1965 Dart GT restoration

[Musclecar]

I removed the stock K-member yesterday, and measured the difference. The 1965 A-body K-member is 1 1/2 inches narrower than the 1973 Duster K-member. My initial measurements were not correct. I can make it fit, with many measurements to make sure it is square. It will work, but with modifications. No pictures tonight, but will post pictures in a few days.

MC

 

[mopardude318]

cool build man, nice job!

 

[Musclecar]

Thanks Mopardude, I had to take a trip for two days, and missed my ,,, no I will not call it "baby", but as soon as I got home,, a change of clothes,, and I am back at it. I will name it properly when it is on the road! The K-member is more work than I thought, but will fit with some modifications. Nothing that anyone can't do with a cut off wheel, or die grinder. I may have to use my welder, but not yet. Some of the extra brackets had to be notched 1/4 inch. No pictures tonight, but I am making progress and promise to keep up on this post.

MC

 

[Musclecar]

The Duster K-member is installed temporarily. It will mount square, but a new twist has occured. The geometry of the whole thing rests on the upper control arms. Now they will be narrower and camber will be affected dramatically. I am committed to installing the K-member, and will have to figure that problem out as I go.
musclecar.

 

[Musclecar]

Tonight I assembled the right side with the new 11 inch disc brakes. Note the anti-sway bar. I can't wait, but it will still be a while before I can drive it. I tried to mount the caliper on the rear, but it bumped against the lower shock mount, so will live with the forward mounting. That is the way Plymouth designed it. Also, was kind of surprised about the sway bar mounting below. This Chevy man is learning about Mopar every day!

 

[Musclecar]

didn't get much work on the dart tonight,,, had a big day at work with our second annual car show. 79 cars showed up! I was the cook, and cooked over 375 hot dogs. I wll NEVER eat a hot dog again,,,,, !!We also had chili,, and went through 8 gallons. It amazes me how many cars come out of the garages that I have never seen before in my city. The big bonus at the end of the day was,,,,one of our customers had two cars at the show, and needed someone to drive one of them back to his house. I got to drive his 1970 El Camino, SS 454. Whew, that brings back memories,,,, then when it was time for me to get a ride back, he said "here, you drive the Corvette" Wow,, lala land for me My Dart is going to be done SOON!
BTW, my cousin won fan favorite with his 1931 Plymouth coupe, chopped and gorgeous. He built it in about 6 months with a completely straight and original body.

 

[Musclecar]

I am having a depression feeling tonight. I spend almost every waking hour working on this car, and running into many modification moments with the new K-member. I will make everything work, and want to share my progress for the next person to take on this challenge, but my pictures are gone, and it kinda deflates my enthusiasm. Not sure if I post new pics if they will show up, so I will just chill for tonight.

 

[beetlekill]

Hang in there bro. Not like you lost your pics. Anyone who downloaded had to have put them on their computer. if you can't find them , then how can you fix ****. Good thing your only 2 pages in. Not 32 pages like tincup. No big deal and forget the past...just post today and let me know and I will look and see. Joey is on it big time. However If he can't bring it back.... Oh well. Continue on with what your doing. New Photos should work.

 

[Musclecar]

Somehow the photos on my posts got lost,,,, here are just a few to replace those. I have since upgraded to disc brakes on the front. I hope the pics stay this time,,, mucslecar.

 

[beetlekill]

sweet, your new pics show just fine.

 

[Musclecar]

Ok, so now I have figured out the suspension issues. First I must say that the 1973 Duster k-member is NOT a direct bolt in swap. It will definitely be worth it, with the V-8 motor mounts, the sway bar, and the disc brakes, but it requires some semi major modifications. A welder and grinding tools are mandatory.

By the way, I had a die grinder disc explode in my face yesterday, and I advise everyone to use eye and face protection ALWAYS! (I had eye protection, but my face did not, and has battle scars now).

The 73 Duster K-member is 1 1/2 inches wider, and requires mods to fit. Also, the upper control arm mounts will need to be expanded 3/4 inch on each side. I am probably doing more than I need, but this is what I have, and will do what I need to finish it. I will post pics of roughed in, widened upper control arm mounts. Beware, the welds are not pretty, as I am an old, out of practiced welder.

 

[Badawg]

Looks GREAT!!! Awesome project, keep the pics coming!!

 

[65dartcharger]

You're doing a great jobon your car. Keep it up!

 

[Mr2.4]

Very inpressive work on making the k-frame work. Keep it up man!:cheers:

 

[Musclecar]

One picture tonight, I have done a twist on the steering column, lower seal. I used a strut bellows to make it happen. I can supply a part number if anyone is interested. It will need some modifications, but is a pretty simple task. See the pic. Also, struggling with the upper control arm mounts. I moved them out, but can't get enough caster. I achieved the camber, but not the caster. Have to move on to other things when the mind can't think. Will work on that later.

 

[Musclecar]

Today I figured out the caster alignment problem. After many hours of trying to figure it out, I finally discovered the problem. The 1965 six cylinder K-member strut rods are about 3/8 of an inch longer than the 73 Duster rods. When I installed them, I picked the best looking ones I thought, and they were the longer Dart strut rods. I wish I had checked them at that time. That made the lower ball joint move forward which messed up the caster. I have since installed the 73 Duster strut rods that came with the setup and now I have positive caster. Whew what a journey! I can take the whole suspension apart with my eyes closed now! Pics show the difference in length. Also pic of the other side I have to do. Upper control arm is loose and shows where the mounts on the frame need to be. I will work on that next.

By the way, if you don't know, caster is the relative position of the upper and lower ball joint centerline forward to back. Positive caster is what I need for this car, that means the upper ball joint needs to be behind the lower ball joint.

Camber is the tilt in or out of the top. And of course you know what toe is.

 

[Musclecar]

Oops, I said that the rods made the lower ball joint move forward,,, actually it moved back. Now the lower ball joint is forward of the upper.

 

[Musclecar]

I am finally done with the front suspension. Changing the K-member was a real chore. (73 Duster, to 65 Dart) To recap, the K-member and all other suspension parts are from a 1973 Duster. It is 1 1/2 inches wider than the 65 Dart. Had to widen the upper control arm mounts. After repositioning the k-member, I finally achieved positive camber, .5 degrees, and positive caster, .75 degrees. That is with adjustment either way when the time comes for the alignment shop. I was going to put the car on the ground yesterday, but didn't have the right lug nuts,,,duh, went from 7/16, to 1/2! Tonight I set it down on the ground, and the alignment looks great! I even propped a fender on to see how it clears. I am going to go with 15 inch tires, but the fronts will need to be smaller, with a little more inward offset than the ones show in the pics. Only a couple pics tonight.

 

[beetlekill]

Looking good Musclecar. More abody **** plz. show some body work....why is your bondo on bare metal? I was told and convinced to put bondo on TOP of Sealer...dp 40 ,50 60 ect.....ppg... ...strip the car acid cleen and then acid etcher. ...then epoxy sealer . Then bondo...? just wondering.....

 

[65dartcharger]

Looking good. Keep up the good work!

 

[Musclecar]

Sorry Beetle, I know about that, (you know my work). This is not a 70 Cuda, Challenger or Roadrunner. I am doing a 5 year paint job on a semi worthless car. My budget cant afford to e-coat the entire car. With clean, 24 gritted surfaces, quality filler will be fine. I am using Rage filler, with RM urethane fast build epoxy primer surfacer/sealer. Not PPG, but the PPG dealer here is way out of range on his prices. Carquest owns National Coatings where I get my supplies for employee cost. Every product I use is competitive with PPG or Dupont. I am pleased with them. You saw Mom's car,,, paint is equivalent to PPG Durathane.

 

[Musclecar]

I have been busy wiring the Dart. I have contemplated using the original wires, or completely rewiring the whole car. I decided to use the existing wiring for now, while adding a new, backup, fuse block using the ATO style fuses for any upgrades. I have had to trace a few problem circuits, but it is somewhat easy with the wiring diagrams available online.

 

[Musclecar]

Ok, sorry for not posting progress sooner. Have converted the ignition to electonic, as have converted the voltage regulator. I have been working on this car every night after work, and progess has been slow but substantial. Fixing all the wiring has been a challenge, (4 days figuring out the turn signal cam) as I have opted to use the existing wiring instead of re-wiring the whole car. I have fixed every wiring problem. Every light, turn signal, starter, horn, stop light, oil pressure, coolant temperature, guage works. Even the interior lights, from the quarter panel to the shifter console. Everything works now

 

[Musclecar]

It has been cold around here, so am trying to do things inside. I decided to tackle the interior kick panels. The original ones were made of a cardboard type material, and were cracked and warped. Using the old ones as templates, I used 1/8 inch masonite to make new ones. Then, I used 1/4 inch headliner backing, and black vinyl. I wanted to do something custom, so I dragged out the sewing machine. After researching how to thread the bobbin, I got busy. Anyway, check out the pics. The first one is of the original kick panel. Then cutting templates, and glueing parts together. I used 3M adhesive. The trick is to spray it on both sides, and let it dry for a bit. Don't attach the parts for at least 15 minutes. I ended up stitching 2 rows at the top, and two rows at the bottom. I HAD to put in a Chrysler pentastar, with a smaller pentastar button in the middle. Just my way of doing something out of the ordinary, but cool.

 

[Musclecar]

new pics