light gray enamel. It looks good, besides, sadly no one ever crawls under the car :lol:
But now when you go on a vehicle killin spree, they'll see how clean your car is underneath before they pass away.
 
here's some better pics~ it's so cool :thumbsup: With the right decals, should be REALLY COOL :lol:

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Ha! I brushed up on a fender on one of mine last year and just fixed that and a scratch from a tree limb, last week. I always tel myself, I am not perfect and my cars aren't either! Plus, IF we drive them, they will never stay perfect even if they were to start with!!! :BangHead:
 
I'm definitely not perfect, but I do strive for just less than perfection :lol: , I think what gets me messed up when spraying is dragging the extra hose around from my breathing machine~ I value my lungs and will always use it, but it gets tangled with my air hose and everything else! and though I thought it was a good idea to paint the body on the lift, it was a pita! However was nice to raise the vehicle to get the rockers and all low areas. I wish I had put the fenders in front of the car~ they were in the line of fire ~ at least I didn't knock them over. I suppose another issue I've had since day 1 in painting, is how much to make, guess work mostly. It's quick to tell when one knows not enough paint was made. The Sage green I bought was a gallon with a quart of hardner~ good coverage and probably could have gotten by with one coat, but I'm notorious for "holidays" and went for two coats which is my rule of thumb. Once hardener it put to it, that's it, can't save it; just let it cure and throw it out.

Today, need to put everything away, clean shop. Maybe go by the tire store and have a chat, I have mixed emotions about installing the engine, but do need to figure out what to do about the clutch~ I was figuring hydraulic, but money is a little tighter and may have to go with the mechanical type. There is much more to purchase

My Tyvek suit (I have 3 and 3 hood assemblies) (and since I wear glasses, the hood is awesome) isn't quit so white any more, the hose attaches to the head gear, the other pic, just a reminder of what it was:lol:

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None of the tires would turn and tires were shot anyway
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I love this work, it's frustrating and satisfying, but wouldn't want to do it for a living
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Ever get through a day and forget what you did~ that happens a lot! :lol:

First off, the wheels/rims, these are 16 wheels if measuring from rim to rim is the way. The tire in the first picture is a really tall tire. The tire on the left is a smaller height tire. I don't know where I was going with this.

next, I set the trim in place around the trunk; I'd prefer to paint it matt black ,but Gary likes the chrome look~ I guess it could tie in with the wheels?

and lastly, it's just a pic of the front turn signal, origially chrome, but I media blasted it, expoxy primed the painted. I like it!

ok, heading to Sonic for our weekly hotdog :thumbsup:

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Moved the dart into the ac/heated garage, first time on the ground in a couple years. I went by the tire store and the young man asked what's the application, "well" I said, it's a 63 dodge dart, but the application really won't work here. LSS, I said I'll bring the tires over and then we'll talk.

I need to put some bricks in the back, too high, I know it's not loaded, these are new springs, so perhaps I should put a couple hundred pounds in the trunk

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I kinda like the Stinkbug stance....lol. When you get a tank of gas, the spare tire, jack, two folding chairs and a cooler in the back, it will settle right down. The full interior will play into that also. If it's still too high to suit you, drive it to "The Run to the Sun" show in Myrtle Beach, SC next March. After you drive it across a bunch of the whooptedoo bridges in SC, it will beat them springs into submission...lol. Go across most of the bridges in SC, it's bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce from one end to the other! :BangHead:
 
That's about the best solution~ Thank you!!!! :thankyou:

I kinda like the Stinkbug stance....lol. When you get a tank of gas, the spare tire, jack, two folding chairs and a cooler in the back, it will settle right down. The full interior will play into that also. If it's still too high to suit you, drive it to "The Run to the Sun" show in Myrtle Beach, SC next March. After you drive it across a bunch of the whooptedoo bridges in SC, it will beat them springs into submission...lol. Go across most of the bridges in SC, it's bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce from one end to the other! :BangHead:
 
You need to be patient , once the car is all together it will settle down then give it some time on the road before setting the ride height . New springs need a bit of time .
Looking good on the ground , now for the rest of the assembly and the weight of all that stuff .
 
Just see what the rear seat looked like~ I would re-upholster in whatever I choose. Just having a little fun :lol:

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