1963 Dodge Dart 270 Convertible for the Wife

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Jim Kueneman

Jim Kueneman

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For those watching the father daughter build we are about done and the wife was getting jealous. We have been thinking and scheming what to do for her when this Dart fell into our laps. Original Arizona car that was in a carport for decades. It is 100% complete and original. It even has the original windshield washer bag under the hood! We just got it home tonight and had to get it in the garage as the summer storms are brewing but the wife claims she will be in the garage working on it! She actually took money out of her account to buy it. Effectively we paid $2900 for a supper solid car that had tags and insurance. I drove it part way home before it started starving for fuel once it hit 3rd gear. Trying to decide if we should get it reliable on the road and drive it before digging into it or do more a rolling restoration.

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Jim Kueneman said:
For those watching the father daughter build we are about done and the wife was getting jealous. We have been thinking and scheming what to do for her when this Dart fell into our laps. Original Arizona car that was in a carport for decades. It is 100% complete and original. It even has the original windshield washer bag under the hood! We just got it home tonight and had to get it in the garage as the summer storms are brewing but the wife claims she will be in the garage working on it! She actually took money out of her account to buy it. Effectively we paid $2900 for a supper solid car that had tags and insurance. I drove it part way home before it started starving for fuel once it hit 3rd gear. Trying to decide if we should get it reliable on the road and drive it before digging into it or do more a rolling restoration.

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Keep doing what you do..... saving Mopar after Mopar :)
 
Home at last... The wife with a $hit eating grin on her face trying to figure out the push button shifter.....

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BTW this will likely be fire engine red with a white top, white interior and white stripes.

Something along these lines...

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Ok all you 170CI /6 owners. What should the experience be like driving your Dart /6? The only thing I could compare it to was being on the side of the road and a big truck flies by at 75 and you feel like your getting lightly sucked down the road by the wind? That was what it felt like flooring the 170 off the line. More like someone was lightly, very lightly, sucking me down the road....

:rofl:

is that what a /6 experience is.... We may need a 390 stroker in there before this is done....
 
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If you do change it over to a SB, the PB trans are a little different froe each year and the PB setup accordingly.

If the engine was starving for fuel on way home, I wold first pullthe gas tank, and pickup, clean or replace and the fuel filter, and maybe clean the carb.

Its a light car, but slants are basically reliable but not powerhouses. A good running slant with a road gear will keep up with traffic and be cool. The 170 is a short stroke engine and will rev quicker, and the 225 will have more torque. They are still slants.

Very cool car, glad it is a family project.
 
Jim Kueneman said:
For those watching the father daughter build we are about done and the wife was getting jealous. We have been thinking and scheming what to do for her when this Dart fell into our laps. Original Arizona car that was in a carport for decades. It is 100% complete and original. It even has the original windshield washer bag under the hood! We just got it home tonight and had to get it in the garage as the summer storms are brewing but the wife claims she will be in the garage working on it! She actually took money out of her account to buy it. Effectively we paid $2900 for a supper solid car that had tags and insurance. I drove it part way home before it started starving for fuel once it hit 3rd gear. Trying to decide if we should get it reliable on the road and drive it before digging into it or do more a rolling restoration.

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is that a glass back window?
 
barbee6043 said:
If you do change it over to a SB, the PB trans are a little different froe each year and the PB setup accordingly.

If the engine was starving for fuel on way home, I wold first pullthe gas tank, and pickup, clean or replace and the fuel filter, and maybe clean the carb.

Its a light car, but slants are basically reliable but not powerhouses. A good running slant with a road gear will keep up with traffic and be cool. The 170 is a short stroke engine and will rev quicker, and the 225 will have more torque. They are still slants.

Very cool car, glad it is a family project.
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The tank had been removed and boiled out with a new sending unit and sock installed. Carb rebuild and new fuel pump/filter. It was a clear filter and there was no where near the amount of gas I would have expected in the filter. My guess is they installed the cheapest POS pump they could. I will be starting look it over and see what it wrong.
 
you could just put a 225 super six in it. That would be plenty powerful in that car for cruis'n.
 
Whoo-hoo I think she has been transplanted with a 225! So I have the basis for the best /6 I can have.
 
She has been retrofitted with a 225 (VIN says 170). I need the Slant 6 Whisperer, @slantsixdan? What does this tell me other than it is a 68' and up block. I can't get to the sundial and numbers easily.

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I think we have decided to go with a full blown Clifford Blueprint kit and intake/exhaust system. Need to call and understand why the headers are '64 and up....
 
So another question, if this is a '68 and up block how did they get the old trunion PB transmission to work with it? I thought there was a break there that had to do with the cranks? Or is it you can't use an older engine on a newer transmission?
 
I think it's the same deal as a 273 engine. The register in the end of the crank and the converter has to match. The register in the crank on the older motors is smaller. The old converter will work with the newer crank....even though just using it too loose is wrong also. Older motor won't fit with a newer converter because the crank register is too small. You can either use an adapter ring in the register of the 225 to fit the smaller hub on the old converter, or get the old converter rebuilt with the proper hub added to the front of it.
 
Jim Kueneman said:
Collecting Parts sources

Convertible Windshield Seal
Windshield gasket with bright-finish lockstrip for 1963-66 Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Dart convertibles

1963 Paint Codes, inside and out
1963 Mopar Paint Codes

Performance Upgrades /6
Chrysler slant six performance upgrades
Welcome to 6=8 Clifford Performance
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Sweet car extra nice that it's a convertible.

if you can deal with 1/16" of metal trim showing on the top part of the seal. I'd get a hardtop windshield seal and save you a bunch of $$$. 0 One side (on the inside of the car has a little smaller flange). Externally it's the same. Inside the car it's 1/16" difference( I measured a sedan also and they are the same as a hardtop.) I make a few parts for the early A's convertible too if you are in need of some. and am constantly working on other stuff when I get the time and money to R&D my stuff.

kick panels with speakers.
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top rear side panel plastic trip
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the top piece too!
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Jim Kueneman said:
It came with a new convertible top with a glass window still in a box in the trunk. The one on it is plastic and is missing.
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the glass one won't fit and even if it did you would break it when the top went down (the plastic curtain folds a little bit when lowered since the window is bigger than the well by about 2 inches.)
 
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