66 dart convertible
Just sat here for the past few hours and looked over your thread. I must say you have done a very very good job with all the patch work. I just picked up a 66 Dart GT convertible with a 273 all original numbers matching with only 63,*** miles 3 days ago. I will be getting hot and heavy into the resto in a few weeks. I have a few questions though. You didnt use the stock seats I noticed. But did you replace the factory rear seat mounts? I know there is one for the air cylinder and another one right next to it that goes toward the front of the car. Do you know what that is used for? Mine didn't come with from seats, but it did come with the rear lower but not the upper. I have been trying to find a replacement panel from the rear section after the seam for the front floor pans but cant seem to find one. At least not for a 66. If you did re use the factory brackets, the air cylinder and the other bracket right next to it, or did you. Just trying to get as much info as possible before I start taring into this thing.
lets see if I can answer at least some of your questions.
no I didn't use stock seats (and I left the stock hookup in it too lazy to grind em off) the newer style seats were made for a front wheel drive and I had to build a panel to raise the floor pan to fit correctly.
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the bracket for the lift cylinder I did use but welded it in the wrong spot.. it goes to the very end of the panel to get full retract position. I'm doing that this week.
I used the rear floor pan section from a 73 dart it fit the sides of the car perfectly but didn't have the exact shape for stock carpet or sub-frame connectors. you can use (dart) 63-73 floor sections but from 67-73 the shape will be wrong for factory stock and the seat and seat belt holes are in the wrong spot. plus the seat height was incorrect for the 66 (I welded the holes up and redid it to fit mine)
I cut a rectangle out of the seat pan location and added in flat metal to lay on the seat mounting brackets that were welded to the frame. you cansee the holes that I cut out to flatten the shape to fit stock 66 seat locations. THEN I didn't use the 66 seats.
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this is the panel that was added and it hides the stock seat bracket so I left the bracket in it.
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here is the locator diagram.(note I have to move the convertible top lift brackets to the front edge of the panel instead of 2 inches back)
View attachment mounting brackets.jpg
the top part of the rear seat is hooked into the power top motor brace it slides UP-wards into the 2 slots in that piece and bolts into the over the axle pan to hold it in place. they look like a box welded onto the rear panel. with 1 screw hole in it , you can see it in the last pic right above the "side panel mount caption. and you can see the slots I'm taking about right above that on the cross bar that holds the power top motor.
I'm not sure what panel you talking about? you have the front floor pans. the seat mounting section, the rear floor pans ,then you have the extension pan that the top cylinder lift brackets and the seat brackets weld on to. sort of an upside down L shape and then you have the over the axle pan .
I'm assuming your looking for the upside down L shaped piece and you can get it from almost any of the darts. 2 door,4 door, hardtop, sedan or convertible. from 63 to 73 for sure. remember 67-73 has the plugs and seat belt holes in a different location but it will fit.
if I'm wrong in assuming the panel you want then grab one of my pic's and edit it to show me what one your looking for.
front and rear floor pans are available. (autobody specialties has the fronts for sure) so the only pieces you'll have to get used is the seat pan section under the front seats 6-8 inches or so. darn pan is just a little short. and the upside down L piece. that's why I used the 73 piece( cheaper than the 66 original piece) and I wasn't worried about going to a "numbers,factory,show car"
I knew I wanted
1 A/C
2 power seats
3 cup holders
4 power windows
5 power trunk lock
6 other things that make my driving pleasure "BETTER or more comfortable in my opinion" your (opinion) may vary on the pleasure scale but it's going to be my daily driver.
hope I've helped out a little.
have fun with your resto!